FROM BENCH TO BENCH

WORDS Hannah Harte

Kirsten Fox takes a challenge in her stride. After leaving her life as a lawyer to focus on raising her four children, she faced a new chapter once they had grown into teenagers. Not wanting to return to the long hours and lack of holidays that full-time work as a lawyer would require, the concept of running a Riverside Market-based cooking school appealed to her immediately, thanks to a friend alerting her to the development. To become part of the Ōtautahi rebuild in such a fun, challenging business ticked all the right boxes, so she “put on her brave pants” and signed the lease.

Riverside Kitchen has grown from strength to strength since it opened in 2019, bringing in chefs Bec Stamers, a runner-up on MasterChef with a passion for Asian flavours after spending several years overseas, and Rob Smith, an English expat who served his culinary creations to the people of picturesque Arrowtown and Waiheke Island before settling in Christchurch.

Kirsten asked her friend Georgie Kirkcaldie to work on the design of the location, focusing on the practical aspects of construction (everything in the kitchen is on wheels or retracts into the ceiling) while Georgie assisted with aesthetics. Kirsten loves the feeling of calm she has created in the midst of the hustle and bustle of a busy market in a thriving CBD, as well as the versatility of the space. An intimate cooking class for 16 can take place in the morning, a ‘masterchef challenge’ for 30 in the afternoon, and a private dinner for 60 in the evening.

Riverside Kitchen offers a wide range of cooking classes and corporate events centred around food, teamwork, and competition and hosts a diverse array of private functions. Gastronomic lessons feature cuisines from various countries, seasonal cooking, plant-based meals, mid-week cooking ideas, and fresh pasta making. There is something for everyone in mind, regardless of their relationship to cooking – advanced techniques for more experienced home chefs and tips on how to become more efficient and confident in the kitchen for beginners. These classes are a wonderful way to socialise and meet new people in a fun, friendly, and educational atmosphere or spend fulfilling quality time in the company of colleagues, friends, and family members, bonding over shared experiences. “Although learning a new cooking technique and taking home a number of great recipes is the essence of a cooking class, I find the enjoyment and relaxation of cooking with others is really one of the most enjoyable aspects,” Kirsten reflects.

Corporate events have been a resounding success; guests are split into teams who work together to compete in ‘masterchef challenge’ events, creating easy, fun dishes to plate and present to judges. This is the perfect environment for team building without any sense of hierarchy, as cooking is something everyone does to some degree on a daily basis. Kirsten works alongside stallholders at Riverside Market to purchase ingredients for classes and events when possible, a brilliant way to showcase all that the market has to offer. Students can shop for fresh ingredients, beers, wines, cakes, and assorted goodies after their class has finished.

“Joining together with friends and family or colleagues, or even strangers, to create a meal together has always been satisfying. Whether it is a cooking class, a private event or a corporate cook-off, Riverside Kitchen makes it easy to have some culinary fun.” riversidekitchen.co.nz