Who is this mysterious collective we talk about? We're a bunch of folks who all live in the neighbourhood, have dinner together every Sunday night and share a common passion to make our neighbourhood a better place to live. The cafe is one expression of how we go about it.
Below is a quick profile of each member of our collective.
Annie's friendly and quirky personality has emblazoned happiness on our hearts. The undercover computer geek is a joy to be around, and is always there to lend a helping hand... be it flower arranging for our tables or hustling staff into a photo for the website. Superstar.
You might see this bald headed man sitting around the cafe, having coffee and chatting with people, but rest assured he is hard at work. Blue’s true love in life is people and, kind of like a Jedi, he helps people make the most of their strengths. Besides that, Blue loves to hunt, play with his kids and is the director of a Baptist youth camp that sees over 5000 youth pack out Mystery Creek every Easter. He’s game, that guy – get the hunting reference?
Not only is this wee beauty the better half of Nigel, she’s also one of the creative brains behind most of the things we do at Crave. An introvert at heart, Cathie loves to curl up with a delicious beverage of some sort and a good TV series. But when she does brave the world, she is the kindest, most helpful and hilarious person you’ll meet. A teacher, mother, and creative, Cathie is one to get to know.
Grace brings the grace to the collective with her kind heart and fire poi. She is the most daring of us all with a love of adventure – it’s good that she works as an emergency department nurse then! Grace can be seen driving a yellow scooter and waving at strangers. Wherever she goes, this girl makes friends.
Hannah is a new mum and great friend with a quiet strength about her. Married to Jared N, she is also a doctor and is just a bit smarter than him, beating him in bursary hands down. Hannah has travelled all over the world, speaks French and makes the best desserts you’ll ever eat. With her beautiful heart and compassionate, Hannah is the wise sage of Crave.
Heather is both the Head Barista at Crave and our in-house green thumb. You can read more about here on her staff bio.
Jared is our freelance creative. Feeling the pull towards freedom, he defies the winter winds of irregular income to do what he loves, which is creating beautiful pieces of sculpture from a wide and vast variety of materials. Jared could be described as reckless, philosophical, compassionate, and measured. One thing is for sure, he’s heaps of fun to have around.
Our Jarrod is a warm, cuddly person with a huge heart. Just super awesome to be around, basically. Father to 7 kids and husband to Jess, his tribe is an integral part of the Collective and has helped to shape Crave into what it's become. And his beard is envied by many.
Jay had been a barista at Crave for three years before his passion for the community compelled him to join the Collective. As well as his conscious approach and relentless optimism, Jay brings to the Collective a touch of jazz. He’s a skilled guitarist and incredibly passionate about music. His dream is to understand the “soundtrack of Morningside” capturing the creativity, joy and diversity of this special neighbourhood. Jay’s also the lucky partner of another renowned creative in the Crave Collective – the talented Sophie Wagener. Music, art, love and community – sounds like Jay’s got it sorted.
Jess is a connector of people and mum to many, beyond her own family. Creative and generous, she's an ideas person and knows a thing or three about crafting. She always has time for the underdog and people in general. A truly incredible human!
Not only is Katey the mum to three of our Crave Kids, she is also our resident ‘mother to many’. With her kind heart and tender wise counsel, Katey is definitely an individual you want to know. Katey is the type of person who spies something that needs to be done and that’s exactly what happen. Whether it's gifting her time to the resettling of refugees or wiping down tables in Crave, Katey’s generous heart sees her happy to serve. A one-on-one type of lady, Katey’s loyal friendship is to be sought after.
As well as many other things, newly-wed (to our very own Heather), Kent is one of the unofficial builders of the collective. A key part in the construction of Crave 2.0, Kent is always happy to lend a hand (or a hammer) when it’s needed. This is also quite fortunate for Heather whose love of plants seems to require the occasional greenhouse expansion. When he’s not knocking in nails, he loves getting amongst nature – hiking, bushcraft and even, in his own words, “teaching Blue a thing or two” about hunting.
Lou is a legit local having lived and worked in Morningside for 10 years. She has a drive for authenticity and honesty and is a deep believer in connection and community. Lou runs Husk, a branding and design agency in Morningside and the peeps behind Crave's brand, story and website. She is Mum to two boys and has a penchant for volkswagens, rap, spelling and donuts.
Yep that’s right… He’s got his fingers in all the pies. Refer to his bio in the staff section for more info on this guy.
Sierra danced into our hearts and continues to do so with her amazing ways and talents. The trained dancer, pilates teacher and skilled sailor
Sophie is a delight, of that there's no doubt. She surfs, skates, illustrates and joins us twice a week to make sure our neighbours' coffee needs are met. She's also alright with a paint brush... and by that, we mean heavily talented. Keep an eye on her work here
Tim is a local through and through, recently opening MorningCider within walking distance of Crave. Pop in to say hi, or try a selection of what MorningCider has to offer right here at Crave.
Wez moved to Morningside just two years ago from South Africa. He writes poetry and creates music, and recently published his first book. His direct influences are Kevin Max for his raw poetic honest and hauntingly beautiful voice, Rob Bell for his communicative skills and Terrence Malick for his ability to depict nature and man’s relationship to it in captivating ways.
“I love a good salad and these guys have four or five really good ones. The roasted bean salad has a kafir lime dressing and is perfect for a winter lunch. The scrambled eggs with salmon has a bit of cream cheese tossed in which is outstanding. They specialize on coffee as well (cuppings and all) and have the best hang out / work space (free wifi) I can find in this area (Kingsland / Mt Eden). ”