END OF AN ERA
The founders of boutique food market Farro Fresh are quitting Auckland and following in the footsteps of several other high-profile foodies to Central Otago.
Janene and James Draper have listed for sale their six-bedroom luxury home in Remuera, which they bought more than a decade ago for $4.45 million.
32 Bassett Road was where they raised their three teenage sons, but they are now ready for their next move after officially becoming empty-nesters. The property has a 2021 CV of $7.7m.
The star of the 585sqm two-storey home is the sleek white kitchen, which became the unofficial test kitchen for Farro Fresh. It has featured in numerous photo shoots and videos for the brand over the years, and up until about two years ago it was where Janene would make and document all of Farro’s Christmas and Easter food kits.
After moving into the property, the couple added wooden floorboards, repainted the house inside and out and renovated the kitchen to include an island bench and state-of-the-art appliances, including Gaggenau double ovens and a Wolf gas hob.
Janene told OneRoof that having two dishwashers in the kitchen and a third in the oversized scullery had been helpful when catering for big crowds because they could just “stack and go”.
“We always have extras staying at our house. The children have always come home with mates and friends. We are often cooking for dinner for 12 plus people – it’s just a regular thing for us. We are very family-orientated,” she said.
The family would gather around the kitchen bench before often retreating to the louvred outdoor dining area complete with two gas heaters and separate wine and beer fridges, she said.
“We use it all year around. We often move from the kitchen bench to sitting out there. At times we’ve mixed it around and [put] outdoor furniture there as well, but I really like it as an extra dining space over summer where you can put the heaters on or light the fire.”
On the next level up another bedroom next to the media room was often used as a guest room by her parents when they visited, while the remaining four bedrooms including the master bedroom with a walkin wardrobe as big as a double bedroom were on the top floor.
“It’s just such a fabulous house. There are so many rooms. You can be entertaining in the formal dining, and they can be partying up by the kitchen.”
There is also a north-facing swimming pool on the 1066sqm section.
The business duo, who grew Farro from 12 staff to 350 staff in 18 years, said they would miss being just one minute from the motorway, which had been convenient for when they visited their stores.
However, they are now considering retirement and, just as several other foodies like Nadia Lim and Annabel Langbein have already done, are planning to move to Central Otago.
But instead of buying a large farm like the celebrity chef and her husband, they are building a new house with a small orchard in Arrowtown.
And while there is a great farmers market where Janene can indulge her passion for food, she said their main reasons for moving south were to play golf and be closer to friends.