I do a variety of things, with the cafe I'll be teaching volunteers cooking, baking, food preparation, barista skills, customer service, front of house, food and hygiene, all kinds of things.
We also get people to do arts, crafts and help them with their literacy. We'll go out and mow someone's lawns if they need help.
Volunteer Rotorua basically tries to help anyone in the community that needs help, so I try to help out as much as possible myself.
You've been in the catering business for 30 years, tell us about some of the work you've done over the years?
I've managed catering businesses, some at sports clubs. I managed one business who catered for police, they were one of our clients. I've catered for pretty much everyone over those years. I've done a bit of everything.
What do you love about the catering industry?
Food is my absolute passion. I love to cook and I love to teach people how to cook. It's a great feeling when you can present food in a way that gets you excited.
Though sometimes catering can be really challenging, we once had to cater for an event with less than 24 hours' notice, which was pretty stressful.
What's your favourite thing about Rotorua?
Rotorua has real sense of community, and I love that. The roads aren't clogged here either, I hate that about Auckland, I don't much like going back because of it.
There's so many things I love about it, Rotorua's just a lovely town.
Tell us three things about yourself most people wouldn't know?
I'm an ex-soccer referee. I used to referee the senior men's and women's soccer teams in Auckland.
I have a passion for crosswords.
And lastly, I'm like an egg shell on the outside, but a marshmallow in the middle.
