Mario Fichtner was born in Lyttelton, but has lived overseas for many years of his life. It was during his travels that he became inspired by the different cuisine he tried, and inspired him to open up his own restaurant with his family, back in Lyttleton where it all started.
Arbour Woodfire Pizza has a menu that follows the seasons, using almost exclusively locally sourced ingredients. Fichtner said that he would describe the food as being traditionally Italian, but with a kiwi twist.
“Our highly experienced, dedicated pizza chefs work with our beautiful woodfired oven to produce stunning artisanal pizza you can’t get anywhere else.”
Using 99 percent of ingredients from local sources, Fichtner is proud to incorporate native flora into the menu as well.
“We utilise horopito leaves in our slow-cooked lamb pizza to give it a delicious peppery taste.”
Fichtner’s favourite meal to cook is determined by which season it is. In Spring leading into Summer, he enjoys cooking a green salad, topped with a balsamic vinaigrette and toasted seed with sourdough, and when Autumn leads into Winter he suggested a lasagne or a healthy vegetable stew.
A highlight of this journey for Fichtner was when Arbour Woodfire Pizza was nominated for people’s choice and design ambience at the Canterbury hospitality awards. He said that it was special due it the nomination coming in the same year it opened and that it helped validate the hard work he and his team had put in. Fichtner also said that there is one recurring comment from his dinners that is rather special to him.
“Being told on a near daily basis by customers that it's the best pizza they have ever eaten is very rewarding.”
Leading into the future, Fichtner said that there will be a number of challenges in the near future, but a dramatic rising in costs, quality ingredients, and wages will be big factors. Fichtner said that one goal of his in the future is to continue making his venue more resilient and to incorporate more local ingredients. He said that being a diverse area of work, there is always a right place for anyone.
“Find the position that you enjoy the most by trying different roles, as it’s such a varied industry.”
Having recently become a father, Fichtner is enjoying spending time with his wife and baby. Prior to that, in his spare time, he enjoys getting out and seeing some of our country’s natural landscapes.
