Meet Rotorua’s hospitality heroes: Part 1

Business Lifestyle

What separates a good restaurant or café from a great one are the teams behind the counter or in the kitchen. Hospitality staff are the keys to bringing a venue to life, and Rotorua has no shortage of hospitality heroes.

From chefs with decades of experience, to community champions and service aficionados, here are the locals who go above and beyond to make their customers’ experiences special.

This Neat Places feature includes just a few of our hospo heroes. Stay tuned for more to come!

Lorisse Vincent-Amor from ANI’s Gin Bar & Tapas
Founder Lorisse Vincent-Amor is the heart and soul of ANI’s Gin Bar & Tapas. Lorisse developed her love of food from a young age, eventually pursuing a formal culinary education that took her overseas to hone her skills.

Upon returning to New Zealand, she opened ANI’s, which is named after her late mother, in 2022. The menu of modernised Māori kai is inspired by Lorisse’s nostalgia for the flavours of her childhood. Many of the dishes feature native botanicals such as kawakawa or horopito, and those notes are echoed throughout the bar’s extensive New Zealand-made gin collection. Lorisse’s expertise really shines in the gin space, and from behind the bar, she is happy to walk diners through the options of spirits to craft their perfect drink.

Greg & Rachael Thomas of Okere Falls Store
Greg and Rachael are the duo who own and operate the cult favourite Okere Falls Store

Greg (pictured at top) had been coming to Okere Falls for whitewater rafting adventures since the 1980s and reckons he purchased his first box of beer from the venue back when it was still a petrol station.

He and Rachael have been at the helm of the Store since 2021 and view themselves as the kaitiaki (stewards) of the Store. They’ve taken that mindfulness and care and put it into everything from how they treat customers, to the brews they stock in the fridges and the expansive menu of all-day brunchy classics – including some pretty spectacular toasties. And if you’re like Greg, the go-to means a good set of poached eggs with streaky bacon with a tasty long black, sitting on the front sun-drenched deck watching the world go by.

Irihei Walker of Te Pā Tū
Te Pā Tū is a celebration of Māori culture – history, traditions, aspirations and kai. Over four hours, you’ll celebrate with an immersive seasonal banquet aligned to the maramataka (Māori lunar calendar). Each year Te Pā Tū collaborates with a different Māori chef, inviting them to personalise the menu and offerings and highlight the breadth and depth of the lived experiences of the culinary team.

Executive chef Irihei Walker (Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Arawa, Ngāti Kahungungu) brings more than 20 years of experience, having developed a love of cooking from his mother and grandmother, then training abroad and honing his skills at fine-dining establishments in Australia before returning to his native Rotorua. The pull of te ao Māori brought him to Te Pā Tū, where he curates a story with exquisite kai. Expect delicacies like pāua, pickled pikopiko or ika mata (ceviche), and mains dishes such as confit duck leg brined for 24 hours in star anise, cinnamon and rock salt.

Tuta Davoren from Poco Tapas & Wine
Poco Tapas & Wine is an open, inviting space with plenty of natural light, an attractive counter bar and attention to detail, the perfect setting for their sharing-style menu and extensive wine list.

Tuta Davoren has been the sous chef at Poco since it opened two years ago and brings his 20-plus years of international experience and passion for fine dining to the seasonal menu. An all-rounder in the kitchen, you can find him baking, preparing entrees or mains, or creatively plating desserts. Go with the Chef’s Menu to get the best of what Tuta brings to the table, including one of his favourites, the prawns and flatbread.