Gourmet foodies flock together

Clinton Beuvink and Chris Moore with chef Stephen Roberts hope people will nosh their way through the variety of good on offer at their food market. Picture / Babiche Martens

Chris Moore and Clinton Beuvink have decades of experience in the grocery trade, but they look nothing like the apron-clad grocer giving the thumb-ups. It's hard to be square when you're standing in designer gear and welcoming visitors to Nosh, a gourmet food market.

"It's an innovative concept with traditional qualities of good produce and service. So it's the right vehicle to become an icon," predicts Beuvink.

"And, we do have black aprons," says Moore.

Nosh, which opens today in Auckland's Glen Innes, is a collection of producers, importers, wholesalers and retailers touting for trade under one roof.

And the roll call of foodie artisans is impressive. There's the Wellingtonians; Antonio and Luisa Cacace from La Bella Italia, Ian and Hilary Domett from Meat on Tory, with their head butcher Rob Cameron.

The Auckland contingent includes Russell Thomas from Gourmet Greens, Gretel Jack from Wholefoods, and Boyd Garnham from Boyd's Tea and Coffee. But first you have to get past Sean Armstrong's freshly baked bread and Sarah Winchester's sweet tempters at the entranceway.

You can literally nosh your way through this market, nibbling on the aged cheese and exotic fruit before you buy. Thankfully, no one will notice if you overindulge.

"It's a vibrant and boisterous retail environment with all the theatre of a marketplace, only it's just more comfortable," says Beuvink.

Taking centre stage is the cooking school, with chef Stephen Roberts working his magic on the produce in a series of daily demonstrations.

Roberts, whose credentials include the Hunting Lodge and Spencer on Byron Hotel, can also be engaged for private sessions.

These include one-hour meal solutions ($20) through to a two-hour class ($120), where the affable chef greets you at the door, takes your shopping, then cooks your dining menu.

"This is really about educating people about quality produce and its repertoire," says Moore.

Moore and Beuvink, who have both held senior roles for multinational suppliers, spent 18 months, full time, researching their business plan. They were inspired by foodie havens like Wholefoods in San Francisco and the markets of Europe.

They pondered our shopping habits, attitudes to fresh food, and our feelings about quality and price.

Moore, who spent his youth working in family restaurants in Wellington, says the crucial part was selecting the Nosh retailers.

"We often went incognito to taste the produce. Our criteria was finding people who were great at what they do and would work well together."

Moore describes Nosh as a co-operative between the business partners and 10 retailers.

"Actually, we haven't seen any global model for what we're doing. We've taken inspiration and overlaid it to the New Zealand context. But, we want to keep it real. It's not just a jumped-up supermarket," says Beuvink.

You would expect some competition from the protein providers at Meat on Tory and the Union Fish Company. Surely shoppers will be torn between Rob Cameron carving up his aged beef and former New Zealand Rugby League captain Ritchie Barnett with the catch of the day?

But Moore insists they're one big happy family. And it's about to grow, as the partners plan Nosh markets in Ponsonby and Tauranga.

It's a sign of green times that Nosh is promoting reusable shopping bags over nasty plastic ones. Like the aprons, they are iconic black. Go Nosh.

* Nosh is hosting a Meet the Producers weekend on Saturday August 4-Sunday August 5. Nosh is open seven days at 133-135 Apirana Ave, Glen Innes, ph (09) 521 1115.