Tim is a trained chef and currently works in the food industry, as a General Manager for Five Percent Limited. Pictured above is Tim, with Ashlea, serving friends on their wedding day. In this interview, Tim shares his love of food and hospitality and reflects on the people who helped shape this passion.
Tell us about your family upbringing in Christchurch—what were your family rhythms around hospitality and food, and how did they influence you?
I grew up in Christchurch, and I’m the youngest child of three. Peter, my father, worked just shy of 50 years for the Ministry of Education. He worked pretty hard through those years, and his loyalty to that organisation was above reproach. If Dad was the engine propelling us forward, I guess Mum was all of those optional extras. She kept us safe, and comfortable, and warm. And she met that role of mother with complete abandon.
The oldest of us is Ruth, with whom I share a certain playfulness, perhaps a sense of humour; it’s probably best described as absurdist. And my brother’s name is Luke [Fenwick, a Senior Teaching Fellow at Venn]. He’s also based up here in Auckland, which is great because we both share this passion for food and wine. Plus his cellar is conveniently much bigger than mine.
I’ve grown to be incredibly grateful that we, as a family, always sat around the dinner table when we were kids. I remember thinking it was so cool that some friends sat around the TV eating dinner because we never did that. That would have been the easiest option for my parents. But I do think that delayed gratification certainly nurtured a better outcome.
As far as I remember, Mum’s always spent a lot of time in the kitchen. For family dinners, birthdays, and Christmases, of course, but also in the service of others, whether it’s making meals for families who are going through a hard time or making sweets for presents. Lately, it’s been refined, sugar-free slices that she’ll bring out over a game of cards after dinner. Witnessing her commitment to hospitality, and her selfless service, was probably the key formative experience that led to me choosing professional cookery as a career.
I saw how much people appreciated Mum’s cooking. I saw how something kind of small made people’s lives easier and maybe just better. People still talk about certain delicacies, like Mum’s Wellington Slice at Christmas or other sweet things she’d whip up and give to people just because she had some time. I guess people love it and appreciate it. Observing that great gratitude allowed me to see learning to cook as an honourable pursuit. There’s something about sharing good food with others that’s elevated; it’s greater than the sum of its parts.
What were your family’s celebrations growing up. What do you remember and how have they evolved over the years?
During celebrations when I was younger, like birthday parties, we would play heaps of games. Ruth would make piñatas with balloons and papier-mâché. We’d play the Chocolate Fish Game, you know the one where little marshmallow chocolate fish would be hung bespoke to your height, so it’s guaranteed to make you look foolish regardless of your stature. And we’d have some preposterous creation from the Australian Woman’s Weekly Birthday Cake Book.