TOASTED OAT MILK: A BEACONSFIELD EXCLUSIVE! Two women open cosy train station coffee shop, warming community and leading the way to sustainability.

Thea and Vanessa

The once tranquil and seasoned Beaconsfield train station at 104 Elm Avenue has been assigned a new and very honorable mission to its commuters: coffee!
I can just hear so many of us in unison say: “Finally!”
  
The second I heard LA STATION CAFÉ was opening in the Beaconsfield train station; I knew I had to meet the owners.
 
Who are the people behind this phenomenal initiative?
 
Thea Borck (31), and Vanessa Pellicciotta (25), are the two young and hardworking women running LA STATION CAFÉ. There is not one person I have met around the suburbs who doesn’t dream of a hot cup coffee, a fresh beverage, or a tasty treat as they commute to work, and these two resourceful individuals have taken it upon themselves to be the change they wanted to see.
 
Born and raised in Europe (Hamburg) for the most part of her childhood, Thea remembered attending McGill University and, every morning at the Beaconsfield station, she wistfully noted that the coffee shops in many of the island’s train stations were quite different, i.e. non-existent: “I so longed to enjoy a good cup of coffee as I was sitting in the train looking out the window” she reminisced. Unfortunately many of us, myself included, had to thermos our morning brew and add it to the already heavy backpack we carry. Unlike the European culture that creates many time squares and areas for the people to gather and dwell (known as "Piazza" in Italian), many of our train stations are simply a place of transition and nothing more.
 
Yet here is the next generation, both of Italian (Sicilian) heritage, and German  for Thea, seizing the opportunity not only to revive this little station but to pioneer in fostering a stronger sense of community by creating an easily accessible location to meet and greet. This café is walkable distance for many and is on the way for tons of commuters hopping on and off the trains. 

LOCAL, PLANT BASED,
& ​MINIMAL WASTE 

​At the crack of dawn, Thea and Vanessa open up shop with freshly baked cakes and very original homemade pastries: Italian almond pear cake anyone? Gluten free? They got you covered. As you enter the train station, you will notice the green marble countertop, the beautiful yellow and stunning coffee machine, and above the windows, a large wooden art installation which was upcycled and repainted by Thea herself, a process that took two years of work. Other seating areas were refurbished like church pews and school benches and with the help of friends, they brought them back to life. This was a vision that Thea apparently had in her mind quite clearly, she said, as we are sitting in her lovely garden chock full of fresh flowers and vegetables. In speaking with these two inspiring ladies, it was obvious that they are strong believers in encouraging local and/or home-grown ingredients and reduce waste as much as possible. An effort that has proven to be quite successful as they only need to dispose of garbage content once a month. I have learnt in discussing with them that dairy products unfortunately create a lot of packaging waste and that is where the FAMOUS oat milk comes in.
 
If you haven’t already seen it on their IG page, Thea spends hours making oat milk from scratch, quite the lengthy process. In one of those oat milk making sessions, Thea tried toasting the oats before starting the process and this innovative flair turned out to yield one of the most successful products at La Station Café thus far and theirs is the only coffee shop that serves frothy toasted oat milk. Not only that, with the help of experts, they quite literally invented a nitrogen-based oat milk dispenser which is another initiative to reduce waste and the one responsible in keeping the milk fresh, stirred, and frothy. Toasted frothy oat milk, a Beaconsfield exclusivity! 

DID YOU KNOW?

• ​Their coffee is from a local provider
• The oats are from local crops
• The coffee cups are from a local company and bamboo made
• The residual pulp from the oat milk is used and baked into some of the pastries
• The popular curry chickpea salad wrap was inspired by a lavish high tea experience Thea had in London and that she wished to recreate for her customers
• All the recipes are homemade
• Thea made over fifty batches of cookies before getting the correct ingredient ratio, temperature, etc. (not a single cookie was wasted in the process ;) )

PERSEVERANCE AND ACTION

​Six months after its opening, being a self-started business still comes with a constancy of daily challenges. For instance, the WIFI was signal failed and stalled the opening day of the coffee shop. Yet, Vanessa was relentless in following up with providers, technicians, and finally, they opted for a new route and now have super potent Starlink WIFI signal at the station.
 
I discovered that you almost need a degree in chemistry to make oat milk. The fresh oats are treated with a live enzyme, they are heated to a high degree temperature and then cooled (among other things). The dispenser was a complicated situation and neither of them knew how they were going to be able to find a keg that would both stir and successfully pull the oat milk. They could have easily abandoned the idea and just resort to regular milk but instead, they persevered with their research, took a calculated risk, and were able to put this unique dispenser at the station to have their fresh oat milk on tap and continue in their effort to reduce waste. “You can’t just see the problem; you must also be in a solution state of mind, and this is something I noticed Vanessa had the first day I met her.”  Thea said kindly of her associate.
 
Originally, Vanessa was enrolled in the health science program and while she was proud to have earned her place in college, that path never felt quite right. "I knew it wasn't for me" she recalls, intuitively knowing she was of the entrepreneurial kind. "I remember my father being supportive. In one of our conversations, he specifically said he saw me working for myself, owning my own business." Unfortunately, her life quickly took a turn when her father passed away. The load of responsibilities was heavy to bare and, at a critical age, she prioritized her younger brother's needs  and secured their future by entering the workforce at a quicker pace. She didn't know it then, but her high sense of accountability and her resilience through adversity would become foundational pieces in her successful leadership and in how she tackles obstacles as they come. What I noticed is that both Vanessa and Thea were smiling and laughing the entire time they recounted about the complex problems they were faced with. Their complementary personalities, Thea being the creative cook and visionary and Vanessa the administrative trailblazer, make for the perfect partnership. The trust they have in one another is palpable and inspiring. United by the same dream of opening a café, they immediately started planning this dream shortly after they met.  “We are complementary – she (Thea) is so creative!” Gushes Vanessa, “The flavors she puts together are amazing: candied jasmine, pistachios and white pepper? And her scones are buttery!”
 
Tons of people dream of opening a coffee shop but very few follow through with their idea. Something Thea said stayed with me “One must just do it. There is no other way.” In other words, none of us are ever fully prepared for the endeavours we wish to undertake, letting things like lack of expertise or know-how discourage us is the very thing that should propel us to want to begin. For it is by doing it that we become experts. Just like playing an instrument, one must practice it to master it. When you want it, you find a way and you learn to do it.

A COZY CORNER FOR ALL

La Station Café seeks to cater to pedestrians and to create a place to enjoy your caffein fix and mingle.  It also plans to make their space available for people to hold events, so stay tuned for that. Upcoming are:

• October 19th 2024 for “Paint and coffee”
• October 31st 2024, Halloween night for a special viewing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
• Don’t forget about the Christmas train! Guess where you’ll be able to get treats and hot coco? 

 
In finishing our garden coffee date, I asked the two women one of my favorite questions: WHAT GETS YOU OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING? Here is what they had to say:
 “For me there was no longer another option but to do this. I love the creative outlet! We just really hope that the community knows we are happy to see them and that we serve intentionally. I am also grateful for Vanessa’s trust in my flair, and she is so administratively competent.” - Thea
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“I often think of my father's words, he was right; I own a café! Thea makes everything with care, and I take pride in serving her creations to our customers. We both hope that people enjoy their experience and that they feel  pride coming from this unique café in the west island.” - Vanessa

Coffee with toasted oat milk anyone? 
Bee x
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La Sation Café schedule
Monday to Friday 6AM to 2:30PM
Saturday and Sunday 10AM to 4PM