It all started because two wives in Nelson became good friends pretty quickly, and they ended up introducing their chef husbands to each other.
What started as an order for bagels for a charity event from Volker Marecek to Swiss-born Mark Schmid has developed into an incredible partnership in the kitchens of the Rutherford Hotel in Nelson.
In three months, both chefs have become a positive influence on the menu as well as the kitchen staff. And both have their own different sets of skills that complement each other.
Originally from Germany, Volker Marereck has worked at The Savoy in London, the Berkeley Court Hotel in Dublin, and spent more than 16 years at Cordis Auckland, where he led a 60-strong team and catered major banqueting events for more than 500 guests. He says he’s loving the pace in Nelson, along with the top-quality locally sourced food and wine.
Mark spent many years running his own food businesses and is especially creative when it comes to desserts. I got to sample one at last week’s dinner celebrating Oceano’s new menu — dark chocolate sorbet served in ladies’ fingers with his own gorse flower wine.
Volker says it’s hugely important to work with someone who shares the same attitude to work and creativity.
Together, they want to give both Nelson locals and visitors the chance to enjoy the best of what Nelson has to offer, in a fresh and inventive way.
“It might take a while for some locals to warm to dishes like Coastal Seafood Weisswurst with a warm pretzel bun and apple kraut, but the dish shows off local ingredients beautifully, just in a different way.”