food – Biking to Bakeries

My daughter, Jane, has lived in New Zealand for six years. Her town of Akaroa sits on a bay with less than 700 residents, and I just returned from a wonderful visit. We swam when the days were warm, took nature walks, explored gorgeous Arthur’s Pass with its breathtaking waterfall, ate delicious meals, and enjoyed an inordinate amount of time at an exquisite place called The Cake Room. In just over two weeks, I went to The Cake Room six times. Does this seem excessive, especially when given that it is only open four days a week? Not to me!

Jane had been talking about The Cake Room ever since it opened in January 2023 . She knew I would be smitten by its cozy seating, pretty serving plates and teapots, bouquets of colorful flowers, floral wallpaper, a friendly baker (Katey Thew-Thin), and the phenomenal cakes. Jane was right: I could not stay away!

We sat outside during our first visit, enjoying the warm sun on the back patio of The Cake Room. That day we shared a slice of moist lemon olive oil cake and a mini cherry pie with a flaky crust and lattice top. Both were divine and the teapot, delicate plates, and sterling silver forks made us feel spoiled. Between bites, we laughed and talked and since we had brought our books, we did a bit of reading as well.

As Jane worked in the morning the next day, I amused myself by taking a walk along the boardwalk, reading my book, and exploring some shops. Before I knew it, I was chatting with Katey about her baking and my blog and had ordered a pot of fruity tea and a scone with dates and a tiny yellow pansy on top. At first I thought she had placed two very thin slices of white cheese over the scone, but upon tasting it I learned those were wafer-thin slices of butter. It was so, so good, and you know how I like scones.

For some reason, Jane and I ordered cake to go one day. I had eyed the chocolate and cherry cake on the previous day, and was cheered to see there were still a couple of slices. Jane chose the olive oil cake, and we were very pleased with our choices. The chocolate cake was decorated with gold leaf and the sliced cherries made each bite delicious.

One afternoon Jane and I sat inside The Cake Room on soft corduroy upholstered chairs in a rich shade of blue, drank jasmine tea, and shared a slice of plum cake and a luscious passion fruit cupcake. We marveled at how the thick swirl of icing atop the cupcake held a puddle of passion fruit puree and savored each bite.

Soon I was back in The Cake Room on different work day for Jane. I sat inside on one of the blue chairs and chatted with a couple from nearby Christchurch who were thrilled to discover The Cake Room. A slice of carrot cake, frosted with cream cheese and containing very finely ground nuts was outstanding. I became a big fan of the tea Katey serves, Tea Total, which comes from New Zealand.

My last full day in Akaroa was bittersweet. After having a very filling lunch of fish and chips with Jane’s partner and their dog Libby in tow, we decided we had enough room in our bellies for one final trip to The Cake Room. I teared up a few times that day, and one was when I said good-bye to Katey after enjoying a final slice of the olive oil cake (this time there seemed to be more orange zest in the tasty frosting) and a vanilla cupcake.

You may be wondering how I found time to eat any cake besides Katey’s. Please remember that I am a professional, and I was more than happy to have multiple thick slices of the cake Jane’s partner baked for my birthday. Knowing my love of chocolate, he made a layered cake with a rich flavor and soft crumb. He frosted it with chocolate buttercream and outdid himself, decorating it with fresh pink flowers. Jane and I had a piece that night, a piece the next morning, and ate it until it was gone by the end of that first week.

In addition to The Cake Room, Akaroa boasts a tiny corner storefront, A la Baguette where fresh bread and pastries are sold a few days a week. They are made by a local Frenchman, and we found his sourdough loaf ideal for toast and the sandwiches we made for our lunches. We brought plain, chocolate, and almond croissants to enjoy on the balcony of Jane’s friend with coffee one morning, and all were up to scratch. So was the whole wheat roll which was studded with walnuts and chunks of blue cheese.

Jane and I shared many other memorable and innovative meals in Akaroa, Christchurch, and Little River. Yet when I think of my beloved daughter, I think of us ensconced in the lovely blue chairs at The Cake Room, the bountiful vases of flowers, and how this place played a big part in our precious time together.

Imagine this: It is three o’clock pm and you could use a break from your work day. You grab your wallet and head to the nearby cafe, order an espresso, and decide that a cookie would also lift your spirits. In fifteen minutes you feel revived and primed to work with renewed energy and focus.

Here’s another scenario: You and your mom have not caught up for a couple of weeks. Late afternoon is an ideal time to see her, so you pick her up and head to a new spot your friend insisted you check out. Once you arrive, you realize you feel peckish so you order a lemonade and some fruit and cheese. Your mom is not very hungry so she orders a cappuccino. You linger for a couple of hours and then leave, feeling sated in mind and body.

Or how about this: Your friends are visiting from out of town and you have been sightseeing all day. It is not quite dinnertime, but everyone could use a sit-down and a snack. Therefore, you head to the seemingly always-open-just-when-you-need-it-to-be, Lori’s 9 to 9, order a platter of cheese, salumi, and sliced veggies, along with some delicious bread. You decide some olives and nuts would round out this delightful afternoon snack, as well as a lager for your friends, wine for you, and an IPA for your husband. You spend time laughing, telling stories about your lives, and leave feeling refreshed and relaxed. This and other scenarios are easy to imagine; I dream about such scenes several times a week. Alas, in Santa Barbara, this is only a dream.

I work within a two-minute walk to three coffee places. They all close at three o’clock pm. What?! Isn’t that just the time that one wants a wee break from work? Isn’t late afternoon precisely when some caffeine is in order? Yes! What is this three o’clock closing madness? I cannot be the only one who craves some sort of sweet baked good in the afternoon, or, honestly, at any time of day. However, if I do not get to a bakery before two o’clock I am out of luck. Furthermore, restaurants who serve lovely desserts tend to close between the lunch and dinner service so that is a no-go. This is very frustrating to me. It is also nearly impossible to get a simple, well-prepared plate of savory foods in Santa Barbara without spending at least fifty dollars. All of these disappointments can be remedied and the preceding scenarios can be realized by the arrival of Lori’s 9 to 9.

This new cafe will be open five days a week, from nine in the morning until nine in the evening. The decor will be simple and cozy. Chairs and small couches will be upholstered in quiet shades of blue and lavender, the walls will alternate between floral wallpaper and a soft shade of white paint. There will be bouquets of fresh flowers on the tables and plants scattered throughout the cafe. Wood flooring will be caramel in color. Alright, let’s face it: I want this dream place to be a cross between having the look of The Duchess in Ojai and the warm, colorful, and welcoming feel of Alchemist Jam in McMinnville, Oregon.

The kitchen does not need to be very large since a limited variety of baked goods will be prepared there a few days a week. A refrigerator will store the ingredients needed for baking as well as fruits, vegetables, cheese, salumi, and some beverages. In addition, there will be a pantry for storing dry goods and the simple, pretty plates, glasses and silverware. The overall atmosphere will be relaxed, convivial, and warm. Oh, and it will be built in such a way that conversations can happen naturally, not in elevated voices to overcome flimsy acoustics and booming music.

Clearly, my desire for such an establishment is keenly felt, and I have spent many years imagining and talking about such a place. At the same time, I have worked in restaurants, coffee shops, and bakeries, and subsequently understand what labor and knowledge would be required for success. Therefore, I cannot fathom bringing Lori’s 9-9 to life myself. Surely there must be someone in this town, or, dare I say, someone from out of town, who has been to SB and noticed our lack of a place like Lori’s. I will lay out for this plucky, savvy, and deep-pocketed entrepreneur what the daily menu will include. The plan is to keep it paired down yet interesting, as follows:

Espresso drinks as well as loose leaf teas (one black, one herbal)
Iced tea and fresh lemonade
Sparkling water
Wine: one red, one white, one wild card (a rose, Grüner Vertliner, sparkling…)
Beer: one IPA, one lager
Baked goods: muffin or quick bread, scone, and one layered cake or pie each week, and fresh bread
Savory: cheese, salumi, veggie platter, dip
Olives and nuts

With regard to the baked goods, they will vary. For example, one week may feature a passion fruit quick bread, a chocolate chip cookie, orange zest scone, and layered chocolate cake. The following week could feature an apricot muffin, cardamom spice cookie, plain scone, and sweet potato pie. What will remain a permanent fixture on the menu is great bread from a local bakery. This is something Santa Barbara excels at!

Just think of it: the next time you are walking downtown with a friend, and you realize you desperately need a coffee while she would like a glass of wine and a nifty snack, you can pop into Lori’s 9 to 9. Instead of bouncing ideas back and forth only to come up empty, you just mosey over to Lori’s. You settle in, relax, and continue to enjoy a pleasurable afternoon. We need a place like this in our town, right? Who is going to step up to the plate? I am prepared and willing to forgo naming it after myself, supremely confident that this special cafe will become a profitable and beloved enterprise.

Tag: food

New Zealand’s Cake Room

A Dream: Lori’s 9 to 9