Suzy van der Kwast, the Dutch immigrant credited with kickstarting Wellington’s café culture, has died aged 80 after a battle with lung cancer.
Van der Kwast moved to New Zealand from the Netherlands after World War II, during which time she surreptitiously fed a Jewish family hiding in a field neighbouring her parents’ property. Just five at the time, she was chosen for the task as she was less likely to be stopped and questioned by German soldiers.
After settling in Wellington, Van der Kwast started Suzy’s, which quickly became well-known for its Cona coffee and modernist interior.
Geoff Marsland, co-founder of Midnight Espresso and Havana Coffee Works, said that Van der Kwast was the “epitome of hospitality.”
"She served up warmth, intelligence, generosity, and was incredibly hard-working. I will never forget her strong demeanour.”
"She had such a fantastic story," said biographer Susette Goldsmith said in 2010. "There is the element of her being a European immigrant, and some tragedy in her life – her mother died young and her father when Suzy was in her early 20s. Also she is so important to the story of cafes. So many people visited her cafe."
Van der Kwast’s son Bart said that it was no coincidence that Suzy died less than a year after the death of her husband.
"They say it is true love if the partner passes within the year."
