What's cooking: Celia Hay

Celia Hay is one of New Zealand's unsung food industry heroes.

Celia Hay is one of New Zealand's unsung food industry heroes. A qualified chef and mother of three, she has operated award-winning Christchurch restaurant Hays for 12 years.

Hay started doing cooking demonstrations in 1990, and opened the New Zealand School of Food and Wine in 1995. Today it is one of the country's most highly regarded culinary training institutions.

What are the foundations for success in hospitality?

You need to like what you do. It is important to feel happy about being around the public and you also need a thick skin. Once you have decided how your cafe or restaurant should be, then you need to have the courage to stick with that, even in the face of criticisms or negative reviews. Having said this, there is always something to be learned from feedback - positive and negative.

Does it take time to build a successful cafe or restaurant?

Yes. The successful hospitality businesses are those where the owners have stuck it out, got to know their customers and built meaningful relationships with them that endure over the years.

What do you like about your job?

I have lots of different jobs and I suppose the diversity of what I do keeps me going. At Hays I cook when the head chef is on holiday. I enjoy this so much, the sweating over a hot stove as well as the creative side of the cooking process.

What's the first thing you ever cooked?

Pikelets when I was about 6-years-old.

Can you share your secrets on how to enhance taste?

Eating delicious food is emotionally fulfilling. There is an enormous public debate raging on obesity and heart issues and we are told not to eat too much salt, fat and sugar but we must not lose sight of the importance of making food delicious. If that means adding salt to the water that you cook pasta or vegetables in, then so be it.

Is there anything you refuse to eat?

For nearly 10 years I was vegetarian. I wouldn't eat stock-based sauces or soup. I've got over that now. I do find it hard to get motivated about offal, although I love pate and foie gras.

What is always in your fridge?

Yoghurt and at least one nice cheese other than cheddar.

What do you always have in your kitchen cupboards?

Living on a farm, with no shops nearby, we have a large selection of goods in the store cupboard. My personal favourites are Italian hand-made pasta like Rustacella, fresh coffee beans and good quality olive oil.

What is your favourite meal and why?

Currently I am enjoying duck, which I cook for several hours in a bottle of wine and serve with garlic mash.

Can you give some advice on wines that do not overpower food?

If you start drinking a wine that is big and bold it can make delicate food taste insipid and bland. I would never serve a full bodied shiraz as an aperitif but prefer bubbles or a lighter style white wine. Sauvignon blanc can also be a demanding wine and overpower the food it is served with. I think it makes a great wine to start with but after one glass I want to move on.

What are the characteristics of a good host?

Being a good host is about sharing and giving of yourself, and the pleasure that you get from making other people happy. You can do this by cooking a delicious meal or finding interesting wines to complement the food or by just being good company. It is an innately human thing.