Dean Fitness has spent his entire life in Whanganui. Photo / Lewis Gardner
Dean Fitness has spent his entire life in Whanganui. Photo / Lewis Gardner
Starting today, every Monday the Chronicle will fire 10 questions at a Whanganui local revealing what lies behind their passions and the things you didn't know you didn't know about people in our community.
To kick us off Mike Tweed sat down with Dean Fitness who runs family business Chef'sChoice and is a national roller hockey representative.
If not Whanganui, where else in the world would you want to live?
Spain would definitely be the first on the list. I love South America too. Anywhere where roller hockey is a major sport is good with me.
Dining out would be right up there. Going to places that we supply, and supporting local eateries. In the summer months I'm always keen to take the jet ski out for a blast.
Outside of your family and your business, what is something else you have dedicated yourself to?
I've been playing roller hockey since I was 11. It's my No 1 in terms of hobbies, and I'm lucky enough to have been able to play for New Zealand and go to tournaments all over the world. The Whanganui men's team won the national competition last year, and I'm super proud of that.
My father, uncle, and grandfather were all butchers, so it makes sense that I've followed in their footsteps to a degree. My grandparents owned a toy shop on Victoria Ave when I was a kid, so that was always a huge adventure. I was the only grandchild allowed to play with the toys, and I was pretty happy about that. Now I've got two sons, so they give me the excuse to still act like a kid from time to time.
Favourite sports team?
I've been a bit of a diehard Warriors supporter from day one. When I was a kid my brother and I were huge State of Origin fans. He was a Queensland supporter so that meant I had to be for New South Wales. We were both really excited when a Kiwi team made it into the NRL.
Dean Fitness (left) with teammate Jimi Blinkhorne ahead of the World Roller Games in Spain last year. Photo / File
If you had the chance to hire one person to work at Chef's Choice, who would it be?
That's a hard one. I'm leaning towards 'Ace Ventura' era Jim Carrey. He'd guarantee laughs throughout the working week. It's always good to have a live wire around the place.
'Relationship of Command' by At The Drive-In, no doubt about it. I guess your teenage years are when you really latch on to a band or an album, and that was definitely the one for me.
How do think Whanganui has changed since you were a kid?
I think that as society has evolved, so has Whanganui. It's become much more connected to the rest of the country, and technology has meant that you can do a whole variety of work here without being in a major centre like Auckland or Wellington. We seem to be drawing attractions we haven't been able to before, like the new flight school for instance.
Has the growth of your business been something you expected?
In a word, no. I think my idea of success has changed over the years though. When you have a family and you grow a bit older, smaller things that you achieved when you were much younger almost seem insignificant. They're important though, and I wouldn't be where I am without these smaller milestones along the way.
What are some of the challenges you've faced as a business owner?
This isn't necessarily a challenge, but when you have a significant number of staff members, so you have to take other non-work related things into account. Employees become members of the family over time, and as a boss you have to do what's best for them.
