Tom Cruise with restaurateur Tony Stewart at his pop-up restaurant in San Francisco.
Restaurateur Tony Stewart is thankful this week's break in racing in San Francisco will allow his staff at Waiheke Island Yacht Club to regroup and brace themselves for the "madness" that will follow during the America's Cup.
The Kiwi pop-up restaurant on San Francisco's Embarcadero has been a hit with
both locals and the sailing set in town for the America's Cup, easily exceeding the numbers Stewart had anticipated. During last week's Louis Vuitton finals the restaurant and bar was packed from lunchtime through to closing, giving an "exciting but slightly terrifying" prelude of what to expect when the big show kicks off in 10 days' time.
"It's going to be absolutely nuts, because last week was nuts," said Stewart. "I'm kind of a bit nervous about what it will do to staff with the hours they will be working. But it's two weeks to focus on and I think there's no reason why we can't nail it."
Located in a disused pier building next to the America's Cup village, Stewart and his team have transferred the large, cavernous space into a little slice of New Zealand on the west American foreshore.
The kitchen, run by head chef Hayden McMillan (former Merediths, French Cafe and TriBeCa) was completed only in the early hours before the opening day.
