OUR STORY

​Chinh, Huy and the team with an emphasis on providing excellent service to each and every customer. 

For Chinh and Huy, Elevation Café is not just a business — it’s a home for the community, built on care, hard work, and a genuine love of hospitality.

BUN CHA (Hanoi-style Grilled Pork Noodle)

BANH XEO (Crispy Pan Cake)

Welcome to Elevation Café

"Xin chao!" Warm greetings from Chinh and Huy, the new owners of the Café whose journey brings together a love of food, people, and community. Both have a deep love for food and cooking, especially flavors connected to local culture and their home roots. That shared passion sparked the idea of starting a local café and restaurant together. After months of searching for the right business to purchase, Elevation Café stood out as the perfect fit — a well known café with 15 years of history and a strong reputation for quality coffee and local food.

Chinh and Huy’s stories …
 
Chinh grew up in Vietnam, starting her career as a high school chemistry teacher. She later discovered a passion for hospitality, running a café for several years in her home town. Taking her new adventure to New Zealand in 2016, Chinh then studied horticulture and floristry in Nelson. Her love for gardening and nurturing growth now shapes the warm, plant-focused atmosphere of Elevation Café. Chinh is passionate about becoming a skilled barista and delivering top-quality coffee to her customers. Each morning, she greets everyone with a radiant smile.
 
Huy’s journey is guided by food and creativity. Raised in a family rich with cooking traditions, his love for food began at home and grew into a lifelong passion. After spending years honing his craft at an Asian restaurant in Nelson, Huy has taken the exciting step of owning and running Elevation Café Motueka together with his best friend, Chinh. Creative, driven, and deeply inspired by his roots, Huy loves developing new dishes and sharing authentic Vietnamese flavours with his community — serving not just meals, but stories, warmth, and soul in every bite.

There is nothing more rewarding than gathering fresh produce and turning it into mouth-water delicacies, and then spending hours savouring the textures and flavours.

While Huy has proudly continued the café’s much-loved Kiwi menu from the previous owners, his dream has always been to introduce Vietnamese dishes to the local community. It’s been a journey filled with challenges — but also great reward — as he brings bold new flavours on board, blending tradition with innovation and inviting Motueka community to experience the tastes of Vietnamese cuisine, one dish at a time.

​Chinh, Huy and the team at Elevation Café proudly introduce homemade Vietnamese specialties to Motueka, including comforting Pho (beef or chicken noodle soup), crispy spring rolls, Bun Cha Ha Noi (Hanoi-style grilled pork noodle bowl), Banh Xeo — the famous savoury Vietnamese pancake, and more. Each dish is crafted with care, fresh ingredients, and the same passion that has guided Huy from his family kitchen in Vietnam to Elevation Café today.