Chiwi

Chilean chef, Ricardo Hormazabal, has worked in the culinary world for over 25 years, from prestigious restaurants, including Melbourne’s Simply Spanish, to function centres all over Australia.

After experiencing the food truck scene boom in Melbourne, Hormazabal was curious to explore New Zealand’s food truck offerings. He soon noticed that there was a lack of Spanish and Latin American cuisine, prompting him to open his own food truck, CHIWI in 2017.

CHIWI specialises in highlighting Spanish and Latin American flavours, serving up Spanish paellas, tapas, and churros. The food truck features a custom built commercial kitchen,

Although CHIWI is based in New Plymouth, the food truck can be found catering at big festivals, markets and private events across New Zealand.

His advice for anyone looking to open a food truck is to be prepared to work hard.

“There are long hours and lots of organisation. Weather plays a very big part in our industry. Staff training and health and safety is important.”

Looking forward, Hormazabal hopes to host a Spanish festival in Taranaki that celebrates food, beverages, music and dancing. He plans to continue to keep hosting his masterclasses, where he teaches locals how to cook paella and make sangria.

“Maybe I’ll even throw in a salsa class to make it real exciting.”