Chef opens garden to help others

The Kitchen Garden chef Gabi Lind is opening up her Bannockburn garden for the community to come...
The Kitchen Garden chef Gabi Lind is opening up her Bannockburn garden for the community to come and explore. Entry to the garden is a Food Bank donation to replenish their stock after Christmas. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Known for her baking, catering and products made from her own garden and The Kitchen Garden chef Gabi Lind has caved in to demand and will open her garden to support replenishing the food bank.

As well as garden tours there will be nibbles from a grazing table and Central Otago wine tasting on offer.

Many people had asked for a look and Ms Lind had been reluctant as she was not overly confident in the garden.

"The garden is my decompression area.

"It was built on a budget and was built over time."

Her partner created the infrastructure and she made it look pretty, Ms Lind said.

"It’s not landscaping paradise."

Experimentation had taught her the best way to grow produce in her garden, allowing for both climate and available time.

Hopefully people would see what could be achieved with time and patience.

"You don’t need to read 100 textbooks or watch endless YouTube videos."

Cooking from her garden was the inspiration for the now five-year-old business, which like the garden had evolved in that time.

Like many people, she spent time soul-searching during Covid-19 lockdowns, coming to the conclusion that while she was absolutely passionate about food she wanted to do it for herself.

"I didn’t want to work for someone else’s dream."

Her initial plan was to turn everything she grew on their property into a product to sell whether that was a chutney, sauce or baked item.

The Cromwell Farmers Market was her first outlet and worked well until social distancing meant people could not taste her products.

"My flavours [are] not standard flavours and were a bit ‘cheffy’ so tasting was important," she said.

Her sister-in-law, and now second in command, Hannah Lind suggested a subscription baking service which took off.

Fill Your Tins was hugely popular and still popped up through the year for special occasions.

Requests to cater for small groups of 20-30 began to trickle in from people she had previously worked for and that side of the business took off.

After three years, when many small businesses flounder, Ms Lind stepped up.

Being brave and taking on debt for a bigger vehicle and to build a commercial kitchen on the property had led to full-time catering and taking Hannah on to help.

Cooking is her passion and has been for more than 30 years.

"I can spend all day just pottering in the kitchen.

"At the end I will either be happy and take a photo or I’ll start again tomorrow trying to see what I can improve."

And at the end of the day she cooks dinner for her partner.

"He says he loves to eat and doesn’t mind doing the dishes."

The Kitchen Garden will be open on February 2 from 10am to 2pm. Entry is by a non-perishable donation for the food bank.