A young Canadian couple who left the bright lights of Toronto to open a gourmet cafe and art gallery on Corofin’s main street say they hope it will be part of a revival for the north Clare village.
When Nadaa Hyder and Nolan Crampsie – and their dog Toasty and cat Beans – opened the doors of Morning Dew on December 16th, in the former Inchiquin Inn pub, it was the first cafe in the village in almost four years.
“We have a personal joy in revitalising the Campbell family premises and bringing new life to the historic building – with Kenny’s Drinking Emporium stained glass window an artistic reminder of that history,” says Nadaa.
“We’re also excited to be part of a new chapter in Corofin’s story, bringing a daytime space to hang out and enjoy gourmet coffee and home-made food that showcases local produce. And we want to create a community venue for arts activities and social events.”
Nolan’s upbringing in Windsor, Canada was steeped in Irish music and culture – his father Mark left Belfast as a child in the 1970s when his family emigrated to escape the Troubles. Returning to settle in Ireland has been “a lifelong dream” for Nolan (37), who has worked in the hospitality industry in Canada since he was a teenager.
“Since we moved here from Toronto in March, local people and other businesses have been hugely welcoming and supportive,” says Nolan. “We’ve been looking forward to opening our doors and making more connections with the community.”
“Almost everyone who comes with a delivery has a story from one of the incarnations of the pub and restaurant going back over the years.”
Nolan is getting up at 4am each morning to start baking the foodie treats on offer from 9am, including sourdough bread for the Irish cheese toasties, and rosemary focaccia for slow-cooked lamb sandwiches served with St Tola cheese. For those with a sweet tooth he’s baking cinnamon buns and also lemon bars made to a recipe by Jo, Nadaa’s mother.
Breakfast delights include French toast with a dollop of lemony cream cheese and blueberry maple syrup; and poached eggs on curried potato cakes.
The couple met when working at The Oxley, a restaurant in Toronto. Also working there was Jack Campbell from Corofin, whose family had run the Inchiquin Inn for many years. The three became close friends and when Jack inherited the property in 2019, he suggested the couple give up North America’s fourth-largest city and move to Corofin. Now all three are living above the business.
Nadaa, whose background is as an artist and designer, has beautifully redecorated the interior, lovingly repurposing the old pub’s furniture and fittings with warm, sunrise colours.
Nadaa, whose family is originally from Pakistan, was born in Kuwait and settled in Toronto aged 12. Her name in Arabic means ‘dew drop’, which was the inspiration for the name of the cafe.
Nadaa is also drawing on her experience working in Toronto art galleries. “Morning Dew will double as an art gallery and gift shop, representing an eclectic mix of artists and authors who live and work in the Burren,” she says. “We also plan to host arts and cultural activities, for example drawing classes, board game evenings and other events that local groups might want to approach us about.”
She says they aim to be environmentally sustainable. “As well as sourcing food locally as much as possible, we’re using compostable packaging, which we’ll take back to make sure they don’t end up in a landfill.”
Their coffee is from Calendar, a like-minded family business that roast their beans in Oughterard, Co Galway. Customers who bring their own keep cup will get a 10% discount on coffee or tea.
Morning Dew will be open from 9am to 5pm Wednesday to Sunday. You can follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
