By Buhle Andisiwe Made and Ruvesen Naidoo
Deep-brewed and fashioned with a passion for customer service and a good cup of coffee, the chic and eclectic Nic’s Nest café and restaurant opened on 17 March. With delicious cakes and “rustic” cuisine on offer, the quaint house at 65 African Street is the latest place to step into.
Photo: Buhle Andisiwe Made.
Owner Nico Lansdell comes from humble beginnings. The youngest of three children raised by a single working mother, Lansdell attended Graeme College in his younger years and later relocated to KwaZulu-Natal. Upon meeting his life partner, Rhodes University academic Nicola Palitt, he moved back home to Makhanda, which has a special place in his heart.
Lansdell learned to cook his family’s traditional cuisine in the kitchens of his mother, grandmother, and aunts, making regular trips to a family farm in Bathurst. He was expected to pick up a rifle, shoot a guinea fowl, clean it, and cook it. This gave him a great understanding of where food comes from, he told Grocott’s Mail.
Lansdell’s journey in hospitality has led him from working at the prestigious Mount Nelson Hotel to luxury cruise liners and, for the last decade, at Umngazi Hotel and Spa in Port St Johns.
After 25 years in the hospitality industry, he decided to take the plunge and start his own business, turning his restaurant into an extension of his home – a lovely place where all of Makhanda may sit and enjoy a meal with one another.
“Ethically, locally, sustainably sourced – that is my modus operandi”, Lansdell said as he described how he aims to run Nic’s Nest. He only uses Fairtrade coffee and locally sourced, fresh produce.
Lansdell aims for Nic’s Nest to support Makhanda as the ‘creative city’ and host of the National Arts Festival. He has left the interior walls naked as a type of non-commissioned gallery where young, aspiring artists can display their paintings and artwork.
Sisa Mapetu has joined Nic’s Nest as a resident barista. Hailing from Ggqeberha, Mapetu completed a barista course in Robertson and went on to win awards in national barista championships. He has become a local legend and shares Lansdell’s passion for good coffee. Lansdell says he is delighted to have the famous Mapetu as part of the team.
Nic’s Nest is well prepared for the national ailment – loadshedding. The café has a gas stove and generator to ensure the oven and wifi are never interrupted. Water tanks and pumps have been installed to beat Makhanda’s “water-off” days.
Influenced by his global travels and with a warm and friendly approach to life, Lansdell says good service to customers was an important factor when developing Nic’s Nest’s staff. “I wanted people with personality”, he says, explaining that he recruited an experienced team of five chefs, five waiters, two cleaners, a runner, and two baristas.
“Because of business improvement, we have taken on a few more team members” Lansdell adds.
Nic’s Nest has a lot to offer the people of Makhanda. Exciting and innovative things are likely to come from the café, so it’s best to stay in the loop. Be sure to head down to the rustic and homely nest and indulge in the goodness of 65 African Street.
Nic’s Nest trading hours:
Weekdays and Saturdays: 7 am to 6 pm
Sundays: 7 am to 3 pm
Catering and private functions and events by arrangement. For enquiries, please contact Nico on 078 954 3724
Follow Nic’s Nest on Facebook.
