the not serious Bex Smidt & Dariush Lolaiy
Once again we step outside the winery and step up to the pass to grab a plate of goodness with two of Aotearoa’s finest hospo folk, Rebecca Smidt & Dariush Lolaiy of Cazador Restaurant & Deli and San Ray all day eatery.
I’ve had the privilege of calling Bex and Dariush pals for a number of years now and it was a special treat to get them in the hot seat to hear how hospo life brought them together, first as teenagers and friends and then onto lovers, restaurant co-owners and the proud parents of two terrific little kiddos.
Cazador Restaurant opened its doors in Tāmaki Makaurau in 1987. The vision of Dariush’s parents, Tony and Barbara, this joint became the ‘go to’ for the lucky locals living down one end of Dominion Road. From day one, Cazador established itself as a place that delivers nose to tail dining based on the respectful pursuit of hunting that Tony himself enjoyed and something that he would pass onto his son.
After 25 years, having established Cazador as a trusted place to enjoy a plate or two, Tony and Barbara were keen to step away from the restaurant.
Now, a family biz can be a difficult buzz. Retaining the dreams and aspirations of one generation while trying to put your own stamp on the place can be a lot of pressure, especially when there’s quarter of a century of existing vibes that might be perceived as somewhat sacred and untouchable.
During this chat, Bex and Dariush explain how time spent living and working in Italy, Greece, London and New York led to a deep appreciation of how important that legacy is and what an enormous gift it might be – so long as they didn’t fuck it up.
This chat covers wine, sherry and mezcal. We work our way through a platter of tinned treats and terrine. We scoff our faces with rabbit rillette and stickleback on sourdough and we wash it all down with a deliciously salty Spanish wine that Bex delights in serving at the restaurant.
This chinwag covers the challenges of honouring the past while honing a vision for the future. We talk about how important the customer is and how at Cazador, they’re not serving food, they’re serving people and how important it is to invite the customer on the journey rather than ram it down their throat.
I didn’t realise it, but I first met these two, right as they were starting their journey as the next gen of Cazador. I learn for the first time how that wasn’t an easy period and that the lessons being learned where mammoth. It’s the professional acumen of these two that I had absolutely no idea of the challenges in front of them and all I saw was an incredible young couple, utterly nailing it delivering the good times.
And when I say good times, I mean deeply considered dishes that took me from my comfort zone that were perfectly paired with a wine selection that blew my fuse…and all conveyed with an approachable and casual style that cleverly disguised an extreme expertise in dining service.
These two have taken out a number of awards for Cazador. As has the team they’ve nurtured within the 1970’s stucco walls of this now iconic establishment. Not content with sitting back and revelling in the accolades, they knocked out the front windows of the building and opened a deli. And have I mentioned yet that they also host personally guided food tours of Mexico? It’s enough to make you feel inadequate or the very least like you’re a lazy bastard. Especially when you realise they’ve just opened a new venture on Ponsonby Road called San Ray. Will these two quit already? Not likely. And thank goodness for that.
So, pop on your finest hunting tweeds, grab your gumboots and get ready to sip spirits from a hip flask in the mai mai, this is the Not Serious Bex Smidt and Dariush Lolaiy chat.
NB: CazaTour to Mexico information. The trips for 2024 are all booked up but get in line for 2025 and do yourself a flavour favour, amigos. As one of the guinea pigs on the original reccy tour, this trip counts as one of my all time favs trips abroad. It opened my eyes, and my cake hole, for all the incredible goodness that Mexico offers in spades. Who knew? I didn’t but I now rate this incredible country as a food, art and culture mecca after taking the CazaTour. For more info > email Cazador
CHAT FACTS
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Drinks — available from Cazador Sherry online store
Hidalgo - Las 30 del Cuadrado Palomino 2019
antipodes still mineral water 1L
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Eats — available from Cazador Deli
José Gourmet Pickled Stickleback
José Gourmet Spiced Mackerel Paté
Cazador Charcuterie —
coppa
venison and pistachio salami
rabbit rillette
goat, fig & whisky terrine
duck liver parfait
Wild wheat Sourdough
The wine that Bex and Dariush chose to share with us was the Hidalgo - Las 30 del Cuadrado Palomino 2019. We completely forgot to even mention that in the chat (we were distracted by all the good eats).
You can get your sandwich grabbers on a bottle of this fine juice at the Cazador Deli online Sherry store. (18years+ please people).
You can find Bex & Dariush @cazador_akl and also at @sanray.nz — located 118 Ponsonby Road, you’ll find sunshine all day at San Ray and while it’s something a little different from Cazador it’s delivered with the same wonderful service.
Recorded at By The Bottle. Edited by Benj Brooking at Popular. Thanks Benj! You’re a bloody legend ♥️🍷
