Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
The desire to be a constant innovator
As part of a series on hospitality providers in Marlborough, reporter
sat down with Lawrence Purser, the chef de cuisine at Allan Scott Family Winemakers restaurant Twelve Trees.
How did you get into hospitality and what made you want to be a chef?
I was really good at sport in school, I was actually going to pursue a carer in league, then some of the boys decided to take home economics, food tech, just to have a feed and then go training. It turned into something really good for me.
I really liked my art as well, so I put that into my food and then and I won an interschools competition back in ‘96 which led to my first job.
I like the adrenaline and pressure of being a chef, and just putting out really good, decent, eye-appealing food.
What kind of cuisine do you enjoy cooking, and how do you go about making the food here at Twelve Trees?
I try to take a fast, healthy approach, as well as catering to people that are vegetarian and gluten free.
It’s a niche and a lot of restaurants just don’t like doing it. I enjoy cooking Pacific Rim foods and I’m classically French trained.
I like to incorporate international food with a New Zealand twist, plus we’ve got this lovely garden out the back there to utilise, so everything is really honest and fresh.
What kind of ambience do you want to create at the restaurant?
It’s a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere. We want people to feel at ease and just enjoy the buzz of the restaurant.
They can probably hear me yelling at my staff sometimes but it’s entertaining, really. We need to make sure it’s run right, to make sure everyone has a good time. I just want everyone to have a great experience, that’s the main thing.
Do you pair the wines made here with the food you’re making?
We constantly do. Bruce Abbott, our winemaker makes some crazy concoctions, and I always try to implement and pair with what he’s doing.
For instance, he made a chili, chocolate, fat-jam pinot and I thought OK, ‘I’ll pair that with duck, because cherry and chocolate go really with duck’.
I added cherries to the jus I made and everyone loved it.
How often does the menu change at Twelve Trees, I’ve heard you like to change it up quite a bit?
My mind is constantly on the go, I can’t be stagnant.
That’s why I try change the menu for dinners every two weeks, just to keep things going and rolling along, and to keep everyone else on their toes.
What dish would you recommend to someone who hasn’t eaten at the restaurant before?
The beef fillet with jalapeno hollandaise has been really phenomenal.
It’s got a bit of a kick, but it’s been really popular.
How did you guys fare after the earthquake?
It did die off for a little but we were still humming.
I think the fact we create good, honest food and we have an atmosphere people can relax in means they just love coming here.