Heather Ashcroft and Chris Schulz are the team behind the Brunch Box stall at Grey Lynn Farmers Market. Have you always been in hospitality, Heather?
No – I started in fashion, pattern making for high-end, New Zealand-made brands. And Chris is an entertainment journalist who loves to cook.
How did the Brunch Box idea come about?
Going out to brunch with two young children used to be a very stressful experience so we didn’t always get the laid-back delicious brunch experience that we were after. We started to fantasise about someone delivering brunch packs to our door and realised that other people would probably appreciate that too.
How did you decide what to include?
We spent a lot of time researching and testing recipes. We try to make the food as ‘good’ as possible without sacrificing flavour and eating experience. We use spelt flour and natural sweeteners, organic where possible, and we try to avoid dairy, gluten and refined sugar.
Is it online or just at the market?
Both – we have a loyal following online but it’s always nice to meet customers face-to-face and get direct feedback that helps us refine our recipes and develop new ideas.
Are there any favourites with customers?
There are people who are obsessed with our halo balls. I particularly remember a woman who bought one and came back three minutes later with a half-eaten halo ball between her fingers. She told me that she had to buy the last halo ball because she couldn’t bear the idea that the one in her hand might be the last one she ever ate. They make great vegan treats. The chai is also special as we slow-brew it from scratch; quite different to the syrup varieties.
Your son often helps you at the market?
Yes – Arlo is nine and loves to help at the market. But I limit him to a couple of hours so that it stays fun and he doesn’t get too tired. At the market, people often tell Arlo that he is lucky to have a mum who can cook so well. We just laugh because it is Chris who is so talented and does all the cooking and baking. Yep – Arlo is lucky to have a dad who can cook so well.
What do you do for fun?
We’ve been spoilt by Chris’ entertainment work – we’ve gone to a lot of concerts and we still make sure that we go to as many as we can. And, of course, we watch a lot of TV series – at the moment we are hooked on High Maintenance and Fleabag.
Any favourite concerts?
Womad was amazing this year. We took the kids and they really enjoyed the creative vibe. Arlo loved the Living Library with a yoga teacher talking about technology in the future.
Do you get a chance for holidays?
We make the most of school holidays by taking a few mid-week breaks with our children. We are planning a big extended family holiday in Northland for Christmas. I’m one of five siblings but I’m the only one in Auckland so I’m looking forward to spending time with them all. And the children are looking forward to playing with their cousins.
www.brunchbox.co.nz www.glfm.co.nz
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