As the self-confessed Chief Burger Taster at Wise Boys Burgers, general manager Mitchell Baker has his work cut out for him, but he’s no stranger to working under pressure. Just over five years ago, Baker was a recent law school graduate, had adopted a vegan lifestyle, and was just getting used to the full-time nine-to-five office grind.
Spending days in the office thinking about food eventually led Baker to the realisation that life in law wasn’t as fulfilling as he had expected. The addition of his new love for cooking that came from adapting to a plant-based diet resulted in Baker leaving behind his corporate job and diving headfirst into the hospitality industry. The decision eventually led him right to Wise Boys, Auckland’s original vegan burger joint.
Wise Boys Burgers is known for taking the best of trending cuisines, making them vegan-friendly, and adding a Kiwi spin to classics. Baker said the current areas of interest at Wise Boys were American-style smash burgers and fried chicken.
The Wise Boys team has created vegan smash burger patties of their own, made from mushroom, hemp, and plant protein. Packed full of veggies, Baker described the smash burger patties as full of umami flavour, with a toothsome bite.
The burger recipes used at Wise Boys Burgers come from a collaborative effort between the management team. According to Baker, the process involves turning an idea into amateur recipes and then refining them time and time again
The biggest challenge faced by Baker and the rest of the management team who fill the role of executive head chef is figuring out the pathway to making delicious vegan food that can be enjoyed by meat-eaters and plant-based individuals alike.
Baker’s advice to people starting out in the hospitality industry, or chefs wanting to start their own business was to keep learning and growing whilst remaining patient. Wise Boys Burgers started out in a food truck built out of scrap metal and recycled pallets and it has taken a lot of trial and error, perseverance, and patience to get to where they are now.
