North Dunedin butcher Neville Eskrick (rear), who has spent
50 years in the butchery trade, with the new owner of his
North Rd, Dunedin, business Simon Tiefenbach. Photo by
Gregor Richardson.
After 50 years in the family butchery trade, North
Dunedin's Neville Eskrick has sold his business to someone who
also began his career at 15.
New owner Simon Tiefenbach (52), originally from Germany near
Stuttgart and the Black Forest, said his grandfather had been
a butcher and he undertook his apprenticeship at the same
butchery.
At 21 he got his master's qualification and was at that time
the "youngest master butcher in Germany".
In Germany he worked for large supermarket chains. He also
had a restaurant there for five years, so he knew about
cooking, he said.
Mr Tiefenbach has been in New Zealand for six years. He fell
in love with the country on a tourist visit.
Butchers were on the "most wanted" list for immigrants, at
the time, possibly due to many leaving for higher wages in
Australia.
After spending some time in Auckland, including brushing up
on his English at a language school, he came to Wanaka where
he worked within Wanaka Wholesale Mediterranean Market and
developed his own business, Deep Creek Delicatessen Corner
Ltd which has a mobile store.
A keen sausage and small goods maker, he won four medals and
a supreme award for his gourmet pork and fennel offering, at
last year's Great New Zealand Sausage competition.
Mr Tiefenbach said he had been looking for a challenge.
He was keen to retain the traditional side of the business
but develop the delicatessen side more.
He had found in Wanaka that many of the customers who sought
his European-style smallgoods were people who had travelled
overseas and he hoped to cater for those people and the "big
European community" in Dunedin.
Free-range chicken and pork will also feature in the store.
Mr Eskrick, who recently turned 65, is staying on with his
new boss until Christmas and will also do some part-time work
next year, taking over the chopping board full-time again
briefly when Mr Tiefenbach returns to Germany for a trip in
March.
He sheepishly admitted he had slept in on his first day with
Mr Tiefenbach and worried he might get the sack.
He was pleased the shop was continuing as a butchery as there
had been a butcher on the site since the 1880s.
There had been much interest in the business, as well as many
"dreamers".
The much-photographed shop window design, featuring the name
of Mr Eskrick's father Fred, will remain, although Mr
Tiefenbach will be trading under the Deep Creek Delicatessen
banner.
While he is often asked if the name is linked to any
particular Deep Creek, Mr Tiefenbach said it was formed from
his own name - tief being deep and bach meaning creek.
- elspeth.mclean@odt.co.nz
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