3 days ago
Matlock café where customers become friends crowned best in inaugural Derbyshire Dines awards
A café has thanked its "incredible" community after being crowned the county's best in the inaugural Derbyshire Dines awards. Cool River Café in Matlock received nearly 2,300 votes and has been named the best café in the county against four other businesses that made the shortlist.
"We are so thankful to have received so many votes and, most of all, for the community we have built. It is humbling to hear how well it has been received and how many customers love what we offer," said owners Emily and Chris.
The couple took over the management of the café in 2018 before taking ownership in 2020. Whilst Chris brought a wealth of experience from working as a chef, Emily put her expertise of working in customer-facing jobs to use and took over the management of the front-of-house.
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"We really compliment each other and make this place work," Emily said. "Community is the spot-on word to describe what we have built here. We have regulars come in almost every day, chat with us and each other.
"It is really lovely to see people come to our monthly bistro nights and then return the next morning and become friendly with others they met there, putting tables together and making new friendships. It is lovely seeing friendships build between customers and having a space that people choose to come together in."
All food in the café is made on-site in an open kitchen where customers can watch Chris put out sandwiches, eggs Benedict and other menu offerings. While the business is predominantly a daytime café, they also have an all-day menu with breakfast, light bites and lunches as well as sweet treats, and cater for gluten free and vegan customers.
Once a month, usually on a Saturday evening, the café transforms into a fancy bistro where chef Chris curates a five-course set menu, which changes monthly and uses seasonal produce.
"We pride ourselves in consistency and quality in everything that we do," the pair said. "We are very keen to let that shine through at the café and it has certainly paid off for us to use local and fairtrade produce. We also have a great team, which has helped us keep consistent standards and quality across the board."
Emily and Chris said a "special thank you" to the café's previous owners, Phil and Jonathan. "We want to give them a big thank you, without them the café would not be what it is today. They had trust and faith in us and without them we would not be doing this right now.
"We also would like to give a warm thanks to the team who do this daily with us and we are so fortunate to have them all here."
