Omakau has had a particularly French twist to its cuisine of late, with the French owners of the Muddy Creek Cafe hosting evenings that focus on different regions of their homeland.

Alice Caron from Toulouse in the southwest of France and Marie-Caroline Dubois from Provence in the southeast took over the cafe in October 2022. They have kept all the firm favourites with locals while adding their own touches, including Marie-Caroline’s homemade baguettes.

The French evenings seemed a natural progression.

“It’s a principle we have a lot back home,” Alice said, as they hosted 33 people on Saturday (July 29) for meals from the Au Pays Basque - the Basque Country. 

“One menu, one table, everyone sits with people they might not know.”

Meals are served in large dishes to be shared by the tables and bookings, with a maximum of 33, sell out quickly. The Basque menu featured Carottes Râpées (grated carrot with preserved lemon, parsley and vinaigrette) as the entree; Poulet Basquaise (chicken with capsicum, tomato, onion and garlic sauce served with rice) as the main; and Crème Caramel to finish. French wines are also available.

Marie-Caroline Dubois adds dried lavender to crème caramel before they are served

Lillie McKenzie, a native of Montpellier who now lives in Alexandra, attended with another French friend and their partners.

She said the meal reminded her of home.

“Especially the carottes râpées - we ate something similar in our school canteens,” she said.

Alice said the menus sometimes required a little ingenuity.

“We obviously adapt dishes and menus to the ingredients we can get here - a Kiwi twist on a French dish,” she said.

Saturday’s meal was the fifth in the series, with two more planned for August (Provence and Alsace), and Cath and Grant Taylor of Ophir have attended every one.

“We have done a lot of travelling in France,” Cath said. “It’s great to get the different regions. The first one was Burgundy and that was great.” 

Guests, including Cath and Grant Taylor, left, enjoy the main course, Poulet Basquaise

Alan Graham, also of Ophir, is another fan.

“This is our third and we have already booked for the next two,” he said.

Alice said the first few French nights were attended by a lot of locals. “Now it becomes more of a mix of locals and people from afar,” she said.

Cath said attending each event was an easy choice for her and Grant.

“We also keep coming to support the girls,” she said. “We love having this here.”