Seven years on Maple Street
A little look back at how a borrowed griddle turned into all this.
Seven years ago this month, we opened the doors with a borrowed griddle, eight wobbly stools, and a hand-painted sign that's still hanging by the till. It feels like a good moment to look back.
The early days
That first Saturday, we sold out of pancakes by ten in the morning and spent the afternoon slightly stunned, wondering if it had been a fluke. It wasn't. Word got around the neighbourhood faster than we were ready for, and the little room filled up morning after morning.
In 2021 we knocked through to the space next door, added the window bench that's now everyone's favourite seat, and finally bought a coffee machine that didn't groan under pressure. Two years later we started writing this journal between services.
Same as it ever was
Plenty has changed — more chairs, more folk behind the pass, a pastry case that would have made our younger selves weep with joy. But the important things haven't. We still whisk the batter by hand, still know our regulars' usual orders, and still think a good morning is worth getting up for.
Thank you for seven years of showing up, slippers and all. Here's to plenty more mornings on Maple Street.
Roasts, dials, and over-explains the seasonal blend. Happiest behind the espresso machine before opening.
More from the kitchen
RecipeHow we get our pancakes that fluffy
The secret isn't fancy — it's buttermilk, a gentle hand, and knowing exactly when to stop whisking. Here's how we do it on the flat-top every morning.
RecipeThe five-minute weekday eggs that taste like a weekend
You don't need an hour and a sink full of pans. Here's the soft, savoury scramble we make on our own busy mornings.
Cafe lifeMeet Rosa, the baker behind our weekend pastries
She's in before the birds, laminating dough by hand. We sat down with Rosa between trays to talk butter, patience, and bad weather.