03/08/2026
Well... I suppose it was my turn.
We've been putting our team in the hot seat, asking them all the fun questions, & a few of you suggested I should answer them too.
Truthfully, I'd much rather be the one asking the questions!
If you've been following along for a while, you'll know this journey hasn't exactly been a straight line.
There have been a few versions of Vicki over the years... the nutrition coach, the cooking classes, the food van & now the café.
From the outside, it might look like I've changed direction a lot, but I don't think I have.
Owning a café was always the dream. Not because I wanted to own a business, but because I wanted to create a place people wanted to be. A place where conversations happened over coffee, birthdays were celebrated over cake, & someone could escape the world for ten quiet minutes.
Outside of work I'm endlessly curious. One month it's cheesemaking, the next it's writing lyrics & DJing, then crochet, then planning another escape because I spotted a beautiful stretch of countryside. I'm slightly obsessed with KFC, I think The Lord of the Rings is the greatest story ever told, I play way too much PlayStation, I love dogs more than is probably considered normal, & I leave everything to the last minute.
I have the wild confidence of someone far more qualified than me... while somehow also being my own meanest critic. Truth be told, I don't really have it all together. I'm mostly just making it up as I go, & life often feels like a roller coaster without the brakes. But I wouldn't have it any other way.
Business has taught me far more about people than running a business ever could. It's taught me that no one builds anything worthwhile alone. Great staff become ride-or-die friends. Customers become a shining light in your day & many become friends too. Most of all, every person who walks through our door gives us something far more valuable than a sale... they give us their trust.
If you'd asked me ten years ago what success looked like, my answer would've been completely different.
These days, success is hearing, "That was the best cake I've ever had." It's seeing a regular walk through the door, hearing laughter from the corner table, watching friendships grow & seeing someone leave smiling.
When I strip everything back, I think all I've ever wanted is to make people feel welcome, cared for & just a little happier than when they arrived.
If, years from now, people don't remember the business, the cakes or even the coffee... but they remember that I made them smile...
I think I'd call that a life well lived. ❤️
