Michael Meredith is closing his Auckland restaurant in order to spend time with his family. Meredith and his partner are expecting a child in February, his fourth, with the renowned chef claiming that the pressures of the restaurant have a negative impact on his family life.
“When you own your own business you don't see your family,” he said. “So this time around I want to enjoy that part.”
His commitment to his eponymous restaurant meant that he missed out on large parts in the upbringing of his three daughters, who now live in Australia with his former partner.
Since opening a decade ago, Merediths has been consistently lauded and is regarded one of the best restaurants in the country. Meredith has also found success as co-founder of charitable initiative Eat My Lunch, along with Lisa King, and is a consulting chef for Air New Zealand. Meredith has plans for the future, but can’t reveal too much other than that there will be a “massive social side.”
Merediths will close before Christmas. The Dominion Road site will be passed on to a new food enterprise and “live on and have a re-birth of a new style of food,” according to Meredith.
