15 minute read
From the Shaker - Element Bar
by Focus
Scan here to book
CHOC MAC MARTINI
Nothing cosier in winter than settling into a warm seat, kicking back to some lovely vibes & plenty of chocolate!! On the amazing cocktail menu at Element Bar on the Coffs Jetty Strip is this little choc & macadamia gem. With a perfect blend of vanilla infused vodka, chocolate liqueur, Brookie’s Mac liqueur, fresh milk, choc sauce & crushed Flake, this stunning little treat is guaranteed to satisfy all your cravings!! Beware though, it’s almost impossible to have just one !!
MARIA’S
ITALIAN
RESTAURANT Maria’s Italian Restaurant is conveniently located at the popular Jetty strip and has recently had a new make over and relocation for all dine-in customers so Focus wanted to find out more…
What makes Maria’s so special and a must do when looking to dine out?
Italian families love to socialise and celebrate together. At Maria’s we see our customers as extended family.
Our newly refurbished restaurant offers a family-friendly dining experience that truly brings a touch of Italy to Coffs Harbour. It’s the perfect place for families and friends to gather and indulge in good company, good food and good wine… the Italian way.
Tell us about your menu, and what do you find is the most popular dish for customers?
Maria’s menu offers all your favourite Italian comfort foods with a modern twist, and a focus on fresh local produce.
One of our most popular dishes is the Whole Garlic King Prawns pan seared in garlic confit butter, Italian herbs & white wine, served on a thick slice of ciabatta to soak up all the delicious sauce. Our signature slow braised Lamb Ragu Pappardelle topped with mint gremolata & freshly shaved pecorino cheese is also a favourite.
Pizza lovers can delve into the Signorina Porcellino with chorizo, bacon, pancetta, red onion, capsicum and basil or try the Agnello with our slow braised
One of our most lamb, roasted capsicum, popular dishes red onion, cherry is the Whole Garlic tomatoes, topped with King Prawns pan seared in garlic confit our house made mint yogurt & fresh mint. And of course, an butter, Italian herbs & Italian meal wouldn’t white wine, served on be complete without a thick slice of a divine dolce of ciabatta to soak up all deep-fried vanilla the delicious sauce. cream cannoli and berry compote or our Limoncello Tart with passionfruit coulis, crushed meringue & fresh strawberries.
Maria’s has a big history here in business – can you tell us more?
Maria’s is synonymous with the iconic Jetty strip. We have been serving delicious Italian inspired food to locals and visitors alike for over 35 years. After a 12-month hiatus, we reopened in May 2022 and were overwhelmed by the support from our customers old and new
when we announced we were back! While our location on the Jetty strip is new, you can still expect the same delicious Italian fare just like Nonna makes, with a new ambience to dine in.
Food equals love and tradition in Italian culture. If you enjoy Italian food and eating, you’re going to love visiting us at Marias!
Have you found that after a tumultuous few years that people are excited to dine out again? What is your feedback?
Covid most definitely changed the landscape of hospitality. In general, people are excited to be dining out again, socialising with friends and family, going on date nights and enjoying the ambience local restaurants have to offer. We have loved welcoming our customers back to Maria’s in a slightly more intimate venue where patrons can experience excellent customer service, quality food at reasonable prices and a great selection of wines or a delicious Italian cocktail.
Besides dine in, people can order online and there is also an App – tell us more.
For the nights you want to stay in, our extensive takeaway menu offers all your pizza and pasta favourites, as well as our house specialties like Eggplant Caponata with tomato, capsicum, olives, caper ragu & toasted Ciabatta, or the Beef Braciole thinly
sliced beef stuffed with basil, pancetta & pecorino.
Ordering is easy with the Maria’s Restaurant App. You can download the App from our website and have Maria’s at your fingertips. The App allows you to book, order takeaway, purchase gift cards and even earn free pizzas! Home delivery is also available through DoorDash.
Father’s Day is fast approaching in September – should people book in quickly as the free beer is a great extra!
Bookings are always recommended, but especially on special days like Father’s Day. All Dads will receive a free beer with their meal, and we are open for lunch and dinner so bring the family and spoil Dad this Father’s Day.
How can people find out more?
Maria’s Italian Restaurant is open for dinner from 4pm every day and for lunch from 12pm Wednesday-Sunday. Visit our website and follow us on our social pages for updates on our Chef’s weekly specials.
Maria’s Italian Restaurant
384A Harbour Dr Coffs Harbour 02 6691 3225 mariasrestaurant.com.au go.wowapps.com/mariasitalianrestaur mariasitaliancoffsharbour @mariascoffsharbour
HETHERINGTON
Amy Hetherington stumbled into a career as a comedian and has been killing it in the standup scene since. She will be in Coffs this September performing her latest show ‘Crying Over Spilt Milk’ and we can’t wait to check it out and have a good laugh!
Hey Amy, you’re heading to Coffs to perform your comedy routine on 22 September. What can we expect from the night?
I’m so excited to get to Coffs! It’s my first time there! The show is called Crying Over Spilt Milk and it’s a high energy overshare about the pain, joy, and madness of having a new baby. I wrote the show in the sleepless mayhem of having a newborn to laugh about some of the challenges of breastfeeding, birth and new parent life. You can expect a lot of silly stories, some truth bombs about parenting and an appreciation for nipples. It’s a show for parents, would-be parents, or neverwould-I-ever parents (found it’s an effective contraception).
Your start to comedy was quite unconventional. How did you first end up on stage?
I was doing Ocsober as a fundraiser for a local charity and my gimmick was to ‘dare me to do something you’d never do sober’. I got up to all sorts of mischief and one person said they would never do stand-up comedy sober. So, they put down $200 for the charity and I got up at an open mic gig and had a crack. Lucky, I didn’t bomb, and I loved it. Haven’t stopped since (now it’s my career… who would have thought).
After the initial stand-up gig where did it go from there and how does one prepare to be a comedian?
I’ve been doing comedy for the past 8 years. I just kept rocking up and organising local gigs. I soon realised I was onto something with my stories and comedy style so I started touring festivals and putting on interstate shows. I do a lot of MCing and hosting events in Darwin so the comedy built in nicely to it all.
Preparing to be a comedian is a tricky one because everyone’s process is different, but I think it’s about looking around you, seeing things that could be turned into humour and then working on ways to say those things in your own voice. The best comedians have a unique take or style and I think the most important part of stand up is knowing what that is.
Who do you think your comedy routine is tailored to?
This show, in particular, is a great time for parents or soon-to-be parents because they’ve been through the trenches of newborn life and pregnancy. Comedy is best when it’s relatable. But my other shows have been more general in the topics covered. I have a lot of material about living in Darwin and all the chaos that delivers.
I think my comedy is good for people that like their humour cheeky (not controversial), high energy and positive – a lot of my style is taking things and finding the silver lining to them.
Your stand up has recently received awards. Tell us what you won and how it felt to receive that recognition?
The show I’m bringing to Coffs ‘Crying Over Spilt Milk’ won a weekly comedy award at the Adelaide Fringe this year. This is a wildly exciting one for me because the Adelaide Fringe is massive and there are hundreds of comedy shows there. To be selected as one of the best was insane. Especially because I was touring the show with my baby on my hip. A lot of people told me I couldn’t do it, so there was a heap of validation in receiving that award.
What do you get personally out of getting joy from people and making them laugh?
I think making people laugh or giving them a moment of joy/entertainment away from
their lives is my purpose. Everyone has something they’re good at and a lot of people say ‘ooohh comedy that must be so hard’ but I’ve found it’s come naturally to me to entertain and talk to people.
It’s a real gift to make someone laugh, especially these days when there are so many stresses and things that have made life hard. I never lose appreciation for audiences and the opportunity to entertain someone. I’m very lucky I get to do what I do.
You have spent the past year touring with a baby on board. How have you been managing the balance of stage and mum life?
Hahaha… managing. That’s so funny because some days I’m treading water. It’s been a lot of work but I think the thing that keeps me going is how proud I am after every show and how excited I am for my little baby Ruby so be part of this life with me. The balance is made easier by the wonderful support I have with my family and friends… but it’s been an exhausting year. I think every time there’s a happy audience or someone who’s heard a joke that validates their headspace as a new parent… that makes it all worth it.
How has the routine been received so far?
Very well. I am so proud of this show. It’s my best writing and tightest show and I think it really connects with people. I’ve been doing the show for lots of mums groups and brand new parents and for some of them it’s the first ‘adult’ thing they’ve done since having a baby… and those audiences have really loved it. Not just for the jokes but for the night out.
Where can people find out more about the show?
Crying Over Spilt Milk is being presented by Coffs Comedy at the Dark Arts Café.
Thursday 22 September 2022 5:30pm-9pm
The show is called Crying Over Spilt Milk and it’s a high energy overshare about the pain, joy, and madness of having a new baby. Ticket price includes dinner.
I’m supported in the show by Ben Stevenson who is one of my favourite funny humans on the planet. Tickets trybooking.com/CBPRU And follow me on socials if you like :D amyhetherington AmyHetheringtonComedy
Jules Jen
JENNIFER AARTS & JULIE-ANN GLUR
Jules & Jen, aka JulieAnn Glur and Jennifer Aarts, actually met many years ago in Sydney and by chance their paths crossed again locally just recently. They reconnected over their love of music and performance and their duo act came together.
Hey Jules and Jen! Can you tell us about how you first met?
We first met at Narrabeen, on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, 35 years ago. We had just finished school, Jen was singing back-up vocals with a local band – The Notations.
You recently crossed paths again after not seeing each other for a long time, how did that happen?
We ran into each other at John Logan Entertainment last December, whilst discussing our performances for the upcoming Coffs Carols.
You both have years of experience in the music industry, can you tell us about some of the things you have each worked on?
Julie-Ann is a versatile performer – singing and playing, writing, performing and entertaining these past few decades, in solo, duo, trio and full band line-up. Her former musical identity ‘Alchemy’ saw her performing up and down the North Coast of NSW for 10 years, including 4 years running at the Tamworth Music Festival and creating her first full length album with Midnight Oil’s Jim Moginie. She fronted a Bluegrass/Country band for a few years, performing shows at Tamworth Music Festival, as well smaller festivals around Sydney. JulieAnn did a five-month stint last year, performing 20 shows, in a local production of the ABBA musical - MAMMA MIA!!! She created her most recent musical identity ‘Looking for Lucy’ a few years back, after relocating from Sydney and has since been performing her original material, described as “Meadow Rock”, regularly around the Coffs Coast. She’s been in and out of the studio the last
She’s been in and out of the few years, working on studio the last few two separate EP’s and years, working on collaborating with a few different musicians two separate EP’s and and producers. From collaborating with a dabbling in some pop/ few different rock productions with musicians and actor/writer/producer producers. Adrian Lee; to laying down some stripped back recordings with producer, engineer and slide guitar player Gary Brown, a prominent and familiar face around Australia’s country music scene. Gary plays lap-steel and dobro and has introduced the beautiful sounds of steel guitar on Julie-Ann’s recordings. Jen has over three decades of performing in bands, duos and solo performances, including Musical Theatre and recording.
What are some of the highlights of your music careers so far?
Jules: Recording 4 EP’s and a full-length
album. Playing on various stages at Tamworth Music Festival. One of my favourite gigs was the Copacabana Carols, where we played on the back of a truck with Kasey Chambers at Copacabana Beach, to a crowd of over 2000 people. Finally doing my first musical last year – Mamma Mia!!
Jen: The performances in the Coffs City Centre leading up to the Elton John concerts here in Coffs Harbour, was one of my favourite performances to date. We were later told that Elton did a drive-by and gave us the “thumbs up”!!! I also absolutely loved my DIVA solos in the musical GREASE, where I performed a “Gender Bender” version of ‘Beauty School Dropout’.
How did the idea for your current duo come about?
We were rehearsing for the Sawtell Fun Day, which didn’t go ahead due to COVID this year and Jen mentioned that she’d been asked to do a wedding in March, and did I want to accompany her. I said “yes, I’d love to”. We really enjoyed the gig, got fantastic feedback, and decided this is what we’d like to do The performances together. We both feel in the Coffs City really passionate about Centre leading up where we find ourselves to the Elton John musically right now and concerts here in really look forward to Coffs Harbour, was sharing this performance one of my favourite experience together. performances to You do a lot of private date. gigs, can you tell us about the kinds of
events you cater to?
Wedding or any other Ceremonies, House Concerts, Funerals, Corporate and Special Events.
You both have done so many different forms of music and performance over the years, what made you decide to head in this direction with your duo?
The occasional Wedding ceremonies and Funerals are nothing new for us. We have both individually been doing these gigs for over 20 years. Weddings are always happy; everyone feels the love. Being a part of this joyful vibe and energy is always inspiring, hopeful and uplifting as a performer. House Concerts are fun, intimate and always a great opportunity to connect and engage with our audience. What we are offering will bring something magical to your wedding ceremony, house concert or event and something reflective, beautiful and uplifting for your funeral service/ceremony or memorial.
How would you describe the kind of music you play and the vibe you guys have?
We can swing between off-beat, up-beat, sweet, powerful, light & easy. Pop, rock, folk, ballads, country, jazz, blues and more!! Jen has often been described as the female Elvis, Elton and Frank, due to her rich tones and powerful, emotive voice. Jules’ sound has been described as original and dynamic, with distinct shades of light and dark. Seductively sweet, yet powerful, her vocals have been compared to Emmylou Harris, Chrissy Hynde and Joni Mitchell. Together, our voices blend in a unique way, and between us, we carry a broad vocal range. We cover an extensive range of songs and music, catering for a broad range of musical tastes and styles, including originals and time-honoured classics. We can tailor the songs specifically for you. Acoustic sets and custom soundtracks blend for an intimate to upbeat performance.
Where can people find out more about Jules & Jen or get in touch?
Follow us on Instagram @julesnjenmusic
We can send you a link to preview a promo video via email julieann.glur@gmail.com
Give us a call. Jen - 0428 550 413 and Jules - 0407 718 650 We’re really excited about this new project and looking forward to offering you something special for your ceremony or event.
Thanks Ladies.
