Michael P. Dearth doesn’t call himself a chef, but he owns two of Auckland’s best restaurants, The Grove and Baduzzi, and he can sure cook up a storm at home. The new judge on Three’s MasterChef NZ is a born storyteller and upcycling expert. He has created a garden paradise in Point Chevalier, where he lives with wife Annette (also a foodie), son Ezra, daughter Lucia, two British Blue cats and a wolfhound cross named Marlo.
Michael P. Dearth: What attracted me to this house was that it spoke to me. I love that it backs onto a park; and it’s a solid ex-state house with good bones. I called Annette who was pregnant with our son, and said “I’ve found it”. It had only been on the market a day, and by the weekend it was ours.
We have added this big extension out the back on a lower level, with a new living and dining area and a great kitchen.
We tucked a wine cellar beside the stairs, recycling a door from the house, and tiles from Baduzzi. And we added a large outdoor dining area with a built-in barbecue and pizza oven. It’s where we store all our firewood.
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It’s magical out here at night. We could be in Croatia or Italy. We have colourful strings of handblown glass baubles. We made some of these as a family at the glassblower’s, and he made the rest.
We also have uplights in the tall palms that have grown so much since we moved here. I used to stretch up to trim them each year, but now they are too tall, so I get help.
Gardening is a passion. I love it, and I have lots more plans. I would like a chicken coop, and there’s an area that would be just perfect for a pool – one day. Covid has pushed that one back.
I do bring home lots of stuff I find, which Annette may despair. I have an ancient iron wheelbarrow from France, a huge, old iron chain I found locally among rubbish, and a rusty iron hook I found in the bush on a hike near Arrowtown. It should probably be in a museum.
Having spent a lot of time in Europe, I have always wanted a gargoyle, which are considered “protectors”. But it was hard to fit one in a suitcase. I finally found my gargoyle at Stone and Water World, which doesn’t sound very romantic. But I love it.
The kitchen is perfect. The marble island benchtop was another find – it took a while, but we finally found the slab at Italian Stone. It literally called us, and it’s been hammered. And I love my Berkel meat slicer in the pantry. It’s great to slice ribbons of pork loin, and to make beef carpacchio.
People think I am a chef, but I’m not. I know good food. I have travelled the world and worked with a lot of very good chefs. And I do love cooking for the family and friends. My mother and father are both amazing cooks – we were a big family who sat around the table laughing, and we always had great, great food.
On MasterChef, when we give the contestants a challenge, I am looking for people who take on feedback from the judges – people who are tenacious with a passion and a belief in themselves. People who can also learn from their fellow contestants.
The contestants definitely have a lot of skills. I love the variety of cultures – we have people from Afghanistan and China, and a Kiwi girl who milks the sheep and makes her own cheese. Others work on a farm, and there are the hunters and gatherers who go fishing and eat from the land.
We filmed the first two episodes at Walter Peak Station in Queenstown, with the wonderful backdrop of the mountains, the crystal clear water and the blue sky. It was so inspirational just to be there, with all the history and the sheep.
We then moved into the MasterChef kitchen at Mt Soho winery in Arrowtown, with 16 finalists.
I come from the States, but I’m a Kiwi by choice. This is home.