I was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but grew up near Lake Taupō in the central North Island. It was here that I learned to fly fish on the world-famous dry fly waters of the Waitahanui River and the rivers feeding Lake Taupō. My father catered for the single men’s camps in the timber industry, providing meals for over a thousand workers from the Pacific Islands who were employed in forestry and at the Kinleith pulp and paper mill. This was my first experience with large-scale catering. The menu was basic—mostly meat and three vegetables, typical of New Zealand’s culinary scene in the 1970s.
Sunday dinner was a family affair for us. We would either enjoy the buffet at the Wairakei Resort or indulge in à la carte dining at my father’s friend’s restaurant, Echo Cliff, on the Taupō waterfront. Prawn cocktails, beef schnitzel, and peach melba—it was the height of sophistication back then, and we had to dress up for the occasion.
