The Hub Café opening on Sundays in July and a warm welcome to Madi and Gill!

Our community  Hub Café, in the ground floor of the community hub building, re-opened in April and we’ve all been enjoying having the buzz of the café back in the building. The café is currently open Wednesday—Saturday, 10am-4.30pm but from July it will also be open on Sundays. We have leased a brand new coffee machine and serve a range of hot and cold soft drinks, a mouth-watering range of bakes and treats made by our new patisserie chef, Madi Elwell, and a delicious range of soups, sandwiches and lunch plates. MCTC is delighted to have welcomed Madi to our team alongside Gill Hart in front of house. Alongside a wider café team of staff and volunteers (to whom we’re all very grateful!) they’ve worked incredibly hard to get the café up and running again. Thank you to them all for their hard work and dedication. And of course for making and serving such delicious food for us all to enjoy!

Madi Elwell

 Cakes, cakes and more cakes…if you’ve a passion for pastries or flip for frittata then look no further than the café where Canadian chef Madi Elwell is enticing the village tastebuds with a new menu and has plans for much more… “My creativity in the kitchen stems from my interest in painting and drawing which I developed at a young age,” said Madi, “I love baking but the best part is decorating and that’s where my artistic side comes in. Nothing pleases me more than seeing people come into the café, saying they can’t decide which cake to have, then buying two or three to share so they can try some of each. The team has passed on some lovely feedback from customers and that just inspires me to do more.”

After graduating from both pastry and business college, Madi fine-tuned her skills working in a number of island fishing lodges, heli-ski lodges and middle-of-nowhere wilderness resorts all across Canada. “These types of remote environments suit me so well,” explained Madi. “I was raised and lived my whole life on an island and couldn’t imagine not being by the ocean, especially since I grew up always being on or around boats. The opportunity to work here was ideal for me, combining my love of patisserie with being in a natural and unspoiled landscape. I was really drawn to the community aspect of Lochaline and absolutely love this beautiful little village.”

When she’s not whipping up a storm in the kitchen, Madi makes the most of an active lifestyle, whether that’s hiking or paddleboarding here on the loch. “I feel so comfortable here as I can do a lot of the things I do at home. I love all things outdoors and camp with my 4x4 truck all over Vancouver Island with my kayak and paddleboard and books of course. I adore wild swimming, hiking and snowshoeing and have an unhealthy obsession with snowy mountains.”

All being well, Madi is hoping to stay through to Spring 2026 to make the most of her first time managing a café. “I am so excited to make the café live up to the potential I see in it and hope to make all of you proud,” she added. 

                                                                                                                                                 Interviewed by Gill Hart.

Gill Hart

Gillian Hart joined the café team at the start of the season in April. Hailing from Liverpool, she believes she has the benefit of standing out in the community thanks to her distinctive accent and control of the café coffee machine. “People can be very picky about their coffee,” said Gill, “so it’s crucial we get it right.”

“I had a love-hate relationship with the old coffee machine. That small hunk of metal ruled my day. When everything was firing on all cylinders, we worked together to produce frothy cappuccinos and faultless flat whites but other times, just as the queue is building, it worked against me, demanding to be watered and producing vapid little wisps of steam. Now we have the new bigger machine it’s much easier but I do miss its challenging ways and quirky charm,” she added.

Gill worked in cafes and pizza restaurants in her younger days but is confident being front of house in the café as it’s “like riding a bike. There are some skills you never forget and the importance of good customer service is one of them,” said Gill. “Thanks to our talented chef Madi, we have great products on offer so it’s my job to make sure our customers are served quickly, courteously and, most of all, wanting to come back.”

Gill works in the café for three days a week and for one day each week, she supports the MCDC team with its communications and marketing plans. “I have a background in communications so it’s an opportunity to contribute my skills from that side of my working life,” said Gill. “The two jobs couldn’t be more different and I’d be hard-pressed to say which I prefer but being on my feet all day does edge me in one direction.”

Although here on a temporary basis, Gill is already enjoying being part of the Lochaline community. “I’m not sure I will want to go home at this rate. I think my husband, children and grandchildren may have something to say if I don’t but, for now, I’m happy combining coffee, cake and communications!”

                                                                                                                                              Interviewed by Gill Hart.