Paul Froggatt - Chef ROKI Collection, Queenstown
British-born chef Paul Froggatt has been working in New Zealand for over 11 years. 10 of those were as the Executive Chef of Huka Lodge, known as the ‘Grand Dame’ of New Zealand. In 2023-2024 he was awarded the Luxury Lodge Chef of the Year by Cuisine. Initially he trained in the UK and France where career highlights included working at Gidleigh Park Hotel (2 Michelin Star), Bernard Loiseau en Bourgogne* (3 Michelin Star) and Château de Courcelles (1 Michelin Star). Paul followed this by stints at two of Singapore’s leading European restaurants, San Marco and Saint Pierre* (2 Michelin Star) before taking up the role as Chef de Cuisine at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel's Amber Restaurant* (2 Michelin Star) in Hong Kong. During his time there the restaurant was voted one of the Top 10 restaurants in the annual San Pellegrino 50 Best Restaurants awards. In 2018, Huka Lodge, with Paul as Executive Chef, was admitted as a member of France's exclusive 'Les Grandes Tables du Monde'. *All these restaurants also attained Les Grandes Table du Monde Grand status.
1. Who taught you to cook, and what’s the first thing you learned to cook?
I guess I want to say my mum as she was always cooking for me, but I learnt to cook in our friend’s Bed and Breakfast. There was always something on the stove as she had a great passion for food. The first thing I cooked was kedgeree for my high school home economics class; I think I was the only boy in the class and no one knew what it was.
2. Name one of your most treasured food memories.
So many to name just one! Maybe it has to be when, as a young English boy of around 14, I went to France on a school exchange and lived with a family for a few weeks. I was served a whole steamed artichoke and I had never seen one, let alone knew how to peel each leaf and dip it in the lovey rich hollandaise sauce. Now, every year with out fail, we have to have steamed artichokes and hollandaise sauce at home. It was just the best way to discover the funny vegetable I now love.
3. What are the ingredients or flavours you could not live without?
Who can’t live without butter? After spending time in Asia, there is always some white soy sauce, rice vinegar, miso or fish sauce whenever I am recipe-developing at work or at home. I also love seasonal produce and finding the absolute best examples of what’s in season.
4. What’s currently on your playlist when you’re hard at work in the kitchen?
When I am at home, I have a few modes when I’m cooking; it’s either an interesting podcast or some rock and roll. When I am at work we have a no music; it’s just the pots and pans that get played!
5. You’ve just prepared your fave dinner. Who would be your dream dinner guest/s (alive, or not) to share it with?
It would have to be my late father, Robin Williams, Elton John, Audrey Hepburn and Vinnie Jones. I think they would make for a great dinner party.
6. Name a few of your fave salmon dishes from around the world?
L’esclope de Saumon a l’oseille (Salmon with sorrel sauce) from the Troisgros restaurant in Ouches in France, and Confit Salmon with Gray Shrimp, from my time in Hong Kong.
7. I’ve just discovered Mt Cook Alpine Salmon first-of-the season caviar. What’s a simple dish I can prepare to showcase it?
Something easy… some fresh, homemade pasta, some cooked, flaked salmon, and bit of a white wine cream sauce with the salmon caviar and chives. Everything would just get tossed together – easy, simple and super-tasty.
8. You’ve got 30 minutes, what’s your go-to salmon dish?
I love raw salmon; it’s so fresh, especially with some grated horseradish and a splash of caper juice. Everyone does the wasabi and soy sauce thing but I think sometimes it’s nice to change it around a bit. I’ve also discovered the world of air-frying and my son does salmon in there for 4-5 minutes and it’s outstanding. Salmon cooked like that (simply), over a big bowl of green vegetables and rocket with a pesto dressing… you can’t beat that.
9. Name a useful tip, trick or hack when cooking salmon?
Cook it less. A lot of people get it wrong as they think they need to well-cook fish but that so far from the truth. Just cook it less; I always like to cure my salmon before cooking, which really just means seasoning it lightly with salt, then letting it rest for 30 minutes before cooking it.
10. You’re head chef for a new hotel opening in Queenstown – congratulations! How would you describe your food there?
It’s a new hotel call ROKI Collection in Queenstown. My food, is always produce-driven so it will be no different here. I would call it a ‘European-style with zest’.
