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20 <strong>Style</strong> | Feature Viva la South Island One of New Zealand’s top chefs, Ben Bayly has a soft spot for Central Otago and dreams of moving south one day. In the meantime, he’s opened a second Italian-inspired foodie hotspot in Arrowtown. Words Rebecca Fox The ability to easily connect with the land in Central Otago is a huge part of top chef Ben Bayly’s attraction to the area, which could see him opening a southern version of his new award-winning restaurant. Ben owns Ahi in Auckland, which was named the Cuisine Good Food Awards’ metropolitan restaurant of the year. He is also co-owner of Aosta in Arrowtown, which earned one hat in the Cuisine awards, and its new sibling, Little Aosta. His time in Arrowtown and Queenstown overseeing Aosta has opened his eyes to the bounty of the region. “I love coming down to Central. I always wanted to do something down there.” Waikato born and raised and a “massive ambassador” for Auckland, Ben, a father of three and a former My Kitchen Rules New Zealand judge, says a time will come when he does not need the “hustle and bustle” of life in the big city and the South will beckon, probably within the next 10 years. “We don’t realise as North Islanders how amazing the South Island is. It’s such an incredible place. It’s easier to connect with the land.”
<strong>Style</strong> | Feature 21 His family spends as much time as possible in the South, and they have a week-long holiday in Fiordland coming up. “I’ve got a love affair with the place. I lived overseas for 10 years, travelled France, Italy, the United Kingdom, America and Australia. I got to know all these other countries except my own. “Now I’m wondering, ‘What makes New Zealand food great? What is New Zealand food?’. “What better way to explore that than to connect with the deep South, especially; and then you’ve got the wine too. It’s world-class.” Ben, who also runs family restaurant The Grounds located in the Waitākere Ranges, west of Auckland, does not rule out opening an Ahi in the South, showcasing New Zealand food with the ingredients from the South. The idea was Ahi in Auckland would focus on ingredients of the North Island, while a possibly Queenstown-based Ahi would work with the produce of the South Island. “The oceans are very different in both islands. We are such a long country and as you go further south the ocean changes a lot and so there is a real opportunity for the Ahi brand to explore that.” However, opening Ahi in Auckland in the middle of a pandemic – it opened just after the first Covid-19 lockdown – and then facing subsequent lockdowns meant Ben is having to concentrate on that restaurant in the short term. “We’ve got quite a bit of work to do here. We’ve just won best metropolitan restaurant and are just starting our own organic garden and getting our systems right. “If we are going to expand the Ahi offering I want to make sure we nail it.” Having a restaurant garden has required a steep learning curve in. Ben had the chance to take over the lease of a garden from a supplier and could not resist. “It’s been a dream. In our second lockdown we spent all our time in the garden out there and got it cranked up.” It requires new ways of thinking about produce for the restaurant, especially since it is a 50-minute drive away. Thinking six months ahead for when and what to plant, ordering seeds and how to use the inevitable glut of vegetables has become the norm. “If we have a massive glut of kohlrabi we juice it, make sauerkraut, preserve it – nothing is thrown away. “It is a different mindset, not just around the creative process but truly cooking with the seasons, connected to the land and getting your hands dirty. “It’s a change of behaviour for the better but you don’t realise how hard it is until you start doing it. But now we are getting the direct benefit of it.” Being able to pull vegetables out of the ground, brush the dirt off and serve them that night outweighed any difficulties such as dealing with pesky pests, including slugs, rats and rabbits, attacking the plants. “We’re trying to make New Zealand food the best we can.” The garden has proved to be a life-saver, even taking into consideration the wage and material costs associated with growing the vegetables, as the rest of the restaurant industry grapples with skyrocketing produce prices. Aosta and Little Aosta also have that direct connection with the land – by supporting local food growers and producers and with staff foraging for ingredients such as pine mushrooms and watercress. ABOVE AND OPPOSITE: Ben Bayly’s latest southern venture Little Aosta utilises wood fire cooking. Photos: Sam Stewart
Page 1 and 2: The south island lifestyle magazine
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Style: May 06, 2022

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