I have always really liked Cafe des Amis. The atmosphere and the style drew me in. When I applied I basically told Tina, the owner, that I wanted to start from the bottom and work my up so that I would know how to do everything and be able to one day have a big part of running the restaurant.
I started as a waitress then worked my way into cooking, then the dishes, now scheduling and managing. I like being able to do any job, cover any shift and be able to help out my co-workers and Tina. It can be difficult at times, though. At one point I kept dreaming about spinning crepes.
I have been coming to Maui since 2000. I’m originally from Australia but used to travel with a Dutch family as their nanny. We would come to Maui for three months in the summer for the surf. Before for that I didn’t know much about Hawai’i at all. I was one of those people who thought it was just one big island. Now I have been here permanently for one year, living with my husband.
It’s a really fun job to have because all the people are so fun and interesting. There are a lot of colorful characters in Paia and sometimes there are some pretty strange occurrences but for the most part all of our customers are great. We have a lot of regulars and everyone knows them by their order as in “chicken-curry guy” or “single Americano lady.”
We serve mainly crepes, curry and salad. Our coffee is a big part of the cafe. A lot of people are addicted to our “Lavazza” coffee and won’t drink anything else.
Our restaurant has a very unique feel and I plan on being here for a long time. I love the industry, the people I work around and my position in the restaurant. MTW
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