Inverness cafe owner on decision to close her vegan ‘love letter’

The Inverness woman behind the city’s first plant-based cafe has explained her difficult decision to close the business.

Ella Clarke opened Culture Cafe and Deli on Chapel Street, two years ago.

However, she has revealed the cafe will not reopen after a planned “short break”, despite trying every scenario she could to keep going.

Despite facing her “most challenging chapter”, Ella has also had time to reminisce over highlights in the venue. 

‘The cafe was my heart on a plate’

Ella took to Facebook to make her customers aware of her decision to shut the doors.

She posted: “How do you write a goodbye for something that was never just a business?

“This cafe was my heart on a plate. My soul in a salad. My love letter to plants, the animals, and our community.

“And now, it’s time to let go. I am sorry to say that Culture Cafe will not be reopening.

“This winter just hit us too hard. With rising costs and a harsh economic climate, we simply couldn’t come back from it. So, this is where our wee chapter ends.”

Ella said she has “wrestled with this for months” but after trying every scenario has ended at the same conclusion.

She added: “I’ve been burning out quietly for a long time now. Despite my best intentions, the cafe became something I just couldn’t carry anymore.”

“My body has lived in survival mode for far too long now and I don’t want to wait until it’s too late to stop and recalibrate.

“Running a small business alone is a quiet kind of storm. It costs so much more than money.

“You sacrifice rest, your health, clarity, relationships, sanity. This has been by far, my most challenging chapter.

“People form opinions, judge you, there are financial pressures no one can see or understand if they’ve not been there themselves, the weight of the world on your shoulders every single day.

“You’re stretched so thin that even breathing feels like a luxury.”

Culture Cafe ‘ready to go’ for potential new operators

Although Ella will not continue to run Culture Cafe and Deli herself, she has asked anyone who would be interested in the venue to get in touch.

Despite all of her challenges in recent times, She said there has been a lot of beauty too.

She said: “The people. You. You who brought your babies, some that didn’t exist when we opened, sent postcards, sat at the window every Saturday, you who told us this was your safe space, where you could just be yourself and feel welcome, those who said our food changed your life.

“You who made us part of your lives. To the customers who became friends—you all made it worth it.

“You held us me up and you’ll never know just how much that meant to me.

“There’s a fully equipped, ready-to-go cafe. If you’ve been dreaming of your own thing, please reach out.”