FIVE MINUTES WITH … DEBORAH CHAIT, 4&20 BAKERY

I grew up around a table listening to my father talking about new ideas and bringing home different things for us to sample. Food is in our blood. My grandfather, Charlie Chait was a butcher and he first opened the shop in Dixon Street in Wellington in 1931.

My father, Murray expanded into the shop next door and opened the Dixon Street Deli in 1972. He introduced things like taramasalata, hummus, fresh mozzarella, baked bagels … he sold everything he liked to eat which you couldn’t get in NZ.

My grandmother was very short and they used to have a little platform behind the counter for her to stand on. From the age of eight I helped in the shop and I used to stand on her little platform. An appreciation of good food has always been a big part of my life.

I opened Zarbo in 1995 and it was a bit of a trailblazer. After seven years I was ready for a change, so I sold Zarbo.

My partner Andy Tse and I moved to Auckland and decided to open a bakery specialising in sourdough bread. We found a site in Remuera and opened 4&20 Bakery in 2014.

We’ve put a lot of effort into perfecting our sourdough. There’s only three main ingredients – organic flour, organic sea salt and filtered water – but it’s a complicated two-day process. It’s delicious, light and crusty – it’s got integrity. Bread really is our passion. At first people would come in and say they wanted a loaf of sourdough and didn’t understand that it’s all sourdough. They appreciate all the effort that has gone into making it now.

Sourdough is the real deal.