Russell Cowley

 

Russell Cowley - "Interested in good food and especially good wine!"

How long have you been a chef?

 

All my life plus some! In truth about 25 years. I come from a 'foodie' family and have always been interested in good food and especially good wine.

 

What restaurants have you headed up?

The last kitchen was Auckland's award-winning Vinnies. Others include Clichy and Club Mirage, Dunedin eatery La Promenade and McGinty's in Hawkes Bay.

 

What made you decide to set up Kato?

Having lived and worked throughout New Zealand and seen the bounty of the land, I developed a flair for capturing the seasonal flavours of the regions on my menus. Contemporaries in the industry then encouraged me to develop this passion into a business. Kato was born. 

 

When was that? 

 

1992. The family moved to the rolling hills of Clevedon, along the Pacific coast, to start producing out of a shed on our lifestyle block. 

 

What is so special about Kato? 

I believe the quality of my recipes is determined by the ingredients they are produced from, hence I place a heavy emphasis on processing my own ingredients during their seasonal harvest.

 

Importantly, all recipes are prepared as a chef would, using freshly roasted herbs and spices that are then cooked out over a long slow heat without the use of chemical additives or preservatives. You won’t see any additive numbers listed on our ingredients.

Where do you get your produce from? 

At the start of summer we buy from up North, Kerikeri, and Warkworth. Then as the season moves on we move through Auckland, Gisborne and finish up just north of Wellington about Easter. Needless to say we have very busy summers.

 

Is there anything you would like to say to Kato customers?

Yes, thanks for the amazing response and support. I hope you enjoy our website and our flavours.