Restaurateur’s had enough
The owner and chef of a finedining restaurant in Christchurch is calling it quits after owning the business for two years.
David Napier was aged 24 when he took over Saggio di Vino in 2016 after a Michelin chef’s role in London.
He had earlier worked at Saggio di Vino as the sous chef under former owners Lisa Scholz and Yommi Pawelke, who ran the Victoria St restaurant for 25 years.
Napier said he was firm in his decision to either sell the business or close it in two months.
There had been a decline in the number of older clients, and younger professionals were yet to discover fine dining, he said.
‘‘It’s got tough in Christchurch. I’d like to stay on, but I’m spending all my time between the kitchen and front of the house serving and pairing wine choices. I don’t have time for marketing let alone a private life.’’
The lease still has several years to run – an obligation for Napier and a problem for the owners of the building if the business ceased.
Napier was not looking forward to dealing with the fallout of a failed sale, but felt there was no other choice except sale or closure.
The building was historically known as the Carlton Butchery and was redeveloped by Countrywide developer Richard Diver after the 2011 earthquakes.
Land title records show a sale value in August 2017 of $6.5 million, and the buyers were Roger Keys and Emilios Kotzikas. The second level of the building is occupied by Diver’s company, Countrywide Group, along with Jetmax Media and Go Media.
Napier has a strong record in the hospitality sector, earning a one-hat rating – New Zealand’s equivalent of a Michelin star– from Cuisine in his first year as chef patron of Saggio di Vino.
He was was also a member of the New Zealand Wine Tasting Team for the 2017 World Championships held in France, reflecting his knowledge and interest in wine. New Zealand reached fourth place out of 24 countries. The wine cellar at Saggio reflected the best available, he said.
Saggio di Vino is part of the redeveloped Victoria St area and sits among several retail and hospitality outlets, within a comparatively wealthy neighbourhood that has supported the fine dining menu, he said.
‘‘It’s got tough in Christchurch.’’
David Napier