Meet the Chef

Samantha Bosco

The Grounds NZ

Samantha Bosco, the head chef at The Grounds NZ, began her hospitality career washing dishes at a pizzeria in Italy when she was just 15 years old.

Bosco was a professional skier for nearly two decades, but a series of devastating injuries soon cut her career short.

“Between 18 and 21, I broke my legs three times, so I couldn’t continue pursuing skiing. I had no idea what to do with my life and felt very lost.”

After a year of studying, she took a break, travelled all over Italy, and then made her way to London to learn some English.

Bosco later moved to Sydney for a year before finally making her way to Auckland at the start of 2018 to work with award-winning chef Ben Bayly at Baduzzi. She then left Baduzzi and relocated to The Grounds.

The Grounds is a contemporary family eatery and kids adventure park located in the beautiful Waitākeres owned and led by Bayly. In 2021, Bosco was promoted to Sous Chef and then to Head Chef.

Bayly has been a mentor for Bosco, a role she would now finds herself in with the less experienced staff she works with.

“Ben’s support and guidance over the past four years has been invaluable. He is knowledgeable, kind and has always been there for me. A great mentor to turn to when I need advice.

“There are two people in the kitchen right now who are quite young, just starting out, but are such hard workers, the learning will come by itself and I’m there for them all the time.”

Bosco loves experimenting with a wide variety of cuisines and broadening her skills as a chef.

“When I moved to Sydney, I worked at two Italian restaurants but knew I wanted to expand my knowledge and skills, so I began asking to change sections every week.”

“I thought I can’t keep cooking pasta for the rest of my life. I wanted to get confident and comfortable with other cuisines, such as cooking fish and vegetables in a woodfire pizza oven.”

At The Grounds, sourcing local ingredients is an integral part of their business.

“Our goal is to celebrate New Zealand’s vibrant produce with our menu. That’s why we go to great lengths to find small, local suppliers who share our passion for perfection.”

“It’s also why we cook with only the best, freshest ingredients, making our food look beautiful, but most importantly, taste incredible.”

In all of Bosco’s 18 years as a chef, she has never worked in an open kitchen environment until coming to The Grounds. She said she feels much more connected to the restaurant, customers, and the local community there.

Like almost everyone in the hospitality industry, the pandemic has taken a toll on The Grounds. For four months, the restaurant was unable to open, and the team pivoted to offering takeaways for the first time. With the restaurant back open now, they are still struggling to rake in customers due to rising cases and lockdown restrictions.

With the border closed there has also been a staff shortage and finding good staff with experience is almost impossible.

“The guys we are working with now are so nice and hardworking but it’s difficult to hire people with experience as every restaurant and cafe is desperate for them.”

Bosco loves the rush of a busy night, and can’t wait for the Kiwi hospitality scene to get back to those busy days and nights filled with happy customers.

“I love the pressure and excitement of a busy night.”

In the future, Bosco plans to apply for a visa and stay in New Zealand without restrictions and then open her very own restaurant.

“My dream is to open an Italian place that is affordable so everyone can have the opportunity to indulge in delicious Italian food.”