For these three Auckland families, food is far more than a daily necessity – it’s a legacy. Passed down through generations, their recipes, rituals and restaurants tell rich stories of love, culture and connection.
Food habits go deep and are shaped early in life. For some, food is not just
Jan Gardner, her son Otis Schapiro and grandson Rafferty Schapiro
“I cook,” is the first thing 3-year-old Rafferty Schapiro says when he visits his grandmother.
It’s not surprising that he likes whipping up something in the kitchen: Jan owned and ran Meola Kitchen in Westmere, Auckland, for almost a decade and she’s still involved in catering. His dad, Otis Schapiro is the head chef and part-owner of Lilian, one of Auckland’s top restaurants. Cooking is in Rafferty’s DNA. “He really does love it,” says his proud ‘ama’ (Rafferty’s version of grandma). He first showed sous chef signs as a toddler, although his second-in-command position seems to have been short-lived. The day Viva visited Jan’s kitchen in Grey Lynn he was very much in charge. “I do it,” he insisted, tightly gripping the spoon and carefully measuring out the precise ingredients for his batch of vanilla cupcakes. Even at his tender age (he’s only just turned three), Rafferty seems to instinctively know that getting the measurements bang on is the secret to baking success.
In a sense, history is repeating itself. Otis also loved to cook from a very young age. “I remember the first time I made something in the kitchen,” he says. “I was about the same age that Rafferty is now. There was always leftover puff pastry lying around from a catering job and I would use it to make little fruit pies. Everyone in the family called them Otie’s Famous Pies.” As a child, professional kitchens played a big role in his life. “I grew up in my mum’s restaurant in San Francisco, spending most of my days after school there.” He was born and raised (until the age of 10) in the United States. Jan met Otis’s American father Mike Schapiro on her OE. While they were living in San Francisco, she launched and ran her own restaurant, The Moa Room, and also had a catering business.
In 2000 Jan and Mike relocated (separately) to Auckland and Otis began helping out at his mother’s popular café, Meola Kitchen. “I worked there, starting as a dishwasher, from about the age of 12, until I was at university.” After graduating, he had no notion of what he wanted to do. He left New Zealand to explore the world, working in kitchens while travelling during 2018 and 2019. “I never had a master plan,” he says. “It feels like I drifted into it but I guess it’s been ingrained in me since I was little. I started working as a chef because it was familiar and I never found anything else that really drew me in.”
In Copenhagen, he was an intern at renowned fine dining restaurant Noma, in San Francisco he did a stint at Benu (named one of the world’s 50 top restaurants), as well as State Bird Provisions and The Progress (both Michelin-star restaurants). In Mexico City he worked at Pujol and Quinonil, both highly acclaimed, two-Michelin-starred restaurants. Pujol is known for its innovative dishes and beautiful architecture, while Quintonil offers a more experimental, unique tasting menu. Both have been ranked among the world’s best restaurants.
It was while he was slicing and dicing in these prestigious restaurants, shoulder to shoulder with internationally acclaimed chefs, that Otis recognised his own level of achievement. It was a turning point, a moment when he began to seriously consider a culinary career. “I realised I was good enough to work anywhere and do pretty much anything I wanted to do in this industry. That time overseas really gave me the confidence to know I could open and run restaurants for a living.”
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Advertise with NZME.Initially, Jan tried to talk him out of it. She knew first-hand the challenges that came with trying to balance family life with running a restaurant. “At first I tried to steer him away from being a chef but I saw how determined he was and realised trying to stop him was futile,” she says. “Of course, I’m incredibly proud of what he’s achieved.” Otis has no regrets. “It’s what I’m best at and what I love to do,” he says.
In 2022, he opened Schapiro’s Sports Bar, a passion project that pays homage to his American roots. It serves up hot wings, cold beer and American sports beamed in live, plus a load of other tasty treats and sporting codes. But it’s more than that. It’s also a tribute to his late father, Mike, who was the ultimate sports fan. “My dad passed his passion on to me,” says Otis. “He would have loved Schapiro’s.” The bar is filled with a collection of Otis’ favourite sporting memorabilia, gathered over many years. Rafferty shows signs of sharing the Schapiro passion for sports, too. He can recite the names of his father’s favourite basketball team, the San Francisco-based Golden State Warriors, first names and surnames. It looks like there could be a third generation to carry on the family’s culinary passion – and a third-generation sports fan in the making.
Brothers Franco and Stefan Boric and their wives Nada Boric and Verity-Jane Boric
Twelve years ago, brothers Franco and Stefan Boric gave up their corporate jobs to take over the family business. They are the third generation to make a living from the family orchard in West Auckland, and the second set of brothers to take the helm. Franco and Stefan, with the help of their wives Nada and Verity-Jane, have redefined, rebranded and expanded the orchard’s fruit and vege shop, totally transforming it by taking over the former packing shed and adding 75% additional floorspace and renaming it Boric Food Market. “We wanted to make it our own, while being mindful to respect the past,” says Franco, the older brother by 18 months. “Each generation has added something to the mix.”
More than 80 years after their grandparents planted the first fruit trees at the original orchard in Henderson, Auckland, Franco and Stefan had a strong vision for the future of the business. The brothers, along with their wives (Franco is married to Nada) and (Stefan to Verity-Jane), wanted to upscale the fruit and produce store, turning it into a speciality food market and well-stocked deli, a place where you can also grab a cup of organic Kokako coffee while shopping. Five years ago, Franco (a former foreign exchange dealer) and Stefan (former accountant), added their own wine label to the shelves. Made with the help of a local wine maker, the brothers are proud of their Boric Chardonnay, Boric Sauvignon Blanc and Boric Rose.
This new store layout includes a large, north-facing deck that flows down to a playground. “We grew up playing in the orchard as kids and have many happy memories from those days. The creation of the deck and nearby kids play area allows others to share that experience,” says Franco. A talent for reinvention is perhaps a key to the success of the Boric family when it comes to business. They have never been afraid of change or adapting to new trends. The original orchard, in Lincoln Rd, Henderson, was planted in 1942 by Frank and Zorka Boric. Twenty years later, the couple moved further out of Auckland, buying a larger 35ha property – which is the current Kumeū site.
Some of the pear trees transplanted from Henderson are still producing 82 years later. In the 60s, Frank and Zorka’s sons Milenko and Barry (who is the father of Franco and Stefan) began taking a more hands-on role running the business. They were joined by their wives (Sonja married Milenko and Maria married Barry) who helped run the orchard’s produce shop. Boric children have always been keen to help their parents in the shop. “Stefan and I spent a lot of time here when we were kids. And we’ve each got four children – this is their second home,” says Franco. “Maybe there will be a fourth generation to take over when we retire!”
Food has long been an anchor that pulls the Boric family together. “It played an important role in our life when we were growing up. It still does,” says Franco. “As migrants from Croatia, our grandparents Frank and Zorka brought traditions with them that are still part of our family life,” he continues. “I have always had a lot of respect for the people that came before. I have learned a lot from them and have a lot of curiosity for the previous generations.” This rich family history heavily influenced Franco and Stefan’s decision to take over the business. “Growing up, we were involved in all aspects of the orchard, learning how to grow from farm to table. We saw how hard our grandparents and parents worked and we have modelled ourselves on them.”
Life was always busy but the family never missed coming together for a daily home-cooked meal. “We always ate together. It was very important. It was not just about the food, it was about bringing the family together,” he says. “Dinner time gave us an opportunity to sit down as a family at the table and discuss our day. No distractions, no TV. And as we got older, we were always involved in dinner preparation and, of course, the clean up!”
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Advertise with NZME.The centerpiece of a Croatian family gathering is always the meat. “Growing up, being part of the Croatian culture, we experienced many different ways of cooking. The traditional roast lamb on a spit is a favourite,” says Stefan. “Lamb on the spit is usually cooked when there’s a large family event. Multiple family members are involved, chopping firewood, starting a fire and cooking the lamb for a few hours over charcoal and embers. Sitting around enjoying family company while the lamb cooks has always been a highlight. And being the first to taste the lamb when it’s ready!”
In a way, Franco and Stefan have discovered how to share their own experience growing up in their daily work. “It’s more than a market, it’s not just somewhere to go to buy food, coffee and wine. We are trying to create a place that’s connecting to a community,” says Franco.
Robbie Kainuku and his husband Lenny Stevens
Robbie Kainuku and Lenny Stevens love creating food that gives people a lot of pleasure. The big sellers at their café in Sandringham, Auckland, are chocolate cupcakes and savoury pies. Customers can’t get enough of them. What makes the baked goods so special at the Blue Rose cafe is that they are made from family recipes, handed down through generations.
The cafe’s multi-cultural menu reflects the heritage of its co-owners – Robbie has a Cook Island background and Lenny’s Māori (Ngāti-Porou, Ngati-Kahungunu). Two of the most popular items on the menu – Koko Samoa cupcakes and Boil Up Pies – are made from family recipes. For Robbie and Lenny, it was important to tightly weave their cultural background into their business. “Pacific and Māori food is made from the heart. That’s what gives it the full flavour,” says Lenny.
Over the years, Blue Rose has grown into an Auckland hot spot. Initially, it was launched from home as a catering business, then the demand for their specialty food took off. The cafe was launched a decade ago, and five years later the dynamic duo took over the real estate office next door to double its size. Unfortunately, Lenny could not get his hands on any more of the distinctive wallpaper that’s a signature of the original cafe. The blue rose-patterned design came from his grandmother’s kitchen. Lenny knew it would be perfect for the cafe and snapped up the few rolls she had left over. “When I went back to buy more for the extension, I found out they weren’t making it any longer.”
Instead, they went for a tropical-themed wallpaper, teaming it with bold orange tables and church pews to provide seating for big and small groups. The bright and happy pattern of the wallpaper adds to the colourful and mismatched decor that brings warmth and intimacy to the cafe. The driving force behind Blue Rose is to create an atmosphere that can’t be found anywhere else. People come from all over the city to devour the unique pies and melt-in-your-mouth cupcakes and many other offerings. “We’ve always had a lot of customers from South Auckland, but now we are getting people from everywhere. Recently the cafe was on TV and since then we’ve had people driving over from Devonport,” says Robbie.
The couple share a mutual love of baking. They both grew up in homes where the biscuit tins were always filled with home-baked sweet treats. “The cooking smell of my childhood is fresh baking. It brings back a lot of memories,” says Lenny. As young boys, they both liked getting in the kitchen to whip up biscuits and cakes. Robbie adds: “I remember the first time I did some baking. I was 8 years old and my mother was at the neighbour’s house. She came home to find freshly baked vanilla cupcakes on the kitchen bench.” Lenny’s entrepreneurial spirit was evident from an early age: “Me and my sister had bake sales when I was seven to make some pocket money. By then, we were little pros at chocolate cakes, Anzac biscuits and chocolate biscuits.”
His grandmother taught him to cook. She also provided the winning cupcake recipe, and inspired Lenny to turn his passion for baking into a career. “My nan was a huge influence on me. She encouraged my dreams to be a cafe owner from a young age.” Five years ago, Robbie joined the business fulltime after being made redundant from his corporate job. Between the two of them, Robbie and Lenny are spreading the love of old but good family recipes. Perhaps that’s the most important recipe of all.
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