{"id":488878,"date":"2026-06-08T11:18:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T11:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/488878\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T11:18:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T11:18:16","slug":"cork-woman-my-new-cafe-is-named-in-honour-of-my-sister-she-is-my-inspiration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/488878\/","title":{"rendered":"Cork woman: ‘My new caf\u00e9 is named in honour of my sister..she is my inspiration’"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a kind of hush that I can\u2019t quite put my finger on when I enter Zuni Deli in Midleton.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe girls are there in the back, preparing the fresh sandwiches, wraps, and yummy scones and cakes!\u201d says owner Ava Wymberry, who operated a busy coffee truck nearby before taking over this bright new premises on Broderick Street.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything we sell to grab and go is prepared in-house just an hour or two before our customers begin to arrive,\u201d says Ava.<\/p>\n

But what is the special aura that I\u2019m feeling while sitting on a stool looking out the window at the bustling street?<\/p>\n

\u201cI brought my only sister here with me,\u201d says Ava. \u201cSarah and I were very close. She passed away from kidney failure. The caf\u00e9 is named in her honour.<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah had a jewellery\/craft shop here in Midleton called Zuni. She had a huge affinity with the native Americans and their culture. She imported a lot of her jewellery from the USA.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent a fabulous two weeks together on an Indian reservation in South Dakota. It was a wonderful journey. Now I have brought Sarah on my journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\" ZUNI Coffee + Deli, located at Sunnyside House, Broderick Street, Midleton, Co Cork. Picture: Larry Cummins<\/p>\n

Sarah sounds like someone special.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is my inspiration,\u201d says Ava. \u201cI took a leap of faith opening Zuni.\u201d<\/p>\n

The girls\u2019 mother also provided encouragement and inspiration to her entrepreneur daughters.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother Geraldine, who is also my dear friend, was a well-known hairdresser in Midleton,\u201d says Ava. \u201cEveryone knows her! She comes here sometimes to lend a hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe tells us all about the dance hall that used to be across the road. Her familiar voice and her laughter rings out over the counter!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ava ignored an inner voice when it came to opening the new business.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, your inner voice might tell you, you can\u2019t do this,\u201d says Ava.<\/p>\n

She knew better.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew that I could make this happen,\u201d says Ava.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cOnce the door was opened, any doubt was closed when the door closed behind me.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

It looks like everyone knows now that Zuni is opened for business. People are queuing up for their morning fix of overnight oats, freshly brewed coffee, and a warm welcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many of my regular customers from the coffee truck continue to support me,\u201d says Ava, who is mother to two teenagers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is wonderful. I\u2019m just loving it. The whole buzz, the good vibe. Midleton has always been so good to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her husband, Kevin, is wonderful too.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said, just do it!\u201d says Ava.<\/p>\n

So she did.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the coffee truck, I had to bring everything home with me at the end of each day. It was a moveable feast,\u201d says Ava.<\/p>\n

She had ambition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did think about purchasing a container that would be a permanent fixture on site, where I was, there to stay,\u201d says Ava.<\/p>\n

\" Ava Wynberry, proprietor of ZUNI Coffee + Deli, located at Sunnyside House, Broderick Street, Midleton, Co Cork. Picture: Larry Cummins<\/p>\n

\u201cKyle Kennedy, who is a good customer, and who became a good friend, who knew I wanted to grow the business, rang me to let me know that the Grumpy Bakers were moving to a new premises and that this unit was up for lease. He thought of me, and here I am!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ava opened the deli on March 31. Where did her culinary journey begin?<\/p>\n

\u201cI trained in the Regional College, Cork, now MTU, studying culinary skills,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked in numerous Cork restaurants, including the Farmgate and Jacobs On The Mall, as well as the Granary here in Midleton.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got my love of food from my dad. He was making delicious seafood dishes at home when nobody else knew how.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ava certainly has the know-how, then, having worked alongside the best.<\/p>\n

The story of how she met her husband is also caught up in her work.<\/p>\n

One day, working in a restaurant kitchen in the city, she cut her hand badly with a sharp knife while preparing food.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I could drive to the hospital myself,\u201d says Ava. \u201cThe manager of the restaurant said that he had a duty of care, and he called an ambulance.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the ambulance driver arrived to bring her to A&E, Ava knew he was the \u2018the one\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was love at first sight!\u201d says Ava. \u201cI knew as soon as I laid eyes on Kevin that I fancied him!\u201d<\/p>\n

But surely she was in pain from her injury?<\/p>\n

\u201cEven in pain, I felt the instant attraction!\u201d says Ava.<\/p>\n

So did Kevin.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are 20 years together!\u201d says Ava. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t be happier.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple discovered another bond.<\/p>\n

\u201cKevin, like me, had lost his sister,\u201d says Ava.<\/p>\n

Life has to go on.<\/p>\n

\u201cLife is good,\u201d says Ava.<\/p>\n

And Ava is good to Midleton.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get my chicken and spiced beef from Frank Murphy in Main Street,\u201d she says. \u201cYes, I do cater for carnivores too!\u201d she adds, laughing, seeing me eyeing up the fabulous plant-based salads.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am invested in good health and in good food. Pan bread is local. Our coffee is Badger & Dodo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\" Laura Power looking after the ‘front of house’ at ZUNI Coffee + Deli. Picture: Larry Cummins<\/p>\n

Ava, who thinks big, is keeping her business small.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand that these days people can be time poor and they have a lot going on every day. My aim was to open a grab and go deli offering tasty healthy breakfast options and lunch options. Sweet treats too!\u201d<\/p>\n

Chris Cott was Ava\u2019s former housemate. Now she is Ava\u2019s workmate.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is an amazing baker and an amazing cook,\u201d says Ava. \u201cWe share the love of cooking and the love of good food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laura serves good coffee. Hot and flavoursome.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are very welcome,\u201d says Laura. \u201cYou can get your coffee to go too if you want.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m quite happy sitting at the window, looking out at the yellow daises.<\/p>\n

At 50, Ava is presiding over what she describes as \u201cthe beginning of a new chapter and a new enterprise. You know,\u201d she adds, \u201cI think everyone should try and pursue their purpose, their dream, their ambition, their desire. For me, it is onwards and upwards.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s a kind of hush that I can\u2019t quite put my finger on when I enter Zuni Deli…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":488879,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72,61,60],"class_list":["post-488878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=488878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488878\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/488879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=488878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=488878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=488878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}