Kiwis smashing it abroad: Serving up world-class dishes to VIPs in China

Across borders and industries, New Zealanders are carving out space, building influence and exporting creativity. In this series, RNZ speaks to Kiwis making their mark abroad, those coming home, and those living somewhere in between.

At the helm of one of Guangzhou's Michelin-class French restaurants, Emmelyn, is executive chef Caleb Carter. Based in the bustling Chinese city, he's a long way away from his quiet coastal hometown of Kūaotunu on the Coromandel.

Carter's pathway into cooking began when he left high school early - he'd already been working then, but ended up landing a job at an Auckland restaurant that, only later, he realised was among the city's best. His mentor at the time was Ben Bayly of Ahi, Origine and Aosta.

At The Grove and Baduzzi, he spent nearly two years refining his craft before crossing the Tasman. Australia followed — first an outback pub, then an Asian smokehouse — where even his days off were spent polishing pastry skills at the smokehouse restaurant’s sister venue.

Stints in Japan came next, drawn by family ties to his wife, before a pivotal call: the smokehouse's head chef was heading to China and wanted to bring Carter too. In Guangzhou, Carter found himself leading the largest kitchen team of his career.

"It was the biggest team that I've ever worked under and commanded. Then I took over the reins of Emmelyn. It's not just cooking. You've got to create a menu, do a lot of admin work, costings, and then just trying to organise everybody as well, from junior, junior, junior kitchen staff to senior guys and trying to keep them happy and make sure they're still learning a lot and pushing themselves as well to be better every day."

The role has trimmed his once-brutal 16-hour days to "just 12 or 13" hours, he says. It comes with perks though - a serviced two-bedroom apartment, and the occasional call to cook for VIPs, including former and current world leaders such as France's Emmanuel Macron.

"Every day I wake up wanting to go to work," Carter told Sunday Morning. "Everything's enjoyable. You see a new thing every day almost here, if you explore."

One of the distinct features is a sourdough made from a wild yeast starter which the restaurant says it has been fermenting since it opened. "We call him Freddy, so he has a name. He's like our kitchen child."

His personal favourite, though, is roasted char siu — barbecued pork neck — and xiao long bao (soup dumpling). Yet Carter remains aware of the cultural significance of dishes. Cantonese culinary heritage is well protected, and few Western chefs get to rub shoulders with the top Chinese chefs, he says.

While living in China means his wife is close to her family, once a year they return to New Zealand, north of Whitianga, to visit his grandparents and enjoy the coastal lifestyle – the two things he says he misses most.

Going from a city of millions "to 50 people is quite nice".

But the differences remain stark between home and the hub of high-tech, where sometimes robots bring your food and driverless buses roam.

"It's certainly a crazy city compared to home. Every time I come — even to Auckland, I find Auckland so tiny now."

The next dream for him is to set up his own place in Japan.