Ginger&Co’s Coffee Bar & Eatery ~ divine and most delicious!
Exciting things are happening in the world of Ginger&Co. Things that Estie and Benji Gane had dreamed of but never imagined would happen.
The dynamic husband and wife team have been building up their business and making a name for themselves since they arrived in Kidd’s Beach from Johannesburg back in 2002. The last few years, with the launch of Ginger&Co, a catering business making mouths water all over the Eastern Cape, has firmly put them on the foodie map.
Estie and Benji are a formidable team and, as it’s not very often that spouses get to work with one another and get along famously, they really are unique. A humble, genuinely lovely couple, they love what they do and do it oh so well.
After training at the Swiss Hotel in Randburg and then finishing off their studies in Switzerland, Estie and Benji relocated to Kidd’s Beach, just outside of East London. They opened McCantsi Country Kitchen shortly thereafter and spent many happy years catering for both locals and the tourist trade at the beautifully located venue. During the running of and after the closure of McCantsi in 2008, the couple continued with that brand name and catered both locally and further afield with their delicious fare, whipping up convenience meals which were, and still are, a huge hit.
Estie and Benji then decided to do something very unique with their business. They re-launched themselves as Ginger&Co (Estie being the very beautiful ‘Ginger’ and Benji the very handsome ‘Co’ – although we all know that Benji is way more than the ‘Co’ in this business, Estie is the one with the red hair..!)
Alongside creating the most divine food and catering for businesses and individuals locally, they launched an on-line service where people could order directly from the menu. Estie and Benji are all about authentic cooking and are genuinely passionate about food and the way it was meant to be sourced, prepared and enjoyed. Needless to say, their online presence is a huge hit and something that is going from strength to strength. In addition to this – as if all of this didn’t keep them busy enough – Estie and Benji began doing pop-up restaurants, at their place, at your place, wherever you needed them, they were there. Throw some wine tasting events into the mix, local market presence once a month and you have got one very busy couple. Busy, but happy. Doing what they absolutely love the most.
Things then took a surprising turn, as they often do in life. This particular turning point, however, was an incredibly positive one, and made their dream of once again running their own place, into reality.
Approached just a few months with a proposal that both took them by surprise and at the same time got them so excited that they couldn’t say no, Estie and Benji began travelling in a new direction, in addition to keeping their online catering presence and everything else that they manage to fit into 24 hours (I still have no idea how they do it!).
The proposal was to be a part of a brand new Design Quarter, to open in Bowls Road, Arcadia. Ginger&Co was the perfect choice for this exciting new development, and, since their acceptance of said proposal, things have taken off for Estie and Benji Gane in a way I don’t think either of them ever imagined.
This week saw the opening of the Ginger&Co Coffee Bar & Eatery. It is, of course, early days, but the response the couple have had so far has been outstanding. People are excited, and quite rightly so. Situated inside the LFD Centre, they have the perfect spot. Bowls Road is a commercial area with hundreds of businesses and is easily accessible from all areas of East London. It is going to be a huge attraction with nearby workers at breakfast and lunchtime, Moms on their coffee dates with friends and shoppers browsing the beautiful Design Quarter.
It really is a beautiful venue and once you’re there, it’s hard to tear yourself away! Estie and Benji are the perfect hosts with their courteous and friendly manner and did I mention that the coffee and meals are also to die for? Serving a light bistro menu, the couple are onto a winner with their fresh meals and as for the coffee – wow, is all I can say! I always knew that there was a difference between good coffee and great coffee but had never tasted it before accepting a cup from Benji. Using the freshest Arabica beans (sourced locally from Garveys), each cup of coffee served is ground right there in front of you, reason being is that the quality and flavour of the coffee goes down if it is left to sit for too long. Let me tell you something – I haven’t drunk a cup of coffee without added sweetener or sugar for many, many years. Such was the utter deliciousness of the cup I was served that I required none whatsoever. Just pure coffee, ground from the freshest beans, right there and then. It was perfect.
Now imagine a cup of this perfect coffee to kick-start your day or at lunch alongside a delicious homemade pie or quiche? Sounds good, right? The ambience of the Coffee Bar is just right. It is upmarket but a homely and incredibly comfortable place at the same time. So you can sit and stay a while or you can grab something on the go from ‘the hatch’ that will be in operation as from next week. The hatch is going to be a busy spot with hungry folk on their way to work or their next meeting, it is going to be popular to say the least. And those delicious convenience meals that Ginger&Co also offer? Estie and Benji have thought of everything – you can purchase your frozen meals at the Coffee Bar too, grab one or two on your way out from the freezer and know that’s supper sorted for the night! A variety of delicious meals are offered, from chicken pie to stroganoff and there are even some Banting options in there too.
The Ginger&Co Coffee Bar & Eatery will be open from Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm (with the kitchen closing at around 4pm) and Saturdays from 8am to 1pm. The hatch will also be open before 8am for those who simply can’t wait to get their hands on a cup of the freshest coffee in town.
Estie and Benji Gane are going places. Their brand, Ginger&Co, is a name on many lips right now and their food is in demand. Their online catering business is very current with everything you find on the website being precisely what is available and this professionalism is reflected in their characters and attitudes. They are a delight to know and be around and the Coffee Bar is the perfect place for them – the warmth that they exude stays with you for the rest of the day and you walk away having not only had the most delicious coffee and food, but also having experienced friendly and genuinely warm company. All of which, make no mistake, is going to have you going back for more.
