The Star: April 05, 2018

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Thursday April 5 2018
Fire rages, homes at risk
Still crazy about crêpes
French delights
at food show
• By Julia Evans
SHEENA HEMENS hadn’t
made a single crêpe until she fell
in love with a Frenchman.
But while the relationship did
not last, Ms Hemens now owns
the rapidly expanding cafe, Maison
de Crêpes, which is about
to make its debut at The Food
Show tomorrow.
“I have a background in marketing
so it was out of left field
but I met a young Frenchman
and fell in love,” she said.
“He’s from Brittany, home of
crêpes, and was bemused why
there weren’t any crêpes in New
Zealand. And while we broke up
at the end of last year, I was still
very much in love with crêpes.”
Before moving into the world
of hospitality, Ms Hemens had
spent more than a decade in the
corporate jungle as a marketing
executive.
Until 2015, she said she had
never so much as served someone
a coffee.
“My business brain kicked
into play and I saw a massive
opportunity for a good quality
crêpe brand,” Ms Hemens said
Following a whirlwind crêpemaking
course on Skype with a
50-year French crêpier veteran
who couldn’t speak a word of
English, Maison de Crêpes was
born in the form of a kiosk in
The Colombo.
“I sold my house, used my
inheritance . . . I put everything
CATERING: Sheena Hemens, owner of the expanding cafe, Maison de Crêpes, will be
showcasing crêpes at The Food Show from Friday.
PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER
into this business, boots and
all,” she said.
She was spending more than
50 hours a week in the shop in
the beginning, it became her
life.
From its days as a kiosk,
Maison de Crêpes has since
expanded into a full cafe at
Carlton Courts on Papanui Rd.
But Ms Hemens said her
dream is to “make crêpes the
new sushi” and expand the
brand around the country, then
eventually take it global.
“We’re opening a second,
bigger shop later in the year in
the city centre. Then I’d like to
expand around New Zealand
and eventually try and take the
brand overseas,” she said.
Ms Hemens and Maison
de Crêpes will be showcasing
crêpes at Horncastle Arena from
tomorrow until Sunday. She said
it’s another step in her mission
to get Kiwis to love crêpes as
much as she does.
The Food Show will feature
more than 80 local and national
exhibitors and displays from
chefs, including MasterChef
New Zealand’s Nadia Lim and
Chelsea Winter.
•For more information,
go to www.eventfinda.
co.nz/2018/thechristchurch-food-show/
christchurch.
Preliminary biopsy results positive for Maddie
• By Emily O’Connell
MADDIE COLLINS is back
home after a short trip to
Starship Children’s Health prior
to Easter.
The 14-year-old and her
parents were flown to
Auckland last week after blood
test results indicated something
was wrong with her new
kidney.
This comes just three months
after Maddie’s “miracle” kidney
transplant.
Maddie’s kidney biopsy,
which was scheduled for this
week, was brought forward to
last Wednesday.
Her mother Sarah
Manson-Collins said the
preliminary biopsy results are
positive.
“The biopsy’s shown that
everything looks okay and that
there’s no sign of any rejection,”
she said.
Mrs Manson-Collins said
Maddie will have another blood
test today and they will be given
the formal biopsy results in the
next few days.
She said there is a possibility
surgeons took a good sample of
the kidney but they will have to
wait and see.
In Brief
CYCLIST ATTACKED
A cyclist was taken to hospital
after he was attacked by two people
on Matipo St, Riccarton, about
11.20am yesterday. Police said the
victim was stopped and assaulted
by the pair who were known
to him. His bike was stolen. He
suffered moderate injuries.
ONE-OFF MARKET
A one-off artisan market will be
held at Victoria Square on Saturday
to celebrate its reopening and
recognise its history as a trading
place. Matapopore trustee Joseph
Hullen said it was formerly known
as Market Square, with many
Ngāi Tūāhuriri from Kaiapoi
going there to sell their produce to
European settlers. About 30 local
stalls will be there from 10am-1pm.
In the case of bad weather, the
market will be postponed until
April 21.
SHIFT TO QE II POOL
After the new QE II Park
Recreation and Sport Centre
opens in June, the city council is
forecasting a 25 per cent decrease
in patrons at Papanui’s Graham
Condon Sport and Recreation
Centre. Graham Condon currently
has about 820,000 users annually,
but once the new centre opens
on Travis Rd, staff predict that
number will drop to 600,000.
LANCASTER PARK WEBCAM
A webcam is giving people a front
row view of one of the largest
demolition projects in the country.
The webcam has been installed
at Lancaster Park and will record
every stage of the deconstruction
process. The images, which will
refresh every 10min, can be found
on the city council website.
CARTWRIGHT STEPS DOWN
Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood
Community Board chairman
David Cartwright has stepped
down from his role as chairman
after handing in his resignation
at the board meeting on Monday.
A new chairperson will be voted
in by board members at the next
meeting on April 16. Deputy chairman
Sam MacDonald will put his
hand up for the role.
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