The stars were probably aligned when travellers Charlotte Kermele and Erich Scherg chanced upon each other at a Margaret River backpackers hostel in the summer of 2010.
The couple are the proud owners of Bunbury’s hip new French cafe La Pause Miam, which is nestled in the Central Arcade on Prinsep Street.
Home for Charlotte is the West Coast of France – Les Sables D’olonne – while Erich hails from Germany. They met, she cooked for him, he fell in love and the rest is history.
With Charlotte securing a full-time supervisor gig at Bennesse Coffee and Kitchen and Erich studying Commercial Cookery at TAFE, their move to Bunbury from Busselton became permanent in 2012.
Bonding over their love for travel, food and passion for hospitality, the pair said starting their own business had always been on the books. Three months in the making and much to their relief, their chic cafe was officially opened with a brand spanking new menu last Friday.
Apart from crêpes, croissants and macaroons, patrons can expect to get acquainted with the unfamiliar – with dishes such as the ratatouille Parmentier and the pissaladiere.
Bread and croissants on sale are imported from Dardenup Bakery while the brownies, crème brûlée cheesecakes and other sweet treats are home made.
Describing the items on the lunch menu as “very honest” and made with fresh ingredients, Charlotte said the dishes carry influence from her mother and grandmother’s home cooking.
Di Mattina coffee beans are the cafe’s choice of caffeine goodness and was carefully selected by the couple at a Gourmet Escape tasting in Margaret River.
“We went up for a tasting and it tasted amazing so we settled on this nice and smooth one,” Charlotte said.
The couple also envision their shop to serve as a function space and will host the Le South West French Group who meet once a month.
“We wanted to introduce french food to Bunbury and bring a new vibe - just something special, relaxed and different,” Erich said.
“We’re really happy, everyone is responding well and are excited for us and it’s really given us comfort.
“We also wanted to keep it really simple because when you say French food, people automatically think its sophisticated and expensive – where you pay a lot for little food on your plate.
“Maybe later down the track we can think about having some German recipes as specials on the menu.”
La Pause Miam is located at shop 5, Central Arcade on 17 Prinsep Street and is open daily from 7am to 4pm.
