Peza's Pitstop opens on owner's front lawn in Whanganui

Peza's Pitstop owner Perry Schlierike is operating his food trailer on his front lawn. Photo / Supplied

Peza's Pitstop owner Perry Schlierike's new food trailer had only been open for three days before the Covid-19 level 4 lockdown came into effect.

"I had originally planned to be on Gilberd St, so I could target all the truckies down that way," Schlierike said.

"Now, under level 3, I've just set up shop on my front lawn here on Carlton Ave.

"We're following all of the government's health and safety guidelines, and the support so far has been absolutely fantastic."

Schlierike said his love of cooking had been passed down from his father and was further cemented by his time as a social worker in a children's home in Leicester, England.

"I was always cooking meals for the kids there.

"A lot of my colleagues there were Indian and, through them, I developed a love of making curry.

"I was always asking how they made their amazing curries and bhajis and things, and over time I started to develop my own style with them."

While curries weren't on Peza's menu just yet, Schlierike said customers could enjoy toasted sandwiches, omelettes, coffee, butties and gourmet burgers, including the "Shilack Stack".

"The 'Shilack Stack' was what started this whole thing," Schlierike said.

"I made one for my son-in-law and he said it was the best burger he had ever eaten, and that I should start selling them to people.

"And here we are, making good, fast home cooking."

Schlierike was born in Whanganui but raised in New Plymouth and Waiuku. He spent 25 years in England and three years in Chile, where he became fluent in Spanish.

Following 10 years as a social worker in Leicester, Schlierike spent the following six as a drama teacher. After losing his first wife to cancer, he began driving trucks as a "stop-gap".

"It turned out that I made more money driving trucks than teaching so I stayed at it."

Schlierike returned to Whanganui in 2013 and remarried four years ago.

"Funnily enough, my wife and I were born five days apart in the same hospital, so our parents probably met each other way back then."

Schlierike said he hoped to add a "revolving list" of hot pots to the menu over the winter months, so he could serve some of his curry recipes to the public.

"All the feedback from people in the neighbourhood has been fantastic, and some people have been coming back two times a day, once for their morning coffee, and then for some lunch."