Some people avoid change but not Tomer Weisshof. He seeks it out.
Whether it is a change in career or moving across the world, Weisshof is ready for the challenge.
That, in part, is how he ended up living in New Zealand, a world away from his home country Israel.
But the move was also driven by his and wife Einat’s need to provide a better future for their three children Itay (14), Roey (14) and Shira (12).
"I don’t want to get into politics, but we definitely needed a change," Weisshof says.
However, it is not the first life-changing decision Weisshof has made. He started out studying architecture but came to the conclusion he could not sit at a desk for too long.
So after graduating, Weisshof decided to go to culinary school, studying at the Bishulim — The Israeli Institute Of Culinary Art.
"I love the heat, adrenaline of the kitchen."
Afterwards he was fortunate to get a job at one of the leading Israeli culinary establishments, Food Art, a high-end catering institute creating $1000-a-head meals for Israel’s top society, where he worked alongside some of the best chefs in the world.
"One of the chefs I worked with was Nobu Matsuhisa. You get to work with every ingredient imaginable.
He then worked at different restaurants in Israel as a head chef including French bistros and Italian restaurants. Weisshof left Angelina Bistro where he had worked for four years to move to New Zealand.
The family had come for a holiday but knew straight after arriving they could make this a home.
"After a week, we wanted to stay."
Weisshof got a job in Whangarei as head chef at the Dickens Inn. There they settled at Whangarei Heads, living by the ocean.
"It was like living in a postcard. We loved it and found it to be a great community, [but] after a few years we were ready for yet another change."
On a campervan holiday of the South Island, the family visited Dunedin and fell in love.
"The vibes, it’s younger which we were used to with the students. It’s an intellectual city and we really related to that and the weather is perfect for me, although only me in my family.
"Summers were hard for me [in Whangarei]. Though Israel is a warm country I was craving cooler weather."
He also put it down to he and his wife’s soft spot for all things Scottish having spent their honeymoon in Scotland.
When the family moved to Dunedin, Weisshof decided it was time for another change.
"We came to Dunedin with the intention of opening our own place. We loved the city's vibe and thought it would be a great place to make our vision a reality.
He looked back at what he really enjoyed doing over his career and realised baking especially breads and pastries has always been a passion.
"So I thought why not."
His family had been really surprised at the lack of diversity in breads and pastries in New Zealand so thought there was an opening for quality sourdough breads and Eastern European- style pastries.
" I thought I can incorporate the flavours I experienced as a child growing up in Israel. It is one of the best places to eat in the world."
The country’s turbulent past has seen influences from Arabic, Mediterranean and Jewish European cultures incorporated into its food identity as well as Weisshof’s own Eastern European traditions.
"They’ve all brought their breads and more to Israel."
So, he decided to set up his own bakery Breads and More selling specialty breads.
Having grown up in a kibbutz, a co-operative society unique to Israel, traditionally based on agriculture, he had an affinity with producing homegrown food.
"My philosophy in the kitchen was always fresh, local and simple. I don't think simple-basic has to mean poor, quite the opposite. My aim is to make a basic/simple product like a bread to a high-end quality."
Weisshof started out with sourdough, a bread he loves to make even though it has a life of its own.
"You cannot control the leven, it’s an amazing mix of science and non-science, or feel to it."
He also turns his sourdough into a variety of different flavours, sweet and savory, and has branched out to making sourdough pizza bases, crackers and hot cross buns.
Until he came to New Zealand, he had never baked a hot cross bun. He had to learn from scratch in Whangarei and is now making sourdough versions flavoured with cranberry and chocolate.
The time it takes for him to make sourdough — up to 36 hours — means some very long hours for Weisshof who works on his own. He is often making 20 kilos of it at a time.
"In the winter it is longer. You need to keep it next to the fireplace to keep warm."
In the down time between folding the sourdough, he makes the pastries and is finding himself doing a lot of rolling pin work.
"I’m getting faster. I enjoy it. Sometimes I am running between one another."
Also important to Weisshof was sourcing flour. He wanted to keep ingredients as local as possible and finally found flour grown and milled by Farmers’ Mill Co-operative in Timaru, and was surprised at how few options in grain types there were.
"I like to support local producers. It’s important for bakers to have stability in their flour.
"Of course recent world events in Ukraine and Russia, who are the biggest wheat suppliers in the world is driving prices up around the world alongside the increase in fuel.
"It is a bit of a struggle for us, as we also deliver our products straight to our customers. But so far, we’ve kept our prices the same and didn't roll it over to the customers."
The Covid-19 pandemic also has had a huge impact on his plans.
"Selling through social media was us not giving up on our dream due to Covid."
About the same time he found out about Artisan Pantry which offered him space for his 500kg bread oven.
"Of course the day I plugged it in lockdown hit last year. This year has been quite challenging filled with ups and downs as any new business would obviously know about, but enhanced by what Covid had brought."
They also recently got accepted to join Otago Farmers Market with their own stall.
"We feel very fortunate to have been accepted to join the Otago Farmers Market.
"We love the market and its vibe and I feel it is a great opportunity for us to get to know Otago's community and for them to get to know us."
He has also begun supplying our breads to a few local stores.
His wife came on board to handle the social media as he found that very challenging. While he learnt English at school, it was an American English, so he finds New Zealand’s version a bit tough at times.
They regularly post videos of Weisshof making his breads and pastries and different ways to use them.
Not content with sourdough, Weisshof has also invested in a small bright yellow street food truck to sell Kurtosh, a Hungarian festival food, wrapped around a wooden spool and baked in a special Kurtosh oven he imported. It means he can bake the cake on the spot to a family recipe and it is served with a variety of sweet toppings. In English it would be called a chimney cake.
When he can Weisshof is always experimenting and hopes to keep adding different products to his list.
