Her new business, Berry Tasty, is a well-known eatery and real fruit ice cream venue on State Highway 2 in nearby Bay View.
On her first day in charge on Friday, she was blown away by the support.
“I love my community so much, and it is pretty overwhelming how many people are coming in. It is so nice.”
Gale was friends with the former owner and approached him to buy the business when he was ready to sell.
She said it was a big step for her personally to take over the business, but she was excited about the new challenge.
Gale observed: “I think people are more interested in spending money in their own community now”.
“I think everyone is just a lot closer [since the cyclone]. There is definitely a deeper community vibe. I would never leave.”
As for the business, she said they would offer great coffee, “home-styled” food, baking, and real fruit ice cream.
“We want to do what we are doing very, very well.”
She said their main focus was locals, while also catering for visitors.
Gale previously worked with at-risk youth in Australia and “I used to go home and cook to unwind”, which turned into a passion.
In recent years, she has been mentored by Greg Miller at Valley d’Vine restaurant in Esk Valley, which she said had been awesome.
The store is open 7am to 4pm on weekdays, and 8am to 4pm on weekends.
Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.
