5 Minutes with Daniel Fraser

As Executive Chef of The Lindis Group, Daniel Fraser has a strong passion for highlighting the unique flavours of Aotearoa. One of their properties, Paroa Bay Winery in the Bay of Islands, is home to the world-class Sage restaurant, which puts a spotlight on Northland produce.

What Northland ingredients do you love to cook with?

I’m passionate about finding small niche products and ingredients produced in Northland and want the opportunity to champion them to let New Zealanders know the full potential of what Northland has to offer on a culinary scale. Special mention to Mahoe Cheeses, Grinning Gecko Cheeses and Apatu Aqua seafood as well as Fish to Fish.

What is your favourite dish on the Sage menu?

The tuatua pasta was an amazing adventure. As a young boy, my family moved to Ahipara and lived a short walk from Ninety Mile Beach. I fondly remember heading to the beach on the weekends to dig for tuatua with my brother to feed our family. An amazing chef who worked with me (Seonwang Kim) opened my mind and palate to kimchi which we made in house and I fell in love with the umami-rich concoction. I played around a bit and was amazed by the results.

Aside from Sage, what are your favourite restaurants in the Bay of Islands?

Terra Restaurant in Paihia offers a great fine dining experience and I highly rate chef Marcus’s cuisine and flair. I have a strong affection for The Duke of Marlborough Hotel and Charlotte’s Kitchen as I ran them both for numerous years and the team there are working really hard to promote Northland as a food and drink destination which is very important to me. Chef Ming Poon of Māha is a good friend and he is also very good at championing New Zealand cuisine with an exciting fusion of Asian flavours.