Hospitality Business March 2022 by The Intermedia Group

FIND BUILD SELL | REINVESTING IN QUEENSTOWN | TECH TRENDS 2022

www.hospitalitybusiness.co.nz MARCH 2022 Vol.9 No.2

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Their Recipes, Cameron’s Wine Matches

100

WINES TASTED AND RATED

ISSN 2624-3342

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Vineyard Team Members – Furry & Feathered

New Zealand Winemakers to watch

THE WINTER ISSUE OF

334007

Fermenting Style FROM STEEL TO OAK, TERRACOTTA TO PLASTIC. CAMERON EXPLAINS THE DIFFERENCES IN FERMENTATION TECHNIQUES.

ine quality and style are determined by several key factors including farming philosophy, vineyard management, vintage conditions, quality of fruit at harvest, and winemaking. The winemaking part sounds simple, but is in fact the product of many hundreds of decisions made by winemakers throughout a vintage. Fermentation decisions including choice of vessel, size and shape, what it is made from and length of time an emerging wine spends inside a container for ageing all contribute to style, complexity and quality. Fermentation is an immediate reaction between wine yeasts and the simple liquid sugars of glucose and fructose released from crushed grape berries. The yeast itself can be from the skin of the grape or introduced as a particular strain. Used on its own, the yeast from the skin of grapes causes a natural or wild ferment reaction producing aroma and flavour esters that can add texture and complexity in wine often reflecting the environment they originate from. Some winemakers use a piedde-cuve method using wild yeast to start a ferment in the vineyard first before transferring the must into the winery. The next vital step is the size, shape and material of the containers used to ferment wine, it is critical to the outcomes of quality and style. >>

WORLD OF WINE – WINTER 2021

TASTING NOTES BEST OF THE REST - REDS

Best Of The Rest

- Reds

love a glass of full-bodied red wine with a steak,” is a not an uncommon phrase I hear from customers. It’s also when the complete wrong wine can be selected if the textures, protein level and medium for cooking are not considered properly. With the right food, a glass of red wine can be a great pairing. But it’s also easy to spoil a match or change it to something less than ideal when for example, I observe a customer adding too much mustard, pepper or chilli flakes as their own special garnish on the meat. Don’t get me wrong I like a little mustard or pepper on my steak too, just not both together and piled on like there’s no tomorrow. One of the more interesting pairings you can try is to forget the mustard and pepper and grate some bitter chocolate into the jus or gravy to add a little South-American flair. Fuller-bodied red wines can be particularly good with bitter chocolate. Merlot on its own or in a blended red wine is often the lead player in a pairing because it has an inherent silky softness and mid-palate core of fruit and weight to pair with food. It doesn’t carry too much acidity or tannin and loves oak – French and American equally – though not together. Syrah, which also goes by the name Shiraz in some countries, can be just as floral and pretty as Pinot Noir, can be intriguing with its meaty, spicy flavours, complex core of fruit and firm texture. When aged it can be very compelling and seductive. With the right food, incredible. Syrah will often have dark cherry fruit and raspberry flavours when young. When less oak is used it can be the right alternative to Merlot and Pinot Noir. Typically, however Syrah does have a lot more power and impact on the palate with bold tannins, sometimes more oak and a noticeable back bone of acidity. Red wine blends, sometimes referred to as Bordeaux Blends, are often made with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and often Malbec and Petit Verdot. The best of those produced have a powerful fruit profile, can be herbaceous and vegetal, ripe and bold textures on the palate displaying very expressive and abundant tannins, plenty of acidity and oak. Some of the best examples I have encountered recently come from plantings in Hawke’s Bay, Waiheke Island, Clevedon, Wairarapa and North Canterbury. Expect more oak to complement a complex and varied fruit profile, bolder tannins and a lot more texture.

WORLD OF WINE – WINTER 2021

FURRY AND FEATHERED TEAM MEMBERS

NEW ZEALAND’S LEADING CONSUMER WINE MAGAZINE IN COLLABORATION WITH MASTER SOMMELIER

Tasked with weed and grass control, the Himmeslfeld sheep show an interest in the end product.

CAMERON DOUGLAS

HIMMELSFELD VINEYARD Sheep Beth Eggers owns the vineyard, manages the vines and makes the wine at her Himmelsfeld Vineyard in the Upper Moutere, Nelson. There’s a beautiful little church on the property along with a wine tasting room for visitors. Be sure to try her Chardonnay and aged Sauvignon Blanc, as well as her Cabernet Sauvignon. When we visited, we enjoyed time with her Romney sheep who were keeping the vineyard rows tidy and grass very short. Hermann Seifried, a pioneer vigneron of the region, told Beth she was the first to introduce sheep into a vineyard. This was back in 1995 when Beth adopted two sheep onto the property. “I visited a sheep farm in Gore back in 1994, there was an orphan lamb there and I asked if I could bring her home. 1000 kms later we were back. I named her Grace, after my mother.” A nurse colleague of Beth’s

happened to have an orphaned black lamb and Hanover ended up coming home with Beth to keep Grace company. Many of the sheep bear the names of Beth’s ancestors (her forebears came from Germany, near Hanover) – there’s Hansel, Liesel, Gretchen, Heidi, Louis and Lillibet. The sheep on the farm are mostly descendants of Grace, and there is usually a (new) Hanover. “I frequently get a new ram, to keep the genetics healthy,” says Beth. The sheep on the property are mainly tasked with weed and grass control and some leaf plucking so there’s no need for weed sprays or mowing. There’s actually reduced spraying overall and less disease risk as a result. Beth speaks of her relationships with the sheep and how intensely they mother their lambs. She says the sheep communicate with each other constantly with their bleats and she is familiar with the individual voices. She

also speaks of their gentleness and general defencelessness, and enjoys leaving the sheep mothers with woolly fleece for the warmth and protection of their little ones. From her experience over the years, Beth’s worked out that when the sheep get keen on the fruit, she knows to get them out so nets can go on, as it won’t be long till the birds turn up. She marvels at how gentle they are at leaf plucking and how they balance their diets between grass and leaves. They follow her in the vineyard and eat the sweet cane trimmings as quickly as she can trim. In the spring she puts them in before pollination takes place, to open-up the canopy a little. There’s a definite team/family relationship here and Beth speaks of ensuring the sheep are cared for properly, including with adequate water readily available, emphasising that the relaxed animals live a more natural life, and are less likely to stress eat and do damage.

WORLD OF WINE – WINTER 2021

TASTING NOTES PINOT NOIR

Valli Waitaki Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019, North Otago

Complex and detailed, mineral and fruit centric bouquet. Aromas of limestone and hard clay, red berry fruits then sweet new oak. Flavours of raspberry and red cherry lead the palate, then sweet wood and mineral, red apple and spice. An abundance of tannins and acidity, then roses and a lightweight salinity. Wonderful texture and length, purity and pinosity. Best drinking from early 2023 through 2030. POINTS: 96 RRP $79.00 valliwine.com

Craft Series The Journey Pinot Noir 2015, Marlborough

Integrating and complex, varietal and enticing. A bouquet with aromas of cherries and autum leaves, oak spices and barrel toast. A savoury mineral complexity adds breadth and a sense of place. Tense, youthful and dry on the palate with flavours that mirror the nose plus mushroom and autumn leaves with a savoury earthy quality. Decent level of tannins and acidity to contrast. Well made, still developing, a wine to watch. Best drinking from 2022 through 2026+. POINTS: 95 RRP $100.00 marisco.co.nz

Valli Bendigo Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019, Central Otago

Domain Road Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019, Bannockburn

Distinctive, powerful, ripe, pure and intriguing. Punnets of raspberries and blackcurrant, wild thyme and rocky countryside scents. Baking spices of oak and toasty wood, then dark velvet roses. Tense and dry, taut and fruity, very young and tight in texture. Fruit flavours mirror the nose, tannins are firm and chalky, acidity in abundance. A fantastic wine, but needs to be cellared to develop more complexity and fuse the attributes together. Best drinking 2024 through 2034+. POINTS: 96 RRP $69.00 valliwine.com

Combinations of ripe red berry fruits and stony almost silty mineral layers weaving through aromas of new barrel and spice. There’s a smoky baked nut complexity with vanilla and a whisper of bacon oak. Very tense and poised on the palate with firm texture of tannin and acidity contrasting fruit flavours of red berries and plum. Plenty of spice and acidity, length and complexity. A wine for the cellar with best drinking from 2024 through 2030+. POINTS: 95 RRP $40.00 domainroad.co.nz

Loveblock Pinot Noir 2020, Central Otago

Vibrant, complex, ripe, varietal and intense pinosity with aromas of crushed black cherry, dried raspberry and plum compote. There’s a core of mineral and toasty leesy complexity. Bright, fresh, precise, fruity and quite delicious on the palate. Flavours of berries and mineral, some exotic spice moments and toasty barrel layers. Fine chalky tannins, a refreshing acid line add grip and mouthfeel. With a core of pinosity this is excellent drinking now, but will age beautifully as well with ideal drinking from late 2022 through 2028. POINTS: 95 RRP $31.99 loveblockwine.com

WORLD OF WINE – WINTER 2021

Worldof Wine VOLUME 2 WINTER 2019

IT'S A MATCH

Food and wine pairs to love

CAMERON DOUGLAS MS

CELLAR SECRETS

Backstage at the vineyard PLUS finding your favourite drop

CON N ECT YO U R BR A N D TO AN AU D I E N CE O F OV ER 20,0 0 0 W I N E LOV E R S

WINE LABEL LANGUAGE EXPLAINED

Reds on the Rise

CONTACT WENDY STEELE EMAIL wsteele@intermedianz.co.nz PHONE 021 300 473

Contents REGULARS

06 DIGEST News and views from the hospitality sector.

22 CHEF OF THE MONTH Chef Matt Lambert – not bad for a Westie!

PEOPLE 12 NEW OPENINGS Chef Ben Bayly’s latest offshoot – Little Aosta opens

17 THE FRENCH CONNECTION Le Cordon Bleu’s Technical Director, Sabastien Lambert

20 INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS: Edwina Fitzsimon & Paul Hutton

30 15 MINUTES WITH Richard Wilson’s remarkable culinary journey

FEATURES 08 RESILIENCE Queenstown’s best kept secret – The Bunker reinvests

14 COMMERCIAL KITCHENS Keeping the supply chain going – Stoddart NZ

27 T ECH TALK Tech trends for 2022

24 GUEST EDITORIAL

Find Build Sell, by Stephen J Hunt

30 HOSPITALITY BUSINESS - MARCH 2022 3

Editor MARCH 2022 Vol. 9 No. 2

Planning Ahead

Kimberley Dixon kdixon@ intermedianz.co.nz 0274 505 502

This month, amid the uncertainty and mayhem caused by the global pendamic, we bring a range of stories about people who reflect the resilience and strength of the hospitality sector. Down in Queenstown hidden restaurant gem,The Bunker has decided to reinvest and back itself by renovating its interior (page 8) and Chef Ben Bayly has launched an offshoot restaurant in Arrowtown, called Little Aosta. Meanwhile chefs Richard Wilson and Matt Lambert bring to the table inspiring life journeys. (pages 22, and 30 respectively) Preparing for the predicted pandemic recovery and border reopening means planning ahead and we talk to a company which is urging Kiwi businesses to look at international hiring now to fill the growing shortage of staff (page 7). We talk to the Chaine des Rotisseurs in Wellington, along with Le Cordon Bleu’s Sebastien Lambert ( page 15) and meet the Jeffersons – a couple who have returned from the Middle East to reignite their passion for good food! ( page 32) We also have a book review this month – called Find Build Sell – how a $100 backyard enterprise turned into a $100 million pub empire, which in anyone’s business language deserves a good read. Our Tech Talk includes top trends for 2022 and our cover story reflects the way Stoddart New Zealand has successfully faced the challenges of entering the New Zealand market! If you have a story, advice or a column you would like to see in Hospitality Business, please email me at kdixon@intermedianz.co.nz and don’t forget to keep up to date with daily events at our website, www.hospitalitybusiness.co.nz and sign up for our weekly e newsletter.

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Jacob’s winning sweet and sour fish, stuffed tofu and daikon soy salad dish. Sous chef Jacob Aomarere-Poole.

Sous chef Jacob Aomarere-Poole wins LKK Challenge Aspiring Palmerston North chef, Jacob Aomarere-Poole has taken out top place at the Lee Kum Kee NZ Developing Chefs Challenge. Aomarere-Poole, a sous chef at the city’s Amayjen restaurant, competed alongside three talented finalists to take the top prize at the competition held in Auckland. Originally meant to happen last year, Covid 19 restrictions scuttled plans for August and October. With small events now possible, Acton National Key Account Manager, Alisdair Methven said organisers were pleased the New Zealand event could finally take place. Aomarere-Poole, who has spent the past eight months at Amayjen, a notable newcomer to the Cuisine Good Food Awards round up of New Zealand’s best restaurants for 2021/2022, took home a $3,000 cash prize and takes up a year-long ambassadorial role with Lee Kum Kee. The winner was also meant to represent New Zealand at the Lee Kum Kee International Young Chinese Culinary Chefs Competition in Hong Kong this September, however the international competition has again been postponed. Open to all chefs under the age of 40 either working or training in New Zealand, the Gilmours and Trents sponsored competition required aspiring chefs to submit a Chinese or Chinese-inspired dish, using a minimum of three Lee Kum Kee sauces or condiments. The four finalists who were selected to compete included: Jacob Aomarere-Poole, 24,sous chef at Amayjen, Palmerston North. Jacob’s dish 6 MARCH 2022 - HOSPITALITY BUSINESS

was sweet and sour fish stuffed tofu, and daikon soy salad Max Loh Zhang Yao, 19, student at Le Cordon Bleu NZ, Wellington. Max presented a dish of sesame coated pork with fried glutinous balls, choy sum, sautéed shitake and plum jus Ziek Pittams-Hudson, 31,chef at St Johns Club, Wanganui. Ziek presented a vegan dish of Vegan Kung Pao style cauliflower with mushroom lychee bao and chilli lychee glaze Jomel Bartolome, 40, head chef at Northstar Motel Bar & Restaurant, Oamaru. Jomel served chicken with a teriyaki vinaigrette and cold noodle salad. This was Jomel’s second time as a finalist Held at Auckland’s Main Course on Monday, contestants had 90 minutes to make and present their dish to a judging panel including Khai Yee ‘KK’ Khor, head chef at hot new Chinese eatery Ghost Street in central Auckland and part of Comensa Group which includes awardwinning eateries Café Hanoi, Saan and XuXu Dumpling Bar. Joining KK were seasoned judges Paulie Hooton, ex head chef at Sanford NZ and The Oyster Inn and currently contract chef at The Heke on Waiheke Island, and Mark Dronjak, secretary of the NZ Chefs Association and a seasoned chef with over 40 years in the kitchen and a wealth of published work across radio, newspapers and magazines. Cooking competitions are challenging, said Dronjak. “And this year was tough. All the dishes were strong technically, with great flavour, ideas and results, and excellent use of ingredients.”

While all the contestants did a great job, the winning dish stood out in its execution, said Hooton. “Jacob’s dish was outstanding with big flavour profiles and every component working beautifully together.” “The fish was cooked perfectly,” said KK. “The flavours were well balanced, and the pickle was a great combination with the dark soy sauce jelly.” All finalists walked away with more than $200 of Lee Kum Kee products. Methven said Acton was delighted the New Zealand challenge could finally go ahead. “This was the third time we had booked a date for the challenge, but we had been unable to go ahead with both previous dates. Now that we are able to travel freely, we thought we’d give it one more go.” Methven said organisers worked within current pandemic guidelines, incorporating social distancing, mask use, separated food presentation and vaccine passes, and accommodating special requests regarding travel arrangements with any finalists who did not want to fly. Gilmours Marketing Lead Nadia Lopes congratulated Aomarere-Poole on the win. “As suppliers to thousands of restaurants and hospitality venues across the country, both Gilmours and Trents are delighted to help support both the growth of developing chefs like Jacob and Asian cuisine here in New Zealand.” Renowned for inventing oyster sauce over 130 years ago, today Lee Kum Kee is one of the world’s most recognisable makers of authentic Chinese sauces and condiments and has been popular in commercial kitchens across New Zealand since the 1970’s.

DIGEST

Prepare now says CEO as international workers are keen and ready to go

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forward by several months at least as a matter of urgency,” he said. “The reality is that the Omicron variant is now out in the New Zealand community, so what’s the point in keeping the borders closed? It makes no sense. “Tourism businesses have already gone under and many have only just managed to hang on and are on the brink of collapse.” “It’s time to get things moving forward and help these small businesses get back on their feet again.”

Hi mm

elmann.

For more information: www.globalworkandtravel.com

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workers is at unprecedented levels,” Mr Himmelmann said. “We’ve been getting more than 1.5 million site visitors a month for working holiday travellers across our network since that major announcement, with New Zealand high in those numbers. “We have working holiday makers who are keen and ready to go to New Zealand.” Australia-based Global Work & Travel has international offices in London and Vancouver and is regarded as an industry leader in youth and meaningful travel. The company helps match working holiday makers into jobs in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, USA, the UK and Ireland. Meanwhile, Global has backed calls from major tourism industry bodies for the New Zealand Government to bring forward its planned dates for the opening of international borders to tourists to provide a boost to the sector and the wider economy. Mr Himmelmann said that while it was positive that New Zealand’s five step reopening plan was announced, it “made no sense” to keep the border closed to international tourists until October. “The tourism sector in New Zealand has been closed to international tourists for just under two years now and has been decimated, while much of the rest of the world has been allowing overseas visitors back in,” Mr Himmelmann said. “The five step reopening plan at least gives us a timeline but that final step regarding international tourists, which is scheduled for October, should be brought

l Globa

One of the world’s leading and largest e-commerce youth work and travel companies has called on New Zealand hospitality businesses struggling with staff shortages to get in touch and start setting up interviews with working holiday makers ahead of the reopening of international borders. Global Work & Travel provides a service, currently at no charge, to employers looking for workers by matching them with working holiday makers from around the world who book their travel through the company. They ensure that jobseekers have all relevant visas, police checks, professional CVs and references before setting up the interview between the two parties. This service is being offered at no charge for a limited time to help impacted hospitality and tourism businesses. Travellers have begun arriving in Australia since it was announced they were allowed to enter Australia on a working holiday visa from December. Global’s CEO Jürgen Himmelmann says New Zealand businesses should be aware that travellers need at least several months to organise themselves ahead of an overseas move. “There’s been so much pent up demand from travellers wanting to go to New Zealand and the announcement by the government of their five step plan to reopen borders has created a major spike in enquiries,” Mr Himmelmann said. “A major part of our business is matching incoming travellers with employers by setting up interviews, especially in tourism and hospitality, and the demand for these

Tra en vel CEO Jürg

KEY POINTS

• Global Work & Travel matches businesses with WHMs at no cost • World leading youth travel brand says demand for NZ is high • Backs calls for NZ border to open sooner for international tourists

INSPIRATION One Northland specialty has made it on the a la carte menu – sustainably farmed Ruakaka Kingfish. Wakanui Beef Fillet is also served a la carte with bone marrow and beef tongue, while the Duck Leg comes in lollipop form – crispy, with plum jus.

Transforming The Bunker A million dollar makeover

The kitchen features all mod cons and necessary chef’s toys.

uring times when many restaurateurs have been clinging onto their businesses in the hope of survival, the owners of The Bunker Restaurant and Bar in Queenstown have made a bold move, more than doubling in size. As executive chef and co-owner Ben Norfolk says: “Fortune follows the brave.” He’s hoping that holds true. He and his business partner Cameron Mitchell, who sold two other venues in downtown Queenstown last year, had two options in early 2021 after a tough 2020. “We were either going to hold down the fort or invest and this opportunity came up,” says Ben. “We’ve always wanted to expand and never had the opportunity to,” he says. “It just happened to be the worst timing ever.” They took the brave step of securing double the size of their lease, extending 8 MARCH 2022 - HOSPITALITY BUSINESS

from their current Cow Lane site right through to adjacent Queenstown Mall after a former souvenir shop vacated the lease. The three-month build, which kicked off in February last year, stretched out into a seven-month project after “all sorts of hidden treasures” under the existing building. It wasn’t only the building timeframe that stretched but also the budget. An original estimate of $1 million ballooned into almost $1.6 million, including taking on the new lease space. “It’s been a massive investment,” says Ben. “We gutted the whole thing inside.” The new-look Bunker, now with two bars, opened on November 20 2021 with a huge welcome from local fans. “We launched loud and proud. Everybody seems happy and we’ve had some amazing feedback about what we’ve produced,” says Ben. However, last year it was Ben’s turn

to help design his own kitchen. He’d longed for a larger, newer one for some time, but had to make do with the cramped original version. “My excuse was always that I was cooking off of a six burner and drop stove - that’s always what I used. But now I’ve got everything,” he says. The much more spacious modern version cost at least $250,000 and features all the mod cons and necessary chef’s toys – two Combi ovens, eight burners, a chargrill, sous vide and Thermomix, to name a few. “I was so excited to finally get in there,” he says. Regulars and visitors have been delighted walking into the flash new, rustic-style interiors, and even more so when they’ve tasted the ramped up menu. “I changed the style. It’s now a bit more exciting and there’s a bit more theatre, not that stuffy, white linen, formal, fine dining feeling like this is only for special occasions,” says

INSPIRATION

“We launched loud and proud. Everybody seems happy and we’ve had some amazing feedback about what we’ve produced,” says Ben.

Ben. “We have to be adaptable to all markets,” he says. “I wanted guys to be able to come in here with a mate and enjoy a one kilo tomahawk with sides.” The Bunker’s focus is still be very much on premium game meat and seafood, food that’s local, sustainable, paddock to plate. “I wanted it to be refreshing, refined and respectful,” he says. All of my produce is locally sourced from the likes of Nevis Garden and Gibbston Microgreens, and my lamb comes from over the hill (Cardrona Merino), my venison and wild boar from Fiordland and crayfish from Kaikoura.” There was no need to change that, but Ben says he’s made it all a bit sexier and stepped it up a level. “I’m super proud of it.” His new 8-course degustation menu has been “flying out the door” since reopening, all delicious, locally-sourced produce from the surrounding region and around the South Island. Smoked Canterbury ostrich, pancetta ragout, whipped truffled potato, confit egg yolk, served in an ostrich egg shell, wild Bannockburn hare loin nicoise, braised leg roulade and black olive emulsion, all served alongside West Coast paua tortellini, kina foam and nasturtium. One Northland specialty has made it on the a la carte menu though – sustainably farmed Ruakaka Kingfish. Wakanui Beef Fillet is also served a la carte with bone marrow and beef tongue, while the Duck Leg comes in lollipop form – crispy, with plum jus. Ben’s Petit Fours are far from ‘petit’ in size and have been the most popular choice, offering a selection of frozen crème brulee, macaron, lamington and chocolate cremeux. There’s been a shift away from intimate fine dining as customers

The Bunker’s famous secret wooden door now serves as a fire exit. HOSPITALITY BUSINESS - MARCH 2022 9

INSPIRATION

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opt for a more relaxed, welcoming atmosphere showcasing local and regional finds. ‘Story’ is paramount as part of the dining out experience for many. “Customer service is key for us too,” says Ben. “People need to feel welcome, comfortable, take their shoes off if they want, or order a pinot with fish. I won’t turn my nose up at that,” he says. “We’re just here to show people a good time and take them on a journey.” 10 MARCH 2022 - HOSPITALITY BUSINESS

“We’ve always been lucky to have the locals supporting us, especially in the bar, so we’re very grateful for that,” says Ben. “We’d always struggled to service the town before with just 28 seats in the restaurant. We always had to turn people away. There were never enough seats as we were only a small intimate restaurant with bookings weeks out, prior to Covid times.” The Bunker now seats 70 inside, instead of just 30, with two cosy, large fireplaces. A new, more intimate, cosy cocktail bar has been incorporated downstairs adjacent to the restaurant, catering for about 40 people. “This offers a more late night, speak easy vibe serving great cocktails where you can sit down and enjoy several good whiskeys while the younger customers party in our upstairs bar,” says Ben. A new feature, a winding internal staircase connects the restaurant with

Queenstown’s new-look Bunker Restaurant

the newly-redeveloped much larger upstairs bar and its greatly extended outdoor bar area which has capacity for about 100 people. At present that’s encased by marquee style covering with plenty more fire pits to heat the space with plans for a retractable roof to be installed soon. The Bunker’s famous secret wooden door now serves as a fire exit. The interiors are rustic, refined and re-envisioned, put together largely by Cameron’s wife Tina Mitchell, who has an eye for interior detail. The Bunker has retained its old world charm – dark wood, green banker’s lamps, brass furnishings and its red carpet entrance. While other operators had been forced to shed staff last year, Ben and Cameron have taken on more to cater for more than doubling their size. “Queenstown’s lost a massive amount of staff, but luckily we’ve retained a lot of our staff so we’re fortunate,” says Ben. “We started out with about 15 or 16 and now we have about 20 to 25. We’re pretty lucky, but we’ve always treated our staff well.” “We have at least another three in the bar, hosting, runners, table service, and on meet and greet. My bartenders are happy to be waiters as they can’t be speed pourers right now.” Ben now has four chefs and two kitchens hands working with him in the kitchen. It hasn’t been an easy road pressing on amid so much uncertainty. “The stress was ridiculous, so we just had to watch the news and hope for the best, letting the government point us in the right direction,” says Ben. n

YOUNG CULINARY TALENT REQUIRED

A Recipe to Push the Boundaries of Gastronomy

The 2022/2023 S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition Opens

he 2022/2023 S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition is now open for entries from New Zealand and Australia and the next generation of talent is already sharpening its knives in anticipation. The global initiative, created by the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy to discover and nurture exceptional culinary talent, aims to identify, promote and celebrate young culinary talent to further promote professional development. A major component of the competition is to support a personal vision for the world of food, demonstrating how it can have a positive impact on society at large. Open to young chefs under the age of 30, entrants are required to submit a recipe of a signature dish and must be able to communicate their personal vision, unique skills and creativity with this dish. The first selection phase applied involves judging by ALMA, the International School of Italian Culinary Arts. ALMA will then define a shortlist of young chefs who will participate in one of 16 Regional Finals taking place throughout the globe over the second half of 2022. Last year, over 300 talented young chefs from over five different countries worked together to present their dishes.

In Australia, the modest, yet immensely talented Jose Lorenzo Morales was selected as the Pacific regional winner of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef. Unfortunately, because of Covid travel restrictions, he was unable to attend the Grand Finale in Milan. An epic and educational journey for Jose Lorenzo Morales and his peers, the competition is a sparkling opportunity for culinary game changers to demonstrate their ability in creating the finest taste experiences, while having a positive impact on society. This year, the S.Pellegrino judging team hopes it will be different. S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition Grand Finale culminates in Milan Italy, and will be judged by a stellar line up of international chefs. Previous international judges have included Enrico Bartolini,

Manu Buffara, Andreas Caminada, Mauro Colagreco, Gavin Kaysen, Clare Smyth and Pim Techamuanvivit. Collectively they will judge dishes based on technical skill, creativity, and personal belief, as well as the candidates’ potential to create positive change in society through food. n

To discover more information and to enter the competition please visit: www.sanpellegrinoyoungchefacademy.com HOSPITALITY BUSINESS - MARCH 2022 11

NEW OPENINGS

Ben Bayly’s bambino opens in Arrowtown Little Aosta

South of New Zealand. The namesake city of Aosta is in an alpine valley near the meeting point of the Italian, French and Swiss Alps. Ben lived and cooked for four years in this area that rrowtown’s favourite remarkably shares similar latitude, restaurant Aosta is about to elevation, climate, flora, fauna, and soil welcome a little bambino characteristics with the Central Otago into its family with ‘Little Southern Alps. Aosta’ set to open next door to the It was during Ben’s time away in this flagship venue later this month. part of the world as a young chef that Little Aosta is a family-friendly, fasthis love of Italian cooking was born, paced trattoria offering dine-in and and his Arrowtown establishments takeaway options for locals and pair that inspiration with almost visitors to Arrowtown. The exclusively local products and The menu is new venture is backed by a produce from selected growers, small group of investors breeders, fishermen, hunters, designed to bring the including chef Ben Bayly foragers and other suppliers. magic of an authentic and businessman / While Bayly will travel to philanthropist Michael Hill. Arrowtown regularly, Little multi-generational The cuisine of both Aosta will be run day-toItalian home into the Aosta and Little Aosta is day by a talented team led by heart of Arrowtown. inspired by the cooking executive chef Steven Sepsy techniques of Northern Italy and head chef Darren Lynch, paired with ingredients of the with the pasta and drinks list 18 Buckingham Street, Arrowtown, 9302 Tel: 03-442 0885 littleaosta.co.nz

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curated by Giulio Barducci, and the front of house led by Vanessa Cagnola. Bayly says he and his family have fallen in love with Arrowtown and bringing the Little Aosta concept to life had been on his mind since opening Aosta three years ago. “I wanted a casual, fun and chaotic little Italian place that complemented Aosta well - a place that was focused on simple, delish Italian food with zero faff. “Arrowtown is all about family and lots of families visit too, so we wanted to appeal to them. We are grateful that Aosta is now booked out most nights, and it makes sense to expand our offering so as not to disappoint. “Look for great cuts seared over the wood fired grill and sourdough pizzettas out of the wood fired pizza oven – paired with interesting, entertaining, and affordable wines by the carafe.” The menu is designed to bring the magic of an authentic multi-

NEW OPENINGS generational Italian home into the heart of Arrowtown, capturing the essence of northern Italian food that is pared back and designed for sharing. The menu is divided into antipasti, sourdough wood fired pizzetta, woodfired meatballs and salsicce (sausage), hand-crafted family sizes pastas that serve 2-4, secondi (mains) that serve 2-4, and dolci (dessert). Ben and his team have created dishes to share and to please all ages and appetites. There is no dedicated children’s menu, but the bambinos won’t be disappointed with dishes such as ‘organic fritto misto’ (Italian chicken nuggets) and ‘Havoc ham & wood fired pineapple pizzetta’, along with family size simple hand-made pastas. Meanwhile, the drinks menu offers delicious Italian inspired spritzes, including the Americano, Negroni Sbagliato (which translates to “Negroni by mistake”), Elderberry kombucha spritz and a Sgroppino spritz made with vodka, prosecco, and lemon sorbet. The wine list will be based around Central Otago’s six sub-regions, balanced with vibrant Italian table wines served by the tumbler, carafe, and bottle.

Local architect and designer AnnaMarie Chin worked with Bayly to fit out the restaurant, adding a sense of space, warmth, and cosiness to match the casual dining vibe of the menu. She says Little Aosta is all about shared meals and families eating together and the design details reflect that. “We have a ton of banquette seating to make the restaurant cosy and familyfriendly,” she says. “We’ve also given people the option of table seating or sitting at the bar, which also features a wood-fired oven and Florentine grill.” Chin says Little Aosta pays homage to the main restaurant with a few design commonalities – namely duplicating the glass pendant lights which exude bright energy and hero the bar area, and the same deep blue cinder walls. Dappled lighting over the booth seating complements the bright glass pendants over the bar, while Graypants pendant scraplights - made entirely of repurposed corrugated cardboard provide a filtered light reminiscent of leaves and trees in an outdoor courtyard.

Little Aosta opened its doors on Saturday 26 February and is open from 5:00pm Wednesday to Sunday for walk ins, bookings required for six or more guests. Overflow and walk ins will be encouraged to enjoy a pre-dinner drink or wait for their table at the adjacent Blue Door bar. During the winter season the restaurant will be open from 3:00pm for après ski outside by the open fire. For more information and the full menu, see littleaosta.co.nz. n

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COVER STORY

Stoddart NZ - Strategic Supply Chain Management

By Adrian Dixon, Country Manager, Stoddart NZ.

ince opening an initial 350m² hospitality businesses. While this warehouse in Onehunga is only a drop in the bucket and three years ago, it has been an nowhere near enough to benefit the interesting and challenging entire hospitality sector, it has gone journey for Stoddart NZ. someway in alleviating the stress. Despite the challenges with Stoddart NZ has continued to COVID-19 over the past two invest and has recently moved years the Stoddart NZ team has into a much larger warehouse “The facility at approached each challenge head and showroom facility to Mangere allows for on and adjusted direction and demonstrate the range of a large showroom and strategy accordingly. products it represents demonstration kitchen The countrywide more effectively. This has to showcase products in lockdowns have hurt allowed for a much larger situ with all facets of the hospitality greatly and range of products to be wide range of Stoddart the effects are widely felt. stocked, with increased Stoddart NZ, along with stock levels and improved manufactured and others, has assisted through supply chain management distributed products on Hands up for Hospo auctions to with facility to accommodate display.” raise funds to help struggling larger containers. 14 MARCH 2022 - HOSPITALITY BUSINESS

The facility at Mangere allows for a large showroom and demonstration kitchen to showcase products in situ with all facets of the wide range of Stoddart manufactured and distributed products on display. This includes Halton Ventilation, Culinaire Commercial Equipment, Woodson Countertop Equipment that are made in Australia along with distributed products, Airex, Giorik Ovens and Modular, Metro Shelving, Adande Refrigerated Drawers. New Developments Stoddart is releasing new developments and innovation in the Halton Ventilation that will be released over the next few months. This is in the

COVER STORY area of air management and cleansing in hospitality/food service applications. There are plans to run seminars on these key kitchen components during the coming months but are contingent on open borders to allow for specialist attendance. Innovation Stoddart NZ continues to innovate with new designs and improved engineering of products that use less power and water, have smaller footprints, are more sustainable and friendly to the environment. Stoddart Australia has recently installed a 633kW Solar system for the production facility in Brisbane Australia which adds to the overall sustainability perspective. This has been done on the facility in Perth and will be on the Sydney facility in the near future. The important emphasis on compliance to standards and quality are important issues sometimes overlooked and forgotten as other focuses, like price becomes the most important driver. Stoddart takes pride in ensuring that products comply to national regulations and tests accordingly. Despite the current Covid circumstances, Stoddart NZ has increased investment with the employment of Adam Dickson as Chef/Sales Specialist to support the new showroom and facilitate with training and demonstration of equipment. Adam brings 28 years’

experience in the hospitality industry having worked through-out the world in kitchens from hot dog stands to fine dining establishments. Adam’s more recent background has been teaching up and coming chefs at MIT in Auckland to Level 3 & 4 students and was involved with the Restaurant Association mentoring apprentice chefs in mid to end of apprenticeship assessments as he firmly believes in encouragement of on-thejob training. Adam will assist in the further development of partnerships with food service equipment dealers around New Zealand with additional promotional, training and focus for extra opportunities. Stoddart NZ has other divisions that also operate within the New Zealand marketplace:• Stoddart Infrastructure is a leading end-to-end provider of premium urban infrastructure solutions throughout Australasia. • Stoddart Plumbing has over 50 year’s experience in stainless steel fabrication, plumbing fittings and fixtures. • Stoddart NZ in conjunction with Context Architects is working on AR/VR technology for the hospitality space to allow for end users to see virtually their intended space and permit them to see what and where things are going to be in a real setting long before anything is built. n

Adam Dickson, Chef/Sales Specialist supports the new showroom and facilitates with training and equipment demonstration.

Stoddart Australia has recently installed a 633kW Solar system for its production facility in Brisbane, Australia. HOSPITALITY BUSINESS - MARCH 2022 15

THE FRENCH CONNECTION

Chaîne des Rôtisseurs celebrate in Wellington

t began with a casual Kiwi-ised version of an elaborate French flavoured induction ceremony and ended two days later with a champagne brunch. In between were two dégustation dinners – one of eight courses in a formal setting and the second, a five course more informal affair. This is a chapite held every two or three years by the New Zealand chapter of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, an international gastronomy group of culinary professionals and lovers of fine dining. The induction ceremony is called an intronisation, which has a literal translation of ‘enthronement’, a throwback to the days of French royalty, and is still conducted with a sword. At the ceremony in Wellington nine new members were sworn in promising to “honour the art of cuisine and the culture of the table” which includes being fraternal and respecting fellow members. Ian Hull Brown, a member since 1996 who has reached the rank of Commandeur and has led the chaine in New Zealand as the Bailli Delegue conducted the intronisation. Based in Paris, the chaine is active in 102 countries and has forty two thousand members including sixty plus in New Zealand. The eight course dégustation dinner on Friday night began with champagne. The whole meal was designed, prepared, cooked and served by culinary students of Le Cordon Bleu in Wellington who’s performance was assessed as part of their training. The school and the chaine work closely together, particularly on the chaine’s prestige programme, the competition for the Jeune Chef (Young Chef) of the year award. Most countries with chapters of the chaine hold this competition and the national winners compete in the biennial international event which may be held in any part of the world. The competition is usually held at Le Cordon Bleu’s premises in downtown Wellington and has the contestants preparing a three course meal from a blind box of ingredients; that is things they have not seen prior to the day of the competition.

By John Bishop For the formal dinner for the chapiter the first course was asparagus spears served with scampi in a light lemony-liquorice velouté. The wine was a pinot gris from Alsace. Blue Cod confit followed with nori seaweed and a broad bean ragout accompanied by a chardonnay from the Bourgogne. Then a palate cleanser of a kind of Bloody Mary; tomato juice containing a grape sized ball bursting with spices on biting and adorned with celery foam. The plat principal was lamb two ways, one smoked and slow cooked; the other a cailette aux herbes which is minced lamb heavy with chard and herbs shaped like a plumb sausage. Very French, very traditional and often served with a ratatouille (as this was), says Sebastien Lambert, the head tutor at Le Cordon Bleu. The wine was a Reserve St Emilion, mainly merlot blended with some cabernets. There were two desserts: a predessert offering of a beetroot sorbet with raspberries and chilled yoghurt, and a coconut mousse with a pineapple meringue and burnt pineapple. These were served with a choice of a muscat des Beaunes de Venise from the Rhône or a Louis Perdrier Rose. The meal concluded with a Viennese spiced coffee and petit fours. In addition to matching wines, all courses were accompanied by a nonalcoholic drink ranging from plum, beet and grape with the lamb to a non gin and tonic, house-made lemonade, and lemongrass and gingered coconut water. The next night at the Wellington Club where Mark Hartstonge runs the kitchen was less formal and owed more to Kiwi than French tradition. All produce was sourced from with 50 kilometres of the club house in downtown Wellington and began with a tempura tuna bite from wild caught tuna running in the seas on Wellington’s northern coast. From Wellington’s southern coast came a crispy paua wonton with mussel cream, accompanied by a Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay. The main was a coffee crusted venison loin, seared and served with crumbed black pudding and

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Members of the New Zealand chapite gathered in Wellington.

asparagus with burnet alliums. A Hawke’s Bay Syrah was served. A cheese course featured honey as well as pears and walnuts. Shards of blue cheese were layered on roasted pear topped with a strawberry honey and served with a Hawke’s Bay Cabernets Merlot blend. Dessert was a simple strawberry dish with locally manufactured white chocolate with a slightly sweet Riesling from Central Otago which finished nicely dry. The third function, a champagne brunch, was at the Foundry, a popular bar and café in Wellington’s Tory Street where owners Julia and Grant Jefferson promote a modern tapas style menu. The champagne brunch departed from their normal offering, beginning with salmon on blinis with assorted pastries on the table. The main dish was a take on eggs benedict with prosciutto and vine tomatoes. Dessert was a delicate sponge with custard and strawberries with a coulis. n

THE FRENCH CONNECTION

About the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs it only for chefs and those preparing and serving food. Membership now includes sommeliers, managers, gourmets and gourmands, suppliers and anyone who enjoys food and wine. A branch of the Chaine has been operating in Australia since 1977 and the New Zealand chapter quickly followed. Being French in origin although very international in membership, French is the language of the Chaine’s organisation and titles. An area like New Zealand is a Bailli and the head is the Balli Delegue. Members with ten years standing become Commandeurs. The New Zealand branch currently has 60 plus members and is looking to recruit more.

Who joins the Chaine?

Members are mainly people in the catering, restaurant, hospitality and related industries plus those who simply like good food and wine and others who want to support emerging talent. Members pay a joining fee and an annual subscription.

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The chaine started as the guild of goose roasters in France in 1248 when King, Louis IX established guilds in various professions to encourage training and the development of standards and skills. Goose roasting later expanded to include all poultry and then all meats, but the chaine died in the French Revolution of 1789-93 which ended the monarchy and all the trappings of royalty and aristocracy. After World War II and with the end of food rationing in France in 1950, a gourmand and three chefs revived the chaine to promote culinary skills and the enjoyment of fine dining. In 2021 there are chapters of the chaine in 102 countries and the character, practices and protocols of the organisation reflect its French origin. Inside the modern logo there is the old logo: the two pitchforks used for roasting depicted against a fire with fleur des liles. The outer ring symbolises the new activities and membership. No longer is

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Activities

The Chaine holds a series of dinners (and sometimes lunches) generally organised around a theme. Some are formal events; others more casual. There are also weekends away, tasting sessions and other events. A particular source of pride is the biennial Jeune Chef (Young Chef) of the Year competition. The winner gets to go to the international competition organised by the Chaine and usually held in Europe but also in Asia and the Americas. The 2021 winner was Josh Ross, the executive chef at Bellamy’s by Logan Brown, who will compete in the 2022 competition.

Meet Le Cordon Bleu’s Technical Director Sebastien Lambert is the Technical Director of Le Cordon Bleu Institute in Wellington and is responsible for the teaching of all students, ensuring their training meets the highest professional standards of the institute. The young man left the small French town of Ernée nearly thirty years ago to pursue his dream of becoming a patisserie chef. Sebastien grew up on a dairy farm, in the countryside southwest of Normandy and east of Brittany. The decision to pursue his passion for patisserie came early to Sebastien. “My mother would make floating islands dessert* when we had guests and that stayed with me.” “It was a quiet life growing up on the dairy farm with my parents. This life taught me to respect all ingredients as I helped my parents grow our vegetables and meat, from land to table. I left the farm, after completing high school at age fifteen, to pursue an apprenticeship in patisserie at the nearby town of Laval. “In Le Petit Prince patisserie, I learnt attention to detail. Everything was important and everything was made from scratch.” Mastering patisserie takes hard work and determination. “I mastered making croissants as an apprentice, learning from my mistakes along the way, once I forgot yeast, and I have never forgotten again.” “At the age of seventeen I left for Paris for

four years. I didn’t sleep much, we got up at 4am and worked hard and then had the afternoons off. I was part of a much bigger team: twelve in Paris compared to just five in Laval. We did brioche, tarts, sweet breads and of course, Tarte Tropézienne.” After Paris, military service saw him spend six months in New Caledonia, his first excursion to the South Pacific. Moving to the British Isles, I saw desserts such as bread and butter pudding, and spotted dick for the first time in my life. I loved being introduced to Eton Mess. My first restaurant job found me at the prestigious Butler’s Wharf Chop House in London, which was a big step where he was in charge of patisserie and brought his French influence to their dessert menu. Then came Dublin, at the Shelbourne Hotel looking after the high tea, bistro, and fine dining dessert menus. In 2000, a working holiday to New Zealand and Australia led him to the Essence restaurant in Auckland and then Quay restaurant in Sydney. In 2006, Sebastien returned to New Zealand to run a bakery on the Kapiti Coast, switching from the city restaurant life to his former country cakeshop lifestyle. Moving to New Zealand and then into teaching were both life changing decisions. “Moving to teaching was a hugely satisfying part of my journey. You can research, plan and practice things, but with

Seb t astien Lamber teaching your job is to pass on knowledge to your students and help them be as successful and capable as they can be. It’s very rewarding to see students develop into their specialty.” Sugar Work is one of his favorite subjects, along with bread making, ‘sugar can be worked like a dough, except that if it breaks you can start again in an instant, both require patience and determination.’ Le Cordon Bleu teaching pedagogy is demonstration and practical. “In demonstrations, we show students the techniques. In the practical we help the students master these techniques.” As Technical Director Sebastien looks after the teaching team and curriculum, a Boulangerie program is about to be added to the curriculum.

HOSPITALITY BUSINESS - MARCH 2022 17

SPONSORED CONTENT

PROFILE committed to providing highcontinue to change, the Oceania “We will quality products, engaging in team leverages industry insights fair business practices and and expertise from across the continue to achieving our sustainability Suntory Group to lead the leverage industry and wellbeing goals.” way in better drinks. expertise from across The business knows It’s an ambitious spirit the Suntory Group to consumers want ‘betterthat continues through to lead the way in better for-you’ options to support the organisation’s focus to lifestyle and w ellbeing positively impact the world drinks” changes, with the low or noaround it by ‘Growing for Justin Ramsay, NZ Head of sugar range growing 4.5 times Good’ - making sustainability On The Go at Frucor faster than full-sugar beverage an easier choice for consumers options. To meet this changing and customers. preference, Frucor Suntory’s goal is to Ramsay commented, “We’re also have 1 in 3 beverages sold as low or no keenly aware of how important it sugar by 2030, a significant move from is to have a responsible approach to 2018’s 1 in 6 benchmark. packaging. Our goal is to have 100% The business continues to invest in recyclable packaging by 2030 and I am its local state of-the-art Research and proud to say we are well on our way to Development facility which supports achieving our target, with over 92% of the product innovation pipeline and our portfolio using recyclable packaging.” the evolution of its portfolio. For The business’ packaging excellence example, Frucor Suntory’s team of team continues to drive innovation scientists is focused on research into in this area, like colour removal to new sweetener options that could improve recyclability and lightdeliver great tasting beverages without weighting to use less compromise. While consumer needs material. With a focus

on creating lighter packaging and lower emissions, the team is breaking new ground without compromising packaging quality. Reflecting on the road ahead, Dalton added, “We are excited to partner with Frucor Suntory, who set themselves apart from their competition by their ability and passion to wow consumers with exceptional beverages, experiences and values.” Ramsay concluded, “At Frucor Suntory, our people are connected by a hunger to make drinks better – from our product portfolio to our sustainable packaging solutions and the customer experiences we create.” “This is a big win for our team, and I know there are going to be some great opportunities to grow the Pita Pit business and bring some well-deserved refreshment to Kiwis across the country. I know I’ll be at the front of the queue, ready and waiting to order my Pepsi Max and Pita on March 1st!” n

About Frucor Suntory

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Since its beginnings in the early 1960s as part of the New Zealand Apple & Pear Board, Frucor Suntory has evolved from a small local juice business to a significant international beverages company. The company produces more than 20 million cases of drinks a year at its South Auckland manufacturing plant. Frucor Suntory manufactures, markets and distributes a range of fruit juices, fruit drinks, energy drinks, waters and soft drinks. It is the company behind iconic brands V, h2go, Just Juice, Fresh Up, Maximus and Simply Squeezed. The company currently employs 1,000 people across Australia and New Zealand. Since 2009 Frucor Suntory has been wholly owned by leading Japanese beverage and food company Suntory Group. www.suntory.com

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HOSPITALITY BUSINESS - MARCH 2022 19

PEOPLE

Paul Hutton

Edwina Fitzsimon

Hilton Australasian Area VP returns

ChristchurchNZ Business Events appoints Business Development Manager

PAUL HUTTON has officially commenced in his role as Area Vice President and Head of Australasia at Hilton, Asia Pacific. This marks a return to the region for Paul which he led from 2015 to 2017, before relocating to Singapore to take on the role of Head of Southeast Asia for Hilton, which he held for four years. Paul brings broad regional, brand and hotel operations experience to this new role and is responsible for the overall stewardship of Hilton’s business in the Australasia region as well as a key member of the company’s Asia Pacific senior leadership team. Based in Sydney, he will spearhead Hilton’s successful recovery efforts working closely with the company’s network of owners, and supported by a holistic, on-the-ground operating team and infrastructure. He oversees 28 operating hotels and a healthy development pipeline of 12 hotels and resorts, with further growth plans to double Hilton’s footprint in Australasia in the next five years through an organic growth strategy placing the right brands in the right locations, at the right time. “Australia is home for me and I am thrilled to return to both my family in Sydney and to lead Hilton’s Australasia business,” said Paul. “My time in Southeast Asia was a period of substantial growth for Hilton, and the learnings and experience I bring from my time there will be of benefit to our significant plans for Australasia this year. We at Hilton believe the desire to travel, experience new cultures and connect with others is core to the human experience and the reopening of Australia’s international border for tourists will be a key focus for Hilton in the coming months. I look forward to working closely with our incredible team members and owners as we continue our recovery journey to usher in an exciting new age of travel for our guests.” “Paul is a Hilton veteran with significant cross brand and country knowledge who continues to prove himself a cornerstone of our leadership team,” said Alan Watts, President, Asia Pacific, Hilton. “He was instrumental in overseeing our success in Southeast Asia over the last four years, which included milestones such as launching the iconic Waldorf Astoria brand in the region with the opening of exceptional properties in the Maldives and Bangkok. I have every confidence Paul will continue to inspire our team members and drive Hilton to new heights for our guests, owners and communities across Australasia.” 20 MARCH 2022 - HOSPITALITY BUSINESS

EDWINA FITZSIMON has joined ChristchurchNZ Business Events as Business Development Manager for Australia. Based in Melbourne, Edwina will represent Ōtautahi Christchurch and the Canterbury region of the South Island to help Australian clients plan and book conferences, events or incentive programmes here. ChristchurchNZ Head of Business Events, Megan Crum says she is thrilled to welcome Edwina to the team. “This is an exciting time for Christchurch, with huge interest in our city as a business events destination. Edwina will be a wonderful ambassador for our city and region. We can’t wait to host her and her clients here soon. “Edwina will help us build a significant pipeline of enquiries for conference and incentive groups coming to Christchurch from Australia, ready to win the business once New Zealand border and quarantine restrictions ease,” Megan Crum says. With 21 years of experience in hotels and tourism, specialising in business events sales management, Edwina looked after the Australia market for Auckland Convention Bureau for the past six years. “I am a proud Kiwi, who still likes to call New Zealand home,” she says. “Christchurch has such an intriguing story, and the city is leading the business events renaissance in New Zealand with its state-ofthe-art Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre and stunning new venues, accommodation and hospitality, set in a beautiful and accessible destination,” she says. “I am so excited about what Christchurch has to offer the business events market, and excited to share Christchurch’s proposition to Australian professional conference organisers, corporates, association clients and incentive houses.” Have you hired, promoted or introduced new team members to your staff? Celebrate their success by letting us know! Please send appointment information to Hospitality Business care of the editor: kdixon@intermedianz.co.nz

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CHEF OF THE MONTH

Matt Lambert, doing what he does best

America’s Rising Star Award recipient brings his talent home.

hen internationally celebrated, Michelin star Kiwi chef Matt Lambert gets an urge to follow his passion pretty much nothing can stand in his way. Freshly returned to New Zealand in October last year after 15 years in the United States, seven of them owning his own Maori-inspired, award winning Michelin star restaurant in New York, Matt has always been a man on a mission. From the early age of 11 as a West Auckland kid, Matt began making moves to achieve his dream. “I’d always cooked at home with my mother and grandmother and I always 22 MARCH 2022 - HOSPITALITY BUSINESS

wanted to be a chef so when I was 11 I chased down an apprenticeship in Henderson restaurant, Michael’s. Here he started out washing dishes before leaving school in the fifth form (Year 11) to get some cookery qualifications at AUT. Unfortunately, Matt’s grandfather died before he finished his course and the family moved to Wellington where he eventually got to complete his studies at Whitireia Polytech, aged around 17. Already a driven and ambitious young chef, Matt spent three or four years running a café-style kitchen on his own. “I had an attitude of not wanting to be told what to do and I liked the freedom,” he says. “Luckily I

had a boss who let me have it.” Matt was regularly serving 30 to 50 covers by himself off the boss’s menu back then. “You learn a lot doing things badly,” he says. His ambition was to own his own restaurant by the time he was 21. A stint owning a cafe in Wellington with his mum saw him learning a lot of lessons the hard way. “I realised I had a lot to learn so I headed to Auckland where I met my American wife, Barbara.” By Matt’s mid-20s they were off to the States where he worked at John’s Café in Barbara’s home patch of Connecticut initially where they saved for their wedding before heading to the big time in Manhattan.

CHEF OF THE MONTH Here Matt made his mark quite quickly, landing a job with AvroKO Design and its soon-to-be 1 Michelin star restaurant Public. “I’d been there eight months and was about to leave to go to my first Michelin star restaurant and we got one star so I stayed,” he says. There he remained as chef de cuisine until the urge to own that restaurant became too great. In 2013 at the tender age of 30 or 31 Matt launched his Kiwi Maori-inspired restaurant, The Musket Room, on the same street as Public. “I really liked the creative aspect of owning my own place. It’s less limited.” However, opening your first restaurant in The Big Apple is no mean feat for a Kiwi boy. “It was certainly the big time and pretty challenging. I was doing what I wanted to do, how I wanted to do it. People like it or not and they did,” says Matt, who describes his food as simple, honest and very intuitive, seasonally inspired. “My dishes were pretty technique heavy, using a lot of influence from New Zealand, highlighting New Zealand ingredients that landed in New York, providing they were good quality.” Gastro Bistronomy with Kiwi flavour Neo bistro was the catch phrase back then – the beginning of the gastro bistronomy era. “It was about stripping back the snobbery aspects of fine

dining, the fancy settings, white table tops and crystal and becoming food technicians using amazingly presented ingredients. People loved it.” It was a relatively new concept there back then. Dishes incorporated the likes of New Zealand Mountain River venison and Ora King Salmon. Matt became renowned for his own quirky, fine dining version of the Kiwi favourite, the humble pie. His pavlova was deconstructed and put back together as only a top chef could do, featuring passionfruit curd, whipped cream and fresh passionfruit. The venison dish rarely changed. When you’ve found a winner, why change? “I found the flavours of the botanical wheel of gins, like juniper, teamed well with venison.” Matt’s salmon is ever changing but his overarching theme is cured in salt, sugar and a citrus blend for 24 to 48 hours, lightly pasteurised and gently cooked at 60degC. “I’m pretty into presentation. I’m not very good at drawing and painting but I do like making food look very good.” The Americans just loved his concept with his whole tasting menu themed around Maori legend and story, ocean meeting land. “Over there it was paua not abalone, sea urchin not tuna.” It took just four short months for Matt and The Musket Room to earn a Michelin star. “Everything Michelin

wrote about me was New Zealand,” he says. With Rodd and Gunn providing good Kiwi uniforms for Matt and his American team, a strong relationship was brewing. He worked with Rodd and Gunn developing the menus for its two Lodge Bars (Queenstown and Auckland) for three or four years before the lure to head home last year became all too much. Matt, Barbara and their two sons, Pierce, 10, and Elvis, 5, packed up, after Matt and Barbara had spent 15 years living in the States, and returned home to Auckland in November. He’s now executive chef for The Lodge Bars nationally and loving it. “I really enjoy working with them. There’s a huge growth potential for the future,” he says. I’ve done a lot of cooking and running restaurants very successfully. “It’s time for the next level, overseeing venues, teaching and mentoring more cooks.” While the Covid crisis wasn’t the main reason he returned it was just time. Now 40, he’d earned a Michelin star, scooped American’s Rising Star Chef Award, the International Chef Award at the World’s Best Chef Awards – one he may have had a second go at if the borders were open. Not bad for an Auckland ‘Westie’. “It’s all been pretty sold. I’ve always relied on myself for inspiration. If you don’t love it don’t do it,” says Matt. n

“I really liked the creative aspect of owning my own place. It’s less limited.” – Matt Lambert

HOSPITALITY BUSINESS - MARCH 2022 23

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SUPREME SANDWICH SOUGHT

The Ultimate Toastie Taste Test

Search for NZ’s top toasted sandwich back for 2022

he Great NZ Toastie Takeover is back for a fifth year with organisers again on the hunt for the country’s supreme toasted sandwich. With free entry, the popular competition has gained momentum year on year, in 2021 attracting more than 120 entries and serving up a whopping 80,000 toasties over the duration of the search. While organisers Cook & Nelson and McClure’s Pickles have made some tweaks to the format, with previous entrants guaranteed re-entry, the competition remains open to all New Zealand eateries (to the first 200 entries), whether they’re cafes, bistros, hotel eateries, bars, pop ups or hole-inthe-wall nooks. Food truck entries are also welcome back in 2022 and will be judged on a designated weekend in May with the entrant required to provide exact date, time, and location details prior to the judging weekend. Other competition rules remain the same. Each toastie creation must be sandwiched between two slices of bread and able to be eaten by hand if necessary. The toasted sandwich must also contain cheese (or an acceptable vegan substitute) and pickles from the McClure’s Pickles range. Everything

else is up to the toastie maker’s imagination. Each entry must be on the establishment’s menu for the full duration of the competition (April 13 to June 22) and must be available to customers during lunch hours or dinner hours as detailed by the entrant. As in previous years, each toastie will be scored using set criteria. This includes presentation, effectiveness of preparation technique, eatability, taste, provenance and innovation. The People’s Choice Award will also return in 2022 giving Kiwis the power to vote for their favourite participating eatery and toastie. The eatery with the most votes from the public will take away this year’s People’s Choice Award. Head judge and restaurant reviewer Kerry Tyack and judge, author, and foodie personality Annabelle White have made it even easier for participants this year by creating a video loaded with tips to help entrants score the highest marks possible across the set criteria, revealing what they look for when judging each toasted sandwich. Entries close on March 31. Judging will then begin from April 13 with the competition finalists announced on June 22. The supreme winner will be revealed on July 27. A group of approximately 30 judges will be casting their eyes

(and taste buds) over this year’s entrants. Those judges will be split across the following regions, with two eateries from each area going through to the final: • Auckland / Northland (as far south as the Bombay hills) • Hamilton/Waikato, Thames/ Coromandel, Tauranga/Rotorua/BOP • Central – Taupō /Napier Central North Island, New Plymouth and Whanganui/Taranaki • Wellington Region – north to Wairarapa and Palmerston North and east to Gisborne • Nelson and Blenheim south to include Christchurch and West Coast as far south as Greymouth • Remainder of South Island to include Queenstown, Dunedin, and Invercargill All finalists will receive a case or pail of McClure’s pickles and $300 worth of dine-in vouchers which will be given away to locals via social media. The competition’s grand toastmaster and McClure’s Pickles founder Joe McClure will then visit the finalists to sample the entries and liaise with head judge Kerry Tyack to determine New Zealand’s top toastie for 2022. The supreme winner will walk away with a year’s worth of pickles, $500 worth of dine-in vouchers, a toastie trophy and, most importantly, bragging rights to the best toasted sandwich in the country. n HOSPITALITY BUSINESS - MARCH 2022 25

No Match for Huge Losses – We Deserve Better

By Restaurant Association of New Zealand CEO, Marisa Bidois

n February the finance minister, Grant Robertson, offered a new financial package aimed at helping the hospitality industry, but early feedback shows it will be no match for the huge losses that the hospitality sector is facing. The current trading environment is becoming increasingly dire for hospitality businesses. COVID levels in NZ are rising daily with a supposed peak imminent, and many people are choosing to self isolate to reduce the risk of catching the virus. My phone vibrates violently after every government announcement; especially those that change settings and see New Zealanders renew their sense of hesitancy about getting out and about and living life. The booking cancellations and drop in demand is devastating for the hospitality industry, which is already coping with accumulated losses from the past 18 months. • In January our members reported a 30 per cent drop in revenue. This figure has risen to 34 per cent in February. • In Feburary 51 per cent of respondents said their revenue was significantly less that January 2022. • In the past month 85 per cent of respondents have had to reduce business trading hours or days permanently due to covid induced staffing shortages. • In the past month almost half of our members have had to close the business on some days over the month due to ongoing staffing shortages. • In the past month 23 per cent have had to close the business temporarily as a result of a positive Covid case or because of isolating staff members In fact, this data may well understate the problem as it reflects the national average and downplays the devastation on venues in Auckland in particular, where Omicron cases are the highest.

Under the current two eligibility criteria whilst 54 per cent of respondents said they would be eligible for the latest financial package, 27% said they would not be and 19% remained unsure. One business owner described the situation has like supporting an athlete for 40 kilometres of a marathon and then leaving them in the final stretch. The announcement of the new financial package has shown that the Government at least has some understanding of just how hard this latest outbreak has been on us. However, early feedback is that while this is helpful it’s not going to touch the sides of the average losses being experienced across the industry. An industry that until covid hit was experiencing exponential growth and which is valued at $12 billion dollars per year, providing jobs for more than 180 thousand+ people. Quite simply, we deserve better than this. Over the last two years we have advocated relentlessly for better outcomes for our business. Here are some of the recent suggestions we’ve sent over to government ministers:

26 MARCH 2022 - HOSPITALITY BUSINESS

“In the past month 85 per cent of respondents have had to reduce business trading hours or days permanently due to covid induced staffing shortages.”

1. Revive the wage subsidy or other targeted support 2. Offer a one off COVID-19 resurgence support payment with the same benchmark of a 30% drop in revenue, 3. Facilitate commercial rent reductions 4. Extend the IRD interest-free and Government-backed loans schemes 5. Support councils to provide reductions of or flexibility in payment of bills for rates, licencing and administrative fees, as well as simplifying application processes. 6. Implement a voucher scheme to encourage patronage GDP figures are down, people are nervous to go out now Omicron is in our community – and we don’t see the current government messaging helping to combat this fear. The flow on effect of the choices being made now are going to be huge. Yet people want to dine out. Hospitality is an intrinsically important part of the fabric of our lives. We saw that last year when our businesses reopened and people flowed back into their favourite establishments. So if Kiwis care about their local restaurants, bars and cafes, why doesn’t our government? n

TECH TALK

2022 technology trends

What’s new and worth investing in this year. By Ken Burgin

t’s easy to be overwhelmed by new technology and shiny butterflies. COVID-19 restrictions have led to a massive take-up of new digital management and marketing options over the past two years. Change will not stop: make 2022 all about integration and getting more from the services you’ve invested in. Let’s look through the five pillars that support your business and see how to use the ‘tech stack’ more effectively. Productive staff There’s a great range of affordable rostering options and competition is growing — can your system provide predictive rostering based on sales figures? Is payroll integration easy? Employee record management is another helpful feature that assists with recruitment and onboarding. Online staff training gets new hires up to speed and improves everyone’s ability. The best systems include information on critical areas including safety and alcohol service. Menu and production Spreadsheet costing is so 2019, and there are a host of options for online recipe and menu management, catering management, ordering supplies and safety monitoring. If you’re using a delivery platform such as DoorDash or Uber Eats, are the orders feeding into the kitchen on the same screen

or do you need separate displays? Integrations are available and essential with volume. The paperless kitchen should be on the list for 2022. Chefs are embracing kitchen display systems which are already used by baristas. When supplies are ordered online, it should be easy to integrate orders with a menu management system and make stocktaking much more accurate. Expect the cost of automation and robotics to fall and become much more available.

Smart marketing It’s connected with the final pillar(customers). There are so many ways to connect with new and existing patrons through tailored email, text messaging and social media based on data from online orders, POS transactions and messages. Loyalty schemes are now much easier via apps that create solid relationships and reward positive behaviour. If your website provides essential information such as opening hours, location, social media handles and menus as well as tells the story behind your business, engagement will increase; plus Google and directory listings put you at the top of the list when people are searching.

“Online staff training gets new hires up to speed and improves everyone’s ability.”

Financial management In the new world of digital efficiency, profit and cashflow tracking is more accurate and instantly available. It starts with POS and bookkeeping. Sales data should be categorised and easy to view, with all information flowing directly to your bookkeeping system. An accounting chart of accounts that follows industry standards should be utilised to ensure cost percentages reflect reality and tax obligations are handled on time. EFTPOS payment systems are competitive, and standby credit is affordable. With payroll, COGS, operating costs and sales figures flowing into centralised bookkeeping, there’s no reason not to have an accurate dashboard of profitability and forecasts on your phone whenever you need it.

Happy customers Speed and trust are a priority for most people, with rapid replies, helpful information and positive reviews going a long way. With the prevalence of online services, is your phone system falling behind? Most customers find it easier to order through a platform, but some prefer to talk to a person, so it’s important to manage both equally. A great customer experience comes from the combination of these pillars. What’s first on your improvement list for 2022? n

HOSPITALITY BUSINESS - MARCH 2022 27

The EPOS partner that evolves with you has arrived in New Zealand

On-Premise - The Tevalis On-Premise layer consists of bespoke so�ware, which sits on our high-performing touchscreen �lls, self service kiosks, kitchen management systems and the latest in handheld ordering. Our On-Premise technology is specifically designed to allow businesses to operate efficiently and effec�vely, with technology that communicates live, up-to-the-minute data in place, you can expect to benefit from a robust system capable of transforming your business.

We understand that no two hospitality businesses operate the same. This is why our award winning reliable pla�orm gives you the founda�on to support your sales, stock and growth in an efficient and intui�ve way. With over a decade of experience, we’ve iden�fied that we’re not just an off-the shelf provider as we believe that through providing a technology ecosystem to your business, we can offer a range of technology that suits your exact requirements for now and the future.

Enterprise - Seamlessly integra�ng with the Tevalis On-Premise solu�ons, our cloud-based management applica�ons are developed fully in house. Each module has been designed to maximise eﬃciency when it comes to analysis and business management, ranging from business analy�cs and stock control, all the way to central management and customer Loyalty.

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Nestled in the inner city of Christchurch, Amazonita is by far the most eclec�c tropically inspired restaurant and bar around. Since the opening of their fourth venue, the team at Amazonita where due an EPOS upgrade from their incumbent supplier. When they met with our hospitality industry expert they discovered that they lacked back-oﬃce management capabili�es. For any mul�-site operator, it’s important to have a streamlined back-oﬃce management tool that can allow an operator to take control over all of their sites in minutes. Gone are the days of running to each site making menu, price group and EPOS changes, with our Centralised Management tool, the team at Amazonita are able to reduce their administra�on �mes allowing them to focus on the areas that really ma�er.

They have also chosen to install the very latest in high-performance touchscreen EPOS �lls, Handheld Ordering through our app TevX, Customer Loyalty solu�ons, and our Stock Control management tool. They also beneﬁt from high end integra�ons with Xero accoun�ng, NowBookIt for bookings and e-vouchers, and Mobile Ordering through ExtraOrder. Tim Swete, General Manager at Vieceli Hospitality tells us more on how they are beneﬁ�ng from our hospitality focused technology in their venue.

“Over the years I have tried most of the various POS systems available in NZ. We had been pretty happy with our last provider but decided to trial Tevalis at our new venue. Tevalis is intuitive for new staﬀ whilst providing enough grunt in the back end to keep the admin team happy. The support is great, however, the system is so stable we never seem to have to call them anymore. Less than three months after trialling Tevalis we switched all our venues over and have not regretted it.”

IN THE KITCHEN

Richard Wilson - The Glenorchy Café Queenstown born and raised chef Richard Wilson has been on quite a journey, making his life all the richer and his food all the better.

30 MARCH 2022 - HOSPITALITY BUSINESS

IN THE KITCHEN

However, an opportunity last year to take over management of Glenorchy Café in a renovated, possibly historic, house in the tiny township at the head of Lake Wakatipu was the perfect lure back into the kitchen. He was back in his happy place, following his passion for cooking, and for a while there while most other hospitality businesses were struggling business was booming for Richard. Unfortunately in January this year though, due to Covid border restrictions and the threat of Omicron nipping at New Zealand’s borders, Richard was forced to close the café for a while. The masses of Auckland and North Island visitors didn’t eventuate as operators had planned with many people travelling by car to summer holiday spots closer to home. “I will reassess the situation in six months or so but for now I’m better off getting a job. We have a baby on the way,” he says. He’s not about to overload himself with extra business pressure now that he’s got his health back. Richard recently married in November, he and his new wife, Alexandra, are expecting a baby in June. In spring last year she was forced to leave her job at Mrs. Woolly’s General Store just to help Richard as the café was so busy. They had locals knocking at the café door at 8 am and were pretty happy with how things were ticking along. However, Richard’s still counting his blessings with so many businesses struggling at present. Glenorchy’s main social hub, Bold Peak Lodge, also closed a while back so The Glenorchy Café had become a community gathering place for the locals. “The locals kept me going. I was only doing it for love, not money,” he says. There will be a hiatus from Richard’s sought after cakes and desserts in Glenorchy for now with Brioche Oreo Donuts, filled with vanilla mascarpone and chocolate and lemon, having been top pick from the locals. Richard’s own ordeal has an d seen him turn to natural health, da iry

drastically adjusting his diet. He’d become big on catering for any dietary requirement that was needed, having himself given up gluten because of the effect he found it was having on his body. “I always did lots of vegan, vegetarian, gluten and dairy free dishes,” he says. “People here are really diet conscious,” he says. It’s not like he’ll be resting on his laurels now that the café’s closed. Richard literally has his finger in quite a few pies. His new natural health bent has prompted him to get into regenerative agriculture, free of sprays and pesticides, farming near Glenorchy. He and sister Gemma Wilson are looking to run the family Birdlife Park in the future, and his ‘on the side’ contracting business is hugely busy, with cereal king Dick Hubbard one of his major clients recently. “I’m on Cloud Nine now and so healthy. I’ve been in remission for six or seven years now,” he says. “She’s been a roller coaster. It hasn’t been a walk in the park, but I’m here and loving it.” n

“I’m on Cloud Nine now and so healthy. I’ve been in remission for six or seven years now. She’s been a roller coaster. It hasn’t been a walk in the park, but I’m here and loving it.” - Chef Richard Wilson

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t just 28, Glenorchy chef and café operator Richard Wilson has overcome massive challenges, but his long, tough battle with cancer has only propelled him into an energetic new phase of long working weeks and a fresh zest for living. Qualified at 18, Richard took over the renowned Glenorchy Café, GYC, running it on behalf of the owners, Grant Treleaven and Carrie Whyte last year. It was his first foray back into hospitality and his passion for cooking after a hiatus of seven years, but in those first few short years of his chef’s career Richard packed a fair bit in. He’s a man who knows what he wants and is prepared to work for it. His career officially began at the tender age of 12, moving to tertiary work experience in Queenstown restaurants by 13, a move that’s unheard of. “I was just so keen,” recalls Richard. High school study periods were sometimes spent sneaking off down to Atlas Bar to do a few hours work. “I hated school,” he says. “I was never good at it.” He left school at 15 and shortly after won a competition, earning him free study through Otago Polytechnic. Richard then headed to Australia, notching up time training as a pastry chef at Jackson’s Restaurant in Perth – Western Australia’s second best restaurant at the time. “Mum and Dad took me to Perth for my 18th birthday and they spotted an ad in the paper for the job.” However, he admits that his 110-hour weeks in Perth were probably taking their toll. After a year Richard returned home to Queenstown, developing his creative culinary flair under the experts at the likes of former fine dining institution Gantley’s and five-star Matakarui Lodge. However, at just 19 he was suddenly diagnosed with stage four germ cell cancer, affecting his liver, kidney, lungs and testicles. “I had a 10cm long tumour wrapped around my aorta and spent my 19th, 20th and 21st years in hospital enduring nine rounds of chemotherapy,” he says. Specialist surgeons were flown south from Auckland to perform a 14-hour bone marrow transplant. Working with a local naturopath he began his healing journey, working for seven years outside at the Wilson family’s award-winning, iconic Queenstown tourist attraction, Kiwi Birdlife Park. “I’d worked such long hours in restaurants and I was over it and wanted to help the family,” he says.

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REGIONAL REPORT: PETONE

A COVID induced journey International Education in the Middle East to hospitality in New Zealand. By John Bishop

he Jefferson’s first experience And he worked at their café called of the hospitality business JJ’s Diner in Riyadh for three years, was running a café on where Julia says they were all thought the ground floor of their of as infidels. apartment building in Riyadh, Saudi So, says Julia, “once we were stuck Arabia while living there building an back here, investing in hospitality was international education business in the partly to give him something to do and Middle East. also something for us.” Now back in New Zealand, Grant Grant thinks of himself as a and Julia Jefferson own three hospitality project manager who has done lots of businesses in and around Wellington; entrepreneurial things. “He likes to the Village café in Martinborough, the look at processes and improve them,” Foundry bar and restaurant in Tory explains Julia. Street and the Queen on Jackson tavern Grant began his career as a and eatery in Petone. management consultant with Arthur Their entry into the hospitality Young and KPMG and was with the business was a combination of old DSIR. He had a stint working accidental timing and covid induced in Parliament in the mid-1980s as a necessity. Grant and Julia Jefferson had private secretary to the Minister of the spent 25 years in Bahrain and Saudi Environment (the late) Dr Ian Shearer Arabia building a private international in the Muldoon government. schools’ business. Julia trained and worked as a “We came to New Zealand for two primary school teacher and her months holiday in 2020 and then Covid background in education was vital for hit and we have been here ever since,” the setting up of the private schools says Julia. business which had up to 1600 fee Grant explained that their son paying students at a time.. Scott (the middle child of three) Back in New Zealand they “We simply was into hospitality. “He’d bought the Village Café in been a finalist in the first Martinborough in July 2020 won’t commit to MasterChef competition in and “we help out when we a fourth place until 2012, in the top 12 but he are short staffed. I’ve been things calm down a didn’t win. a dishie”, says Julia “and bit but we can do other I’m a trained barista. We things like opening the like it when we have to The Queen on roll our sleeves up.” café in Martinborough Jackson tavern Hospitality is a lot harder and eatery in in the evenings,” Petone. than they had thought. “Very – Julia Jefferson demanding,” says Grant. “To be a successful venue you need a lot of things to go right. Margins are often hard to work with.” Julia says the support of locals in Martinborough is vital through the week because the busy times are mainly at the weekends when out of towners, particularly from Wellington, come over the hill to their holiday homes or for a breakaway. “It’s the ladies who lunch, or who do coffee together regularly,” says Julia, who make a big difference mid-week. “We used to get international travellers,” says Grant, “but not now. We used to fill up midweek, but now Sunday is our biggest day.” 32 MARCH 2022 - HOSPITALITY BUSINESS

The Jefferson’s started The Foundry in Wellington’s Tory Street in August 2020 and are proud of their efforts, not least because, “we created this. It wasn’t an existing business.” The venue had previously been a Mexican place of no particular renown. It’s now a modern New Zealand Spanish style tapas bar and restaurant with sharing plates. “We rate it as the top end of the three venues we own,” says Julia. Grant says its “a lot more challenging to create something from scratch, to build a name, a reputation and an identity, and we have done that with the Foundry and done it at a time when foot traffic around Courtenay Place/Tory Street, (Wellington’s main entertainment area) has been dropping.” The Queen on Jackson, their third business in Jackson Street Petone was bought in October last year, and they have not made any significant changes to a successful business. Grant says the rooftop bar is very popular with the young crowd in Petone. “Right now,”, says Grant, “ business at our venues overall has not been good and we have had to put in our own funds to pay staff.” But they are confident and optimistic about the future. “We are interested in opening a fourth restaurant and have spent a lot of time looking at options.” The Jefferson’s business vehicle is a company called Epicurean. They are the shareholders and son Scott is the General Manager with the three venue managers reporting to him. “We simply won’t commit to a fourth place until things calm down a bit,” says Julia, “but we can do other things like opening the café in Martinborough in the evenings, and we have invested $50k to try and make that work. They have also introduced vegetarian and vegan dishes at all three venues and staff get to try all the dishes on the menu so that they know what they are selling and serving. Julia adds that “We are here for as long as it takes, whatever the changes in covid alert levels. We are lucky that we have the means to carry the businesses in tough times.” n

REGIONAL REPORT: PETONE Grant and Julia Jefferson own three hospitality businesses in and around Wellington.

HOSPITALITY BUSINESS - MARCH 2022 33

GUEST EDITORIAL

Find Build Sell How ADHD helped me build a $100 million dollar business in just seven years, by Stephen J Hunt

or many years I struggled with a debilitating condition called ADHD. For those not familiar with the condition, it manifests itself in a variety of ways including being disorganised, engaging in impulsive behaviour and becoming easily agitated. The trouble was, I didn’t know I had the condition until a few years ago. Once I was diagnosed, it helped me understand myself and why I had so much energy on some days, and so little on other days. Here’s a few tips on how I harnessed my energy to get things done and turned what many would consider a disability into an asset. 1. Create systems Everyone in the hospitality sector knows that we work on razor thin margins. As a result, I’ve learnt how to maximise every resource under my control to increase our profits. Having ADHD meant I needed to implement systems that would enable everyone to work efficiently and consistently without me overseeing everything and everyone. The systems I created that help keep things on track include: • Using real time data to drive decision making: You can’t make quick decisions unless you know exactly what’s going on in your business at every moment. Giving staff access to real time reports lets us know immediately what is selling and what isn’t, and what actions to take to maximise profits or minimise losses. • Creating dashboards: Putting that data into a format everyone can understand and utilise is critical. Our dashboards make our reports easy to read and simple to access which means they get looked at and actioned. • Efficient meeting protocols: Meetings are often a time waster so we have clear instructions on how they are run. Having a strict agenda, adhering to a timeframe, appointing a chair, assigning responsibilities and ensuring tasks get done are all part of that. • Conducting pre-mortems: Before we make any decision, we conduct a premortem. It’s a meeting with all relevant stakeholders that brainstorms and

predicts what may go wrong before it goes wrong. We then create a plan to mitigate the risk and look at the ‘worst case’ scenario so that if or when it happens it’s no surprise, we have plans in place and can act quickly. 2. Do your due diligence As an energetic, undiagnosed ADHD kid, my parents were forever telling me to ‘sit still’, ‘pay attention’, and ‘do your homework!’ If they could see me now, they’d be so pleased to know that I now excel at doing my homework. I just call it something else: due diligence, and whether you’re studying for school exams or buying a business, you need to do it. If you’re buying a business, or investing in one, it means asking for information about that business so that you can make an informed decision about whether you’ll buy or invest in it. Don’t move a muscle until you have a copy of their Information Memorandum of Business Plan. 3. Beware of unwarranted optimism It’s amazing how little research some business owners conduct before they enter into a major purchase. There’s a coffee shop near me that has changed hands around five times in five years, and every time it fails, a new operator comes in and opens up… a coffee shop! What haven’t they recognised? Unless they plan to do something extraordinarily different (they don’t) they can expect to get the same result (they do) which is to fail. These operators have an unwarranted sense of optimism about the future without instigating or installing any new structures or systems that would deliver a different outcome. (That’s why we always engage in a pre-mortem before we make any major decision.) 4. Have a meal with potential recruits A job interview across a desk rarely reveals a person’s character. Having a meal with them does. Eating is an activity that subconsciously reveals a great deal about a person. For example, I take note of how they use the cutlery. I don’t

34 MARCH 2022 - HOSPITALITY BUSINESS

personally care how they hold their knife or fork, but the way they use the cutlery tells me volumes about their education, upbringing, demographic and more. Having a meal also helps me observe how they interact with the people. For example, are they polite and respectful to the wait staff, or are they dismissive, aloof and cold? Do they make eye contact with others and smile, or do they keep to themselves and speak only when spoken to? Pubs are nothing if not about team work. Observing how someone interacts with others tells me how well they will operate when they join the team. Living with ADHD has not been all plain sailing. It is a life-long condition and still requires constant vigilance. Sometimes it’s just a matter of saying, ‘you know what, I’m having a bad day and I am not going to make any major decisions right now.’ But what I’ve learnt is that it’s not what happens to us, it’s how we deal with it. I’ve put in strategies that have helped me harness the wild swings in energy and minimise the downswings that inevitably follow. I hope the strategies I’ve put forward here help you benefit from my experience, so that you can grow your business and maximise the talents and energy that you have. n Stephen J. Hunt, author of Find. Build. Sell. (Wiley $29.95), is the founder of Hunt Hospitality and a leading publican with a portfolio of properties valued at over $100 million dollars.

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Let us help protect your investment. It takes a lot of people to bring LIVE sport into your venues with over 80 SKY staff working behind the scenes for the last home All Black Test alone. But that’s not a problem, that’s what we do – we buy great sporting content and deliver it to you and your punters. However, one of the biggest issues we both face is piracy. Think about it…is it fair that you pay for a full commercial SKY subscription while the bar down the road is stealing both SKY and your customers? If you want to know more about the work we do to prevent piracy or suspect that a business is showing SKY when they shouldn’t be, contact SKY Business on 0800 759 333 or piracy@sky.co.nz, anonymity guaranteed.

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Hospitality Business March 2022

Articles inside

Transforing The Bunker

CHEF OF THE MONTH