‘Here’s to good food and warm hospitality’

Growing up in rural New Zealand, dining in restaurants was not something I was accustomed to.

Once every year, on our birthdays, my dad would take the family to Pizza Hut for an all-you-can-eat buffet. We enjoyed ourselves so much, I’d come home feeling ill from over-eating. To me, it was culinary heaven.

We had what you might call an oppressed affluence when it came to food on the farm. Dad was an excellent diver, so cray fish was never far off the menu. We would also home-kill our beef, which left us with grass-fed, free-range steak. Fast food was unthinkable.

When I eventually moved to Auckland and began my career in professional rugby, I retained that farm boy sense of stubbornness. Food was about nutrients, not lifestyle. It was calories and cost, over taste and experience.

It wasn’t until a move over to this side of the world – and the opportunities to travel and explore – where I learned about the beauty of discovering how food and drink is one of the most organic gateways to cultural understanding.

Whether sipping un cafe noisette at the bar in France, or tapas curbside in Spain, I unearthed a passion for the culinary arts which remains true to this day.

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Since we opened Burra on Lower Redland Road during the pandemic, my respect of the industry has continued to grow.

Sure, it’s great to enjoy the final product, but I learned (often the hard way!) that the work behind the scenes is what makes or breaks a hospitality start-up.

Whether it’s catering, ingredients or suppliers, restauranteurs must not only innovate to survive, they have to understand – and care – about every minutiae of the business.

I’ve visited the farms where our meat and eggs come from, spoken with our veg supplier, and even learned the trade myself. We pay a premium to source our products locally, but it’s worth every penny.

Cooking may be quick but preparation can take all day. Providing the quality of food that we all expect is anything but easy, but it sure is rewarding.

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For my wife Adele and I, adopted Bristolians who truly care about our home, we feel an affinity to the many independent restaurants and cafes that adorn the streets and squares of the city, and the relentless commitment they give to their businesses.

Successful eateries here come in all shapes and sizes. But more often than not, they’re fiercely independent, grown from dreams and family tradition, where food is made with care and quality.

A good friend of ours recently took us to Vincenzo’s, a family run Italian on Park Street that sadly closed its doors at the end of last year after more than 50 years.

A regular for two decades, for him it was more than just a restaurant, but a place of family memories, growing up, birthday parties and awkward first dates.

And while the food was great, it was the experience that resonated.

The familiarity with the kitchen staff and waiters, the anecdotes from years gone by; a timely reminder of the role that good food and warm hospitality plays in the lives of everybody who lives and works in our city.

Bristol24/7 columnist Jake Heenan is a professional rugby player for Bristol Bears and one of the co-owners of Burra

Main photo of Jake and Adele Heenan: Rogan Thomson

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