After a pretty stressful year that included some significant lows, it is a true pleasure to be reminded of the highs and the achievements that get so quickly lost in life’s daily dramas.
 This is not to say that 2010 has not been an incredible year for me. I have , of course, all a chef could wish for… my very own cook book, published and now available in all good book stores! But the year has not really been about the final product; rather the journey producing the book – it has been unbelievable.

After a pretty stressful year that included some significant lows, it is a true pleasure to be reminded of the highs and the achievements that get so quickly lost in life’s daily dramas.

This is not to say that 2010 has not been an incredible year for me. I have , of course, all a chef could wish for… my very own cook book, published and now available in all good book stores! But the year has not really been about the final product; rather the journey producing the book – it has been unbelievable.

Camilla, my Marketing Manager and I could not have learned or experienced anymore from one project if we tried. Watching the book come together was extraordinary: planning the recipes, testing them, writing the initial text, choosing the images, the right paper stock, the book shape, and one truly fantastic memory, being involved in the photo shoots. This was altogether an incredible experience. The setup, the time, the creativity that goes into the words and images now featured in the book; you can hardly imagine the effort when you look at the elegant photos and read the stories.

Even the lows this year have been exceptional. It has been hard for me to contain my frustration at a company that I put all my faith in. Nothing frustrates me more than the feeling of being cheated and lied to when you think you are working together with someone, only to discover that they actually had ulterior motives. Combined with the responsibility that I must take for my own errors made along the way, my heart palpitations sky rocketed and it made me almost impossible to work and live with!

Then all of a sudden the anniversary year of the cafe is upon me and out of the haze of mayhem that has been filling my thoughts for months, I heard the voices of a trusted old friend and my sister in law.

The speeches on the night of the 7th November 2010, ten years after we first opened up our little café, forced me to clear my mind of angst and remember the wonderful moments of this year and the past decade.

I great line from my friend George Manettas who said: ‘’That was ten years ago and I have seen a young keen French man turn into a wonderful businessman, a network machine of Rottweiler persistence, smooth as his Crème Brulee and more importantly honest and fair.”

And from my sister in law on behalf on the regulars said: “Thank you for creating a place where we can go to enjoy such beautiful food, where we can escape and where we can always find a familiar face.”

I think the same of my customers. Thank you for choosing my café for your morning coffee, long brunches and lunches. It is you that have given my café its personality – just as much as me!

So far it has been a fantastic journey and my business partners, Gaby and my wife Sohani, are all so grateful to have had such a thriving café for all these years, and we hope for many more to come.

Thank you and Bon appetit!