Young woman at the helm of her first business
Taylor Lodge is a proud business owner at the age of 28 after opening her brand new café, Tay and Co, in Punt Rd, Cobram, on March 9.
She has been overwhelmed by the support she has received from the community.
Taylor previously managed a popular Yarrawonga café, yet always had a strong desire to open her own business, surrounding herself with an experienced team prepared to offer the best food and service in town.
“The day we opened I expected it would be fairly quiet, yet we did not stop after opening the doors. It was way beyond our wildest expectations,” a smiling Taylor said.
Understanding the coffee culture in Australia was one where you must offer the finest roasted coffee beans and employ a skilled barista, Taylor attended a food festival in Melbourne where she sampled various coffees and the one that appealed most with its richness and flavour was Evolve North from Shepparton.
“It’s a delicious blend produced locally and I hope customers like it as much as we do,” Taylor said.
“Coffee devotees are particular about what they drink and generally happy to try a new coffee once, perhaps twice, but if not to their liking, they won’t come back a third time.
“So we need to serve the best coffee in town and put Emily’s barista skills to the test and (customers can) tell us what they think.”
Taylor and staff have an early start each day as all food is prepared and made on the premises, with a full breakfast and lunch menu, plus a range of delicious hot and cold food including cakes, slices and savoury treats in the display cabinet.
The fabulous selection includes dishes such as eggs Benedict, pumpkin and zucchini fritters, fried chicken and bacon waffles, crispy chicken burgers, fish and chips and calamari, while kids specialties include fairy bread, nuggets and hot dogs and represent some of the novelty treats available on a surprisingly comprehensive menu at Tay and Co.
The café was previously known as La Niche but a coat of paint has given the decor a clean and fresh new look.
Opening hours are from 8am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 1.30pm Saturdays. It is proposed to also open for breakfast on Sundays in the coming months.
Taylor and partner Michael, a builder, have two children — Summer, 13, and Spencer, 2½.
Life will be busy, however they understand that to achieve success you have to work hard at your business.
If you are seeking the best coffee in town, drop in to Tay and Co and give Taylor and her experienced team of her mum Vikki Lodge and skilled barista Emily Edwards a go. You will certainly not be disappointed.
Anglesea tennis enthusiasts give Cobram the thumbs up
A group of 30 very fit 60 and 70-year-olds have just spent six days enjoying everything Cobram has to offer.
The Anglesea Tennis Club members travelled from one end of the state to the other and I asked why the large group liked the area.
“Being able to have a swim in the Murray River and to have an opportunity to play tennis on beautiful natural grass courts,” was the response from one of the original organisers of the group, Rae Ackland.
Rae and her husband John are semi-retired farmers from the Wimmera and Mallee district and, like the rest of their group, thoroughly enjoy the annual trip which they have taken for the past four years. The first year was spent in Corowa, the next two years in Yarrawonga and this year Cobram has won the popularity award for being the most enjoyable.
Staying at the RACV Resort, which the group praised highly for its fantastic facilities, several couples travelled up with their caravans while others were accommodated in the modern cabins on site. “The RACV is exceptional and offers the best caravan sites in Victoria,” was the unanimous agreement of the entire group.
The coffee shop, pool and spa facilities, camp kitchen and barbecue facilities were excellent and well used by the group.
However, the group hadn’t come to sit about and, being fit and active, arranged tp play several sets of tennis at the Cobram Lawn Tennis Club, which had been especially prepared for them, each morning, before deciding what the afternoon’s activity would be. Barefoot bowls and several holes of golf or mini golf were popular.
Meals at local hotels and cafés hit the spot, while a visit to Monichino Wines at Katunga and Cactus Country in Strathmerton was appealing for some of the group. During the week, four of the group who had celebrated their 70th birthdays some weeks earlier joined together for one big celebration at the Sporties Club. It was a big night and not exactly a quiet one, I heard.
While the ‘girls’ took part in yoga/pilates classes each day, they also enjoyed some retail therapy, picking up numerous bargains and having a ball, while the ‘lads’ discussed where they would share their next meal.
A visit to Thompson’s Beach and a walk on the sand probably felt like home, yet a swim in the cool fresh waters of the mighty Murray would have felt very different to the ocean back home in Anglesea.
No matter the activity, this large, noisy group of fabulous people are living their lives to the full.
And, folks, they have booked to come back next year to enjoy everything Cobram has to offer them and more.