D
anielleGjestland’sfirstcustomer-facing
jobwasat age14,scoopingice-creamfor
holidaymakersonNoosa’sHastingsStreet.
Tenyearslatershe’dopeneda restaurant.
Sixteenyearson,andcountlesslatenights
later,Wasabiisn’tjustflourishing– it’sQueensland’s
top-ratedregionaleatery.
“I didn’tknowhowtobea restaurateurwhen
I was 24 andopenedWasabi,”admitsGjestlandwho
jumpedinfeet-firstfuelledbya needforchallengeand
anaffinityforJapanesefoodandculture.“I hadto
learnquickly:I learntit’sokaytomakemistakes,as
longasyoulearnfromthemanddon’trepeatthem.”
Asa restaurateurthere’sa constantpressure
toevolve.GjestlandendlesslyrefinestheWasabi
experience,fromitschicinteriorstofloorservice
andbeyond.LittleremainsoftheJapaneseeatery
thatopenedoriginallyinNoosa’sneighbouring
suburbofSunshineBeachandmovedtoitscurrent
riverfrontdigsa decadeago.
“Youcan’trestonyourlaurels– foodtrendscome
andgo.Youneedtobea goodeditorandfinda line
betweenallthewhitenoise,soyoucanworkoutwhat’s
importantandwhoyouneedtohavearoundyou,”
shesays.“Itmakesyoudecisive.Youcan’tponder
toomuch.You’vejustgottodoit andgetonwithit.”
Thevarietykeepsherinterestlevelshigh.“I love
it.Theindustryhasallowedmetobecreativeina way
I neverthoughtI’dbe,”shesays.“It’ssomultifaceted.”
Insucha fast-pacedenvironment,personalgrowth
is almosta given.Gjestlandsaysstaffwhostartout
messyanddistractedregularlybecomeorganised,
bristlingwithideas.“It’sa goodwaytofunnelnervous
energy.If you’rea bitnervousorawkward,it’sa wayto
focus that energy into something that has momentum.“I havesomuchmoreconfidencethanI ever
wouldhavehad.Whenthebuckstopswithyou,
youlearntomakesmartdecisions,anddecisions
thatworkforyou.”
Andnow,aswegotopress,Gjestlandis setto
embarkona newadventure.Wasabiis upforsale
andshe’smovingtoJapanwithherhusbandPete,
whereshe’llsitthenextlevelofhersakeexams
andimproveherJapanese-languageskills.
“It’stimefora break.I’mlookingforwardto
it,butI don’tknowwhatit’s going to be like not
working a 90-hourweek!”FIRSTHOSPOJOB:Scoopingice-cream at age 14
DANIELLE GJESTLAND, OWNER, WASABI, NOOSA, QLDon Noosa’s Hastings Street.DanielleGjestland.Left:
Gjestland on a trip to Japan.62 GOURMET TRAVELLER