Meet NZ’s Divine Hot Cross buns! –
A team effort is behind the best hot cross bun in New Zealand, and its biggest critic, Daily Bread head baker Patrick Welzenbach describes it as “perfect”.
Daily Bread, Auckland took out the top place for a second consecutive year in Baking New Zealand’s Great NZ Hot Cross Bun Competition, which was judged in Palmerston North on March 17.
With extra butter, a little more moisture and a faster proving of the sourdough, the winning entry is the fluffiest hot cross bun Daily Bread has created while continuing to produce a classical bun.
“I have to say that this year’s bun was perfect. I was so happy. Normally I’m just 90% happy about the finished bun, but this year I couldn’t make it any better. It was perfect,” says Patrick.
And he credits the perfection to locally sourced ingredients as much as possible, even the candied peel and orange glaze, which is made in the bakery, use New Zealand oranges.
Part of the secret is Patrick’s baking history in which he can trace back to more than 20 generations of his family and he’s grateful to his grandfather for teaching him to bake as a six year-old. “I was born to be a baker.” And while hot cross buns are not part of German bakery goods, Patrick knows just how they should taste.
With the team at Daily Bread, he develops the recipe before individual bakers add their expertise focusing on a specific element.
“At Daily Bread we put the team in front. It was absolutely a team effort. I couldn’t do it without the team. One guy did the crosses perfectly and super wide and straight, another baker made the perfect dough and another made the absolute shiniest glaze. Everyone has a small part to make the complete product and everyone is so proud that we have won for a second year.”
You can get your hands on the winning hot cross buns at any of the Daily Bread bakeries in Auckland, at Farro, New World in Remuera who is a keen supporter of the bakery, and at other Auckland New World stores and some Four Square supermarkets. Outside of Auckland, they are available by ordering online.
Nada Bakery takes second place
Who would have considered adding pimento – a type of chilli pepper, or coriander to a hot cross bun spice recipe? Well Michael Gray and his mother Judith Gray did along with their bakers at Nada Bakery in Wellington.
The spicy combination blended with plump presoaked fruit gave their hot cross bin the in the Great NZ Hot Cross Bun Competition earning them a second place win.
Nada Bakery general manager Michael Gray says: “Our dough is made in a precise way before we bulk ferment the dough to allow the yeast to feed and develop a more intense flavour. Our qualified bakers weigh off each bun at 140gm, hand mold each one before a final proofing, adding a crispy cross and baking. Once our buns are baked, we glaze them with an apricot and yuzu glaze.”
To get your hands on Nada’s hot cross buns you can purchase them at their Tawa or Johnsonville bakeries or order them online.
Inventive taste of Denmark
You can take a Dane from Denmark but their love of chocolate will always follow them.
For John Thomsen, head baker and owner of Christchurch’s iconic Copenhagen Bakery with wife Donna, opening up the category for the 2023 Great Hot Cross Bun Competition meant he could add chocolate to his much loved buns.
In 2022 Copenhagen Bakery won third place in the national competition and this year they’ve claimed third place again.
Copenhagen’s recipe features indulgent spicy flavours, three traditional fruits but also cranberries and the finishing touch of Belgian chocolate. “We made our hot cross buns for the competition with the indulgent traditional spicy flavors of a zesty three-fruited cross bun, blended harmoniously with cranberries and Belgian chocolate.
John describes it as: “Decadence – a spicy, zesty fruity, oh so nicely warmed through…with a melted choccy explosion.”
Hospitality Excellence Awards open for entries –
Entries are open for the 25thth Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence. The 2023 awards are steeped in history, recognizing businesses and people across the hospitality and accommodation sectors, celebrating industry success and excellence.
The Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence are the longest running, national awards that honor the achievements of the hardworking and talented people who make the hospitality and accommodation industries exceptional.
Entries are now open to the public, closing on April 14.
There are 25 categories to apply for, spanning hospitality, accommodation, gaming and more, with the overall Supreme Winner Award to be selected from the category finalists.
Finalists across all business and people categories will be announced on April 21.
In a change from previous years, the winners of the People of the Year award categories will be awarded at the Hospitality Social Evening 2023, at Sweat Shop Brew Kitchen, Sale Street, Freeman’s Bay on June 27.
People Of The Year Categories:
Leader of the Year: Hospitality, and Leader of the Year – Accommodation: people who are dedicated to their profession and contribute to and inspire confidence in the industry.
Future Leader of the Year: someone who is making a significant contribution in their role, be it front of house, duty manager, chefs, barista and bar staff, or the unsung hero who demonstrates exceptional leadership qualities and is seen as an industry leader of the future.
Chef of the Year: someone whose attitude and dedication has contributed to the success of their business, and who demonstrates leadership, innovation, and the pursuit of excellence.
Supplier of the Year: a supplier who is dedicated to their profession and who contributes to and inspires confidence in the hospitality industry.
The Awards for Excellence 2023 black-tie dinner celebration taking place on June 28 , will conclude the two-day #HNZ23 conference and trade show event at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland.
Hospitality New Zealand Chief Executive Julie White said, ” These awards are the pinnacle of our industry. It gives all operators nationwide a chance to recognize and reward those who continue to excel and progress in our industry and create the highest possible standards for both their guests and their team.
“Last year, when we held our first in-person awards for two years, I said every hospitality business and every worker out there deserves a medal for the guts and perseverance they’ve shown through what was probably the toughest period the industry has ever been through. I say it again – because the hits just keep coming but somehow, they keep getting up again.
“To those who have been working so hard to offer support to their communities and customers, these awards are a huge thank-you for your work, even if you don’t or can’t enter, or aren’t one of the winners .
The Awards for Excellence 2023 will again be hosted by Hospitality New Zealand in conjunction with long-time principle partner Lion New Zealand.
Lion New Zealand’s Managing Director Craig Baldie said Lion was delighted to continue to support the awards.
“Lion has proudly sponsored the Awards for 25 years and we are delighted to be supporting them again for the 25th anniversary year. We look forward to celebrating excellence in the industry.”
Up to five finalists will be named in each category and businesses are being asked to consider whether they can submit multiple categories. Entries close on April 14. For further information and to enter go to: https://www.hospitality.org.nz/s/awards
Active NZ market a beacon for hotel investors says JLL –
The momentum in the hotel sector has been carried through into 2023, with the value of deals that have gone unconditionally this year, already passing $100 million and are currently under negotiation.
Having transacted the record $170 million sale of Auckland’s Stamford Plaza late last year, now refurbished and re-opened as the JW Marriot Auckland, JLL Director Hotels & Hospitality Nick Thompson says the active New Zealand market is once again a beacon for investors seeking stable, long-term performance.
“Through the first quarter of this year, we’ve already seen five major deals go unconditional for a combined total of over $100 million – and there’s more to come. While other commercial sectors are still encountering headwinds, hotels continue to perform strongly with rebounding international tourism fueling their desirability both domestically and internationally.”
The most recent of these deals transacted by JLL is the purchase by Distinction Hotels Group of the 253-room Mount Cook Hotel Collection, consisting of the Mackenzie Country Hotel, Heritage Gateway Hotel and Countrytime Hotel in Twizel and Omarama.
Geoff Thomson, owner of Distinction Hotels Group, says the return of international visitors was a key factor in acquisition, and a growing influence on activity up and down the country.
“More tourists back on our shores is great news for the hotels and hospitality industry. Adding three well-positioned assets to our portfolio in the South Island is exciting and we’re looking forward to integrating the Distinction Hotels brand into the beautiful Mackenzie District.”
JLL head of Debt Advisory, Mark Farrands, says counter-cyclical activity in the hotel and accommodation sector is supported by appetite from the funding market remaining strong.
“At the end of 2022, we received a very strong response from the funding market for a well-occupied student accommodation asset, with 15 lenders providing attractive indicative terms across a range of banks and non-banks, both onshore and offshore. Hotels and accommodation, especially in New Zealand, is a market segment that has performed better and better since 2022 when the rest of the market slowed down.”
According to a Real Capital Analytics report, JLL was the most active broker in the capital markets sector across New Zealand in 2022, transacting over NZD$500 million. The analysis also placed JLL as the top-ranked hotel broker in New Zealand based on sales volume, and the top broker for hotel transactions across all of Asia Pacific.
Ready for the ultimate toastie taste test? –
Think your toasties taste top? The Great NZ Toastie Takeover is back and organizers of the annual competition are once again on the hunt for the country’s supreme toasted sandwich.
With free entry, the popular competition has gained momentum year on year, with 2022 attracting more than 180 entries and a whopping 140,000 toasts served up over the duration of the search.
Now in its sixth year, and after a big jump in entries last year, organizers Cook & Nelson and McClure’s Pickles have made the call to cap entries at 250.
As always, the competition remains open to all New Zealand eateries, from cafes, bistros and hotel eateries, to bars, pop-ups, hole-in-the-wall eateries and food trucks.
Like last year, food truck entries will be judged on a designated weekend in May with the entrant required to provide exact date, time, and location details prior to the judging weekend.
Other competition rules remain the same. Each creation must be sandwiched between two slices of bread and able to be eaten by hand if necessary. The toasted sandwich must also contain cheese – or an acceptable vegan substitute, and pickles from the McClure’s Pickles range. Everything else is up to the toastie maker’s imagination.
Each entry must be on the establishment’s menu for the full duration of the competition, during lunch hours and/or dinner hours, from Friday 14 April to 31 May 2023 inclusive. Finalists must have their toastie on the menu until 20 June 2023 inclusive.
As in previous years, each toastie will be scored using set criteria. This includes presentation, effectiveness of preparation technique, eat-ability, taste, provenance and innovation.
The People’s Choice Award will also return in 2023 giving Kiwis the power to vote for their favorite participating eatery and toastie. The eatery with the most votes from the public will take away this year’s People’s Choice Award.
Entries open today (February 28) and close on March 31. Judging will begin from April 14, with the competition finalists announced on May 31. And the supreme winner will be revealed on June 20.
Last year’s battle saw finalists hail from Auckland, Ngatea, Okere Falls (Rotorua), Ohakune, Havelock North, Palmerston North, Greytown, Nelson, Christchurch, Queenstown, Twizel and Dunedin, and encompass local eateries, rural roadside cafes, breweries, a food truck , a fish farm, a burger bar, an artisan food store and a dedicated toasted sandwich shop.
Head judge Kerry Tyack said last year’s challenge saw imaginations run wild, presenting his team of 30-plus judges with an extremely tough task in choosing the finalists and eventual winner.
“With the competition heating up and a record number of toasties served up to last year, it really feels like the humble toastie has reached the lofty heights of the great Kiwi pie, the whitebait fritter, the perfect pav and the South Island cheese roll.
“In 2023, we’re expecting even more delicious and exciting entries, with the Great New Zealand Toastie Takeover now a firm feature on the local foodie calendar and those taking part reporting a notable increase in custom.”
Chef Rich Johns from Rotorua’s Okere Falls Store and Craft Beer Garden won the hotly contested title of the country’s top toastie for 2022 and had this to say at the time.
“Winning the 2022 Great NZ Toastie Takeover has been a wild ride, going from selling 10-15 toasties a day to 60+ every day, with over 10,000 toasties sold since winning! Best of all we still love making the toastie and seeing the delight on people’s faces upon the first bite.”
To submit your own entry or view the full terms and conditions of the competition, go to the entry page on www.toastietakeover.com.
A spoonful of olive oil in your coffee? –
Starbucks has launched an ‘innovative’ range of coffee beverages infused with extra virgin olive oil across its Italian stores.
Interim CEO Howard Schultz said the Oleato – meaning ‘with oil’ – range of beverages represents the ‘next revolution in coffee’ that brings together an ‘alchemy of nature’s finest ingredients’.
Starbucks cited an Italian family tradition of consuming a spoonful of extra virgin olive oil each day as an uplifting ritual as the inspiration for the concept and has partnered with premium Sicily-based olive oil brand Partanna for the product launch.
Three products — Oleato Caffè Latte, Oleato Iced Shaken Espresso and Oleato Golden Foam Cold Brew — have launched across Starbucks’ 22 stores in Italy, while two additional beverages — an Oleato Iced Cortado and Oleato Deconstructed — have debuted at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Milan .
The Seattle-based coffee chain will then introduce the beverage in select markets globally, starting with Southern California in the US this spring before expanding to Japan, the Middle East and the UK before the end of the year.
Customers will also be able to request a press – the equivalent to a spoonful – of Partanna extra virgin olive oil as a customization to select beverages, such as espresso beverages and tea lattes.
“Oleato represents the next revolution in coffee that brings together an alchemy of nature’s finest ingredients – Starbucks arabica coffee beans and Partanna cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. Today I feel just as inspired as I did 40 years ago, Oleato has opened our eyes to fresh new possibilities and a transformational way to enjoy our daily coffee,” said Schultz.
Starbucks entered the Italian market in 2018 with a Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Milan. In September 2021, the coffee chain announced it would reach 37 stores by the end of 2023, including 12 new outlets this year.
In September 2022 Starbucks opened its first store in Verona, the city which inspired the Starbucks concept in 1983, in partnership with its Italian licensee Percassi.
The Sicilian Hotel Where ‘White Lotus’ Was Filmed Is Currently Offering a 25% Off Deal
Head to the dreamy location for a bit of a discount — drama not included.
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Looking to experience The White Lotus IRL? Well, it just got a bit cheaper.
The San Domenico Palace, A Four Seasons Hotel, which was the hotel used as the setting for season 2 of the hit HBO show, in Sicily, Italy, is running a promotion offering 25 percent off of certain rates and packages.
Located in Sicily, on a hillside overlooking the Ionian Sea, the building was once a convent back in the 14th century, and has been welcoming guests as a hotel since 1896. However, in recent months, TV fans will recognize it as stomping grounds for stars such as Jennifer Coolidge, Adam DiMarco, Tom Hollander, Aubrey Plaza, and others.
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Fabio Lovino/Courtesy of HBO
The “Discover Taormina” promotion offers guests 25 percent off the bed and breakfast rate for reservations made at least 14 days in advance. The San Domenico Palace didn’t respond to comments from T+L about the status or updates to the promotion, but has it and several featured offers still listed on their site.
While the hotel is running promotions on various rooms and suites, travelers may want to check the total rate before packing their luggage. A review of the hotel rates shows that a regular room can start at $2400 a night, and the Princess Cecilie Suite starts at $6800 for select dates.
Season 2 of The White Lotus debuted on HBO in October, however in December, the hotel took to Instagram to share why the show’s creator picked it for a filming location.
“After visiting more than 30 different hotels from the South of France to the South of Italy, Mike White and his closest entourage immediately fell in love with San Domenico Palace, a Four Seasons Hotel,” the hotel shared. “‘The hotel itself had the luxury but also this kind of moodiness that was so unique,’” Mr. White said. “’It felt like a place where I could get inspired to come up with something juicy.’”
The hotel is currently closed in preparation for the opening of the spring season, and will re-open on March 14, 2023.
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RANZ reports positive meeting with new PM outlining immediate priorities –
The Restaurant Association, along with other members of the business community, met with the new Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins yesterday morning for the first time to discuss the impact of flooding on North Island hospitality businesses.
Marisa Bidois, CEO of the Restaurant Association of New Zealand said the meeting, which lasted about an hour was “constructive and positive” and it was clear that the Prime Minister was aware of the many challenges faced by the business community, which was encouraging to see.
The Restaurant Association raised immediate priorities with the Prime Minister:
Business communications – Ensuring that the message around staying at home is followed by strong messages around when it is ok to come out again.
Clear communications around road closures and the length of time for repairs were also discussed as vital to getting businesses back up and running again.
Business support – cash flow in the hospitality industry is severely impacted by a downturn of customers or business closure. In the case of the floods 75 per cent of respondents to a Restaurant Association survey had experienced a downturn in revenue since the floods. For an industry still recovering from the impacts of the pandemic this presents further cash flow challenges.
Reviewing planned policies – there is enormous financial pressure on businesses at the moment and reviewing some of the upcoming regulatory changes would be welcomed by businesses. Parking the minimum wage increases set for this year would go some way to supporting businesses dealing with skyrocketing costs; delaying the Fair Pay Agreements process and other policy directing impacting businesses could assist with easing some of the pressure on these businesses.
International communications – ensuring our international communities understand that New Zealand is open for business. We need more messaging calling for workers showing how great it is to work here. We are currently facing a severe skills shortage and competing with other markets for workers.
Immigration policy – Being able to access the labor needed to run our business is imperative to ongoing stability in the industry.
Other issues discussed included interruptions to the supply chain causing shortages of food, insurance contracts not covering financial downturns or damage due to natural disasters along with exponential price increases.
“The rain continued throughout January which culminated with the floods that have come at the very worst time for hospitality businesses, many of whom are still trying to recover from the effects of the pandemic,” said Marisa Bidois.
“The summer months are traditionally a bumper time for hospo, particularly the Auckland Anniversary and Waitangi weekends.
“We’ve been taking calls all week from members looking for support and targeted communication to help them work through the situation and get back and running again.”
“I’m pleased to report that the prime minister was extremely open and receptive to our suggestions and I’m looking forward to working with him and his senior ministers on the important issues facing our industry,” concluded Bidois.
Grand Chateau Tongariro Hotel announces permanent closure –
The Grand Chateau Tongariro will close permanently from Sunday February 5.
The Chateau, located in the Tongariro National Park, has been in consultation with the Department of Conservation (DOC) regarding the renewal of its 30-year lease, which expired in April 2020.
As part of the hotel’s due diligence in preparing to renew the lease, it had specialists conduct site and seismic assessments as part of plans to renovate the building and surrounding infrastructure.
The most recent seismic assessment, however, found that underground shifts over time meant some of the hotel infrastructure no longer met current safety standards.
“This decision has also been influenced by other factors including the significant cost of ensuring long-term site safety from seismic risk, Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL) falling into voluntary administration and related uncertainty over the future of the ski resort upon which the Chateau Tongariro The hotel depends, and off the back of recent poor snow season conditions and pandemic restrictions,” a spokesperson said.
Senior vice president commercial of the Chateau Tongariro Hotel’s parent company, Kevin Peeris, said it’s a “very sad day for our hotel family”.
“Surrounded by the Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, and its history in Aotearoa New Zealand, it is disappointing for our hotel community that the Chateau Tongariro Hotel chapter will come to an end in February, despite initial plans to invest in its long-term future ,” Peeris said.
He said although the hotel had been given the possibility of an extension to “undertake rectification works” it would’ve been too expensive.
To ensure the safety of those at the hotel, including its 36 staff, the decision has been made to close it.
Peeris said it was disappointing and sad that the iconic hotel would have to shut its doors “despite initial plans to invest in its long-term future”.
“The hotel has been given 25 years with the possibility of an extension of another 10 years to undertake rectification works, however the costs involved in these works, combined with other external factors such as the voluntary administration of Ruapehu Alpine Lifts and the poor snow season , and rebounding tourist numbers from the pandemic means continuing operations is not financially viable.”
Discussions are underway with DOC regarding the handover of the property.
The hotel said it was supporting directly affected staff.
Owners of the Chateau Tongariro Hotel and its sister hotel, Wairakei Resort Taupō, have confirmed they will continue investing in New Zealand, and the Wairakei Resort Taupō and its staff are not impacted by the closure.