720B
Pollen Street
Thames
07 8688781.
Coffee Roast: Altezano Coffee (house blend)
Cafe Review:
Having lived on the Coromandel Peninsula we went to Thames quite often
and soon sourced out the Sola Cafe several years ago.
Kate and Clare along with Amanda have put together a cafe
that is
far superior to most in communities the size of
Thames. The coffee has always been excellent and very consistent
whoever makes it. The food is a great compliment to the
cafe as is the service.
Those of you who seek out great vegetarian food and a
wheat and gluten free menu will be rewarded
at Sola.
Highly recommended.
Sola Cafe Information:
Sola Cafe has been open since December 2001.
Owner operators Kate Ewing and
Clare Rodley share the management of the cafe
which is open 7 days 8.30 - 4pm.
On average they employ a team of 8 - 10 people depending on the
season.
Clare
Rodley - co-owner
Clare has worked as a chef for most of her working career. She
has an
incredible passion for good food (alongside motorbikes and cats!) Clare
worked
for ten years in Sydney and gained considerable knowledge from some of
Sydney's
top chefs. She has cooked in a variety of restaurants including
Mexican,
Italian, Spanish, and Malaysian. Her food is always unpretentious,
yummy and creative. At Sola she works as
part- time manager, barista, and chef.
Kate
Ewing - co-owner
Kate is a trained contemporary
jeweller by
trade . She ran her own jewellery
gallery in Christchurch for seven years before attending Sydney College
of the
Arts and gaining an honours degree in a Bachelor of Visual Arts. While
in
Australia she also worked in the hospitality industry to support
herself,
skills which she was then able to utilise for the Sola Cafe project.
She works as part-time manager of the cafe, barista, and cook, with the
remaining time she makes jewellery in her Martha Street Studio situated
at the
rear of the cafe.
Amanda Ewing -
Amanda Ewing, Kate's sister,
was a founding member of Sola. She
created the name and the logo for Sola, and also designed the interior
colour scheme. She currently works as a part time barista at the cafe
whilst continuing her design
and artwork at home and being a
full time mum.
Check out their website -
Sola Cafe Website:
