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With more than 20 years in the food industry, I’ve spent much of my life around food, people and hospitality. As the owner, chef and creator of Surf’s Up Café, I’ve drawn inspiration from flavours, cultures and experiences from around the world, bringing together the familiar and the unexpected to create food that is bold, colourful and, most importantly, made with heart.

I’ve always believed that eating should be an experience.

When we eat, all five of our senses come alive, so why not make it exciting? Why not create food that looks beautiful, smells incredible, tastes amazing and, quite simply, fills your belly with happiness?

That philosophy has been at the heart of Surf’s Up from the very beginning.

 

More Than Just a Café

Surf’s Up Café has now been part of the Mazatlán community for 16 years.

Thanks to the incredible support of both our local and international community, this little laid back café has grown into something much more than I ever imagined.

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It’s a place where friends meet.

Where people laugh, hug, smile, joke, play, dance and relax.

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Where you can sit back, enjoy the beautiful sea views, eat something delicious and hopefully leave feeling just a little happier, and definitely a little fuller, than when you arrived.

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Our menu has always been dynamic because I love keeping those taste buds in suspense! We use fresh, local and organic ingredients whenever possible and believe strongly in supporting other small local businesses and the wonderful community that makes Mazatlán life so special.

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We also love our environment and try to make environmentally conscious choices wherever we can.

Most importantly, our food is made with care. Many of our dishes, sauces and flavours are homemade or created right here in our kitchen. Good, wholesome food isn't meant to be rushed.

So sit back. Relax. Take in the ocean. Enjoy the company around you.

And hopefully somewhere along the way, your lips will smack, and your mouth will say...

“Mmmmm... YUMMY!”

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The Story Behind Surf’s Up

Surf’s Up Café is much more than a business to me.

It was once simply an idea that lived inside my head, a dream held back by the fear of whether I could ever actually make it real.

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Life, however, has a funny way of changing our plans.

Growing up, I thought I was destined to become a great writer, travelling the world in search of the next big story. I studied journalism, but when I reached one of those great forks in the road, life took me in a completely different direction.

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I became an amateur boxer and began chasing another dream: becoming an Olympic athlete.

I loved boxing. I loved the discipline, the challenge, the training and everything the sport demanded of me. Whether that Olympic dream would have become a reality, I will never know.

An unexpected car accident brought that chapter of my life to an abrupt end.

What followed was one of the most difficult periods of my life. I struggled physically, mentally and emotionally as I tried to figure out who I was when the future I had imagined for myself was suddenly gone.

 

And somewhere in the middle of all of that... I found my way back to the kitchen.

Cooking had always been my bread and butter, so to speak. But during that time, it became something much more.

It became my creative outlet.

My inspiration.

My happy place.

And, in many ways, my saving grace.

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There is something magical to me about being in a kitchen. The blending of flavours, spices coming alive, colours becoming vibrant and rich, and that moment when everything comes together and your whole body seems to secretly dance because all of your senses are reacting at once.

Food made me feel alive again.

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There is a saying that something good can come from even the greatest tragedies. Looking back at my own life, I understand that in a way I never could have before.

I learned that when one dream dies, another one can be born.

And mine was called Surf’s Up Café.

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This is my true story of what happens when life gives you lemons, and you decide to make lemonade.

Surf’s Up Lemonade, that is!

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Sixteen years later, I still feel incredibly grateful for every person who has walked through our doors, eaten our food, shared our tables, told a friend about us, supported our little café, offered a compliment or simply wrapped me in one of those great big hugs.

Those who have been here before already know...

I love a good HUG!

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Surf’s Up exists because a dream was given a chance to become real, and because an incredible community chose to be part of it.

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So from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your support, your kindness, your friendship, your compliments, your laughter and, of course, your hugs.

I welcome you to come and be a part of my dream.

Come hungry. Stay awhile. Leave happy.

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Leanne Wright
Owner, Chef & Creator of Surf’s Up Café

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