When Kiwi Chris Whiting was a little bloke, he wanted to be a builder. His best mate wanted to be a chef. Somehow his mate ended up with the hammer and he ended up with the knife – the rest is history.
Since launching his career as a teen fresh from high school, when he took on a baking apprenticeship, Whiting (34) has clocked up an impressive culinary CV.
Christchurch-raised, he has just returned home to New Zealand settling as the new head chef at The Winehouse, an award-winning ‘country chic’ restaurant and cellar door owned by Queenstown bungy king Henry van Asch. The bungy pioneer, who founded the New Zealand company in the late 80’s with bungy legend AJ Hackett, owns the adjacent Kawarau Bungy site and produces wine under three labels, Van Asch, Rockferry and Free Fall Wines.
Van Asch is pretty chuffed with his latest culinary coup.
Whiting’s cooking career has taken him right to the top, sailing the South Pacific as private chef on a luxury super-yacht for a successful New Zealand businessman.
No quick phone calls to suppliers or whipping out to the supermarket there. Menus normally had to be written up before leaving port.
‘’You’ve got to be organised, you’re heading out for two weeks at a time, so you’ve always got to stock up at shore.’’
He’s worked as a private chef for high fliers in Hong Kong and had as many as 25 staff, including 15 chefs, working for him at Blackbird, on Sydney’s Cockle Bay Wharf.
A keen hunter and fishermen, Whiting was in his element during a stint at Punatapu, a luxury lodge on Glenorchy Rd on the outskirts of Queenstown. He always knew he’d be back.
But who could turn down a job offer as personal chef for the former President of RCA Records in New York and founder of a large computer game company.
For four years, Whiting and his wife Fee worked for the wealthy New York record producer and his wife, who was very high profile in the New York art world - Christie’s, Auction House and MOMA among the names mentioned.
“Her diary was like nothing I’ve ever seen. She’d be going to parties where Coldplay was playing privately at the next door neighbours.’
“They’re amazing people, they made all their money themselves, very down to earth people who made us feel really special, they were always taking us to parties, we still talk to them every week,’’ says Whiting fondly.
The Whitings’ job was to “follow them around’’ on what was often a hectic social schedule, throwing breakfasts, lunches, cocktail parties and dinner parties for the couple, their family and high profile friends.
It’s “the done thing’’ in the upper echelon of New York to host or go to parties.
But much of the time the Whitings were based at what their employers classed as their “holiday home’’ in the Hamptons.
Clearly not one to brag, Whiting won’t be drawn much on the who’s who he cooked for only to say they involved plenty of heavy hitters in the US music industry, US senators and heads of state.
Eventually the Whitings were running this wealthy household.
“There were millions of phone calls and staff to co-ordinate, probably another 15 contracted staff like gardeners to oversee.’’
The first year they were hired as chef and maitre d but as it grew they became managers of the household and their employers’ social lives, often hiring in extra chefs and front of house staff to assist.
Whiting has made lifelong friends with many of these high profile guests, plenty of whom have offered him jobs. They include the likes of diamond dealers from South Africa.
“They still email me two to three years on still and are complimenting me on my food.’’
It’s clear this means far more to this laidback Kiwi chef than dropping names or winning culinary awards.
Privacy is paramount cooking for this top echelon market.
“I’m not a bragger and I’d rather be judged on my food.”
But the lure of top money and all the praise in the world was not enough to keep this hunting, shooting, fishing Kiwi boy away from his roots once the Whitings’ baby daughter arrived.
Now 17 months, he’s adamant she’ll be raised the same as any Kiwi kid – free to run around outside with “grass under her feet’’.
‘’We love Queenstown. The whole time I was away I dreamt of coming back here.’’
The Winehouse, an original converted farm homestead-turned restaurant winery, is perched beneath rocky outcrops in the Gibbston Valley overlooking the picturesque Kawarau River. Its relaxed dining style is perfectly suited to Whiting’s style.
When time allows he’s even planning to take gun and rod in hand and bring in some fresh produce of his own for the menu, adding that extra flavour to the story for guests.
He loves to cook rough cuts of meat, those normally discarded by many chefs, such as the neck and pork hock. Seafood is also king. He describes his cooking style as “light, refreshing and punchy’’ with an Asian influence.
Whiting’s placid, easy-going nature is probably what has taken him so far in his career, even when challenges present, as they do.
‘’I was cooking on the boat (yacht) one night when we twisted a propeller shaft, it cost half a million dollars to fix and we had to limp back to Suva. We had to jump overboard in a snorkel to check the damage.’’
Needless to say dinner was called off that night.
Whiting’s advice to any young chefs keen on a career like his is to keep a good attitude, add absolute determination and a passion for food.
“You need to roll with the punches – when things are getting tough you’ve got to roll with it, you can’t get angry, you’ve still got to cook for people.’’
Likewise when “the acid goes on” he expects his staff to perform – no tantrums allowed in this kitchen.
Whiting has been a lot of places and learned a lot of interesting techniques during his invaluable overseas experience.
“It’s all those little things that give it the excitement and edge.’’
But with plenty of years left in his cooking career there’s likely to be another course to come.
One day he’d like to own his own restaurant incorporating all he’s learned.
“I’ve got a few ideas from New York.’’
For Whiting that would be the icing on the cake.