on the house

Ashish Puri OUR LAND IS ALIVE, AUCKLAND

Meet Ashish Puri, the assistant manager of Our Land is Alive and Chandelier Lounge at Cordis Auckland.

Born and raised in Pokhara, Nepal, he moved to New Zealand five years ago and was spellbound by the bartending scene. He completed his bartending certification in 2016 and started his first bartending role at the ambitious Hard Rock Pub in Nepal.

For Puri, the most rewarding aspect of his job is witnessing how his service can liven up someone's day.

“Although many aspects of my job are extremely rewarding, personally, it would be the smiles and feedback from our wonderful guests,” Puri explains.

“Small gestures such as a thumbs up from guests on the other side of the bar or having guests order the same cocktail again fills my heart with content.”

At Our Land is Alive, the bar offers a wide selection of beverages, including Kiwi-inspired spirits, wines, and non-alcoholic options like Tiny Non-Alcoholic Beer. The bar also sources fresh and local ingredients for its food and cocktails, giving guests an authentic taste of

New Zealand. His favourite cocktail to make is the Old Fashioned, which requires sharp attention to detail and technical skill to deliver its classic taste.

Puri has noticed the trend in Asian flavours like lychee and yuzu being introduced and becoming a conventional taste in the drink scene. However, he still enjoys making sweet drinks with trending mango and pineapple flavours. His go-to drinks to show new customers the style of the bar are the Tamaki Sour, Kikorangi Fizz, and White Cloud.

Outside of bartending, Puri enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing soccer, hiking, and drinking coffee with a view. He's also a fan of the New Zealand craft spirit scene, particularly the diverse selection of locally sourced gin.

Puri is passionate about bartending and strives for excellence in every drink he makes.

meet the chef James Emanuel AMIGOS, WANAKA

James Emanuel’s upbringing in a family of food lovers and overseas travel as a child has formed his tastes in authenticity within a dish.

My highlight being the time I spent in Mallorca, where the local Spanish food inspired my tastebuds.”

Leaving the UK to travel the world at 19, he worked for a bakery in Southwest Australia alongside pastry chefs and learned to make pies from scratch. Now he is the executive chef and managing director at Amigos.

For Emanuel, combining traditional and straightforward ingredients is essential to creating a solid dish in any cuisine. Closely followed by textural distinction and presentation of the plate.

The refined taste of Emanuel is reflected in his workings of the menu at Amigos, based in Wanaka and expanding throughout the South Island. The chef places his expertise on innovations that allow the Mexican menu, with dietary needs and rising alternative customer

“An example of amount of time we spent developing our bench-staple, plant-based aiolis last year. Since then, we’ve been working on making our menu friendly for as many dietary restrictions as possible.” explained Emanuel.

Like most in the hospitality sector, the pressures of staff shortages have resulted in vast issues for industries. Emanuel said the biggest challenge is attracting Kiwis into the workforce after the pandemic.

The chef values giving insight throughout his career and seeing this implemented in practice.

“One of my proudest achievements has been bringing skilled labour to both New Zealand and Australia for the last 20 years and having them become residents and pass on their wide and varied knowledge to their co-workers,” said Emanuel.

“I have also enjoyed having many apprentices and providing them with a great learning environment and a globally recognised qualification to take away with them.”

Emanuel’s pursuits outside the kitchen reflect his yearning to give back. He volunteers as a paramedic, or supports the community youth football team when not managing an Amigos site.

20minutes with

Greg & Yayoi Hall

Kohu Road

Born and raised in Wellington, Greg Hall travelled around Europe and Asia in his twenties. When he visited Japan, it was there that he met his wife Yayoi, a chef at a traditional Japanese restaurant.

After he moved back to New Zealand with his wife and three children, Hall was determined to start his own business from scratch.

Using his Mister Snowy ice cream kit, Hall created his very first batch of ice cream at home, which was well-received.

"Everyone who tried it fell in love with it, which sparked an idea. Why not make this a business?," added Hall.

Opening their ice cream business, Kohu Road, in 2007, the brand's award-winning, hand-made and natural ice cream has quickly become a New Zealand staple.

“Our goal has always been to provide New Zealand with the highest quality dessert possible. Since our primary consumers are adults, we always want to highlight how important it is to treat yourself. What better way to do that than ice cream?" explained Hall.

With their wide selection of classic flavour profiles, such as Dark Chocolate and Brandy Cream, and use of natural and local ingredients, it is no surprise that many of Kohu Road's current customer base have been supporting the business since their beginning.

Their signature flavour is its Dark Chocolate flavour, which continues to be a long-time classic and favourite among customers.

“It is not layered with sauce, contains no chocolate chips and needs no extra chocolate than it already contains. Hand-melting the chocolate in a pot creates a rich dark chocolate heaven that we have always been proud of making."

When brainstorming new flavours, the Halls often draw inspiration from the four seasons, nostalgia and trendy drinks. In 2022, Kohu Road launched Black Sesame and Brown Sugar Milk Tea ice cream, a nod to the family's Asian heritage. Created after Yayoi scoured the market for years, both flavours were released to celebrate the business' 15th anniversary.

Kohu Road also takes pride in creating ice cream that is suitable for people with various dietary requirements. One of Greg's favourite innovations is their Vegan Double Chocolate ice cream. The flavour's coconut base ensures that the ice cream is creamy and smooth, keeping the feel of dairy ice cream.

While Kohu Road have faced many issues as a result of the pandemic, they have continued to keep their company running with the help of their small team.

Looking forward, the business plans to release several seasonal flavours - offerings that will continue Kohu Road's philosophy of creating natural, simple, yet decadent ice cream that can be enjoyed by all.