MEET YOUR {OUTSTANDING} MAKER - GENEVIEVE'S
2018 Water Champion Genevieve Knights of Genevieve’s shares the inside story on why her products are so delicious and how dining out refreshes and inspires…
Since the age of 17 Genevieve Knights has worked in the food industry, this lifetime of experience and 360 degree view of food production has ensured the success of her Genevieve’s food products.
A qualified chef, Genevieve was working as a food stylist and writer when the GFC struck in 2008 and her work dried up. Not wanting to go back to restaurant work, she decided to try her luck at Farmers’ Markets around Auckland selling her pate – after all her friends raved about it.
Genevieve picks up the story “I enjoyed the day work, relaxed work environment (in the beginning) and I could choose my work hours. It suited me and so I made the permanent move to make and sell products rather than developing recipes and creating beautiful images to promote other people’s food products.”
More than a decade later, Genevieve’s offering includes a range of seafood mousse (including her 2018 Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards Water Champion; Genevieve’s Mahurangi Oyster Mousse); duck and chicken parfaits and fresh dressings which are sold through supermarkets and speciality stores across New Zealand. Her business recently started contract manufacturing and also creates foods for others; such as Saffron Cream Sauce and custard for Pam’s Finest.
“It’s an interesting business, very challenging and surprisingly creative. Often, I have to take the time to test ideas over a long process as there is no information I can research. When it comes to preservation techniques the rules of what has previously worked may not work for you due to, for example, having a higher fat content.”
Food producers face many challenges and Genevieve says her biggest battle is balancing the quality and integrity of her recipes with retailers need for acceptable shelf life. “My preference is to use packaging techniques over additives. Heat, sealing and removing oxygen space are all things I have learnt in this business. My goal has always been to present restaurant quality food for food lovers; to do that a solution has to be found on how to create that shelf life.”
Genevieve believes the key to her success is finding the balance between quality and price. “You can make a product that is the best quality in the world, but if the price isn’t right, people won’t buy it and it will fail. Getting that combo right is crucial. I push the quality boundaries of all the products I manufacture to ensure I can sell below $9 – all this despite expensive luxury ingredients like truffle, saffron, honey, cream and butter!”
A love of creativity keeps Genevieve motivated. “You can go through times that really get you down but the next job to create new products will always keep me coming back. It is the best part of my work and for me, being the ideas person for big food brands is the best place to be. Seeing that idea launched is beyond exciting.”
“I still absolutely love to go out for dinner and enjoy the hard work others put in and their fresh ideas. Event nights are the most exciting with themed menus and matched wines. It has been my passion to dine out all my life and that doesn’t appear to be easing up anytime soon. The Outstanding Food Awards dinner was a highlight this year”. (Editor’s note – thanks Genevieve!)
Over summer Genevieve may be found enjoying a picnic on Auckland’s West Coast beaches – what’s the bet her basket will include Genevieve’s mousse or pate? We know ours will!
Genevieve’s foods are available for sale through Fresh Gourmet or visit her website