This month, having her Rātā restaurant internationally recognised with a Michelin Star has been a highlight of her distinguished career in a demanding industry.
As arguably Queenstown’s longest-serving restaurateur, she has seen some ups and downs, including a stressful Covid-19 period.
However, Caulton has also been at the forefront of the resort becoming a renowned dining destination.
Auckland-raised, she started in the hospitality industry at 15, washing dishes in a Parnell lunch spot.
She further honed her skills running hospo for big Commonwealth Games sponsors in Auckland in 1990.
She cooked for a family in the Austrian ski resort of St Anton and cheffed on a superyacht for a Spanish family.
Caulton says she wanted to live in Queenstown as she loved skiing.
‘‘But I didn’t want to work on the mountain so I thought I’d open a restaurant — I’d earned a lot of money on the boat’’.
With a small bank loan, she opened Spanish tapas wine bar Solera Vino in up-and-down premises in Beach St on August 6, 1992.
She notes everyone she hired was older than her.
‘‘I had no idea what I was doing and famously learnt on the job.
‘‘It was a very successful business, and people loved the food so much we sort of stopped doing the tapas and it was more of a full menu.’’
Queenstown, however, was much smaller and had very distinct off-seasons.
Selling the business after nine years, she had a year off, married local boy Daz Caulton, then was engaged by local developer John Darby to start a wine business, then bistro, called Amisfield — originally Lake Hayes Vineyard.
‘‘It was a massive role in more of a corporate environment.
‘‘It was a really good step up. We created the name and did all the branding, which is still the same now.
‘‘It was great being on the ground floor and being able to build a business like that — it was an exciting time.’’
Caulton also travelled overseas setting up worldwide distribution for the wine.
‘‘Amisfield, as a bistro, was very successful.’’
However, Caulton says she also wanted to get back to having her own business.
She had seen a 60 Minutes TV item on New Zealand celebrity chef Josh Emett who was then working for Gordon Ramsay in New York.
She asked him if he would put on a lunch at Amisfield and, long story short, after nine years running Darby’s business, she and Emett ended up opening Rātā in Queenstown’s CBD, 15 years ago.
In 2013, they also opened Asian-fusion Madam Woo in The Mall and, later, Malaysian street food-inspired Hawker & Roll.
At one stage, through Fleur’s Go To Collection, they had five Madam Woos in New Zealand and five Hawker & Rolls, and employed about 300 people.
Then Covid-19 came along.
Moving fast, they placed the chain in voluntary administration.
In the end, they let go their other restaurants and Caulton bought out Emett but kept her other small shareholders.
‘‘I’m loving having one restaurant again and it’s the one I love.’’
Late last year, Rātā went through a full refresh.
Then, this month, she and her team were overwhelmed to be awarded a Michelin Star in the country’s first Michelin Guide awards, especially having come through a tricky six years.
‘‘I cried for a few hours, I think.’’
Asked what she thinks impressed the judges, she says, ‘‘I think, ever since we’ve been here, Rātā’s always been about Queenstown and southern NZ and the products that come here.’’
