Seasons Greetings!

Issue 4, December 2008

As we herald in the Christmas Season…

Hasn’t this year flown by! With Christmas just around the corner we’d like to take this opportunity to wish all our valued customers a joyous Christmas and thank you for your support throughout the year. We hope that everyone has had a good year and will take a well earned rest over Christmas!

Our mailing list winner of our December prize of a dinner for two is Lyndon Dyason. Congratulations! This prize can be redeemed on either Friday or Saturday night dining, or if you prefer, lunch at your leisure.
(We know Lyndon will probably want one our delicious soy chai teas!)

Last Dinner Dance For 2008

Going out with a Bang!

Our last Dinner Dance for 2008 is on tomorrow night, Saturday. We’re dressing up, so wear something ‘Christmassy’. There will be a Lucky Door Prize, as well as a few other surprises..!!

Jackie McDonald our fantastic Latin guitarist/singer will be there in full swing for all you dancers… Come celebrate the Christmas ‘kickoff’ with us and dance the night away!

There are still some seats available so book now as seating is limited.
*Starting 7pm – $10 cover charge.

Luffley Christmas Dinner

Come and join in the Celebrations!

This is our opportunity to say thank you and farewell for another year. Our Christmas Elegant Evening will be on Wednesday 10th of December, 7pm. We’re offering a 3 course dinner, with a glass of champagne or eggnog on arrival, as well as hors d’ouvres. The Murwillumbah Philharmonic Choir will also be performing a selection of carols.

It’s a chance to get together, tuck into our chef’s labours of love and enjoy some Christmas spirit! This is our 6th Christmas together as Luffley Cafe, and we look forward to seeing the year out with everyone.

*Cost is $65 – which includes a three course meal and champagne (or eggnog) on arrival. There are extra treats but we can’t tell you all the surprises…!

Saturday Night Dining

More Live Music – from now until Christmas

The Saturday night Singer Songwriter Dinners have been a great hit so far – and we have another last weekend. Our inspiration was to offer something unique and diverse and this idea sprung forth. Thanks to all those who have come along to support our local talent.

The first of these evenings was Saturday, 22nd November. The kitchen offered hot and cold seafood/chicken/vego platters – a very simple but scrumptious fare. Our songwriters hail from a variety of backgrounds, with some very serious talent! Check out our Luffley Cafe Blog and Luffley Cafe Website for more of their stories. We are looking for singer/songwriting talent – if you think you have something original and a little bit special, let us know!

• • •

Luffley Cafe wishes a peaceful and heartfelt Christmas for each one of our patrons. We are grateful to you for your support over the years and look forward to serving you again in the New Year.
God Bless You.

Live Music @ Luffley Cafe

Luffley Cafe is excited to announce that it will be holding live music nights every Friday and Saturday from now until Christmas, showcasing some of the finest Jazz Musicians and Songwriters on the Tweed.

The weeks leading up to the end of the year are always a great time to celebrate, take in the warm summer evenings and enjoy the fabulous outdoor dining Murwillumbah has to offer. We are making this year’s Christmas lead-up a memorable and enjoyable one – with live music.

Featuring Jazz on Friday nights and showcasing local Songwriters on Saturdays – we hope you come to enjoy this festive season with us. Read on for more tantalising detalis!

Friday Night Jazz

Some of the Tweed’s finest!

Here in this area we are very lucky to have some of the finest Jazz musicians on the coast. Here they are…

Mohini Cox – Friday the 28th of November.

Never failing to warm crowds with a voice rapidly earning her a place in the hearts of music critics the world over, Mohini appears with her talented drummer Rada. Every appearance they make with us at Luffley is an anticipated and unique treat.

An accomplished keyboardist, Mohini has also been acclaimed as one of the foremost soul vocalists around. With a degree in music from Montreal’s acclaimed McGill Conservatory, Mohini has worked with some of the finest artists in the music industry including: Albert “Iceman” Collins, Bo Diddly, Celine Dion, the Trevor Payne Gospel Ensemble, Katt Dyson and Rhonda Smith, House of Payne, and the Powder Blues Band. Friday the 28th of November

Mish – Friday 12th December.

Singing Jazz standards for two years in London, Mish made her way playing gigs on the London Circuit, Norway, The Canary Islands and on the Norwegian Star Cruise Liner.

After three years abroad, Mish returned home to study Jazz and Classical based Music Composition at the prestigious Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne. She played trumpet and sang with various Funk Bands during her Melbourne stay, yet soon heard of a more contemporary Music Composition Course and moved to Byron Bay in NSW.

Mish has obtained various Songwriting and Performing Awards since graduating with a B.A. in Contemporary Music Composition in 2006. She won the 2007 Apollo Bay Music Festival’s “Buskers Competition” for Best Solo Street Musician and the 2006 “Solo Songwriters Sessions Competition” in NSW.

We are delighted to have Mish as part of our Luffley Cafe Live Music roster. She has an extraordinary voice and piano skills to match… Mish plays at Luffley on Friday 12th December.

Kel McIntosh and the Jazz Canaries – Friday 21st November.

Well known Tweed Valley saxophonist Kel McIntosh along with extraordinary guitarist Peter Hercomb (Scrubby) and Izzie – a fantastic bass player and often quirky songwriter – have been a hugely popular addition to the Luffley Cafe Jazz evenings for some months now. You will catch the boys here this Friday 21st November, Friday 5th December & Friday 19th December.

Kel has a great many years’ experience in the Jazz scene playing up and down the coast and Sydney, and is one of the foremost musicians of the Tweed Valley Jazz Club.

Scrubby on guitar playing electric and slide, creates such an authentic blues vibe – you would swear you were standing on Bourbon Street, New Orleans listening to the soul of the great American Blues tradition. Izzie on bass produces brilliant bass licks as well as performing his quirky original songs… they are a delight to listen to.

This exceptional Jazz trio have been playing in this format for over a year now, and have a great following in the Tweed music scene. This is definitely a fantastic night of entertainment…

Saturday Songwriters

A night of listening and relaxation…

Luffley Cafe is trying something new… A Songwriters’ showcase evening every Saturday night from now until Christmas. This weekly event will be an opportunity for local Songwriters to perform in front of a live audience and air their original compositions. Starting this saturay night with:-

Hoel Durand

A super talented singer/guitarist from the UK, hailing from the  North East of England, this Geordie-boy is ‘Down-under’ testing out the Aussie music scene. Hailing from Jarrow he wears his musical influences clearly – Dylan, Damien Rice, Ryan Adams and Leonard Cohen.

Hoel has been recording in London over the last couple of months and will be gracing us with some of his originals from his forthcoming release including ‘Open The Door’, ‘Tonight’ and ‘Like A Light’.

Having previously played in a band called ‘Haven’, Hoel still plays occasionally in a local Jarrow band called ‘The Peaces’. He is looking forward to playing at Luffley Cafe over the next few months and is open to the incredible musical inspirations of the beautiful Tweed Valley.

Be sure to see this extraordinarily talented artist while he is here in Australia.

Haniel Medinet

Haniel’s passion for music began from a very early age, singing her own songs as a toddler to help her get to sleep. With little space or support for music as a child, Haniel’s passion didn’t begin to find roots until she was 19 when she bought herself an electric guitar and began writing poetry and creating melodies.

Haniel moved to London with a dream of doing something with her music. In the 10 years that followed, Haniel’s musical interest turned into something real with 30 original songs being written between 2004 and 2005. It was at this time she began writing music on a full time basis and playing in venues London wide. Her highlight in London was playing at the Bush Hall in Shepherd’s Bush where the likes of Cold Play and REM have performed.

During 2006 and 2007 Haniel went into the studio in East Grinstead, England and recorded 9 of her best songs for the debut album she is currently working on.

Returning to Australia earlier this year, Haniel is excited to be a part of the Saturday night Luffley Cafe Songwriters’ Showcase and having the chance to play her music in the country where she was raised.

Mobius

Classically trained since age five, Mobius was part of the original line-up of Aria award winning Brisbane band ‘George’ while he was studying jazz, opera and cello at the Brisbane Conservatorium.

After leaving the group to travel, he spent most of his time in the United States and the United Kingdom, gathering inspiration and writing songs.

Mobius returned home to Australia in late 2004 to form and begin recording with August Way, a well known local band. His song ‘Soulfire’ from August Way’s debut album – This Is The Other World, won a prize in the prestigious ‘Austrialian Songwriters Association Awards’.

• • •

The Staurday Night Songwriters’ event will continue to expand and grow with more artists every week. If you are a songwriter and interested in this opportunity to play and have your songs heard, please contact Luffley Cafe.

Looking forward to seeing you all at one of our Friday and Saturday evenings.

Hello again folks…

Each month we run a prize draw for all those on our mailing list. Our October winner is…. drum roll….. Dave Pinson from Murwillumbah – he has won a dinner for two!! Congratulations.

October Re-Cap

Another Month of fantastic events…
Here at Luffley Cafe we take real pride in all of our events. We believe that they are not only a necessary part of bringing the Northern Rivers Region alive and to showcase the beauty of our area, but are important entertainment and a big thank-you to our valued customers.

Remember, Luffley Cafe is now open Friday nights for Cocktails and Live Entertainment.

If you are ever in the area and can make it to a Luffley event, you are sure to enjoy yourself and feel embraced like a local… everybody is welcome!

A Day At The Races – October 20th 

Recently Luffley Cafe participated in a Tweed Tourism day to promote small businesses in the Tweed area. This was held at one of the monthly race days at Murwillumbah Racecourse.

We were offered a space to present what we do and a chance to meet new clients, as well as enjoy the race festivities.  We had a marquee to offer people a taste of our hospitality (we even brought our chandelier!). All the passers by were treated to a glass of champers and a chance to win a dinner for two.

Paddington of Tyalgum, Chantilly Lace and The Thin Green Line also put on a spectacular fashion show, exhibiting their beautiful clothing for summer. It was a delight to bring a touch of elegance to the races!

The day was a great opportunity to network and meet other local businesses. Luffley would like to thank Tweed Tourism and the Murwillumbah Race Cource for holding the event. A day at the races is always a blast and we look forward participate again next year.

Wine & Cheese Night – October 25th

It was an intimate gathering for wine and cheese buffs hosted by our friend and wine connoisseur Paul Bagnall, who walked us through the delicious wines of Mt Nathan Winery.

The winery is situated in the Nerang area and has two generations of family tradition of wine making. They say one of their recipes came out on a piece of paper from Scotland in 1795 and the passion for creation has been lovingly expanded into a repertoire of gold medal wines.

The lovely ladies from Tweed Valley Whey Farmhouse Cheeses (Deb and Sue) took us on a history tour of their cheese craft and delighted us with the most mouth watering cheeses we’ve had yet! Their dairy farm near Mooball creates all of their cheeses from the freshest full cream milk! Make sure you ask us for their cheese next time you order a cheese platter – they are truly delicious…

Luffley is offering 50% off most of the Mt Nathan wines, which is a great Christmas present or opportunity to stock up your cellar… We also have available their Gold Medal Bubbles. Come in and try a glass of something before you order – you may be pleasently surprised! See order form below.

Dance Night – November 1st

Last weekend Luffley Cafe was host to two of Australia’s best up and coming Latin and Ballroom dancers – Jared Taylor and Mamu Kamo at the monthly Dinner Dance.

These two talented dancers are presently our World Youth 10 Dance representatives for Australia. At age 18 and 16 they are set to be making an impression on the International stage in years to come.

It was an absolute treat to have them perform five times through the evening accompanied by our fabulous latin guitarist/singer Jackie McDonald.

Luffley Cafe holds Dinner Dance nights on the first Saturday of each month which gives all those learning to dance at the ‘La La Luuba’ dance school (run by our very own Solar Chapel) a chance to practice and enjoy all they have learned.

Many folk from Murwillumbah and surrounds are enjoying these dance classes and are thrilled to have a monthly open dance event to show off what they have been learning. Even if you have two left feet… there is no better teacher than Solar. Come in and chat to him at the cafe.

Melbourne Cup Lunch – November 4th

You all know how much we love the races… Each year Luffley holds a Melbourne Cup Lunch

This year we had two TV’s (one inside, one out) and several sweepstakes. As usual the ladies all dressed up in elegant attire, fantastic hats and bright colours.

Luffley is located only metres from the Murwillumbah ‘Bah’ which hosts a tab! A great day was had by all with many folk winning on the mighty ‘Viewed’. What a race! (there were a few nails bitten in that last sprint to the line…)

If you are looking for a relaxed place to enjoy the Melbourne Cup event next year, give us a call and book in.

Saturday Night Songwriters…

Every Saturday Night from the 22nd of November to Christmas!

Luffley Cafe are proud to announce the addition of a Songwriters’ evening every Saturday night from the 22nd of November, to Christmas.

This musical evening will be an opportunity for musicians to play their songs in front of an audience. Unlike an ‘open mic night’ where anybody can turn up and play, these evenings will consist of well rehearsed songwriting and artists who are passionate about their art.

If you are a songwriter and are interested in this opportunity, please contact the cafe for further information. (reminder… this is not an open mic night, so submission of audio tracks or Auditions are essential).

Please come along and support our local artists…

Other News

Calendar for December..

The Christmas Dinner Dance night – Saturday, December 6th

It will be a ‘Christmas themed’ evening so come dressed for the occasion. Live Latin Music, $10 cover charge, – there will be a Lucky Door Prize. Bookings essential as seating is limited.

Christmas Dinner – Wednesday, December 10th

Book your seats now for the Luffley Cafe Christmas Dinner!  $65 per person with a complementary glass of champagne and hors deuvres on arrival. The dinner will be a three course gourmet treat and with live music and special guests the ‘Murwillumbah Philharmonic Choir’ carolling for us, it is bound to be a great evening of celebration!

If you are vegetarian or gluten free, please make sure you enquire about the menu when you book. The first 10 people to book receive a 10% discount! So hurry, before you miss out!

LIVE MUSIC and Christmas Opening Hours

Luffley Cafe are now open every Friday night for Jazz, Dinner and affordable Cocktails. Remember, we will also be opening every Saturday night from the 22nd of Nov, until Christmas for our Songwriters’ evening. We have a full wine list and a qualified a la carte chef on board – so make it a party and join us!

*Reminder – If you are thinking of having your own Christmas Party at Luffley, please let us know sooner rather than later. December gets rather busy for us and we would love to be able to fit you all in.

• • •

Looking forward to seeing you all again very soon at…

A Very Special Dinner Dance…

Luffley Cafe is proud to present…

This saturday night Luffley Cafe will be host to two of Australias best up and coming Latin and Ballroom dancers – Jared Taylor and Mamu Kamo.

Jared and Mamu are presently our World Youth 10 Dance representatives for Australia and at age 16 and 18 they are set to be making an impression on the International stage in years to come.

Jared and Mamu will be performing five (5) dances throughout the evening, focusing mainly on Latin. So if all you budding dancers want to see Latin alive and kicking, be sure not to miss this special performance. (Jared and Mamu will also be available for autograph signing and a chat).

The evening will commence at 7pm sharp. As per usual with our Dinner Dance nights, there is a $10 cover charge. Jackie McDonald, our resident Latin musician will also be providing great live music and there will also be a lucky door prize.

Seats are limited for this event so please make sure you book now. Dont Miss this special opportunity to see some of Australias most talented dancers perform live at Luffley Cafe!

For all bookings please contact Luffley Cafe on the details below..

Giving You A Chance To Win…

Each month we are giving one lucky customer from our mailing list a chance to win some great prizes.

Some of the prizes will include…
-A Dinner for two
-A bottle of Champagne
-Four free Cocktails at our Friday Live Entertainment Night.

All those on our mailing list automatically go into the draw, with the winners and prizes being announced in each month’s Newsletter. Each month you will have a chance to win a different prize…

If you have business contacts or you have friends and family you would like to receive our news and go into this monthly draw, please email us at info@luffleycafe.com or leave your details on our sign up sheet at the cafe.

Our Chefs Welcome you…

This month we would like to take the opportunity to introduce our wonderful Chefs! Working away in the kitchen doesn’t always give them a real chance to meet you all so here they are….

Professionally trained they have many years of experience between them. As you can appreciate, preparing food is a great skill and each one has a particular area of expertise they love to bring to you.

Sandra Cordin

hails from Paddington in Sydney. After completing her chef’s qualifications, she came to us via many different restaurant cuisines including Chinese, Italian and Seafood to name a few. Her specialties are fine dining, a la carte and functions and she especially loves to cook duck, quail and game! (Perfect for our Elegant Evenings and Christmas parties!)

Sandra has been with us for only a few months but has already become an integral part of the team. Oh and believe it or not she has a natural artistic skill for sculpture, making statues from margarine (and clay of course…)

Chris Willoughby

was born in Murwillumbah and schooled in Kingscliff so is a local lad at heart! Chris and his wife, Juleen owned and operated their own café, ‘La Rosa’ in Kingscliff and so came highly recommended. Chris has an excellent grasp of what people love to eat and encourages the staff to excel in creating tasty, gourmet food.

His specialties are breakfasts and lunches and we have many patrons who travel from far and wide for his fantastic Asian omelette! He brings to us a well organised kitchen, which is a great gift considering how small it is! His favorite fare is Asian and he is also a talented musician playing bass guitar for the local ‘Round Mountain Girls’.

Essentia

has been with Luffley Cafe since its inception in 2003. She likes to cook meals that not only taste good but are also good for both body and soul (she has a passion for organic and natural foods).

Essentia draws her ideas from the past as well as the present – finding inspiration from modern chefs and ancient traditions including Ayurveda (making prize winning ghee) and St Hildegard whose early teachings about food being a Gift and a balancing support to our lives and well being, inspired Essentias well known Hildegard Cookies, (you’ve got to try these…!). She is always exploring the organic options of clean, healthy cuisine and is great with healthy Summer salads!

Arcanum Tresor

came from Sydney to begin her apprenticeship at Luffley Cafe. With only a year to go, she has developed into one of our strongest team members and is always willing to participate in developing menus and themes for our functions and dinners.

Her attention to detail and her knack for getting the perfect mix of flavours for any dish, have proved her to be one of our greatest accomplishments.  She loves to eat Sushi and listen to modern music. Her Garlic Prawns on the dinner menu comes highly recomended… Stay tuned for her next exciting recipe!

Speed On Tweed

A Great Success…

Thanks to all who joined us for our annual dinner in the street to celebrate Speed On Tweed. This year was a great success seeing attendance for the Luffley Cafe Dinner at 125 people! Sandra, Essentia and the kitchen staff were kept on their toes but the night went off without any hitches.

This years performers on the main stage were the Royal Australian Navy Big Band and wern’t they exceptional! They were joined by a suprise guest drummer Warren Daly from the Daly Wilson Big Band -  whose extrordinary performance raised a standing ovation.

Luffley Cafe would again like to acknowledge the dedication of Roger Ealand and the hard working team who have made Speed On Tweed possible for all these years. We would be sad to see this great event go and hope there is a way it can be maintained…

Up coming events

This October sees a very exciting event return to Luffley – Wine and Cheese Tasting!

A local vineyard have agreed to come to Luffley Café and present their great selection of wines, and we will also have a local cheese maker, ‘Tweed Valley Whey Farmhouse Cheeses’ coming to complement the wine with their wonderfully tasty cheeses. We hope you can join us for this special event. Bookings essential!

~ Wine & Cheese Tasting ~

October 18th
- $25 per head
- 6pm Start

• • •

On a final note – we are also now taking bookings for Luffley Cafe’s Christmas Elegant Evening. If you are interested in joining us this year for our Christmas bash, please let us know. The date is yet to be confirmed.

Also, if you are thinking of having your own Christmas Party at Luffley, please let us know sooner rather than later. December gets rather busy for us and we would love to be able to fit you all in.

Looking forward to seeing you all again very soon at Luffley Cafe…

Luffley Cafe Returns

Well Luffley Café is back on-line with our regular monthly newsletter! You’ll hear what we’re doing each month and what to book your seats for. If you have any relevant news or comments, please send them in.

‘Speed On Tweed’ Dinner

This coming weekend sees the very last ‘Speed On Tweed’ – the biggest event in Murwillumbah’s yearly calendar is drawing to a close…

Each year this wonderful event has brought 10,000 visitors to our streets. The town sees car enthusiasts from all over the world participate in a race that is held over the weekend with the high point being a dinner and show on Saturday night. This year we have the Royal Australian Navy Big Band performing at the dinner with the theme of Swing. Part of the proceeds from the racing events goes to support the McGrath Foundation, so everyone wears PINK! and the night rounds off with a rock concert.

Each year Luffley Café hosts a huge dinner table out on the main street. We still have seats left at $65p/p which includes a 3 course meal, champagne on arrival and mulled wine for dinner (menus available on demand).

Whether you come to dine and soak up the atmosphere or watch the racing, we hope you enjoy this the final ‘Speed On Tweed’ brought to you by the hard working team of Roger Ealand and friends. Such community goodwill is hard to put words to and Luffley Cafe would like to acknowledge the dedication it takes to create this event which has been such a boon to our town. Thank you Speed On Tweed, we will miss you…

The ‘Thin Green Line’

Opening next door…

Moving in next door to us this weekend is the ‘Thin Green Line’, the environmental shop for Murwillumbah. Offering an amazing range of organic alternatives for every aspect of your life, ‘The Thin Green Line’ also sells our choice of organic fair trade coffee. If you have an opportunity this weekend, drop in to check out this fabulous shop. There is so much to see and be inspired by – you’ll love it! Their doors will be open from this Thursday 18th September and throughout the weekend.

Fashion Show at Luffley

Following ‘Speed On Tweed’ our annual fashion show from ‘Chantilly Lace Boutique’ hits the Luffley Café red carpet on Friday 26th Sep, 7pm, $15p/p includes complimentary champagne and nibbles. There will be cocktails and dinner available, a toe-tapping live jazz band and lots of wonderful dresses and elegant outfits for every occasion for you to see. Get your Melbourne Cup outfit now!

There will also be a 15% discount on the night for all clothing, which will be extended for the following 2 weeks for all Fashion Show ticket holders only…

For Bookings please contact Chantilly Lace – 6672 3221.

The Dinner Dance Night
Get ready to boogie….

Our next dance in the street will be held 4th October – ($10 cover charge). We have live music provided by Jackie McDonald from Brisbane, an extremely talented musician/guitarist/singer whose South American heritage guarantees an authentic Latin vibe… If you haven’t been along to one of these nights, and you like Latin music and dance, you are missing out! The dinners are great and we’re  now licensed. See you there.

Phew… If you got to the end of this newsletter you’ve done pretty well.

From all of us at Luffley Cafe, we look forward to serving you next time you visit us.