Jessica Patterson flew from the top of the world in Northern Canada from Nunavut, a remote territory, all the way down to Arrowtown in 2014. What started as a visit, ended with Patterson calling New Zealand her home.
While always having a love for people, food, and travel, Patterson began her hospitality journey in a popular pizza chain in Canada called Boston Pizza.
In the South Island, Patterson worked in a restaurant in Central Otago where she was exposed to the beloved wines of the region, allowing her to also meet the wonderful people of the area.
After managing several restaurants Patterson and her partner Pete had the chance to purchase and renovate a well-renowned and highly regarded pizza truck from Francesca and James Voza, who are equally as much recognized as hospitality veterans in the area.
Francesca’s Mobile Pizza creates Italian-inspired thin crust pizza cooked in a mobile wood-fired pizza truck. Keeping recipes simple and integrating seasonal produce to provide a diverse range of weekly specials.
“The important resource in the hospitality industry is people, and as we recover from the pandemic it is getting more and more difficult to find people.”
The ongoing impacts of the pandemic confirm the difficulties of the hospitality industry, particularly in such a tourist destination as Queenstown.
Although, as borders are remaining open, the window of opportunity for people all over the world to visit seems to become larger and larger.
What Patterson really wants to see more of is readily accessible areas for food trucks.
“Wanaka has an amazing food truck lane that should and could be created in cities and towns all over New Zealand. It would be fabulous to see this more often and be able to showcase more of New Zealand’s hospitality.”
If you’re looking for Francesca’s Mobile Pizza Truck, you’ll likely find them around the Queenstown lakes. Alternatively, they cater weddings, birthdays, and other gatherings, in which they have a broader menu.
