Lucinda O'Donnell and her husband, Jamie, have taken over the lease of the former Pukeko Junction Cafe, bordering State Highway 1, which has been closed since April 2023.
The popular highway stop-off has previously featured in the Lonely Planet and won a number of awards.
Now Lucinda and Jamie have given it a stylish refit and a name change.
The Northbound Cafe opened its doors at 6am last Wednesday, with a grand opening planned for Saturday, September 6.
Taking over the lease of the North Canterbury cafe is a dream come true for Lucinda who has run a coffee supply business in Rangiora for the last four years with a coffee van called Van Koffie and a coffee cart called No Worries Coffee.
The couple, who live in Sefton, had driven past the empty Pukeko Junction Cafe many times and were keen to transform it back to the busy, popular community space it had once been.
They plan to do this by providing delicious coffee, food and a great atmosphere for customers to enjoy.
"We are not just opening another cafe," Lucinda says.
"We are creating a true destination cafe, somewhere worth going out of your way for.
"Every cup of coffee is made with specialty, ethically sourced beans, and we want to have a menu that celebrates fresh seasonal ingredients and delicious baking.
"But more than that we want to build a warm and welcoming space and a hub for our community."
The resident chef will prepare classic cafe dishes "made well with a few twists" and Lucinda, who has a passion for baking, will be making all the cabinet food goodies.
"I have always loved baking since I was little," she says.
"My mum taught me and my two sisters.
"We all love to bake and we would go through recipe books and try new recipes."
Opening a cafe in challenging economic times is not for the fainthearted, but Lucinda and Jamie are "up for the challenge".
