LEADING THE FIELD While nearly every restaurant professes its dedication to sourcing fresh, local ingredients, we all know that ‘fresh’ and ‘local’ are words with many shades of meaning. Shepherd, a small restaurant in Wellington’s Te Aro Valley, is taking the adjectives to their extreme.
Fortunately, Shepherd’s proximity to the superb meat and produce offerings of the nearby Wairarapa mean there’s plenty to choose from. “The menu’s constantly evolving,” says Head Chef and co-owner Shepherd Elliott, “we change it every two or three weeks based on what we can source directly from small farms.” Shepherd is located in a restored inner city laneway, known now as Hannahs Lane, after the old Hannahs Shoe Factory. Built in the 1930s, the factory provided steady work for Wellingtonians throughout the Depression. What was once the factory workers’
canteen is now occupied by Elliott’s latest restaurant venture. Elliott’s earthy and distinctive approach to food has helped define the historic laneway as a culinary hub. His organic Leeds St Bakery was there first, as was business partner Sean Golding’s clandestine craft beer bar, Golding’s Free Dive. The two collaborated to bring Shepherd to Hannah’s Lane, with a seasonal take on modern Kiwi dining in mind. After just over a year in business, Shepherd has become a local legend in Wellington’s highly competitive dining scene.
| Connection Q4 2017 |
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