Ka-Fei House on Brighouse Road, Queensbury, in final 10

The Telegraph & Argus recently launched its Best Coffee Shop 2024 competition.

Readers were asked to share their favourite venues and the nominations have now been whittled down to the final 10.

We are aiming to profile each of the finalists.

Today we bring you Ka-Fei House, in Queensbury Court, off Brighouse Road, Queensbury, which is run by Matt and Mai.

One of the dishes at Ka-Fei House (Image: UGC) Mai said: “It’s an incredible honour and opportunity to be chosen as a finalist.

“We’ve poured our hearts into everything for this business.

“We’ve always strived to create a welcoming and unique experience for Queensbury community.

“It’s nice to be recognised for our passion and dedication.

“We can’t thank our customers enough for choosing us.”

One of the dishes at Ka-Fei House (Image: UGC) Ka-Fei – which means coffee in Cantonese – was born in 2022 when Mai, a nurse since 2012, and Matt, who has 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, running and managing Royal Eastern in Queensbury alongside his family, “took the plunge” down a new path.

Mai said: “Although I truly enjoyed my nursing career, the challenges of the Covid period were significant and I ultimately made the difficult decision to transition to a new path, do something completely different and out of my comfort zone.”

She added: “Following Matt selling the Royal Eastern takeaway in 2019, and then spending several months in Xi’an China helping his brother launch a new restaurant he decided he missed what he had done with his family for most of his life, which was catering and hospitality.

“When he returned, he was looking for a new business venture when one of the units at Queensbury Court became available.

“We always knew Queensbury needed a modern eatery that served healthy brunch options and high-quality speciality coffee.”

A hot drink at Ka-Fei House (Image: UGC) The coffee shop offers comfort food and healthy options, which incorporate “bold flavours with oriental influences in recipes developed through our family originating from Hong Kong”, according to Mai.

It also boasts a renowned international barista from Hong Kong as part of the team.

Matt and Mai at Everest Base Camp holding a flag showcasing their Ka-Fei House coffee shop (Image: UGC) Matt and Mai recently made it to Mount Everest base camp - but it’s not the only challenge they’ve faced this year.

The shop was forced to suddenly close at the start of January after a kitchen fire.

However, the community rallied behind the business and has supported Ka-Fei since the very start.

Mai said: “Our customers have been incredibly welcoming and supportive since we opened.

“Even when we’ve had to face a difficult period and close for a month at the beginning of the year due to a kitchen fire.

“It’s truly heart-warming to know that our customers have missed us and have shown us support on our re-opening.

“Many have been with us from the very beginning, and we’ve truly enjoyed building connections with them.”