Bistro style, simple, seasonal, regional food and flavours are to be found at Bevan Smith’s Riverstone Kitchen restaurant.
Nestled in the spectacular North Otago countryside, Riverstone was built in a paddock on the family farm in 2006. The restaurant has become a destination for lucky locals, food-loving kiwis and international visitors alike and has gained a reputation for delicious food.
Chef, restaurateur, author of four cookbooks, and father of two, Smith began his culinary journey in 1991, when he left the family farm to train as a chef at Christchurch’s Polytech. His passion took him to London, where he worked at Terence Conran’s La Pont de la Tour and Michael Caine’s Michelin-starred Canteen. Smith then spent five years in Brisbane before heading home to open Riverstone Kitchen.
At Riverstone, Smith utilises local suppliers and the all-encompassing gardens that surround and define the restaurant to focus on redefining seasonal dining in rural New Zealand. The chef is passionate about delivering a high-quality food and dining experience while showcasing the best that New Zealand has to offer - proven in 2010 when Riverstone Kitchen was the Supreme Winner of Cuisine magazine’s coveted Restaurant of the Year Award.
As consumers focus their demand on quality offerings, Smith believes hospitality has a strong future despite the challenges faced by the industry.
“Adapting to changing realities is imperative. Get your basics right, stay positive and deliver your product. The rest will come.”
One real challenge currently faced by Riverstone Kitchen, among many others in the New Zealand industry, is a shortage of staff. However, Smith is happy to run with a smaller team, taking less bookings to run more efficiently - just like Riverstone Kitchen’s early years.
Together, the tight knit team are facing increased running costs, reduced discretionary income of guests, and an increasing number of suppliers leaving their industries due to volatility and regulatory pressures head on with Smith’s goals to increase self-sufficiency, diversify revenue opportunities, and offer leadership training opportunities across the board for staff. A production kitchen was recently built on site as a multi-use space, utilising the production gardens to grow and develop other revenue streams without impacting the current kitchen flow.
The chef loves the industry’s international reach, offering the ability to work around the globe and to meet a diverse range of guests. His own overseas experience grew Smith’s knowledge and gave him new perspectives, and he encourages those at the beginning of their hospitality journey to head abroad for their own priceless experiences.
Over 15 years on from Riverstone’s own beginnings, Smith continues to shape the vibrant and busy restaurant, leading his dedicated team from within the kitchen. His cookbooks focus on the seasonal food showcased at Riverstone, and his latest is a collection of over 90 of the restaurant’s most popular and most requested recipes.
Riverstone Kitchen is located 15km north of Oamaru - on Glenavy-Hilderthorpe Road, Waitaki Bridge. Find out more at www.riverstonekitchen.co.nz
