Twenty years of feeding Queenstown residents was marked at the Wakatipu Presbyterian Church on Friday night.
A host of Wakatipu community members attended the first Pasta Cafe of the year, held at Frankton’s St Margaret’s Church, where anyone is welcome to enjoy a free hot meal, baked treats, and connect with others.
"From the very beginning ... it was to be open to anyone," church lead pastor the Rev Ian Guy said.
"You could be sleeping rough somewhere or you could drive up in a new Mercedes ... both would be invited to ... have the meal together."
Pasta Cafe first started two decades ago out of concern for seasonal skifield workers, who would often arrive in Queenstown before the snow did.
"They were lonely and they were often hungry," Mr Guy said.
"[Pasta Cafe] was a way of just giving some hospitality ... some home-cooked [meals] and baking, and making people feel welcome."
While Mr Guy came into his role as lead pastor after Pasta Cafe started, he had proudly carried it on and collected impactful memories along the way.
"We always display the flags of various peoples," Mr Guy said.
"A few years ago there was a group of Barcelonians here ... so I organised the Catalan flag.
"When they arrived [at Pasta Cafe], the same day there had been a mass bombing in Barcelona ... they were distraught, and they ... sat beneath their flag and started crying. They just said ‘thank you’."
Pasta Cafe, which will run for the next three Fridays, will remain largely the same for its 20th year.
To mark the milestone, Mr Guy hoped they could run the remaining events, unlike last year when it was interrupted by Covid.
