Rob Way - The Meat keeper

At 14 years old, Rob started a part time job in the butchery at his local supermarket, and despite his accountant parents hoping he would join them in their profession, meat was to become his future.

The Remuera butchery was first opened in 1961 and quickly became one of the best in New Zealand but in the last decade, it has had seven owners and had slid almost into obscurity. That is until Rob bought it at the tender age of 21 on 7 July 2010.

He was trained by his previous boss, an older man, who did things properly the way they were once done and that is what he incorporates into his work at The Meat keeper.

Rob has worked closely with some of Auckland’s top chefs to create unique recipes, especially for his handmade sausages which are glutton-free. He also has a unique recipe for smoked chicken, which uses free-range chickens and is preservative and nitrate free. He does all his smoking on the premises.

He has a unique spread of products and is the only retailer in New Zealand who sells Savannah Angus beef, which is a fully mature grass beef with a minimum of one month of maturing.

His aim is to have many ready-to-cook products for busy families, and already stocks several, such as ready-marinated and oiled meat and food parcels wrapped in pastry. His long-term aim is to blur the line between butcher and chef.

He likes to build relationships with his suppliers and is about to go up in a helicopter and fly over the areas where his wild venison comes from. He often visits the chicken farms which supply his chickens and the farm in Pukekohe where he buys his eggs. His suppliers have nothing to hide and welcome his visits.

He thoroughly enjoys working in Remuera because the people are so friendly, quite different from the preconceived idea that people have of them.

His aim in life at this stage, apart from building a business he can be truly proud of, is to work less than 70 hours a week but so far he has failed in the latter.

I can personally recommend you try some of his produce. You can find him at 392 Remuera Rd.

Lucy Sanders - Sanders Jewellers

Lucy Sanders, 22 years old, has worked in the family business full time since October last year but had been on track to a career in horse nutrition. Yes, I didn’t know such a thing existed either, but apparently today you can do a Bachelor of Science majoring in equine science and then specialise further to nutrition. This seemed a natural progression from her lifelong love of horses but she decided some way into her first year that she wasn’t enjoying the studying. After that she worked as a groom for polo horses, which she loved, but is now learning the ins and outs of working in a jewellery shop.

Lucy enjoys the relationships she has built through the shop and loves the food here in Remuera. In particular the Sushi, and the fish and chips from Remuera Fisheries. The last three interviewees have mentioned these fish and chips as their favourite Remuera food so it is probably time for me to go sample them.
When Lucy is not working in the shop, riding her horse or playing with her Huntaway/Staffy/Doberman cross dog, she is currently reading A History of 9/11 but her favourite book is the last Harry Potter. Her favourite movie is Red Dog but also loves the Harry Potter movies, of course.
Although Lucy makes goals, she has never made a New Year’s resolution, which is probably a good thing since most of us have broken them by now and are in the process of beating ourselves up about our lack of willpower.

Lucy’s philosophy on life at 22 is not to sweat the small stuff. It’s an ambitious but worthy motto to carry with her through life and I wish her well.

If you wish to see some of their fabulous jewellery, drop in at one of their shops at either 385 Remuera Rd or 5 St Heliers Bay Rd. You could also have a look at their website: http://www.sandersjewellers.co.nz/ 

Great News - 128 Arney Road SOLD

We have just sold 128 Arney Road and as you can see in the photo, the vendors are delighted.

Terry & Diana King on the left with Craig and Nickola Horrocks on the right

NAVA PARAMAGURU - WHEELERS BOOK SHOP

If you have dropped into this large and comprehensive bookstore to buy a book, a card, a gift or a toy, you will have seen Nava behind the counter. He bought Wheelers at the beginning of May last year after a long career as a project manager/engineer in the oil and gas industry both here and in Malaysia, his home country. He transported his family here in 2007 to make sure his three children got a good education. In fact, his oldest boy is now studying computer science at AUT, while his sister is studying medicine in Romania (don’t ask)and the youngest has just applied to study bioengineering at the university here in Auckland.

The idea with buying Wheelers was to slide into retirement with a less stressful job. Not that being a business owner is stress free but it’s a different type of stress and he enjoys having to answer only to himself for his decisions. A bookshop in Remuera  brought together his desire to work in a crime-free area and his interest in books. He loves crime novels and is currently reading 11-22-69 by Stephen King. As he thought, Remuera has turned out to be a peaceful place to work and the people here are very supportive. In return he likes to support new authors with their first books. He recently accepted an autobiography called “Young Man Go South” written by a Remuera author, Hans Swier, and it is selling well.

When I asked him what his favourite movie was, he was embarrassed to say, The Hulk. He has watched both the television series and the movie. He enjoys the main character because of the humility he expresses despite his super powers. I suspect this humility is a part of Nava’s character as well, though I’m not sure about his having super powers.

Nava no longer makes New Year’s resolutions because they are too difficult to keep but he did keep one back in the year 2000. He decided to stop smoking despite having a 50-cigarette-a-day habit and stopped cold-turkey. He never had another. This shows the strength of character of this gentle man whose philosophy on life is to take one day at a time. “We are not permanent,” he says.

If you need a great book to read, do drop in at Wheelers at 395 Remuera Rd and say hi to Nava. He will happily help you with your purchase. Or you could go online and look the shop up here on the website, which is presently receiving a facelift: www.wheelersbooks.co.nz

We're on the front page of the NZ Herald!!

Take a look at today's NZ Herald - a great article about the shortage of housing including an interview and photo of us. We love it! Read the article here: Shortage of housing at 4-year high.

Amanda Evans – Kensington Hairdressing

Amanda’s grandfather was a barber and her mother worked in a hair salon, so it was natural that she cut and coloured her friends’ hair at school. But she was determined not to become a hairdresser. That was only for flaky girls.

After leaving school, she did chef work for six months but became disillusioned with her choice of job and one day she walked out, strode up the road to the hairdressing academy and destiny took over.

Since her training, she has been an educator for L’Oreal and technical manager for Sebastian Professional. She joined the team at Kensington Hairdressing as the manager just four months ago and loves working there. She is amazed at the sheer talent of the staff. They are 100% committed to every client looking their best, every time.

Amanda is particularly proud of the artwork in the shop – spectacular photographs of the work of the team. (See images.) She is also proud of her input into identifying ways to grow the salon. She is excited to see these being implemented.

On asking what Amanda likes about working in Remuera, she said, without too much hesitation, “the fish and chips from Remuera Fisheries”. It doesn’t help that she has to look at them all day as they are directly opposite. Browns, up the road, is definitely her regular fashion boost as she gets to check out the latest stock every morning when she grabs her coffee. And she enjoys Sanders Jewellers because everyone there is always smiling.

Although Amanda doesn’t make New Year’s resolutions, she does like to have a goal each year. This year she would like to complete the crossword on ‘Stuff.co.nz’ without using any of the hints!

Her philosophy on life is to treat others as you would like to be treated and to eat with your mouth closed. Wise words on both accounts.

To find out more about their salon, go to:  www.khb.co.nz

How to Decorate your Bathroom

I have owned various bathrooms in my time and know what I like and what I don’t like. That may not match your personal aesthetic but there are however some fundamentals which are worth looking at.

10 Do’s and Do not’s

1)    Don’t line your shower with travertine or any other similar pitted tile. Mould will grow rampantly in the small pit holes and, try as you may, it soon becomes irremovable because of the porous nature of the material. Maybe a dentist’s drilling tool might work but most of us don’t have access to one of those.

2)    Heated towel rails mean you don’t have to wash your towels every time you use them because the quick drying of your towel means it stays relatively bacteria free. If you are worried about the cost of having a towel rail heated 24/7, you can install a small gadget which turns it off every four hours for four hours and that saves half the bill.

3)    A good extraction fan is worth its weight in gold. It keeps the moisture levels low so less slimy growths can take hold and so you can see yourself in the mirror when applying makeup. It’s better to notice you have a mascara smudge on your nose while still in the bathroom. 

4)    Shiny floor tiles are a death-wish. Add even a teaspoon of water and you might as well put your skates on and do pirouettes - they may save you from falling flat on your back and cracking something on the way. Not a good look, especially if you have just stepped out of the shower.

5)    A good sized mirror is great when you are young and firm but the mirror should get smaller and smaller as you get older until you can see just your face. And do steer away from magnifying mirrors if you want to keep your self-esteem intact. Just saying. And on the note of mirrors, heated wiring behind it will stop it getting fogged up, which will prevent you seeing yourself altogether.

6)    Avoid at all costs those bathrooms with the shower as part of the main area – in other words no curtain, shower door or restraint of any kind. Only an architect can love those and he doesn’t have to use it. Keep the water where it should be – behind a well-sealed door or at the very least a full-length shower curtain. There’s nothing like sitting on a wet toilet seat to spoil your day.

7)    Adequate and convenient storage is a must. Free-standing designer basins are all very well but where do all your bits and bobs get put. They have to be close at hand and that means under the basin or right next door. A cupboard which slides out of the wall next to the basin or vanity works very well and can hold everything you need and more. Drawer organisers come in handy so that the tweezers you need urgently don’t slide to the back among the clips and cotton buds that inhabit the dark corners of bathroom storage. If you want to keep a clean-looking environment, then keep only your most-used creams etc. on view. Perhaps keep them on a silver tray or other beautiful dish, which is easy to lift so that the surface below can be cleaned.

8)    Good, flattering lighting is essential. Ban all of those down-lights which cast shadows onto the face and age you by a decade or more. Who could have dreamed up a worse soul-destroyer? Lighting beside the mirror is ideal and make sure it is bright enough to find an irritating lash in your eye, if necessary.

9)    Underfloor heating, while not obligatory, is certainly a bonus. Cold tiles underfoot on a cold morning start the day off on the wrong foot – so to speak. Together with a heated towel rail, this may be enough heating for the bathroom even if you don’t have central heating.

10) Make sure your windows are not see-through. Even if frosted or textured, most glass becomes at least partially see-through when the lights are on at night. Even if only a shadow can be seen, it is fairly easy to interpret what it is doing and that’s not really what you want in a bathroom. If your bathroom is overlooked by other houses, install an easily-cleanable blind of some sort which can be closed at night. Curtains are probably not a great idea because of the moisture which swirls about a bathroom – they will become mouldy in no time. And while we are speaking of what you are doing in a bathroom, it’s best to place the toilet out of sight of an opening door, just in case someone barges in. And it’s not a good look anyway to have a toilet the first thing you see when you enter – that’s just bad design.

Other than that, your imagination is your only limitation in creating your dream bathroom.