CRISPY BITS

The complexities of Peruvian cacao absorb young chocolatier Johnty Tatham.

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An innovative new chocolate maker has recently emerged in New Zealand’s flourishing craft chocolate industry. Lucid Chocolatier is created by Johnty Tatham in rural Wairarapa, using some of the finest and rarest cacao beans from Peru. At 23 years old, Tatham is the youngest bean-to-bar chocolate maker in New Zealand by a good ten years, yet he displays the skill, quality and vision of a seasoned professional.

Coming from a background of art and design, Tatham views chocolate as the current interpretation of his lifelong journey of creativity and passion. In his late teens he developed a desire to become a fine-dining pastry chef, but while studying at Weltec polytechnic and working at local restaurant Bellamys, Tatham felt his passion for chocolate deepening.

“After entering an open chocolate petit-four competition and learning to properly temper chocolate I was hooked. The calibre of creativity that extended from this one product was astounding.”

This honing and deep-dive exploration is a core characteristic of Tatham’s personality and creative process. After working for Honest Chocolat in Matakana and developing his skills as a chocolatier, he moved back to his family farm so that he could explore the complex process of making chocolate from scratch, that is from the bean. After analysing and testing almost 30 different origins of cacao, he decided to focus exclusively on Peruvian cacao, where most of his favourite beans were from.

“I am not someone who likes to have their fingers in many different pies. In fact, I would say I prefer to have a whole hand in a single pie,” he says.

Lucid Chocolatier officially launched in December 2020 with a collection of six different bars, all presented in slick, minimalist packaging that instantly lets you know this is a long way from the cheap block of confectionery you can find at the supermarket. (continued... )

The Purist Collection features three single-origin bars that highlight the unique flavour notes of the cacao, and the Inquisitive Collection features three bars with added flavours, including the crowd favourite Caramel and Tonka Bean Milk Chocolate. There are plans in place for future releases that will change seasonally, in the same way that a chef would change a menu, in tune with local produce.

Tatham’s rural upbringing and tranquil lifestyle have influenced his approach to chocolate making. There is a slowness, a calmness and a meticulousness to his craft, which is evident from the moment you see the packaging to the moment you taste the delicate and nuanced flavours in his chocolate. It’s exciting to see such talent, creativity and drive from a young New Zealand producer and we look forward to seeing how this promising career develops. lucidchocolatier.nz / Luke Owen Smith (thechocolatebar.nz)

The trendspotters have been hard at work making predictions of the next top tastes for 2021 – a blend of research, intuition, crystal balls and pored-over retailer data. We’ll be getting more adventurous with our citrus varieties as kalamansi – a citrus fruit from southeast Asia that is a cross between a kumquat and a mandarin – and yuzu are on the rise. Expect to see more savoury and fermented flavours appearing in drinks, and an increased focus on health and wellbeing with lowalcohol table beer and drinks, though hard seltzers (flavoured, alcoholic sparkling water) are predicted to rise. Botanicals and floral flavours will also feature in beverages with the delicate nuances of hibiscus and geranium coming on stream. With more people opting for vegetarian or vegan lifestyles, king oyster mushrooms and banana blossoms will be seen more, alongside teff (an east African grain) and green chickpeas.

Marlborough showed that it is the tops for delicious aromatic wines in our latest wine tastings, with all three top wines from the region. Giesen Gemstone Riesling 2018 takes the honours for this varietal beloved of makers and tasters, while Whitehaven took the pinot gris prize with its Whitehaven Marlborough Pinot Gris 2019. In the gewürztraminer line up, Mount Riley Gewürztraminer 2020 showed it is the best of the bunch. Go to page 122 for full details and tasting notes of these and all the topranking wines in the tastings.

Queenstown seafood restaurant, Fishbone, has reopened after a short hiatus. “I’m really excited to get cooking again,” says Fishbone’s chef/owner Darren Lovell, who popped up his fast-casual restaurant Love Chicken in its place while he contemplated the seafood restaurant’s future. “We’re hopeful that with the up-coming Bluff oyster season and a travel bubble with Australia on the cards, Fishbone can once again be the place in Queenstown for kai moana.” The menu will mainly be fish, most of which is caught by Nate Smith at Gravity Fishing, but will expand into shellfish and crayfish as guest numbers increase.