by Kendrea Rhodes
In Cudlee Creek, on the picturesque Gorge road, lies The Cudlee Café, just waiting to engulf you in ambience, flavour and satisfaction. The Café has been around for many years and in many guises as a creamery, post office, deli and finally a café. For the past 8 months, garden designer and mother of five, Babette Wilkinson, has owned and run the café with flare and determination.
The interior has had a contemporary facelift with the addition of vibrant colours and uplifting designs. The first thing you notice, as you walk in the door is the aroma of freshly brewed Amanti coffee, drifting throughout the café. There is a relaxing area to the right, with a comfy lounge and piano that customers are welcome to tinkle away on. Or you may be after a Devonshire tea for two, in a quiet corner with a beautiful view to the Gorge. In winter you are greeted with a cosy wood fire and huge pots of homemade soup, and you may also notice the counter is packed with homemade cakes, biscuits and local produce including wines and olive oil. The café is licensed and stocks a variety of wines and beers including the fabulous Lobethal Bierhaus range of Pale Ale, Stout, English Dark Ale and German Wheat Beer.
While maintaining the café’s traditional menu of gourmet burgers, hot dogs, steak sandwiches and the famous, “All Day Cudlee Breakfast”, Babette has also added some zing with Friday Schnitzel night and live music on the weekends in the warmer months. The Café employs a local chef (Megan Button) who bakes fresh food daily for take-away or dine-in which includes classics like Lasagne, Curry, Beer Batter Fish & Chips, hearty steaks, seafood and much more. The friendly and experienced staff, function as a well oiled team, creating and delivering quality food in a timely and professional manner. Babette believes in buying food as close to the source as possible and as a result, she uses a local vegetable grower, local butcher, bakery and the local Augusto olive oil.
Behind the café, secluded from the road, is a wonderful garden area that customers are invited to enjoy. Right on the banks of the Torrens River, this pleasant position is dotted with beautiful shade trees, a well managed lawn and children’s play area. The summer plan is that customers will be able to indulge themselves in a “Cudlee Picnic Hamper” and have a leisurely and relaxing picnic on the lawn.
Babette is originally from Adelaide, but moved to Kersbrook three years ago. Her husband, Michael, sadly passed away in 2004 from cancer. This left her on her own to raise the five children, the youngest being two year old twins, Meike and Kyle. With bucket loads of strength and some much needed support, she is back on her feet again with renewed vigour. Babette is a self confessed fitness junkie, who used to do body building and aerobics, but currently prefers the sport of walking. This is not just your average stroll with the dog, some recent fund raising events involved walking 56km and 100kms in the Advertisers’ Trailblazer Challenge. She would like to combine this passion with that of fund raising for cancer research and has many plans which include the café as a pit stop, so watch this space for future events. The café is open 7 days a week, 8.30am – 5pm, Sunday to Thursday and 8.30am – 9pm, Friday and Saturday. You can contact them on 8389 2278.
Captions: The Cudlee Cafe; Chef, Megan Button, with one of her homemade cakes; Babette Wilkinson on the secluded lawn at the back of the Café where customers can take their “Cudlee Picnic Hamper” to enjoy!
