Celebrity chef hanging up her apron
After four decades as a caterer and celebrity chef, Ruth Pretty is about to bake her last pavlova.
As one of New Zealand’s first celebrity chefs, Pretty has done everything from owning a pioneering Wellington restaurant, Marbles, to writing books and running a cooking school.
The 71-year-old says she has loved her job but it is time to spend more time travelling and walking her dogs.
The business is up for sale and May 12 will be her last day in the kitchen. “I have been on the floor for a great many years and I need a break.”
A stalwart of the Wellington cooking scene, Pretty is selling her Te Horo based business – a cooking school, catering facility, and a kitchen shop – and will retire in two weeks.
Ruth and Paul Jordan set up Ruth Pretty Catering in 1988 after selling Marbles and moving to their 27-acre orchard property in Te Horo but she first rose to prominence in the 1970s with Marbles restaurant in Kelburn.
At that time, there were only a handful of restaurants in Wellington including The Settlement in Willis St, run by Harry Seresin, and Il Casino run by Remiro Bresolin.
She hadn’t intended to set up a catering business but was lured back into the kitchen after former patrons of Marbles asked her to cater for their dinner parties.
As the business grew, so did her role promoting New Zealand cuisine overseas.
Various agencies including the New Zealand Food and Beverage Exporters Council, Emirates Team New Zealand and Rugby World Cup 2011, commissioned her to take New Zealand cuisine to the world. That took her to Germany, Japan, China, Spain and Australia.
Other large events she catered for included the world premier of Lord of the Rings and the annual Weta Workshops Christmas parties for 3000 people.
As well as writing books, she had a long term association with the World of WearableArt, pinot noir conferences and Toast Martinborough.
In 2005 the New Zealand Restaurant Association inducted her in to the Hall of Fame. The selection committee noted her “devotion to serving and promoting high quality food” both here and overseas.
The judges said she had “worked tirelessly to promote the delivery of exceptional culinary experiences, whether on an intimate scale for a few people through to catering for over 1000 guests”.
From 1999 to 2016 Pretty wrote a weekly column for The Dominion Post.
Steve Logan, best known as one of the owners of Logan Brown, said Pretty had been hugely influential as a cook, who set high standards.
“She is an absolute legend and has been the premier caterer in Wellington for many years.”
As well as being a talented chef, Logan said Pretty had a reputation as someone who was good to work with.
“She is such a lovely person with a great spirit and commitment to hospitality, She cares about her team and is just a great lady.”
The Wellington hospitality scene had changed greatly over the last 40 years and Pretty had always been at the forefront of the industry. At events like Toast Martinborough she was inevitably the chef who set the highest standard.
Food critic and historian David Burton remembers Marbles as a pioneering restaurant that was well regarded.
“In fact it received a rare certificate of merit from the Federation of New Zealand Wine and Food Society.”
She was also highly influential in taking New Zealand produce to the European market, helping to promote products like venison and goat.
Her cooking school was particularly popular and a huge number of people were attracted to it due to her name.
“She was very well thought of and I think it would be fair to say hers was the leading cooking school open to the public in New Zealand.”