As a teenager I worked at Pizza Hut part time, I disliked school and didn’t want to finish my final year. I’d enjoyed working with food at Pizza Hut, so decided to become a chef so I could work nights and focus on becoming a professional skateboarder during the day. Obviously one career took off more than the other!
I like to showcase the best quality organic, local & heirloom produce that is available. I like to prepare dishes that showcase one main ingredient.
Anything local that has an interesting story or provenance. New Zealand does not have a defined cuisine but we make up for that with the amazing produce and variety of ingredients that are produced on our doorstep.
My cuisine is characterised by the quality of the produce we use, as well as the support I provide to the local Central Otago farmers and producers.
I think it’s important to share the importance of quality ingredients, sustainability and provenance of the produce with both our younger chefs and also our wider Food and Beverage team.
You can’t go wrong with roast chicken and a simple green salad. This is my favourite Sunday meal.