Beverly West and her husband Anthony (Tony) had “a dream and a plan” prior to his death.
Beverly worked for the East of England Ambulance Service at Hemel Hempstead for almost two decades. Also a paramedic, this is where she met Tony, and the pair got married a few years later.
The couple had hoped to take early retirement and open a café together which was to be named The Cozy Coo – with Beverly being a lover of Highland cows.
But tragically, whilst on duty, Tony caught coronavirus from a patient and he passed away in March 2021.
Beverly and Tony were married for 15 years.
After witnessing so many colleagues contract and lose their lives to the disease, the former paramedic decided to continue with the plan with the help of her daughter Sarah West and son Darren MacPherson.
“After falling in love with the village [of Dufftown], The Cozy Coo was born,” Darren tells me.
Dufftown café quickly became ‘a hub for the community,’ says Darren
On Friday, December 1, The Cozy Coo opened its doors for the first time on Fife Street.
It is also a gift shop that sells items made by Sarah ranging from mugs, cups and bottle openers to photo slates, posters and ornaments.
Originally a team of three, the family have since brought in more staff “to cope with the surge in customers”.
“Our team at the moment stands at eight and they are from the village, which helps in the winter,” says Darren, who is head chef at the Dufftown café.
“We have become a hub for the community, and a place to hide from the weather when the bus is late…”
The Cozy Coo: meet the talent behind the menus – and find out what’s on them
Darren is originally from Edinburgh and has worked in the food industry since 2018.
He started out by washing dishes in The Three Sisters sports bar on the city’s Cowgate, and quickly found his passion.
The 37-year-old said: “I worked and trained with the head chef there and took on the roll of commis chef.
“Within the first two months, we decided that I should take on the street food stalls in The Three Sisters’ courtyard and, again, that sparked something extra. I grew from there, rising up to chef de partie and supervising the street food set up.
“After Covid, they changed the bar into what it is today and I decided to set out and go alone. I opened FatBoyz Pizza on South Bridge, which is now closed, and street food vans as well.”
Today, he prepares a range of dishes at The Cozy Coo including toasties, paninis, soups and classics such as macaroni and cheese and fish and chips.
Beverly – who is also a fully qualified confectioner – is in charge of keeping the sweet treat counter, which boasts a selection of products that cater for gluten and dairy-free customers, stocked up.
Millionaire tarts, scones, lemon cupcakes, cherry bakewells and dairy-free lemon cake are some examples of what to expect.
The Dufftown café is open from 8am to 5pm Monday to Saturday, however, it stays open until 7pm on Fridays for its ‘stone baked pizza nights’.
Family of three thankful for ‘phenomenal’ support from local community
The Cozy Coo has welcomed many regular customers since opening, included four-legged ones.
“We are also dog-friendly, so have a few local regular pups and they all get a doggy sausage when they visit,” adds Darren.
“The best thing about opening the café is seeing how much choice it has given the community, and getting to know people in the village I now call home.”
Beverly and Sarah currently live in Aberchirder, but are currently looking to buy property in Dufftown.
Darren went on to say: “The locals have been phenomenal in their support of our journey.”
Did you enjoy this story? Why not read another feature in our ongoing Café Life series, such as this one based on Tarves’ The Murly Tuck, or click here to find out all you need to know about The Cherry Tree Café and Bistro in Banff.
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