Gleaming kitchen ready to cater for southern tastes
The Langlands’ executive chef Jinu Abraham is on the hunt for six more specialised chefs to add to the kitchen roster.
The veteran chef, who has had 25 years of experience in hotel dining, was appointed earlier in the year by the Invercargill Licensing Trust and arrived in the city to start the job in May.
What many people may not realise was just how much his role entails.
Since his arrival, Abraham has been able to hire nine different chefs for the hotel’s various eateries and bars.
The hotel would initially need 15 chefs to begin with, but he said that number could increase with time.
Abraham needs six more chefs to add to the roster. Specifically, specialised wok and dumpling chefs, he said.
The five-star hotel, due to open this year, is to feature five bespoke eateries and bars.
Abraham, who has worked in a multitude of executive chef roles, said it was not that common for hotels in New Zealand to have that many multifood outlets.
He has been trying to locally source food and products for the kitchen as much as possible.
And if it could not be sourced in Southland, he was trying to stay within the South Island to find what was needed.
‘‘The Central Otago fruits is kind of what I’m looking forward to . . . for very specific things we’ll go to Auckland,’’ he said.
He planned to use as much locally grown produce as possible from the trust’s tunnel garden nurseries near Ascot Park Hotel.
All the crockery and kitchenware were also sourced from within the region.
‘‘Invercargill has got it all, I’d say. Less of it but got it all.’’
It was important to Abraham to learn what foods were important to Southlanders.
‘‘There’s no point in putting some stuff that Southlanders don’t like,’’ he said.
He has been hard at work preparing seven different menus. Five for the five different five bespoke eateries and bars and two extra ones for banquets and room service.
‘‘We are determined to keep up with international standards.’’
‘‘We are determined to keep up with international standards.’’ Jinu Abraham