Cable Bay leading the way in waste

Cable Bay Vineyards’ two well established, organic kitchen gardens are providing its chefs with top quality, nutritious vegetables, beautiful edible flowers and micro-greens, literally plucked, dug, or snipped fresh from the source and carted into the kitchen for preparation and presentation on the plate the same day.
The gardens were developed in 2015 with a vision to produce fresh produce for Waiheke Island’s Cable Bay Vineyards onsite restaurants, and, equally importantly, to establish an effective waste management system.
The gardens use a bokashi composting system to process all of the organic food waste from the restaurants and kitchen into nutrient rich soil in which to grow produce.
Cabl e Bay Vineyards’ employees now supply paper and cardboard waste from the office to worm farms, which produce a nutrient-rich fertiliser which supports the bokashi system and can be sprayed on plants as a health tonic.
The juice created from the bokashi composting can also be put down drains to keep the septic system clean and healthy.
Cable Bay Vineyards has produced jars of honey from its two beehives which will be used in sauces, dressings, and sweet treats in the restaurants, and the gardens are home to a flock of hens who lay fresh eggs daily.
Head gardener Nicky Reynolds says living on Waiheke Island provides a true appreciation of the beauty and fragility of a unique environment. “We want to try to be as self sustainable as possible.
“Establishing kitchen gardens reduces the food miles of our produce supply and effectively eliminates food waste from the kitchen through composting.”
Head chef Max Larbiose has a love of food which started with an appreciation for quality ingredients, which didn’t need to hide beneath sauces, and could stand up in their own right.
Both Max and Nicky agree the quality of the produce is outstanding. The rich soil and hand nurturing allows the plants to thrive, and the results are full of flavour and bursting with freshness.
Max showcases the fruits of Nicky’s labour in the kitchen, creating honest dishes which put the fresh produce on show.
The gardens have become a beloved feature at Cable Bay Vineyards with garden tours offered in combination with wine tasting and dining experiences.
Avid gardeners are keen to find out how Cable Bay Vineyards produces its super-soil from food waste, and others are becoming more and more interested in where their food comes from. “They want to know if it’s ethically sourced and sustainably produced,” Max says.
“When they visit our gardens, they can literally see how an ingredient comes from the garden to the plate and then reap the rewards of this freshness in the flavours of their meal.”
Cable Bay Vineyards has now launched a new five course Garden to Table menu which really showcases the philosophy, as almost all the produce on the menu is from the garden.
Cable Bay Vineyards applauds the recent announcement of approved council funding to set up large scale bokashi composting at five Waiheke Island vineyards.
Having had the system in place for nearly three years, Cable Bay Vineyards is a great advocate of bokashi as a way to control food waste.
This article was brought to you in association with the following businesses…

• K B Distributors