Long-time Grey Lynn resident Tony Stewart – one of the nicest people in the hospitality business – has been a fixture of the Auckland hospitality scene since the nineties.
When did you open your first lounge bar?
That was in the nineties, but it was the arrival of Clooney in 2006 that established my reputation as a restaurateur. From that year to this, I still play a major role in service and the day to day running of the restaurant.
In 2013 you set up the acclaimed Waiheke Island Yacht Club in San Francisco, why?
I attempted to bring together the most high-profile New Zealand food and beverage offering seen away from New Zealand. I continue this direction today, with my recent reinvention of Clooney’s cuisine by using only New Zealand ingredients.
What is the best thing about where you live?
The Grey Lynn Park.
When did you become interested in food?
Pretty early in the piece. My father ran a food and produce market for 40 years.
Who do you think is the most annoying celebrity today?
Jim Carey; am I showing my age?
Where would your dream holiday be internationally?
Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel – Alta, Norway.
What’s on your bucket list?
Jordan.
What is your most treasured passion?
My family.
What is the most Kiwi thing about you?
The rolling of my r’s.
Do you like an aisle or window seat on a plane?
For sure, a window seat.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In a casket.
What job would you do other than your own and why?
Quite like to be a farmer, love the outdoors and being my own boss.
If they were to make a movie about your life who would you like to play you?
First choice would be Harvey Keitel.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Nothing. I am prepared to change.
Do you read movie or TV reviews?
No and no.
How would you like to be remembered?
As a good person, not perfect but a person who cared.
What do you love most about your age?
50 seems so much younger than what I ever thought it did.
If you had an ice cream named after you, what would it be called?
Easy, that would be Rocky Road.
What is something that you really disapprove of?
Child abuse.
So if you won a million dollars, what would you do?
Pay down debt.
What motivates you?
One word – failure.
What do you think happens when we die?
We stop breathing.
What’s the best movie you’ve ever seen?
Forrest Gump. It tells it all.
Give your teenaged self some advice?
Make the most of it.
Which item of clothing can’t you live without?
Long johns.
Tell us about your dream home?
Remote, looking at the sea with the mountains behind me.
What are you insecure about?
Failure.
Tell us something very few people know about you?
I eat about eight bananas a day. (David Hartnell MNZM)