Des has more than 25 years proven experience as a restaurant chef, the last 6 years of which he has worked as a free-lance chef consultant providing services to a wide range of establishments including cafes, bar focused restaurants, bistros and local eateries...

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Some of the larger pieces of consultancy work Des has completed include opening Augustus Bistro in Ponsonby’s Three Lamps for Restaurateur Chris Rupe.  This was regarded by the New Zealand Herald as one of the best new restaurants of its year.  With a mix of classic and modern French bistro style dishes the restaurant was rewarded with a spot in Metro magazine's top 50 restaurants for 2017.

 

Des also led the 2017 re-opening of the iconic West Auckland Restaurant ‘The Hunting Lodge’ for the Sutton family.  The restaurant immediately made an impact and was included in Metro magazine's top 50 and Cuisine magazine's top 100 New Zealand restaurants.