Queenstown Times: Why did you choose this job?
Adam Rickett: Originally, simply because I wanted to snowboard in New Zealand.
QT: What made you come back for a second season?
AR: I returned due to the offer of a promotion within my department. NZSki is a company where, if you put in the work and show the initiative, you can progress.
QT: What sort of jobs did you do before you took up this position?
AR: I have been catering for nearly a decade and am fully qualified.
QT: How would you describe your job?
AR: It is like a well-choreographed West End show - everyone playing their roles to perfection.
QT: What is the best thing about your job?
AR: I would say the best thing is the awesome team I have been lucky enough to have working under me.
QT: Which challenges come with the job?
AR: The entire job is a challenge, but a good one. It takes a lot of effort to organise such a large-scale operation. It is awesome fun, though.
QT: Which skills or qualities are needed to do your job?
AR: You have to have time management and organisational skills along with attention to detail and a passion to create.
QT: Who would your job appeal to?
AR: Any chef that wants to work in a ski environment and take on the challenge of such a large-scale kitchen.
QT: How are you settling in to life in Queenstown?
AR: I love living in Queenstown. Spend enough time here and you cannot help but find yourself embedded in the community. I live in a seasonal town back home in the UK, so I am very used to the boom you see with the seasons.
QT: What is your best advice to people who move to Queenstown for seasonal work?
AR: Get in there early, and really make an effort to find work. Don't just expect to be handed a job - you have to work for it in this town.
QT: What has been your most amusing or interesting on-the-job experience so far this season?
AR: The most interesting about my job has been working under my head chef, Peter Becker; truly a master of his craft and a fountain of knowledge.
