The Cromwell woman's range of vinegars, pickles and biscuits earned a highly commended award at this year's Farmers Markets Awards held late last month in Lyttelton.
The products were marketed under the name Gertz Larder, which was a homage to her childhood, she said.
''Dad used to call me Gertz or boy when I was a kid,'' Mrs Rogers said.
''When I got older I used to hate the name Gertz with a passion. But when it came time to get into what I wanted to do, Gertz stuck. And there's not going to be half a dozen of those names going around.''
Her passion for cooking was being stirred around the same time by Julia Child and Graham Kerr's television shows.
''I was glued to it,'' Mrs Rogers said. ''I just loved it. I couldn't stop watching. They fascinated me ... and it just planted the seed for me.''
She honed her culinary technique in the kitchens of Gibbston Valley Winery, the Golden Gate Lodge and Fusee Rogue, before she started producing her own products in 2008.
She made her products to reflect the flavours of Central Otago, she said.
''I love the region and it's so plentiful,'' Mrs Rogers said.
''It's not all about me, it's about other people and what they are doing. And if I can incorporate it into my business ... it's great.''
Using Central Otago cherries, crab apples, honey and pears to make the products, she aimed to keep flavours simple and notable, ''just trying to enhance it and preserve it'', she said.
The judges at the awards said when they tasted her products they ''taste, smell and could be on the hills of Central Otago''.
- by Timothy Brown
