Page 74 - Tropic Magazine Issue 18

TROPIC • COFFEE

I love brew

CAFFEINE DREAMS
When it comes to cafes,
Ali Slotemaker from White
Whale Coffee Roasters tells it
like it is.

My first memory of a café was Mum
taking me to a place called Chez
Eelco in Nelson, New Zealand. We all
stood at the counter as Mum ordered
hot chocolates, and we waited and
watched as our drinks were made. It
was rich and sweet with a big dollop
of real whipped cream plopped in the
top with a sprinkle of chocolate. I am
sure it was served in a jar too. The
cold cream mixing with hot cocoa was
simply delicious and forever imprinted
in my memory. Even as a child I knew This was Nelson’s first café, established
this was edgy, on the fringe, a mixing in 1961 by Dutchman Eelco Boswijk,
of cultures and ideologies. and it had become an institution
The lighting was poor, enormous beetle that most likely impacted my future
sculptures hung from the walls, all types forever.
of people filled booths and the high Boswijk’s vision was to provide the
central communal table was scattered warmth and comfort he enjoyed as a
with the day’s news. It was the mid- schoolboy in the third-class waiting
1980’s and I was about 5 years old. room of a Dutch railway station. “It is

Don’t forget:
two hours
FREE
PARKING
above the market
on Sheridan St.

Renowned for its carnival atmosphere and colourful
stallholders, Rusty’s boasts over 180 stalls featuring
exotic fruit, vegetables, and flowers, fresh breads,
diary, and seafood, food and beverage stalls, jewellery,
coffee, and chocolate ... and so much more!

Drop in any Friday, Saturday, or Sunday to discover one of
Cairns’ most famous tourist icons.

FRI & SAT: 5am to 6pm, SUN: 5am to 3pm

57-89 Grafton Street, Cairns 07 4040 2705 rustysmarkets.com.au Rusty’s Markets
74 • Tropic • Issue 18