Closing Sweet Tea and Chickadee
At the end of June 2024, I closed my restaurant in Linden to move operations to the farm. Up until that point I had been in the restaurant industry for 11 years. I still loved it. I loved my customers, my staff, the food I was producing. Everything was actually good. The business was still making money and there was really no big reason to close.
On the surface.
But down below, something told me it was time. There were subtle signs and a distinct gut feeling (not to mention the landlords raised the rent). I have been known to follow my gut and make some wild decisions in life, and this was no different.
The Quiet Farm Life
July brought me full time to the farm. The plan was to build out the kitchen and prep the farm to start hosting cooking classes and events by Thanksgiving in November. However November came and went. The kitchen was not completed. The farm was not prepped. I did however have a thriving summer garden and 15 baby chicks to take care of.
It seemed the farm had whisked me away. A distraction from 11 years of being an entrepreneur that I never knew I needed.
In the months that followed the closing of the restaurant, I was shocked by how calm my mind was. To be honest I didn’t even know it wasn’t calm before. I was living at a certain level of go go go that running a restaurant requires. I didn’t notice that it consumed my every thought, every waking minute. Until it didn’t.
And oh what a peace there was.
Daily tasks like building chicken coops, harvesting veggies, pruning tomatoes: they were simple. And when I would stop at the end of the day to cook, I realized that the only thoughts running through my mind were those related to getting the food on the table. Beyond that it was just quiet.
I knew that one day I would open the kitchen. One day the farm would be ready for hosting. Today was not that day.
BUT THEN…
Y’all started messaging me. Some weeks I would get 4 to 5 messages.
“Please can you just make me a pecan pie”
“When will everything be ready on the farm?”
“Please don’t forget about us!”
That last comment hit home. I have not forgotten my customers. Your love, your support, the joy that hosting you brings me. Some of you began to ask loudly and persistently enough that you managed to get me to deliver you some treats. Your pushing led me to complete the kitchen, and reminded me why I love making food and feeding people. It reminded me that some of us are privileged; we get to spend our lives doing what we love.
So What’s Next…
With the kitchen done, I am ready to launch our drop point business. Check out our Whatsapp Catalogue for all the delicious treats you can now order. You can also check out our shop page right here on the website. We will continually be adding seasonal specialties as well as new fabulous items, so check back often. Orders submitted by Tuesday at 5pm, will be available for pick up on Fridays at the drop off point. Drop off points will be in Linden area for now, but we may add some Sandton drop off points in the future for all our customers up that direction.
We have baked goods: some of the Sweet Tea and Chickadee favorites and even South African specialties that you have never had from me before. I am excited to bring back the recipes from my restaurant in America, Cederberg Tea House. Not gonna lie, you are going to be blown away by the milktart, sausage rolls, and malva pudding. We will also soon be offering our organic farm fresh produce and raw honey from our hives. And of course, those events and cooking classes will also be rolling out later this year. I will update everyone when they begin.
I want to send a huge thank you to all of the customers who messaged and pressed me to get back at it. While I feel so blessed to have had this time to enjoy the peace, I am ready to get back to what I love.
With much love, from our farm to your table…we look forward to feeding you again soon.
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