New café opens at Camion Hall |17 February 2022

Mr Sinon and his team (Photo: Louis Toussaint)

A new café by the name of Jo’s Kafe opened at Camion Hall on Monday this week, coinciding with Valentine’s Day.

The owner of Jo’s Kafe, Jose Sinon, says the cafe offers a wide variety of sweet and savoury pastries as well as an assortment of beverages.

During its opening, the café gained an influx of clients which they gladly welcomed.

Mr Sinon says they have been very busy since its grand opening and affirmed that the location has played a key role in attracting clientele.

Mr Sinon in fact operated Cakebites which was located at the former children’s playground. Due to constraints the owner faced during the pandemic, he had to close Cakebites and upon seeking advice from various business oriented individuals, he applied for a vacant space at Camion Hall. Mr Sinon says that even though the space is ‘a bit small’, he decided to go for it.

Jo’s Kafe is a culturally integrated café as it promotes local snacks.

Mr Sinon says that they have introduced a new snack called the ‘Bouden Puff’ which is a combination of the black pudding and puff pastry.

He says that the idea behind this new pastry stems from the fact that “Seychellois love eating black pudding with bread” (Seselwa i kontan manz bouden ek son dipen).

He adds that they have a few other ‘new’ snacks to introduce.

So far, Jo’s Kafe is a mix of international and local snacks, though the focus remains on local snacks.

The owner highlights that the café faced quite a few setbacks leading to its opening. He explains that the procedure took very long and it was a bit discouraging.

However Mr Sinon says that he is very grateful to his staff for their patience and also thankful to his family for their support.

Jo’s Kafe opens Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 5.00pm and from 7.30am to 1pm on Saturdays.

Marla Simeon