4 minute read
CHEF OF THE MONTH
The son of a London fruit and veggie market trader, Inati owner Simon Levy grew up with a passion for good food and fresh produce. With almost thirty years clocking up excellent cooking kudos – some of them in the world’s leading kitchens, Simon has never shied away from sheer hard work. It shows. He was recently awarded the prestigious accolade of Outstanding Chef of the Year at the Canterbury Hospitality Awards, for the second year running.
One of his Inati team, William Chase, also won Best Emerging Front of House.
Simon, who owns Inati in Christchurch with wife Lisa, also very experienced in hospitality, says winning a second time has been “pretty awesome”. It makes all the hard grind that he and Lisa have put into Inati, which opened four years ago, worthwhile.
Simon Levy on the job at Inati
He grew up with an enterprising spirit and a great role model for hard work in his dad. From a young age Simon and his brothers worked with their father at the family fruit and veggie stall in the Old Covent Garden Markets – wonderful inspiration for his career as a chef.
“It’s given me that drive and work ethic,” says Simon. “I loved the market life, the banter and the different types of produce and products that you could get.” His parents always encouraged him to work and to choose a career that suited him.
“I didn’t want a desk job and when I did my first work experience in a kitchen I knew it was where I wanted to be,” he says. “I loved the fast pace, the noise of the kitchen and that I could put my creativity to work on a plate.”
All of that inspired a young Simon to head to culinary school in London and work his way up the ranks, learning under two of the world’s top culinary masters, Gordon Ramsey and Pierre Koffmann. While they both had very different cooking styles and personalities, Simon says between them they had trained many of the chefs worldwide who hold Michelin stars. Simon may have learned two very important principles from these two greats – ‘you must be proud of what you put on the plate’ and ‘you are only as good as your last dish’, but a very successful Simon has now carved out his own unique cooking style.
Laughter is important with every good meal and Simon loves to be a bit quirky with his menu. Inati’s Duck Trumpets are one of his signature dishes – duck liver parfait inside home-made waffle ice cream cones. “I like to test food boundaries, take risks and trial things, but it’s important to have the whole Inati family (team) behind me. I consult all of my staff on new ideas.” Duck Trumpets were inspired by a trip to the dairy for an ice cream with son, Harry, and daughter Ivy . “It’s a good way to break the ice,” he says. “My ‘Boeuf Nuts’ are not an animal testicle as most of our guests initially think,” he grins.
The braised beef cheek-filled donuts with a sugar glaze, hazelnut praline and puffed beef tendon that arrive after their order are a pleasant surprise. Once proved and filled these are served with fresh cooking juices poured over the top at the restaurant table.
Simon and Lisa, a Kiwi, met while working in London’s oldest restaurant, Rules Restaurant. They later married and after Harry arrived New Zealand looked like the perfect family lifestyle.
Hawkes Bay-raised Lisa’s parents moved to Christchurch eight years ago, two years after the Canterbury earthquakes. Simon worked in a few local restaurants while he and Lisa got a feel for the New Zealand market at the time, all the while preparing to open their own restaurant.
“That first week we were here I asked somebody where we could go to eat and drink and have a fun night out in Christchurch and I was told you have to go to Auckland, Wellington or Queenstown as there was nothing here,” says Simon.
“I thought, this is such a beautiful region, with such beautiful produce and a big population – why? The New York Times had said Christchurch was one of the most watched cities and the sky was the limit, so that was enough for me,” says Simon.
He attributes his cooking success to hard work, long hours and dedication, but he’s not sitting back to enjoy the spoils just yet.
Simon and Lisa are opening a second Christchurch restaurant, Hali, in The Crossings in the central city, a few months behind schedule due to the Covid crisis. It’ll be a seafood bistro and cocktail lounge spread across two floors, catering all up for 120 with the restaurant seating 55.
“We will serve meat and steak, but we aim for this to be a prominent seafood bistro,” says Simon.
“We want to show what the sea has to offer. New Zealand is two islands surrounded by the sea. We have so many good flavours and produce to showcase.”
Lisa and Simon Levy - finding happiness in food that has flavour and texture.
“I find happiness in food that makes me smile and want to hug myself inside because I enjoy food that has flavour and texture.”
Presentation is important, but for Simon it’s the simple flavour combinations of the food itself that sing success. ‘Story’ is vital and he’s hoping to showcase that even more at Hali. Food should have a personal connection, he says, whether that’s the story behind octopus from Kaikoura, asparagus from the local grower behind the hedge, or Canterbury’s local wines.
Simple flavour combinations showcase NZ stories.
