"We will keep our feet on the ground and continue to provide good food and service. I oversee the whole lot but, when I can, I'm still hands on in the kitchen; cooking is always my passion," said Mr Pearson, who used to be head chef for discerning superyacht owners.
Two years ago, Global Cuisine signed up as the in-house caterer for a reinvigorated Bella Vista Lodge and Function Centre, bought by Otorohonga dairying couple Brian and Michelle Gray.
Mrs Pearson is the wedding organiser and also runs the front of house at the lodge, working alongside head chef Dave Hunt, who moved from the Astrolabe Restaurant.
In August last year, Global Cuisine linked up with Tauranga City Venues "to help Baypark build the business and add a personal touch to the catering".
Mr Pearson said: "We are working together to make the customer happy; that's the best way. What Baypark, and TECT Arena, needs is good food and quality service."
Over the summer, Global Cuisine, employing up to 25 staff, have been catering for speedway crowds of 5000, opening up six food outlets at the stadium.
But Tauranga City Venues and Global Cuisines' big test will arrive on Friday evening when Baypark hosts the in-form Chiefs playing the ACT Brumbies in the latest round of the Super 15 rugby.
Mr Pearson is preparing for a crowd of 12,000-16,000 and will be employing 45 staff. He is well aware of the previous criticism that rugby fans had to queue in the food outlets and the wait was too long - some fans missed out on the start to the second half.
For Friday night, Tauranga City Venues management is opening all 13 food outlets at the stadium and Global Cuisine has introduced a "pick and go" system. The food will be put into shoots under heat lamps and the fans will pick up their choices and move straight to the pay booth.
"We will be taking the waiting time and the queues down dramatically," said Mr Pearson. "Patrons will also be able to purchase drinks at the cafe before and after the match to keep traffic congestion down."
The food selection is also different in the stadium - there will be salads, sandwiches, nachos, wedges, and curries, as well as the burgers, hot dogs and chips.
"We've been listening to the public and they want different stuff, a healthy option," said Mr Pearson.
The Pearsons have been trained on quality food and service. Earning City and Guilds, and Scottish Qualification Authority certificates for food preparation and cooking certificates, Christchurch-born Mr Pearson became head chef at Iguana Restaurant in Edinburgh.
He completed a course at Frenchman Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir Aux Quat' Saisons Restaurant in Oxford, England, and then for 10 years was head chef for owners of superyachts which travelled the Mediterranean and Caribbean.
His bosses included Irish millionaire Clayton Love aboard Royal Tara, Scotland's Lord Laidlaw on Lady Christine, Yorkshireman Malcolm Healey on Felicitia West, and American Fred Drasner - co-owner of New York Daily News and Washington Redskins gridiron team - aboard Andromeda.
Helen Pearson worked as chief stewardess on some of the superyachts.
During the first two years of setting up Global Cuisine, which was primarily a summer business, Mr Pearson left Tauranga to work on the superyachts during the (New Zealand) winter, but he doesn't have to do that anymore.
He has to keep a close eye on his expanding business. This week, Global Cuisine is catering for a wedding in Whitianga - the truck is on hand for 200 guests at the nuptials on Friday and the same number at lunch the following day - two more weddings at Bella Vista and the rugby at Baypark.
Friday night's activities will bring out 65 staff for Global Cuisine. Last week, the truck was at a wedding in Whangamata on Friday and then headed for a similar function at Hahei the following day.
"We start the food preparation on Tuesday - curing meat, smoking fish, pastries, desserts and sauces - and, by the end of the week, we put the finishing touches on the meals. The fresh produce is cooked on the day," said Mr Pearson.
Global Cuisine uses local suppliers - Excelso, which started from a mobile van on Wairoa Rd 17 years ago, for the roasted coffee, Cherrywood Butchery for all the meat and Fresh Market at Gate Pa Shopping Centre for the fruit and vegetables. Mr Pearson will order up to $10,000 worth of meat at Cherrywood in a week.
He said Global Cuisine was catering for up to 70 weddings this season (December to April), triple the number when it first started, and the truck was now operated by John Robertson and Aidan Galloway.
"The truck's pretty much self-reliant - we can serve 800 people out of it for a function or 100-250 for a wedding," said Mr Pearson. The truck handles 280 litres of gas, 800 litres of wastewater and a similar amount for fresh water. It has a walk-in chiller that can hold food and drinks for three days and it's run on a 18KVA generator.
The kitchen in the re-designed body of the truck has a six-gas burner, a holding and combi oven, a double frying basket, a chargrilled and salamander grill, and a dishwasher.
Back on the ground, full-time staff of six are running the Arena Cafe & Bar at Baypark, managed by Mark Pollard and assisted by accomplished barista Kerry Hunt, who helped open Cafe 88 in Mount Maunganui.
The cafe also caters for all the conferences and awards dinners held in the TECT Arena, attracting anything from 100 to 600 delegates. "We had five conferences last week and we finish off with canapes and a sit-down dinner," said Mr Pearson.
Looking ahead, he knows he has to spread the business out over the whole year and overcome the quiet winter.
"Baypark will be running indoor soccer leagues and we will be opening the cafe seven days a week, as well as organising prize-givings to provide atmosphere," he said.
"We need to get the truck busy in the winter and we are looking at getting into the film industry. Wherever a film is happening, we can get to the location."
