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nelson mandela bay's family lifestyle
author:
theunis pienaar
on a cobbled street in park la
ne
photography:
zuko, lifegate photography
issue:
8, summer 2008
7 Park Lane is more than a single restaurant. Crossing a cobbled street you travel through time and find yourself in a delightful different era, where three enterprises and their very capable staff are ready to wait on your every need, spoiling you with the most fabulous food fare. This nostalgic world was born of a young girl's dream to become a pastry chef and a father's desire to equip his daughters for a life of business and success. Genevieve, our youngest, was adamant about it – she would finish school and become a pastry chef. In a sense this is how we brought them up – to believe in themselves. Pam and I said to Genevieve, if it is a pastry chef you want to become, then let us start working on it.” Business and entrepreneurship is typical of this family's history. Jim and Pam Fletcher raised their daughters as part of their enterprises. “On and off we've been in and out of Nelson Mandela Bay, for the past fifteen years. We're originally from Natal, but our business could not be pinned down to a single city. The past two years saw us settling permanently in this wonderful city, myself traveling to maintain our other concerns,” explains Jim. “I'm really not the one running and growing 7 Park Lane, I'm more of a silent partner, a business advisor who enjoys this fabulous new world of food, along with my wife and daughters.” “At the time I was studying in Stellenbosch,” Bianca Fletcher continues where Jim left off. “We looked at ideas for a business venture that could afford Genevieve the opportunity to realize her dream of becoming a pastry chef. We settled on cup cakes. The idea is really the most important. If you know what you want to do, the doing follows naturally. It is hard work and sometimes you have to look past apparent obstacles, but this is really easy if you can 'see' what you want to realize. This is perhaps the most important lesson our parents taught us – to 'see' the future and go after it, no matter what anybody else says.” The idea was conceptualized. A business plan was developed. An advertising agency was enlisted to work on branding, packaging and marketing solutions. “I wanted to show my girls that if you want something to be successful, then you have to go about it properly. You've got to cover all your bases. This was really intended to be a learning experience for them, but they've learnt so much, over the years, by being involved in our other enterprises, there was no stopping them.” Sweet Somethings was born. “The concept is simple,” explains Genevieve. “We bake and decorate cup cakes. They are beautifully packaged and then delivered. We didn't plan for this to be such a fast growing business. I think my dad just wanted to show me, you can be the best pastry chef, but if you do not know and apply good business principles, you're never going to make a living from it. With his guidance our business took off and soon my mom's kitchen became too small and overcrowded for us to fill all the orders. We had to make a choice so many businesses come to – either we stagnate or we expand. Expansion was the obvious and unanimous choice.” 7 Park Lane was obtained, Sweet Somethings had their first official business address and two more businesses, crust and fraiche were born. “The premises were ideal, but too large for just Sweet Somethings,” Bianca continues again. “When we chose the premises we knew this, but 'saw' something special. This 'separate world' on a cobbled street with a restaurant, sandwich bar and a Sweet Somethings store front.” crust creates the most fabulous sandwiches Nelson Mandela Bay has ever seen. During the day you'll always find patrons enjoying their fare, before popping into Sweet Somethings for a dose of beautifully packaged and decorated cup cakes. At night fraiche opens its doors to spoil guests with exotic and perfectly presented dishes. “For now fraiche receives guests on booking for special occasions. We have a number of menu’s and we try to find something special for every celebration. Something you won't find at most restaurants. “Intimacy and atmosphere is probably part of the reason why we almost never have empty tables. Our patrons influence our weekly menu, often requesting something very special and personal for the following week's spread. Our team is always obliging.” Sweet Somethings, crust and fraiche – the fabulous food creators that collectively are 7 Park Lane – is about more than just business. “This started as a learning experience for me and Bianca,” Genevieve explains. “It has grown into a learning experience for many. We work on long term futures for our staff, allowing them to 'skill-up' and become empowered. “At Sweet Somethings we've secured Clover as our brand-partner. Together we will host a Cupa-for-CANSA, as well as a Cupa-for-CHOC at crust and whatever is left over of our day's cup cakes, we take to the EP Children's Home. “We believe what we do should be about touching people's lives, be it through a wonderful surprise delivery of cup cakes, a fabulous time-out for lunch at crust or an entertaining evening with friends at fraiche.” “It is fantastic to be sharing this bit of life with my sister and parents,” adds Bianca. “I am still studying, but by the time I get my degree, we will have established a wonderful business, would have shared irreplaceable memories and made wonderful new friends.” This summer will be incomplete without a visit to 7 Park Lane, the address where you will find Nelson Mandela Bay's youngest pastry chef, her and sister Bianca's beautifully packaged Sweet Somethings cup cakes, crust sandwich bar and the fantastic function experience that is fraiche. The simplicity of it is magical.
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