Rebecca Fox talks to Otago private chefs Thomas Barta, Alex Southwick, Gabrielle Lind and Rebecca Hendriks about the ups and downs of serving the rich, the famous and the everyday person.
Whether it’s serving a barbecue on top of a waterfall, catering for private jets, cooking for Sir David and Victoria, Lady Beckham or plating up in the middle of a field without power in the rain, Otago private chefs have some great stories.
They also highlight how the job can provide glamorous experiences but, as Queenstown chef Rebecca Hendriks says, it can also be a very unglamorous job.
A high-end luxury chef for 23 years, she recounts making sourdough and a birthday cake in a "brutal" storm with 85 knot winds off the coast of Italy on one job and being asked to pluck and cook a bird a guest shot off the aft deck of a yacht on another.
"I have done some brutal Atlantic ocean crossings with many burns and bruises as souvenirs."
On the other hand she and fellow Otago private chefs Thomas Barta, Alex Southwick and Gabrielle Lind have met many famous people — singers, actors, models, politicians, royalty, influencers — most they cannot talk about as privacy is very important to many of them.
"It’s definitely glamorous as you’re working in some amazing houses, but it’s very hard work," Queenstown’s Southwick says.
Barta, an ex-Botswana Butchery chef, who is also based in Queenstown, says he has cooked for Sir David and Victoria, Lady Beckham, who were "incredibly down to earth" and the prime minister, but for him it is not those moments which define the job.
"Whether it’s a well-known guest or a family celebrating something personal, the responsibility is the same — to deliver a seamless experience and make people feel comfortable in their own space."
Hendriks says people are just people.
"I’m very chilled. So, I guess that’s why this suits, as clients feel comfortable around me."
Cromwell-based Lind, who cooked for Sir Peter Jackson and much of the cast of The Lord of the Rings when working in Te Anau, says the private chef concept is still quite new for many New Zealanders.
"The private chef side of the business is growing quickly as more people get comfortable with this style of service. It’s not something a lot have experienced before. The idea of someone coming into the kitchen and taking care of you is foreign to Kiwis but as more people want a more relaxed but refined experience this is getting busier."
The job can mean one night they are cooking a refined five-course degustation, another night a relaxed family shared feast, or a cooking class or a small celebration.
Like any job it comes with its challenges. Southwick, who is seven months in to being a private chef, says the public perception of what food costs is one.
"I get requests for dinner that are just not financially feasible from my side as the client is not willing to pay the premium for a private chef to come cook for them in their own home."
Lind tries to offset some of the high cost of food by growing or making her own.
"Seasonality can be a challenge when doing this, for example, this summer has been cool so my tomatoes are really slow so relying on the home garden means sometimes I need to buy in."
For Barta, timing and logistics are big challenges as he ensures everything runs seamlessly in unfamiliar kitchens, often with limited space and equipment.
"Preparation and organisation are critical, once service begins, there’s no room for error and the experience needs to feel effortless for the guests."
There is also the unpredictability of the business, requiring the chefs to often have a sideline to fill the gaps especially in shoulder seasons. It also often means working holidays. However, most like the freedom it provides.
Hendricks says it provides a much better work-life balance.
Barta says as they are essentially running their own business it comes with its own pressures.
"You don’t have a large team to lean on and you’re responsible for everything. Balance comes from intention and structure. I plan my schedule carefully, stay disciplined with preparation and make time for train, recovery and being outdoors, which is important to me."
For Southwick it means they are the entertainer, dishwasher, glass polisher, cook and server all in one. That means aside from being a good cook, they need to be organised, professional, a good communicator and adaptable.
"Every home, kitchen and group is different and being able to read a room and adjust on the fly is crucial. Equally important are hospitality skills, making people feel relaxed, welcome and genuinely looked after."
Lind also adds perseverance and general "pig-headedness" come in handy as well.
"Chef-ing isn’t the dream job we see in the movies a lot of the time. It’s stressful, sometimes unnecessarily so, [requires] long hours, unsociable hours, [and] the pay isn’t great. The hospitality industry takes a special sort of person. You have to have a real love of service."
But despite the downsides, Lind says she has had a lot of fun and great experiences along the way, as well as meeting some great people.
"Cooking for 15 people in a back country hut with only two burners and limited fresh ingredients — I still made it work and even managed to bake a birthday cake."
When it comes to jobs that stand out, Barta discovered while working in Ashley, Scotland during woodcock season how different food traditions can be.
"The locals loved the birds roasted whole, with the intestines left inside, something that is considered a delicacy there."
More recently he has prepared a traditional Chinese breakfast of congee, century eggs and youtiao for guests visiting from Sydney.
"It’s not something I cook every day and I knew expectations would be high. Both experiences were challenging in different ways, but that’s part of the job. A good chef adapts, respects tradition and delivers."
Favourite things
What is essential in a private chef’s kitchen?
Alex Southwick
Ingredient: white balsamic vinegar and a good olive oil.
Kitchen tool: Thermomix and my metal spike for checking done-ness of ingredients.
Gabrielle Lind
Ingredient: good olive oil, flaky salt (only to finish), lemons, fresh herbs, garlic and crispy chilli oil (I put it on everything I eat).
Kitchen tool: my chopping board. My brother made me two beautiful, thick, mixed-timber boards that go to every job with me.
Rebecca Hendricks
Ingredient: good-quality sea salt. Considerately seasoned food is so missing in the restaurant scene.
Kitchen tool: I have so many, but an electric pasta machine is where it’s at. Too posh to hand-wind these days.
Thomas Barta
Ingredient: love and salt. Genuine care and proper seasoning are everything.
Kitchen tool: a temperature probe. Understanding heat is fundamental to great cooking.
Rebecca Hendriks
Rebecca Hendriks fell into cooking.
Despite working in hospitality since she was a teen and growing up on a farm with the Waitakere Ranges and then the North Shore with a father in the restaurant business, she studied graphic design, just using hospitality to help fund her studies.
"I hung around there and would learn by watching my dad cook. I also baked a lot with my grandmother. So I quickly fell in love with it and how food connects people. I grew up mainly with my mum and she didn’t like to cook, so I cooked at home for us from a very early age."
She always thought chefs were so "stressed and intense" so she worked in front-of-house, even managing a 300-seat restaurant in Takapuna when she was 18. Then travel called and she began stewardessing on yachts.
"During my second season, the chef and captain couple were fired and I was asked to cook for the crew and fill in. After a few weeks of doing so and a boss trip, I was promoted to chef and my wages were doubled and therein began my self-taught chef career on yachts. I certainly did not search it out: it found me."
Over the years she has worked in a Michelin-starred restaurant in the Netherlands, hatted restaurants in Sydney and as a food stylist for commercials and online content. In Sydney she worked privately in clients’ homes as their fulltime private chef.
She later studied fashion design and worked as a fashion stylist before moving into food styling which led her to writing recipes for Australian Women’s Weekly and its various magazines and books.
"I also did a short series for [Australian author and cook] Donna Hay."
Along the way she studied integrative nutrition and reiki. "So these things certainly show up in how I love to nourish others."
She was lucky to be observed working by chef trainers on a boutique cruise ship and given her commercial cookery certificate and hospitality diplomas as recognised prior learning.
Hendriks enjoys being a private chef as it allows her to connect with clients personally in a relaxed setting.
"Restaurant kitchens are an intense place. I prefer a more relaxed environment. I love working for myself and the sovereignty that brings."
On a daily basis the job involves designing new menus, testing recipes and being creative, while managing the administration side.
"When I have events I am planning the event flow, hand picking staff, procuring delicious provisions and prepping. I love doing the table styling: I like choosing the table settings that will match the client’s space."
She describes her cooking style as varied.
"I love variety. It’s the spice of life, so I don’t stick to any one thing. But I do love a good brunch — fusion style bougie brunch is the best."
While she has had many amazing experiences, she rates working for a client who had an apartment over the chicane of the Monaco Grand Prix as a highlight. Once she had finished up lunch service she was handed some earmuffs and a bottle of champagne and joined the guests to watch the Monaco Grand Prix from their balcony.
"That was a fun party."
Prosciutto dippy eggs
Serves 4
Prep & cook time 20min
Ingredients
2 heaped Tbsp pistachios
2 Turkish style rolls
80g cream cheese
¼ tsp dried chilli
¼ tsp smoked paprika
Zest of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp crispy shallots
16 slices of prosciutto or parma ham
8 large eggs
Method
Heat the oven to 200°C fan-forced or 220°C bake. Toast pistachios for 4 mins or until golden. Roughly chop and set aside.
Cut rolls in half, crossways. Smear cream cheese evenly over each half, then evenly sprinkle chilli, paprika, lemon zest, shallots and pistachios, pressing everything down flat with the palm of your hand into the bread.
Cut each piece of bread into 4 fingers each. Place a piece of prosciutto over each finger and wrap it around then squeeze the finger tight to make sure the prosciutto is well-attached. Put all your fingers on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Set aside.
Fill a medium sized saucepan ¾ full with water and bring to a boil. Add eggs, cook for 4½ mins if they are from the fridge or 3-3½ mins from room temperature for a large-size egg. If you prefer your eggs more well done, increase time accordingly. If your eggs are smaller than size 7/large adjust your time by 30 seconds for each size.
While your eggs are cooking, cook your prosciutto fingers for 7 mins in the oven, or until golden.
To serve, place your eggs into egg cups and cut the tops off, season with sea salt, served alongside your prosciutto toasts, enjoy immediately.
Tips
• To get your perfect egg time, you can test one egg so you know exactly how long you cook them for with my method. Bear in mind that the boiling rate or size of the egg all contribute to its cooking time.
• For a vege option, omit the prosciutto and wrap the toasts in seasoned carrot ribbons. Also, any nut or seed works well here for the nutty crunch, use whatever is in your pantry.
• You can find crispy shallots in your local Asian grocery or supermarket Asian section. You can use onion flakes or powder instead if you have some in your pantry.
Thomas Barta
Hospitality runs deep in Thomas Barta’s family.
Originally from Hungary, Barta grew up in his father’s fish restaurant surrounded by food and people.
"When I was young, my father told me that if I wanted to become a great chef, I needed to learn from great chefs, so he encouraged me to leave home and find my own path. That decision took me to Europe and shaped not only my career, but how I think about food and hospitality today."
He trained in Italy where he completed his culinary apprenticeship at 17 and worked in Germany, Bristol, London and Scotland before he moved to New Zealand in 2011, first living in Auckland before moving to Queenstown where he worked at Botswana Butchery and opening White+Wongs.
"At the end of my apprenticeship, my head chef took me to a Michelin-starred restaurant as a thank-you. Coming from Eastern Europe, it was my first real exposure to fine dining at that level. I was completely blown away, the precision, the service, the atmosphere, and the food.
"That moment made me fall in love with cooking and set a clear goal for myself."
Years later, that goal became reality when he worked at Gordon Ramsay’s one-Michelin-star restaurant at Claridge’s in London.
"It was intense, long shifts, absolute standards, no shortcuts, and it was there that I learned the importance of discipline, consistency, repetition and respect for ingredients. Those lessons shaped my work ethic and the chef I am today."
A significant milestone in New Zealand was earning his first Cuisine Good Food Guide hat in New Zealand as a head chef and then he was recognised for Best New Zealand Salmon Dish in 2015, celebrating restraint, technique, and respect for ingredients, "values that still sit at the core of how I cook today".
"It was a real reward for years of dedication and, importantly, for the team I led. Recognition like that is always shared, and it meant a great deal to see the collective effort acknowledged."
But after many years leading large teams in high-pressure restaurant environments, sometimes managing teams of 30 chefs, he realised he was always cooking behind closed doors.
"Private cheffing allows me to be fully present with the people I’m cooking for. For me, it isn’t about performing, it’s about creating a sense of ease and generosity around the table. Guests can relax, connect and enjoy the evening while everything is quietly taken care of. There’s something special about watching a table relax, talk and laugh as the food arrives: that’s when I know I’ve done my job."
He enjoys the freedom and creativity he has now.
"Having autonomy and balance is important to me, and I now choose work that lets me cook at a high level while maintaining that balance."
Citrus-cured king salmon with horseradish, beetroot and ginger-soy reduction
I like dishes that feel clean and deliberate, where each element has a purpose rather than competing for attention. This citrus-cured king salmon is about balance: gentle sweetness and acidity from the cure, earthy baby beetroot for depth, and a sharp horseradish mayonnaise to cut through the richness. A small cucumber and apple salad keeps everything fresh, while a ginger-lime soy reduction adds warmth and umami. The finishing touch is a light tapioca crisp, which brings height and a delicate crunch, contrasting the soft, cured fish and tying the plate together without overpowering it.
Ingredients
300g skinless king salmon
150g rock salt
150g brown sugar
1 orange, zest
1 lemon, zest and juice
Fine sea salt, to finish
Olive oil, to finish
Beetroot
200g baby beetroot
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2-3 sprigs thyme
30ml red wine
20ml red wine vinegar
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Salad
100g cucumber, peeled and deseeded
½ green apple, peeled
1-2 Tbsp mint, finely chopped
15ml white wine vinegar
30ml olive oil
Salt and white pepper
Ginger soy reduction
150ml soy sauce
2-3 Tbsp sugar
30ml rice vinegar
Thumb ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
Lime juice to taste
Mayonnaise
120g good-quality mayonnaise
2-3 Tbsp horseradish cream
1 lemon juiced and zest to taste
Tapioca crisp
60g tapioca
1.2L salted water
1 tsp squid ink (optional)
1 sheet nori
Neutral oil for frying
Method
Cure skinless king salmon in a 50/50 mix of rock salt and brown sugar, combined with orange and lemon zest, for 4-5 hours at room temperature. Rinse thoroughly, pat dry, then slice into neat 75g portions, about 1cm-1.5cm thick.
Cook baby beetroot in salted water with a brown sugar, thyme, red wine and red wine vinegar until just tender, still holding their shape. Peel, slice and season with olive oil and lemon juice.
Prepare a fresh cucumber and apple salad by finely dicing peeled cucumber and green apple, then dressing lightly with mint, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Reduce soy sauce, sugar and rice vinegar with ginger and garlic until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Cool, then balance with lime juice.
Mix horseradish cream with good-quality mayonnaise, lemon juice and lemon zest.
For the tapioca crisp, cook tapioca in salted water until tender. Stir in optional squid ink and crushed nori, spread thinly on baking paper and dry overnight at 60°C-70°C until completely dehydrated. Fry briefly in 220°C oil until puffed and crisp, then season lightly. Alternatively, thin baguette crostini work well.
To serve, lightly season the salmon with sea salt, olive oil and a touch of lemon juice. Place centrally on the plate, arrange beetroot around, dot with horseradish mayonnaise, spoon the cucumber salad over the salmon and finish with the ginger–soy reduction and a crisp tapioca cracker.
Alex( Alexander) Southwick
Sitting on the kitchen bench mixing cakes with his mum and rolling pasta with his dad are some of Alex Southwick’s earliest memories.
"My family are avid foodies. My late grandad was a chef in the army, my mother a trained Le Cordon Bleu cook and my dad is a great home cook. So to say the least it’s definitely in the blood."
Feeling he had been cooking his whole life, when he left school at 16, cheffing seemed the natural career for him.
"Cooking is what I love doing the most and it comes naturally to me. Being dyslexic I thrived in practical tasks and cooking came naturally."
Southwick trained at Sky City in Auckland, moving every few months between the restaurants there such as The Sugar Club and Depot before moving down to Glenorchy to work at luxury lodge Blanket Bay.
"This is where I really started to thrive and build my foundation in cookery."
After the pandemic he moved to Amisfield restaurant where he worked for just under a year before moving back home to Auckland to take his first head chef role at the age of 21 at Bar Celeste, gaining it a place in the top five restaurants in the Metro Awards.
In 2022 he moved to a Sidart restaurant as sous chef with owner Lesley Chandra.
"This is where I really grew and found my style of food and built confidence in the kitchen.
"In late 2022 I moved back down to Queenstown and took the head chef role at Aosta for a short stint before moving to the Dishery in Arrowtown as the head chef and ran it for 18 months before taking the role as executive chef at The Hills Golf club."
Last year, realising he loves looking after and cooking for small intimate groups of people, he left The Hills to run his own business as a private chef.
"Cooking food at a high level and working for myself — I love the connection with the clients, being one-on-one with them. When I do a longer booking I really get to know them on a personal level and end up becoming mates with them and keeping in touch."
He describes his food style as "simple elegance".
He makes "the produce shine and having punchy flavours that accompany them perfectly".
"I like fine dining but without the pretentious factor to it. Kiwi hospitality at the highest level but in an approachable way."
Butterfish with plum sabayon
Makes 10 portions
Plum Sabayon
4 eggs
220g Black Doris plum puree
14g salt
0.5g xanthan gum
90g unsalted butter
100g plum vinegar or sherry vinegar
Combine everything but the butter in a Thermomix. Set to 80°C speed 4 for 10 minutes. At the 1 minute mark slowly add the cold diced butter. Or whisk it in a bowl over simmering water until light and fluffy, then add the butter being careful not to scramble the eggs. Adjust seasoning if needed. Transfer to a ISI gun, if you have one and double charge.
Butterfish
5x whole butterfish
Salt
100g butter
Fillet fish, keeping skin on and removing scales. Season fish heavily with flaky salt and dry brine for 30 minutes. Pat dry. Heat a heavy bottom pan with a small amount of oil. Cook fish skin side down till golden. Add butter to the pan and baste lightly to cook the top of the fish. Rest.
Pickled butternut
100g white wine vinegar
50g sugar
100g water
1 butternut thinly sliced with Japanese mandolin
Combine sugar, water and vinegar. Bring to a boil. Pour over sliced butternut
Smoked Diamond shell clams
30 diamond shell clams
Manuka wood chips.
Place wood chips in the base of a pan. Place a steamer tray on top of the wood chips. Place the clams in the tray and cover tightly. Place pan on gas hob. Smoke till clams just open. Cool quickly. Re-heat clams in white wine and butter to serve.
Wilted rocket
200g rocket
Lemon
Salt
Olive oil
Clean rocket, saute in a pan until wilted, season with lemon and salt.
Soy pumpkin seeds
200g pumpkin seeds
50g white soy
Combine well. Bake at 160°C till golden. Cool
Silver beet shard
1 bunch silver beet
50g olive oil
50g white soy
Pick silver beet stem. Brush with oil and soy mix. Dehydrate at 60°C till crispy (overnight) store in and air tight container.
To plate
Add a spoonful of the plum sabayon on a curve on the plate. Place a bed of the wilted rocket on to the plate in a line, place the butterfish skin side up on top. Arrange the clams around the fish. Drape the butternut over top. Scatter the pumpkin seeds. Place silver beet shard on top. Place the sauce on the plate and serve.
Gabrielle Lind
Gabriellle Lind thought becoming a chef would be the best way to see the world.
Having grown up in the Catlins and Stewart Island and attending boarding school in Invercargill — her father worked for the Department of Conservation — she was used to moving and being adaptable.
"I like to think that lifestyle set me up for the hospitality industry, to be adaptable is a beneficial characteristic. My mum was a great cook, I learnt a lot from her and I spend a lot of time in the kitchen with her growing up."
So she studied professional cookery at the Southern Institute in Invercargill when she was 17 and did her apprenticeship in Queenstown in hotel kitchens.
"It made me realise big kitchens weren’t my thing — I like a small team."
After 25 years in the industry she became disheartened working in professional kitchens and then the Covid pandemic hit.
"I was over dealing with someone else’s concept and I wanted to create my own voice/style. Lockdown happened and I had time to think."
As opening her own restaurant was not an option, she discovered there was a gap for small event catering that was not being met in Cromwell.
"I am fortunate I have a number of repeat clients who know and like my style, so I have the freedom to create within the structure of their brief. It gives me so much joy to work with someone, to be a small part of what could be a big event or special moment and to see them relaxed and enjoying themselves."
Lind loves creating bespoke menus for clients based on their needs, wants, dislikes and likes.
"When I plan a bespoke menu I’ll always see what my gardens have got coming in, what’s in season. I’ll harvest in the morning but I also pop out there regularly for fresh herbs and garnish."
"Most days are a regular 8-10-hour day, but before I start the dishes at the end of the day I always take the dogs for a swim then it is into the mountain of dishes."
Her favourite event to date was a birthday party for 30 people — a five-course long Italian lunch.
"The day was so much fun, the guests had a great day and I loved the menu I created. The only request was prawn cocktail — not very Italian — and because we were in truffle season I incorporated it into the pasta course. I mastered cannoli and made 60 of them."
The business, which includes working with wedding planners, works for her and enables her to be creative and work with "amazing" people.
"I can feed my slight addiction to buying cookbooks. I have turned something that I enjoy into a job."
Roasted baby courgette with labneh +brown butter dressing
Ingredients
500g courgettes
Olive oil
Salt + pepper
250g greek yoghurt
120g butter
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Fresh mint + parsley
Method
Line a sieve with a cloth and sit over a bowl. Pour in yoghurt and put into the fridge for minimum of 6 hours.
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Toss courgettes in oil and salt and pepper, place on to a baking tray in one layer and into the oven for 15mins, toss gently and return to the oven for another 5-8mins while you make brown butter.
In a small pot melt butter, turn heat down to medium, stir the pot and, keeping an eye on it, let the butter gently brown. Once you have the desired colour turn off the heat and add the lemon to stop the cooking. Set aside until needed.
To serve spread the strained labneh, arrange the courgettes over the top then drizzle over brown butter and scatter the herbs.
