Penzance Chamber of Commerce

The Grand Cornish Homecoming - Dehwelans 2002

Dehwelans 2002 will be a homecoming for some of the six million people world-wide from Australia, Canada, the USA, Central and South America and Africa who can claim Cornish ancestry. There are Cornish interest groups in each of these countries and many active groups in the UK outside Cornwall.

Cornish gatherings have been held for many years - at least 20 years in the USA and Australia. Among these groups is a great deal of interest in their old homeland, its history and its future. This event is expected to bring several hundred visitors from all over the world to Cornwall in the spring of 2002.

Although the core weekend will be in Falmouth from May 3-6 with seminars, workshops and exhibitions, the intention is to involve people from the whole of Cornwall, especially young people in schools and colleges. In the weeks before and after the core weekend, there will be facilities provided for visitors to see all parts of Cornwall, to visit the many re-generation projects and industrial centres, both historic and modern. Visitors will also be able to enjoy the many traditional Spring events, including Padstow 'Obby 'Oss, the Cornish Language Festival, Helston Flora Day and many others.

There is a small steering group and you can get involved by contacting www.owlscottage.co.uk/2002cornwall or by telephone on 01872-865791.

West Cornwall Festival of Food

The Festival Committee has been meeting since March last year, and have decided on a loose framework for the West Cornwall Festival of Food 2001. It is hoped that the festival will take place between May 12-20, 2001. A meeting was held on Wednesday, 13 December to bring together all those parties interested in taking part in this prestigious event.

Requests for funding have been made to Penwith District Council and several local councils, together with discussions on sponsorship and donations from other private and public sources. It is the intention to make the 2001 Festival of Food the biggest and best yet. Please get in touch with the organiser William Fry if you would like to get involved, telephone 01736-799346.

Joining the Chamber

Any businesses that are interested in being featured on the Chamber's page in the Cornishman newspaper in the New Year should contact the Chamber's press officer Emma Vowles on 01736-331813. Please give plenty of notice if you would like to be featured. You must be a Chamber member to be featured, so if you are not, maybe you should join!

Parking Fees Thanks

The Chamber would like to thank Penwith District Council for the free parking over the Christmas period. The free parking and late night shopping nights were a great suc-cess over Christmas, carried over into the new year when the start of the sales drew crowds of people to the shops. It was a good start to the year and we hope it carries on!

Welcome to a New Member

We would like to welcome Jarrard Harrison of The Sign Company Southwest, St Ives, to the Chamber as the first new member of the new year. You can hear more about the business on next month’s page, when they will be featured in our "Spotlight on Business" spot.

Everyone at Penzance Chamber of Commerce would like to wish the best of luck to Nicholas Hood and family who have recently left the Hungry Horse Restaurant. We hope to see you back in the not too distant future.

Spotlight on Business - Bar Coco’s - Mediterranean Inspired

The Coco's day begins at 10am when the doors open for coffee, tea and cakes. Coco's use Segafredo coffee, and each cup is made freshly to order to each customer's personal taste. The coffee is freshly ground, the milk freshly steamed. Coco's like to boast about their coffee - from espresso to flavoured lattes, they serve it all. Coco's will soon be introducing organic coffee, steamers and many more - watch this space.

Lunch is served from 12pm-2.30pm, with filled ciabattas, Andy's famous soups, a continental salad bar, and of course, tapas. Each meal is freshly made to order, no microwaves are used in the Coco's kitchen! The focus of the food and inspiration at Coco's is the Mediterranean. You will notice this as you walk through the door from the colourful murals that decorate the walls to the delicious food on the menu.

The eating of tapas lies at the heart of the Spanish tradition, where the custom of nibbling tapas while having a drink, is widespread in bars and restaurants. Tapas are small dishes of Mediterranean specialities shared amongst family and friends. Choose from a colourful selection with varied tastes and textures, all accompanied by freshly made bread baked especially by Eddy's bakery of Newlyn. Although quintessentially Spanish, tapas are well suited to today's style of casual eating, and a selection of tapas is ideal for an interesting, informal meal, and wonderful for a party. Daily specials are available, from pickles to lobster, and are all served with the same Coco's finesse.

Afternoons at Coco's take on the laid back atmosphere that Coco's is famous for, come and sit by the toasty fire, read the papers and relax! During the afternoon, soups are served, salads from the salad bar, as well as a tempting selection of home-made cakes, from lemon drizzle to chocolate brownies and Spanish apple cake. Evenings at Coco's, with dinner beginning at 6.30pm, have a more relaxed arid intimate feel, with lots of candies to set the scene. You are advised to book a table, although Coco's always do their best to seat you to avoid disappointment.

The bar is always open when Coco's is and there is an extensive range of bottled beers from the Americas and Europe. Have a small, medium or very large glass of one of the four house wines, or share a bottle from the comprehensive list with friends. For a healthier option, try one of Coco's six fruit juices, all 100% pure.

Finally, Coco's cannot be described without mention of its staff, all of whom are friendly, enthusiastic, and quite simply the best in the business. The intention at Coco's is to provide customers with a unique combination of sim-plicity and quality. While the food is unpretentious, Coco's hope that it is utterly captivating and memorable, and good value for money.

Opening Times: Coco's is open from 10am to 5pm Monday and Tuesday - and from 10am to 11pm Wednesday to Saturday. For bookings please phone 01736-350222.

The Chamber of Commerce would like to congratulate Rachel Jasper and Andy Carr, who had been running Coco's as the manager and head chef. They have recently taken over as owners of the business and we would like to wish them every success for the future.

Chamber Annual Dinner

The Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner will he held on Saturday, 3 March, with the venue yet to be decided.

Forthcoming Meetings

The next monthly Chamber Meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 7th 2001 at the Queens Hotel, The Promenade, Penzance at 7.30pm.

The Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday, February 13th 2001 at the Queen's Hotel at 7.30 pm.

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2001
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PENZANCE - THE PLACE TO BE

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