Feilding’s Rosebowl Bakery & Cafe owners win tender for cafe at Manawatū Community Hub

The family behind Rosebowl Bakery & Cafe in Feilding, including Selena McNabb, are opening a cafe in the new Manawatū Community Hub.

Bakery life is busy. There are the regulars who know exactly what they are looking for and prefer to get in and out. Then there are those who are there for the social interaction and, despite the noise, are happy to sit and savour the moment.

The owners of No Knead to Book, the cafe set to open inside the Manawatū Community Hub in July in Feilding, welcome the quieter location and niche market. Selena McNabb and her family have owned Rosebowl Bakery & Cafe since 1968.

“At Rosebowl, we are so busy turning out the coffee and baked goods that although we know our clientele, the pace and layout doesn’t allow us to have a chat with regulars while making coffee,” McNabb said.

“The footprint of the new space within the hub on the corner of Bowen and Stafford Streets will be a much smaller kitchen but will include an outdoor space, a sunny outlook, and will provide more catering opportunities for on-site meetings and functions.”

Through an independent contractor, Manawatū District Council asked businesses to tender for the new cafe space.

The McNabb family has invested heavily in younger staff at the Rosebowl. With 50 staff, 40 of them under 18, they have found investing, believing in and building the confidence of local youths gives them the skill set and work ethic needed for later in life.

“As rewarding as running a successful business is, seeing a shy young person apply for a job, work for multiple years, and leave for university or the workforce a confident, assured adult has been a highlight as a business owner,” McNabb said.

No Knead to Book, a play on words in reference to both the bakery and the library housed within the hub, will open in late July. There will also be a designated space for youth, a maker-space, a genealogy area, and four bookable meeting and event spaces.