Latest News
Job Opportunities
01 February, 2012 | www.cafecoghill.co.nz/opportunities.php
We are not currently looking for new staff. If you are happy to supply your CV we invite you to email us a copy or drop it in to the Cafe and we will contact you if an opportunity arises.
Cheers
Fiona.
AMERICAN TRIBAL STYLE BELLYDANCE
28 January, 2012 | www.americantribalstyle.co.nz
6 Week Beginners Course
All women interested are welcome to the
FREE Demo/Info Class
Tues 31st January 6.35pm
6 Week Course follows from
Tues 7th February
Whitianga Town Hall, Monk Street
Ph/txt Tracy 0274 781991 or 07-867 1129
Upcoming Event
28 August, 2010 | www.scallopfestival.co.nz
The Whitianga Scallop Festival is back. With the big day fast approaching, entertainment is the topic of discussion in Whitianga. Indulge in scallop cuisine creations and soak up Whitianga's harbour vista as some of NZ's best live bands play on one of four stages.
Celebrity chefs, cook off's and competitions will also feature.
The Café will be open throughout the weekend from 7am serving breakfast & lunch
Here, we will feature a Scallop treat for those unable to get to the festival
So either way, you can come and get a taste of local scallops from The Cog…!!
Look out for ‘The Cog’ signage…We look forward to seeing you…
Upcoming Event
21 August, 2010 | mercurytribalbellydance.webs.com
Imagine this: There was a time, long ago, when the bounce and sway of a woman’s hips was considered so beautiful they set it to music and made it a dance…
MERCURY TRIBAL BELLYDANCE
ATS BELLYDANCE WORKSHOP for beginners
With tutor – Tracy Miller
Tracy is an accredited teacher with Fat Chance Belly Dance, the innovators of American Tribal Style Bellydance (ATS) and has over ten years experience in this beautiful dance form.
Saturday 21st August 2010 only $45
For workshop information:
E: mercurytribal@hotmail.com
Fiona @ the Cog 866 0592 or 0273122459
Lia @ the Hair Shop 866 2437 or 0211070534
Upcoming Event
COFFEE CLASS
want to know what goes into making a cup of your favourite brew?
register some ‘coffee-time’ on our sexy Marco Coffee Machine so you can have a go at learning how its done!!
First Wednesday of the month
Next class 4th August 2010
5pm – 6.30pm
Cost $10 per person, just to cover the cost of coffee/milk used
Max. 5 people per night
Please register your interest to: coffeeboy@thecog.co.nz or at the café.
What's happenin'..?
HELLO FROM THE COG TEAM…
The sun is shining outside, but still the cold snaps of weather make me want to snuggle up to my coffee machine all day! This is the time of the year when we are the envy of most as our crew buzz around our hot kitchen grills & coffee machine, whilst keeping up a healthy heart rate with the constant activity in the café.
It’s certainly a bonus, but come summer – it’s another story!!
I’ve put pen to paper this week, because after catching up on another bout of world and local news I thought this world is just so damned depressing! Can’t anyone find something good to say about anything?? Unfortunately, I guess there’s not much, when everyone is cutting back on what they can, there’s a domino effect on everything else, so selfishly I wonder what further impact this will have on our business, our staff, customers and families.
So let’s start with some good news –
at your request, we’ve revamped our menu and you can have a sneak peek on the back of this newsletter. It starts with our breakfast/lunch menu. We are bringing back our old style teas – served in a pot. We’ve increased our smoothie flavours! Gourmet Toasties are back!! (I knew you’d like that one) we’ve added new dishes & our everyday blackboard specials will feature even more tasty meals & treats to choose from.
Also, we’ve had many customers ask what brand of coffee we use and why is it so good? So if you want to know what goes into making a cup of your favourite brew register some ‘coffee-time’ on our sexy Marco Coffee Machine so you can have a go at learning how its done!!
First Wednesday of the month
Next class 4th August 2010
5pm – 6.30pm
Cost $10 per person, just to cover the cost of coffee/milk used
Max. 5 people per night
Please register your interest to: coffeeboy@thecog.co.nz or at the café.
Over the last Christmas/New Year break, the girls continued to smash records with quantities of 600-700 coffees served over a 5 hour period, wow that is some going when you think of all the variations of coffee we sell!!
This winter was one of the quietest on record but we look forward to another busy summer. We’ve had some staff move on to travel, add to their families, further their studies and continue their sporting passions abroad. To replace them we’ve had some new additions to compliment our entire crew.
We welcome Serena & Mike to the Cog.
Tina, Mandy, Maria, Serena & Emma will continue to manage the front of house with Noelene & Mike in the kitchen. Together they all an incredible job of delivering fantastic food & coffee service everyday.
What next you say?
So, we’ve got a fantastic team of guys and girls, (we reckon anyway!) and this year, for us both, its about stepping back a little and letting the crew do their thing! We’ll take that week off and disappear, continue to work at the business, including developing new/existing supply chains (keeping those prices down for you!!) marketing (what’s news & what’s in it for me!) staff training (I don’t care if you’re new and learning, I’m in a hurry and want it now??) and of course, keeping in touch with our customers.
We’ve got lots more to tell you but we’ll save it for next time. There’s a few in-store offers with our new range of ‘keep cups’ and coffee sampler packs, music specials and breakfast offers… which reminds me…come in for Bacon, Eggs & Toast and the coffee is on us. That’s right, Streaky Bacon, Free-range eggs, Wholegrain toast, your favourite hot brew.. hmm not bad for only $12…weekdays from 7am-10am.
Well that’s it for now, thanks again for your ongoing support (and reading all this!)
If you have any comments, bouquets or bricks, please drop us a line doubleshot@thecog.co.nz
Look forward to seeing you
Brent, Fiona and the Cog Crew..
The Cog Café and Catering
Wow! What a year its been! In the last 12 months, we have all been busy putting together and working on a plan to expand the business and create opportunities for ourselves and our staff. Part of the growth we enjoyed at the Café over the years was the catering growing to such a point, we were fighting over bench and oven space on a daily basis. Thanks to Caroline Butz, our catering ‘Creative Director’ who was at the heart of all this, we all decided to separate the business and find somewhere else to go. After looking at several other opportunities around, a proposal was put in to the Mercury Bay Club and now Coghill Catering has its own kitchen and caters for the Club members and its visitors 6 days a week. From here, we also provide catering for all our regular customers/businesses, and the wedding/special events bookings are growing steadily.
That was November/December 2008.
Since then, we’ve served many meals, carved up a fair chunk of meat and catered for lots of gatherings. We had a customer evening, many of our die-hard regulars came and had a drink and nibbles with us & our staff to celebrate the new venture. A big thank you to the Club Committee & Staff who helped out serving, giving tours, all those guests who attended & those who continue to support us at the Café & now at the Club…
December brought the close to another busy year, we had some staff move on, some to travel, add to their families and continue their sporting passions abroad. To replace them we’ve had some new additions to compliment our entire team.
We welcome Lisa, Greg, Marilyn and Angela to Coghill Catering, all cooking up a storm 6 days/nights a week at the Club. Erin, Libby, Britt & Jess (summer staff), oh and Sera, gosh have you been with us a year already???
Noelene Trenouth joined us in 2007, her experience in hospitality for many years, owning and running Cafes/Restaurants made her an obvious choice to manage our precious baby, Café Coghill House. A new lunch menu is being created as I write this and looking at the draft, I cannot wait to sample it!! Noelene takes on running our team of 10 staff, plus Brent!!, and maintaining the high quality of service & support we have worked hard to build for nearly 5 years. Natalie & Christine will continue to manage the front of house and continue to do an incredible job of giving a high level of service to our many customers -everyday. Over the Christmas/New Year break, the girls continued to smash records with quantities of coffees with 600-700 coffees served over a 5 hour period, wow that is some going when you think of all the variations of coffee we sell!!
Happy New Year Everyone!!! 2009 – what will it bring..??
What next you say? It was Michelle’s turn to start off on her own and expand her skills personally & professionally. Again, after a few opportunities were considered, then we secured the contract for the local school canteen. The Little Cog at Mercury Bay Area School will have a new ‘Café’ which is near completion, (from Feb 2nd we are in the old tuckshop) and Michelle will be serving a healthy and tasty menu for over 700 students and faculty. The drive towards Healthy Eating – Healthy Action (HEHA) is the Ministry of Health’s strategic plan to improving nutrition, increasing physical activity and achieving healthy weight for all New Zealanders. Eat this, don't eat that. It's a different message a minute and can get really confusing. So following a few simple rules for good eating that most experts seem to agree with “A little bit of a lot”, yep, eating a wide variety of foods, (not heaps of one type!! we know, we know, you say)…and from the menu Michelle is baking homemade cakes (low-fat, dairy free), muesli slice, sausage rolls (loaded with carrot! & the kids love ‘em), fresh sandwiches, tortilla wraps, pita pizzas, low fat pies, low sugar drinks, and some. Plans to open and serve our popular Supreme Coffee on weekend Sports Days/Carnivals have already caused some excitement amongst all ..so watch this space for our opening day!
So, we’ve got a fantastic team of girls, (we reckon anyway!) (the boys don’t seem to last the distance! – or maybe there is only room for one, that being Brent!!) and this year, for Brent & I, its about stepping back (just one step!) and letting the girls do their thing! We’ll take that week off and disappear, continue to work at the business, including developing new/existing supply chains (keeping those prices down for you!!) marketing (whats news!) staff training (I don’t care if you’re new and learning, I’m in a hurry and want it now??)and of course, keeping in touch with our customers.
That’s where you come in.
Ever wondered what goes into making a cup of your favourite brew? We thought for one evening a month, we will offer some ‘coffee-time’ on our sexy Marco Coffee Machine so you can have a go at learning how we do it!!
5pm – 6.30pm
Cost $10 per person, just to cover the cost of coffee/milk used
Max. 6 people per night
Please register your interest to: coffeeboy@thecog.co.nz
Well that’s it, thanks again for your ongoing support (and reading all this!). If you have any comments, bouquets or bricks, please drop me a line doubleshot@thecog.co.nz
Bye for now
Fiona
Café Coghill ‘College’…no ‘Hell’s Kitchen’.
There are no Gordon Ramsey-esque tantrums being thrown in here (not that I’ve seen anyway)…although there is a sign asking patrons not to talk to Brent when he’s making coffee…does he bite? The Café Coghill kitchen staff calmly and efficiently put out consistently good food for the delight of their loyal patrons but now they’ve gone a step further and have a become a place of learning.
How so?
“Brent and I have owned the Café for four years but we haven’t had any formal industry training,” say Fiona Elder. “We’ve wanted to do some courses but they are expensive and we would have had to go away from the business, which just isn’t practical.”
The couple looked into TradeNZ, getting a mentor and progressing their skills but were caught up in trying to grow a new business which was all-consuming.
“This year, with two renovations under our belt, with the growth achieved and a great staff all settled in…we’re all thinking…what’s next?”
Fiona and Brent encourage their staff to be looking for ‘what’s next’ and to express their ideas and opinions in enhancing their own performance and enjoyment of their jobs. The next step was to take an innovative approach to training and to become, effectively, a training institution in their own right, enrolling staff in HSI (Hospitality Standards Institute) Courses. HSI sets all the industry standards across the country with Polytech and Foodtech courses meeting the same rigorous testing.
“Everyone has chosen the courses they want to pursue,” (Cookery x 2, Food and Beverages x4 and one doing small Business Management)
says Fiona, “They all work on the same unit at one time and a tutor comes when we feel we are ready and does the assessment on site. Usually at the busiest time of the day to assess how individuals cope under pressure.”
The costs to all concerned are reduced by having staff able to study and work in Whitianga and Brent and Fiona are happy to pick up the costs of textbooks for the staff. The only travel required is at exam time when the dreaded tests have to be taken at a designated location.
“The staff are already very skilled but this gives them an opportunity to formalise what they know and to fill any gaps, ending up with a formal qualification.”
Fiona and Brent say the tutors are great, really oriented towards practical demonstrations of theory well-learned.
Café Coghill has recently gained the contract to cater at the Mercury Bay Club, providing further opportunities for the staff to extend their skills. They have also developed a separate branch to the business doing out-catering and through the wonders of the internet are even receiving advance bookings for weddings from as far afield as Australia.
Those of us old enough to remember when the apprenticeship system ran efficiently across a range of careers can appreciate the benefits of study working hand in hand with the real thing…experience, something that money just can’t buy.
Welcome!
04 July, 2008 | www.smartpixel.co.nz
Welcome everybody to our new website. It has been a work in progress for a few months now, but something we wanted in place from the first year we started up and never got around to doing. But here we are... yay!!...this is for all those who would like to know more about us, our cafe culture, menu, catering and fun stuff that's happenin in our beautiful seaside town.
First up, we would like to say thanks to Andrew and Karen of Smartpixel for helping us put this all together, our team of girls at the Cafe, and customers for your input and ideas. We look forward to ongoing development of this site as time goes on if there's any thoughts you would like to share or features that would help our site, please email us: doubleshot@thecog.co.nz