Master Electricians
Quality Assured member
Member 24728Hospitality fit-out / Otago Peninsula
Augustines of Portobello
If you get a seat at the long table, look up. An LED strip shines through jars of peach halves and Black Doris plums on the high shelf. Closer to the table, amber and blue preserving jars hang from antique brass pendant fittings.
Working out how to make those lights with Gus Hayden and Jana Reulecke was one of our favourite parts of fitting out their Farmstore & Kitchen.
Visit Gus and Jana’s farmstore
A kitchen of their own
Gus spent years bottling Central Otago fruit in rented kitchens. He and Jana built their Farmstore & Kitchen on his family’s Fat Weka Farm, at the foot of Hereweka / Harbour Cone.
The new kitchen needed a three-phase supply from the street. We planned the mains with Gus and Jana, coordinated the transformer work and organised the trenching across the property. Gus joined our crew to pull the mains cable through to the new kitchen.
Inside, we wired the kitchen appliances, pumps, heating and ventilation equipment. We also installed the data cabling and camera system and took care of the electrical compliance for the fit-out.
Preserving jars became pendant lights
Each pendant still has its original jar lid. We drilled the centre of the lid to take the brass fitting, then screwed the glass jar back on. Outside, Halcyon up-and-down lights wash the walls.
A walk through the garden, then lunch
From the main car park at 33 Hereweka Street, it’s a few minutes’ walk through the garden to the kitchen. There’s accessible parking beside the building. On a fine day, take a seat on the deck and listen for the bellbirds. If you’re bringing the kids for lunch, leave time to explore the valley with them. Gus and Jana welcome families to wander together on the farm.
The menu changes with the season. Gus’s fruit preserves turn up in the baking, from a fruit Danish to his Black Doris plum lamington. You can pick up a jar of fruit or chutney to take home. For a special occasion, keep an eye on the farmstore’s dates for a Trust the Chef dinner.
Gus and Jana, thanks for trusting us with your build. We loved working alongside you, and we’re looking forward to bringing the family back for lunch.
Photos and logo courtesy of Augustines of Portobello. Venue photography by HOIHO media. Opening portrait and pastry photo from the farmstore newsletter.
Planning a hospitality fit-out?
Tell us what’s going into the kitchen, where your guests will sit and when you’d like to open.
