Cable Bay Head Chef holding tray of organic herbs from kitchen garden
Ask any chef what they think the most important secret of good cooking is and they’ll no doubt tell you it is using fresh ingredients. At Cable Bay Vineyards, the ingredients are literally plucked, dug or snipped fresh from the source and carted into the kitchen for preparation and presentation on the plate the same day. The venue has two well established organic kitchen gardens which supply most of what appears on the menu in the two on-site restaurants. These gardens supply chefs with top quality, nutritious vegetables as well as beautiful edible flowers and micro-greens which are used to create culinary delights for the menu.
The gardens were developed in 2015 with a vision to produce fresh produce for the restaurants but equally importantly, to establish an effective waste management system. Head Gardener Nicky Reynolds explains “living on Waiheke Island gives you a true appreciation of the beauty and fragility of our unique environment, we want to try to be as self sustainable as possible. Establishing kitchen gardens reduces the food miles of our produce supply and effectively eliminates food waste from the kitchen through composting.” The gardens use a bokashi composting system to process all of the kitchen food waste into nutrient rich soil in which to grow produce.
Cable Bay Head Chef and Gardener assessing kitchen garden
Head Chef, Max Larbiose is very pleased, “my love of food started with an appreciation for quality ingredients, ones that didn’t need to hide beneath sauces, that could stand up in their own right…fresh ingredients inspire me” Both Max and Nicky agree that the quality of the produce is outstanding. The rich soil and hand nurturing allows the plants to thrive; the results are full of flavour and bursting with freshness. Max showcases the fruits of Nicky’s labour in the kitchen, creating honest dishes which put the fresh produce on show.
The garden has matured and continues to grow with extensive development planned for 2018. Employees now supply paper and cardboard waste from the office to worm farms, which produce a nutrient-rich fertiliser which supports the bokashi system. It can also be sprayed on plants as a health tonic. The juice created from the bokashi composting can also be put down drains to keep the septic system clean and healthy. This week Cable Bay produced jars of delicious runny honey from their two bee-hives which will be used in sauces, dressings and sweet treats in the restaurants. Additionally, the gardens are home to a flock of hens that lay fresh eggs daily.
Cable Bay Vineyards Salmon on the pass
The gardens have become a beloved feature of the venue with garden tours offered in combination with wine tasting and dining experiences. Nicky says “It’s a wonderful option for visitors who want a little something extra from their vineyard experience, we have so many avid gardeners who are keen to find out how we produce our super-soil from food waste too!”. Head Chef Max agrees “people are more and more interested in where their food comes from – they want to know if it’s ethically sourced and sustainably produced. When they visit our gardens, they can literally see how an ingredient comes from the garden to the plate and then reap the rewards of this freshness in the flavours of their meal.”
Cable Bay applauds the recent announcement regarding approved council funding to set up large scale bokashi composting at five Waiheke Island vineyards. Having had the system in place for nearly 3 years, they are great advocates of bokashi as a way to control food waste.
To find out more about Cable Bay Vineyards organic kitchen gardens, please contact Marketing Manager, Jo Ewer on 09 372 5889 or jo@cablebay.co.nz.
Wednesday 1 February 2018