June 26, 2013
The tiny “hole-in-wall” cafe in Kingaroy Street, Kingaroy, that housed Burning Beats restaurant, and then Cake & Whimsy, is undergoing another transformation.
On Sunday, Daniela Gonzalez will be officially opening her new Wild Lettuce Cafe at 7:00am.
She’ll be offering warming breakfasts on Sundays, and fresh juices, soups and salads plus organic tea and coffee throughout the week.
But fans of Cake & Whimsy need not fear, that business is going from strength to strength.
Owner Kathy Cope said her whimsical mix of handmade gifts and cupcakes had attracted a regular clientele over the past year or so.
She had begun cake decorating as a hobby for friends and family but she knew the trend for decorated cakes had hit the South Burnett when she started to generate orders from complete strangers.
She took the leap from a home hobby to a fully fledged business with assistance from business mentor Trudi Bartlett from BIEDO.
After writing a comprehensive business plan, she was convinced a cake business could work in the region.
And she was right … which explains why she’s now moving from the old Kingaroy Street cafe location.
“I love the ambience I’ve created at Cake & Whimsy, but I have literally outgrown the kitchen,” Kathy said.
“In my busiest cake week, I baked 20 cakes, and then had to transform them into eight decorated cakes. I knew my kitchen was small, but that was a frustrating few days, trying to find enough surface space as I worked on them. ”
With the added difficulty of finding enough time to work on the decorating side of the business, she decided to close the café and shop and move into a dedicated kitchen space and concentrate on cake decorating, workshops and some other side projects.
Enter Daniela Gonzalez and her vision for a funky, Melbourne-style eatery and juice bar, sourcing her ingredients from local and organic suppliers.
“I’d been looking for a space that was central, not too big and with a bit of atmosphere,” Daniela said.
“Trudi knew that Kathy was looking to transfer her lease and put us in touch with each other at just the right time. The space is perfect for what I want to do.”
The rear courtyard and garden area are currently undergoing some improvements and will be reopening shortly.
