TheitemI wouldsave
froma fireis...Our
ElizabethThomsonMoth
sculptures.Solovely.Thethreewords
I wouldusetodescribe
myselfare...Creative,
organisedandsociable.
ThequalityI admire
mostinpeopleis...
Attentiontodetail.
I needthemcloseby.QUICK-FIRE
Myfavouritemealtocook...I usefishand
chillia lot.Mycurrentgo-todishis “fish
in a bag”– fishcookedin parchmentwith
vegetableandfreshherbaccompaniments.
ThebestpieceofadviceI everreceived
was...Frommyfather:
“Runninga businessis like
rollinga tyredowna road
- if youdon’tkeephitting
it,it willfallover.”
Mynumber-onekitchen
tipis...Oncenon-stick
panslosetheirnon-stick,
theyshouldbethrownout.
Theyareinexpensiveto
replace.If youfeelguilty
aboutthis,purchasea
cast-ironpanthatwilllast
foreverif youlookafterit.
A great book I read
recently is... I love
to walk and listen to
audio books. It’s no
problem to walk for
three hours if the book’s
good. I’ve recently enjoyed
Where the Crawdads Sing by
Delia Owens. It reminded me
of my trip to Louisiana.
If I hadtochooseanothercareer...
I wouldlovetobea travelagent.
Butthiscouldbea problemasI lack
attentiontodetailandmyclients
wouldprobablyendupin Timbuktu.
Myfavouriterestauran
is...I probablyeatout
mostoftenat Taisho
Japaneseat thetopof
ourstreetin Auckland.
Internationally,I could
beat BestiaorBavelin
DowntownLA,Osteria
Mozzain WestHollywood
orRoviin London.
WhenI’mworkinghard,
I unwindby...Cooking,
whilewatchingNetflix
onmyMacBookPro
with my new
AirPods [wireless
headphones]!
My biggest
inspirations are...
Restaurants and bars
that produce great-
quality food and drinks
while maintaining their
speed of service.SeasonedrestaurateurJudithTabronis a judgeon
MyRestaurantRules, premieringSeptember 30 onTVNZ2.The most beautiful places
I have ever been are...
Wanaka when there is snow
on the mountains, and the Seine
in Paris at nightfall where the
buildings are beautifully lit and
there’s not a billboard to be seen.
Another favourite is Champagne
Beach in Fiji’s Yasawa Islands. The
water is so clear that when my
husband dropped his wedding
ring on our honeymoon, it was
easy to find. I’m also in love with
oldhilltownsin France,andthe
seasidevillagesofGreece.PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTY IMAGES AND SUPPLIED.SeasonedrestaurateurJudithTabronisajudge on
Inspired by...
End notes
My fondest
childhood memory is...
Holidaying at our simple family bach
at Little Manly, Whangaparaoa. It’s
now a suburb of Auckland but back
then it was a sleepy backwater
where my parents and four siblings
enjoyed long summers, playing
Cluedo and card games; 500, rummy
and canasta. As there was no TV, we
would sing along to LPs on our old
cabinet record player.QUICK FIRE
t