Michael Dearth Email & Phone Number

I have lived and breathed the Restaurant Scene for over 30yrsWhen I told my parents I was moving to New Zealand to open a restaurant they thought I was crazy. All I had was a burning desire to create a place that would show off the vibrancy and freshness of seasonal produce, paired with exceptional wines from around the world and an incredible, supportive wife.We jumped on a plane with passion, hopes, dreams and very little else.Ours is not the story of a single Chef, it is the story of finding and fostering incredible talent that can showcase the best ingredients paired with incredible wines.In 2004 after a chance meal at Vinnie's I knew I had found my first Chef, a young, rising star Michael Meredith.Soon after we signed the lease on a restaurant space in St Patrick Square and The Grove was born.We gave Michaels a platform to showcase his talent and a year later we had won our first award for our menu.Sid Sahrawat (Sidart & The French Cafe) followed Michael as head chef at The Grove and continued to grow our following and reputation as one of Aucklands best fine dining experiences with a strong focus on seasonal local produce.Ben Bayly (Ahi) joined us in 2009, the start of an incredible 10yr relationship. Starting as a chef, then Executive chef and even travelling companion as we explored the culinary scenes of the world from San Francisco to SicilyIn 2013 we launched the Italian Inspired Baduzzi where we create incredible dishes with the philosophy of "Food of the People"Today we are excited to have the culinary genius Ryan Moore as Head Chef at The Grove and the exciting new prospect of Fabio Bernadini as the new head Chef at BaduzziI Invite you to come and share a meal at both restaurants or, if you like, we can also come to you with our exclusive in home dining experiences.