TALES OF THE CITY

Knife life

BY SASHA BORISSENKO PHOTOGRAPHY BY SANNE VAN GINKEL

DRINK Fruit Cru Pét nats MUSIC Andy Gartrell ACTIVITY

Te Papa HOLIDAY Queenstown

Hoon in the kitchen.

PET My girlfriend's chihuahua Buddy

Hailing from South Korea, Havana Bar head chef Eom Jae Hoon has always been obsessed with food. “I’ve always loved food – like lots of people – but I was curious and wanted to make the dishes I was having out and about at home, so I decided I would become a chef.”

When he was 16 he went into the kitchen of his favourite restaurant and asked whether he could have a job as a chef – he was told no, he couldn’t, he laughs.

But he approached kitchen after kitchen until he was given a job. He soon realised that for him, the best experience would be to work in as many different kitchens as possible rather than going to culinary school.

After making a career working in 10 fine-dining restaurants in Korea, Hoon decided several years ago to come to New Zealand to learn English.

“It was completely random. I wasn’t fussy as to where I went, but the more I looked into it I liked the sound of New Zealand. The melting pot of cultures appealed to me and I wanted somewhere that treated Korean people well.”

He had to choose between Auckland and Wellington, but with the big Asian population in Auckland, thought he would probably find himself hanging out with Koreans there. “I knew that to get my English up to scratch I should make as many non-Korean friends as possible. I jumped into the deep end.” So, Wellington.

He didn’t think he’d ever land a job as a chef again, but if he did, he wanted to ditch the fine dining in favour of a more casual set-up, he says.

“The experience was incredible, but making up to 10-course meals could be quite intense, and the work was really detail-oriented. I learned a lot, but I wanted more face-to-face interactions with customers.”

Put it this way, he says, while his favourite place to eat in Wellington is “hands down” the 10-course set menu from Jano Bistro on Willis Street, he equally loves the beef brisket at K C Cafe & Takeaway on Courtenay Place. In fact, if he had to choose a last meal he’d go for KFC, Korean barbeque, or traditional Korean noodles.

Contrary to popular belief, traditional Korean cuisine isn’t all about chicken, Hoon says. Take a Bibimbap, for example, where the six ingredients in the dish might be bland on their own, but when they’re mixed together the result is “amazing”.

“It’s like New Zealand, in a way. There are so many different ethnicities living here and the result is awesome.”

Now, a typical weekend for Hoon involves finishing in his head-chef role at Havana Bar at about 11pm on Friday. He’ll then wake up at 3am to make donuts with Porno Donuts co-owner Nikos Otis, before heading to the Lower Hutt markets. He might work the dinner service at Havana that night, and then he’ll wake up at 4am on Sunday to get the market donut set-up running again.

He works seven days a week but he wouldn’t change a thing, he says. He’s worked for Wellington’s Ascot and Amok eateries, and last year he was a finalist at the 2021 emerging chef awards in Wellington On A Plate.

This year, he’s got two pop-ups at Havana Bar as part of the food festival and he’s in the throes of setting up a Porno Donuts cafe on Willis Street. The plan is to open in mid-August, he says.

While he hopes to visit his family in Korea in the next two years, he’s content with being in New Zealand for good. He lives with his two favourite things – his girlfriend, and his set of knives, he jokes.

“I always tell my staff that you must treat your knives as if they’re your babies. Don’t ever drop them, and care for them like they’re your kids. I’d save them from a burning house, for sure.”

City of good taste – or Food central

A rising star in the foodie world and a powerhouse for food technology, education, innovation and entrepreneurship, Palmy is fast becoming a hub for all things food.

A TASTE OF P^LMY

Take a stroll through Palmy, and you’ll find an abundance of foodie delights all within just a few kilometres. From fine dining and gourmet indulgence to traditional dishes from around the world, you’ll never be far from a meal that suits your taste and budget. And you’ll find yourself spoilt for choice by the city’s diverse range of international fare. Embracing the diversity of 130 cultures, Palmy has restaurants and cafés specialising in Vietnamese, Indian, European, Chinese, Canadian, South African and a host of other cuisines. They cater for locals as well as people from further afield, many of whom treat them as a destination. Amayjen – The Restaurant was recently awarded one hat in the Cuisine Good Food Awards. It’s easy to see why chef/owner Andrew May was named Scottish Chef of the Year before he returned to his Manawatū hometown. He and his wife Jenni brought back the skills and experiences they earned on their extensive OE, and now apply them on Victoria Avenue from morning until night. The standards are high and only fresh ingredients will do, to sit alongside a carefully chosen wine list. Andrew has also been named a Beef + Lamb New Zealand ambassador for 2022-23, and Sous chef Jacob Aomarere-Poole recently won the Lee Kum Kee NZ developing chefs award. For South African cuisine, head to Little Savanna. Jamie Holmes, General Manager of the high-end casual restaurant, says its South African cuisine, flame grilled and gourmet dishes, such as locally sourced ostrich fillets when in season, set it apart from most other restaurants. The uniqueness draws regular patrons from outside the region, such as from Wellington and Hawke’s Bay. Canadian locals and out-of-towners alike love the taste of home prepared at Palmy’s Beaver & Bear restaurant and food truck, owned by Blair and Brooke Argyle. “They come to get a taste of North America,” Blair says, adding that many non-Canadians have embraced the concept as well. Local producers also benefit from the business. “Sourcing local produce is important, and we’ll promote that more in the future.” Keeping it fresh A short drive from the city centre, at weekends and on some weekdays, locals sell their ware at charming markets. Fresh food, such as vegetables, cheeses and salamis, and homemade produce tempt tastebuds, provide restaurant and café owners with local ingredients, and help growers and other food providers flourish. Palash Saha, chef and owner of Dejeuner Restaurant & Bar, which specialises in European cuisine with a Kiwi-style twist, regularly sources quality produce from the local Farmers’ Market. Keen to support the food sector, he says today’s restaurants must serve consistently good quality. “There’s lots of competition in our small city, so restaurants need to produce fresh, consistently great food. That’s our main objective, whether people want a quick meal or a full dining experience,” he says. Palmerston North City Mayor Grant Smith says Palmy’s growing reputation as a food hub is well-earned. “We’re rich in culture – and that lends itself to amazing food experiences for locals and visitors. As well from the farmgate to plate, along with food growing and manufacturing, logistics and food distribution, we have Massey University and other large food science organisations that provide food innovation for our region, for New Zealand as a whole, and to the world.” For innovation with more of an on-the-street flavour, be sure to visit palmynz.co.nz or head to the Palmerston North i-SITE to pick up your Palmy food guide. The idea is that diners will use the map to find their way to various locations for a progressive dinner evening.

Helping hospo defy the odds

Of all the industries to get pummelled by the pandemic,

hospitality is pretty much top of the list. So when a new

startup designed and built specifically for hospo emerged

just as the pandemic hit, it seemed like unfortunate timing.

As it turns out, the timing couldn’t have been better. The

app, called Upstock, helped hospo all across NZ slash

costs, avoid expensive mistakes, plus it gave owners and

staff the ability to work remotely. It provided sanity and

relief at a completely insane time.

Mind you, Upstock is no typical ordering app. Most

people don’t even know it exists. That’s because it’s only

used by staff – front and back of house use it to order

all their wholesale supplies – all the ingredients: the eggs,

milk, bread, coffee, booze, even cups and containers.

Your favourite café most likely uses it. Just ask Squirrel,

Swimsuit, Aro Café, Prefab, Good Fortune, all the Mojos. And your favourite restaurants. WBC, Amok, Chow,

Shed 5, all the Best Ugly Bagels. And your favourite bars.

The Library, Bebemos, Waitoa, Lovebite, Thistle Inn, Boneface.

In fact, we’d have to name over 9,000 places across the

country to get through the full list.

It’s not just hospo, either. Plenty of your favourite grocery

markets are using it too. Moore Wilson, Ontrays, Forage,

heaps of Four Squares. Ok, right – you get the idea.

The point is, when hospo was hurting, digital tech provided a

critical survival tool. Which all of us can be extremely grateful

for. More great news for hospo – Upstock is completely free

– so you really can’t do better than that. The app is designed

and built by the team who made Xero, so it’s no wonder it’s

having such a big impact and it’s so popular.

You can check it out at www.upstock.app