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A remote, refined, conservation focused restaurant
In the heart of New Zealand's North Island
We offer refined tasting menus of foraged and sustainably farmed produce from the land surrounding us. Our experiences begin with a sensorily immersive all terrain vehicle safari through the vast station’s extraordinary native New Zealand rainforest. We highlight the ongoing conservation efforts to protect our endangered native bird life, as well revisit the history of the area.
We offer accommodation options including three luxury cabins adjacent to the restaurant combining quintessential New Zealand aesthetic with laid back luxury. Alternative accommodation options include Blue Duck Station lodges in Whakahoro village. Transport after dinner will be arranged.
ATV Safari + Dinner + Bed and Breakfast $650pp
ATV Safari + Dinner Only $340pp
Wine pairing will be available on the evening for $160pp
Reserve your experience online by using the Reservations tab
Please note due the the nature of our experiences, we are unable to offer a vegan menu or a fully dairy-free option.
Jack Cashmore
Chef & Owner | Jack has worked in some of Europe’s top restaurants. Having spent several years at the, as voted, UK’s best restaurant and two Michelin starred “Restaurant Sat Bains”, he then moved to Belgium to work at the world renowned “In De Wulf” restaurant ranked 62nd in the worlds top 100 restaurants. In between trips to Blue Duck Station, Jack also opened the critically acclaimed London Restaurant “Anglo”. Being born and bred in the English countryside, he began to crave a more rural lifestyle and in 2018 returned to New Zealand and began to build The Chef’s Table at Blue Duck Station alongside Dan Steele.
Dan Steele
Owner & Conservationist | Blue Duck Station seeks to inspire respect for nature so we can preserve its beauty for the benefit of all. We want to demonstrate that – done the right way – farming can be about protecting nature and, in turn, New Zealand, with all its inherent beauty, can lead the way in global conservation. Dan is an accomplished, pioneering farmer who has dedicated his life to inspiring respect for nature so its beauty can be protected for the benefit of all. Having gained international acclaim for conservation efforts at Blue Duck Station, he then in 2015 travelled the world representing New Zealand as one of only five Nuffield agricultural scholars.
Beth Williamson
Wine Director & Conservationist | Before embarking on the adventure of developing a remote and intimate fine dining restaurant. Beth worked as a Biodiversity Ranger for the Department of Conservation in the Maniapoto District. Previously, she called the Wairarapa wine region home, where her role as assistant viticulturist & operations manager of a small biodynamic and organic vineyard solidified her familiarity of every facet of the wine industry. Beth has equally invested time and creativity into crafting a wine list based on the same ethics as their food. She looks for wines which speak to her and Jack, and have a story to tell. Her wine list celebrates local wines from Aotearoa and a small handful of gems from around the globe, with a focus on minimal intervention and ecologically-minded farming practices.
Blue Duck Station
Blue Duck Station is an environmentally minded, conservation driven, sheep and beef station steeped in the backcountry terrain of the King Country and on the Whanganui river. Along with an eco-tourism business with five lodges, our pioneering efforts to preserve our Blue Duck and Kiwi are driven by Manuka honey production and sustainable, innovative farming techniques.
We can help arrange your journey to us and we can also suggest some travel options. If you would like advice with your travel plans, please contact us.
Reserve your experience online using the Reservations tab.
Our Location
4265 Oio Road,
Retaruke 3990,
New Zealand
Contact
Phone : +64 7 895 6276
Email: reservations@thechefstable.co.nz
Dinner Times
Fri - Sun: 6:30pm
Reservations
Reservations can be made online via the Reservations link