Cork woman: 'My new café is named in honour of my sister..she is my inspiration'

There’s a kind of hush that I can’t quite put my finger on when I enter Zuni Deli in Midleton.

“The girls are there in the back, preparing the fresh sandwiches, wraps, and yummy scones and cakes!” says owner Ava Wymberry, who operated a busy coffee truck nearby before taking over this bright new premises on Broderick Street.

“Everything we sell to grab and go is prepared in-house just an hour or two before our customers begin to arrive,” says Ava.

But what is the special aura that I’m feeling while sitting on a stool looking out the window at the bustling street?

“I brought my only sister here with me,” says Ava. “Sarah and I were very close. She passed away from kidney failure. The café is named in her honour.

“Sarah had a jewellery/craft shop here in Midleton called Zuni. She had a huge affinity with the native Americans and their culture. She imported a lot of her jewellery from the USA.

“We spent a fabulous two weeks together on an Indian reservation in South Dakota. It was a wonderful journey. Now I have brought Sarah on my journey.”

Sarah sounds like someone special.

“She is my inspiration,” says Ava. “I took a leap of faith opening Zuni.”

The girls’ mother also provided encouragement and inspiration to her entrepreneur daughters.

“My mother Geraldine, who is also my dear friend, was a well-known hairdresser in Midleton,” says Ava. “Everyone knows her! She comes here sometimes to lend a hand.

“She tells us all about the dance hall that used to be across the road. Her familiar voice and her laughter rings out over the counter!”

Ava ignored an inner voice when it came to opening the new business.

“Sometimes, your inner voice might tell you, you can’t do this,” says Ava.

She knew better.

“I knew that I could make this happen,” says Ava.

“Once the door was opened, any doubt was closed when the door closed behind me.”

It looks like everyone knows now that Zuni is opened for business. People are queuing up for their morning fix of overnight oats, freshly brewed coffee, and a warm welcome.

“So many of my regular customers from the coffee truck continue to support me,” says Ava, who is mother to two teenagers.

“It is wonderful. I’m just loving it. The whole buzz, the good vibe. Midleton has always been so good to me.”

Her husband, Kevin, is wonderful too.

“He said, just do it!” says Ava.

So she did.

“With the coffee truck, I had to bring everything home with me at the end of each day. It was a moveable feast,” says Ava.

She had ambition.

“I did think about purchasing a container that would be a permanent fixture on site, where I was, there to stay,” says Ava.

“Kyle Kennedy, who is a good customer, and who became a good friend, who knew I wanted to grow the business, rang me to let me know that the Grumpy Bakers were moving to a new premises and that this unit was up for lease. He thought of me, and here I am!”

Ava opened the deli on March 31. Where did her culinary journey begin?

“I trained in the Regional College, Cork, now MTU, studying culinary skills,” she says.

“I worked in numerous Cork restaurants, including the Farmgate and Jacobs On The Mall, as well as the Granary here in Midleton.

“I got my love of food from my dad. He was making delicious seafood dishes at home when nobody else knew how.”

Ava certainly has the know-how, then, having worked alongside the best.

The story of how she met her husband is also caught up in her work.

One day, working in a restaurant kitchen in the city, she cut her hand badly with a sharp knife while preparing food.

“I thought I could drive to the hospital myself,” says Ava. “The manager of the restaurant said that he had a duty of care, and he called an ambulance.”

When the ambulance driver arrived to bring her to A&E, Ava knew he was the ‘the one’.

“It was love at first sight!” says Ava. “I knew as soon as I laid eyes on Kevin that I fancied him!”

But surely she was in pain from her injury?

“Even in pain, I felt the instant attraction!” says Ava.

So did Kevin.

“We are 20 years together!” says Ava. “We couldn’t be happier.”

The couple discovered another bond.

“Kevin, like me, had lost his sister,” says Ava.

Life has to go on.

“Life is good,” says Ava.

And Ava is good to Midleton.

“I get my chicken and spiced beef from Frank Murphy in Main Street,” she says. “Yes, I do cater for carnivores too!” she adds, laughing, seeing me eyeing up the fabulous plant-based salads.

“I am invested in good health and in good food. Pan bread is local. Our coffee is Badger & Dodo.”

Ava, who thinks big, is keeping her business small.

“I understand that these days people can be time poor and they have a lot going on every day. My aim was to open a grab and go deli offering tasty healthy breakfast options and lunch options. Sweet treats too!”

Chris Cott was Ava’s former housemate. Now she is Ava’s workmate.

“She is an amazing baker and an amazing cook,” says Ava. “We share the love of cooking and the love of good food.”

Laura serves good coffee. Hot and flavoursome.

“You are very welcome,” says Laura. “You can get your coffee to go too if you want.”

I’m quite happy sitting at the window, looking out at the yellow daises.

At 50, Ava is presiding over what she describes as “the beginning of a new chapter and a new enterprise. You know,” she adds, “I think everyone should try and pursue their purpose, their dream, their ambition, their desire. For me, it is onwards and upwards.”