Cafe maestros show how it’s done

With several decades on the local hospitality scene, Mandy Heasley and Ruth Trevella know what makes a fantastic cafe better than almost anyone in Canterbury.

It’s been 25 years since Mandy got started with the Globe cafe on High St, and Ruth has come a long way from her days selling fresh baking at the Riccarton and Opawa markets.

The pair are old friends and now partners in three of the city’s most popular hospitality businesses: Foundation, in the central library; Good Habit, in the old Anglican convent on St Asaph St; and The Catering Belle, which supplies the cafes with some of their baking as well as catering for private functions of all kinds.

At both the library and former convent, Mandy and Ruth were asked to set up the cafes, such is their renown.

Mandy says the environments of Good Habit and Foundation are completely different, with Foundation part of a new multimillion-dollar building and Good Habit in one of the country’s most original historic gems, complete with rustic wooden panels and a garden of fruit trees.

However, both places focus on delicious, classic foods of wide appeal. At Foundation, this has a more contemporary edge – highlighted by the presence of special in-house cocktails – while at Good Habit the fare is more likely to be a fusion of Pacific and Asian cuisines.

Foundation has recently increased its emphasis on evening visits with desserts, local wines and craft beers to try after a day shopping or when catching up with someone special. The venue is also good for solo diners.

Good Habit, meanwhile, is a hotspot for breakfast and brunch, with ample off-street parking and lovely areas to relax in outdoors.

With The Catering Belle, flexibility is the name of the game. ‘‘We can pull things together quite quickly and cater to individual needs and budgets. We have our own unique menus but we can also come to them by customising options,’’ Mandy says.

‘‘It’s all beautiful food and there’s a really good energy around what we do.’’

❚ Foundation is open every day on the ground floor of Tu¯ranga, on the corner of Gloucester and Colombo streets, phone 03 365 0308. Good Habit is open daily on the corner of St Asaph and Barbadoes streets, phone

03 365 0707. For The Catering Belle, call 021 423 553 or visit thecateringbelle.co.nz.

Good Habit, left,in the old Anglican convent, has free offstreet parking and a colourful garden area within the CBD.

Foundation, right, provides delicious food in a contemporary setting right next to the Square.