Caribe has spread it wings
Behind the bar at Caribe on Fire are, from left, Santiago Bonhomme, Carolina Guajardo and Richard Castro. PHOTO: GUY WILLIAMS
The slice of Latin America on Queenstown's Mall has just got bigger.
The team behind Caribe Latin Kitchen tomorrow open the doors to Caribe on Fire — an Argentinian-style barbecue restaurant and cafe — in neighbouring premises formerly occupied by Lobster Tank.
Richard Castro, Carolina Guajardo, Santiago Bonhomme and Hazel Nicoll have spent the past fortnight putting the final touches on their new venture, where customers can watch their food being cooked over a charcoal grill.
The adjoining cafe, with a main entrance around the corner on Camp St, offers South American-style breakfast and cakes until 11am — coffee's available all day — before switching to lunch mode.
Castro says they've decorated the new space with a "rustic, authentic" feel, accentuated by the fire of the barbecue and the smell of Colombian coffee.
With tourist numbers returning to pre-Covid levels, they had an opportunity to enlarge their kitchen, broaden their menu and improve the customer experience, he says.
It's given them the chance to put more seating outside, which will also benefit their Caribe Latin Kitchen customers.
Customers can order classic Latin American cocktails — think margarita, pisco sour, caipirinha and mojito — Argentinian and Chilean wine, as well as a selection of local beer and wine.
As with Caribe Latin Kitchen, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last August, their philosophy is to "bring the food we love from home to Queenstown", Castro says.
"We make all the sauces, and we've always tried to make it as authentic as possible, using New Zealand's fresh ingredients.
"After all these years, people appreciate us doing it that way."
Guajardo says the resort town's large Latin American community has always supported Caribe Latin Kitchen because they "feel at home" there.
Its music, friendly staff, art and photos on the walls and vibrant colours have also proved attractive to tourists of all nationalities, as well as the resort's residents.
Castro says they feel grateful to have overcome the ups and downs of the past decade.
"Our landlord has been very understanding — he looked after us during the Covid situation — and the locals supported us.
"That helped us to survive."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
a day ago
- Scoop
United States, Ukraine Among New Members Elected To UN Economic And Social Council
4 June 2025 SDGs Croatia, Russia and Ukraine secured seats from the Eastern European regional group, which had three available seats. Russia was elected in a run-off against Belarus, as both nations failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the first round of voting. North Macedonia, the fifth candidate from the group, did not meet the two-thirds threshold and did not advance. Germany and the United States were also elected in a by-election to replace Liechtenstein and Italy, which relinquished their seats. Their terms will run through 2026 and 2027, respectively. Other countries elected to ECOSOC – for three year terms – include Australia, Burundi, Chad, China, Ecuador, Finland, India, Lebanon, Mozambique, Norway, Peru, Sierra Leone, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Türkiye, and Turkmenistan. The terms of all new members will begin on 1 January 2026. Vote tally ECOSOC membership is allocated based on equitable geographical representation across five regional groups: African States, Asia-Pacific States, Eastern European States, Latin American and Caribbean States, and Western European and other States. A total of 189 Member States participated in the first round of balloting, and 187 in the runoff. A two-thirds majority of valid votes cast was required for election; abstentions and invalid ballots were not counted in the total. A - African States (four seats) required majority 126 Mozambique: 186 Sierra Leone: 186 Burundi: 184 Chad: 183 B - Asia-Pacific States (four seats) required majority 125 Lebanon: 183 Turkmenistan: 183 India: 181 China: 180 C - Eastern European States (three seats) First round – required majority 123 Croatia: 146 Ukraine: 130 Russia: 108 Belarus: 96 North Macedonia: 59 Second round runoff – required majority 108 Russia: 115 Belarus: 46 D - Latin American and Caribbean States (three seats) required majority 125 Ecuador: 182 Peru: 182 Saint Kitts and Nevis: 180 E - Western European and other States (four seats) required majority 120 Türkiye: 174 Finland: 173 Australia: 172 Norway: 169 Andorra: 1 By-elections (two seats, independent elections) required majority 114 Germany: 171 United States: 170 Andorra: 1 The Economic and Social Council ECOSOC is one of the six main organs of the United Nations and consists of 54 Member States elected for overlapping three-year terms. It plays a central role in advancing the international development agenda and fostering international cooperation across economic, social, and environmental spheres. The General Assembly, comprising all 193 UN Member States, elects ECOSOC members annually by secret ballot.
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Capable NZ set to lose 20 jobs
Otago Polytechnic staff are feeling "like stunned mullets" after the institution cut 20 jobs from a ground-breaking department. Staff were informed of the decision on Thursday to cut the Capable NZ department from about 30FTEs to nine FTES and an additional head of college role, after a proposal was put forward in March. Despite staff fighting for more jobs to be kept, management at Otago Polytechnic agreed on a rate of job cuts very similar to the March proposal. A staff member, who did not wish to be named, said people were "like stunned mullets" when they heard the news. "We expected a bit of pain, but nothing of this level. "The staff will try to teach the material to a gold-standard level, but it becomes increasingly difficult with far less staff support." Capable NZ allows students to apply and start any time and complete the required work from anywhere in New Zealand. Qualifications earned through Capable NZ have the same value as those earned through normal Otago Polytechnic programmes, or other tertiary institutions. Capable NZ had at its height more than 500 students. This had dropped to about 270 last year. The polytechnic blamed the ongoing effects of Covid-19 and the fact it was a politically fraught environment. Otago Polytechnic deputy executive director Mark Cartwright said "despite the change in structure, it's important to emphasise there will be no cuts to existing programmes". "We believe Capable NZ provides an important and meaningful service to our community and are committed to its continued delivery. "The purpose of the change is to ensure we are operating in a financially sustainable way. "We will move the Capable NZ department and all of its programmes to sit under Te Maru Pumanawa (TMP), our College of Creative Practice and Enterprise." Former Otago Polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker said this week's announcement of cutbacks to Capable NZ, "represents a real vote of no confidence" in the department. He said many of the problems could be traced back to the merging of the country's 16 Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) into the mega-polytechnic Te Pukenga. "At the advent of Te Pukenga, Capable NZ was the largest school at Otago Polytechnic, with nationwide coverage and offering highly innovative and unique programmes. That was why it had so many staff. "So, clearly it's fallen on hard times. What I am aware of is that there was considerable neglect on the marketing and promotion front across many aspects of Te Pukenga. "I've got no doubts that Capable NZ would have suffered from that." Mr Ker said despite these barriers, he was confident Capable NZ could rise again if managed properly. "The Capable NZ approach, which is at the undergraduate level, is still highly innovative in a global context, let alone in a New Zealand context. "It offers access to degree-level qualifications for people in work. That is as cost-effective as you can get. "So it seems to me that any downturn could easily be counteracted by a well-planned and well-focused marketing and recruitment programme." Staff told the Otago Daily Times they were worried about the bulk of the programme's institutional memory disappearing. Tertiary Education Union assistant secretary Daniel Benson-Guiu said Capable NZ was unique to Otago Polytechnic in that it was neither an "on campus" course or a "work-based learning" course. "People flocked to it outside of the polytechnic's catchment area," Mr Benson-Guiu said. "A programme like this allows the polytechnic to have a more national focus, which is what's needed to ensure student numbers remain good." Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds is due to make an announcement next month about which polytechnics will become autonomous and which ones remain in a "federation" model. Otago Polytechnic has frequently expressed a desire to become autonomous again. Mr Cartwright said Otago Polytechnic needed to "ensure the financial viability of our organisation to be able to stand alone". Asked about Mr Ker's comments about the job cuts being a "vote of no confidence" in Capable NZ, Mr Cartwright said "this difficult decision is in no way a reflection of the amazing work the team does, or the unique products they offer". "It is the result of steadily declining enrolments. The changes will ensure we are able to continue to provide these products and services in a financially viable way."
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Airport to provide new HQ
Wakatipu Search and Rescue (LandSAR) has unveiled plans for a new headquarters at Queenstown Airport. Build committee member Russell Tilsley says the airport company has agreed to provide LandSAR with a site, next to the Heliworks and Alpine Helicopters bases, on the northern side of the runway. Now based in a corner of a Heliworks hangar, the organisation's 80-odd volunteers need a dedicated building where they can run operations, train and store equipment, Ms Tilsley says. "We've never had our own base, and with the increase in search and rescue that's happening around the region — summer and winter — we need one." With suitable land in and around the airport being rapidly snapped up, it's a case of "striking while the iron's hot". Architect Mary Jowett has completed a design for a two-level, 400sq m building with incident management and comms rooms, a training space, a kitchen/lounge area, two bunk rooms for use during multi-day operations and storage space. The committee is about to get the build priced, but Tilsley expects it will cost somewhere between $2 million and $3m. A fundraising campaign will be launched in the next few months. He hopes construction can start within 18 months, and the building be up and running a year after that. Formerly based in Queenstown police station, LandSAR had to move out in 2020 during Covid, and squeezed into the Alpine Cliff Rescue team's base in a converted garage in Lucas Pl, he says. "There was a group of nearly 80 people operating out of a tin shed." Heliworks owner Nick Nicholson came to the rescue in 2021, providing the organisation with its current base in one of the company's hangers. However, it's always been a temporary measure, Ms Tilsley says. The organisation runs rescue operations — which can last a week — out of Heliworks' boardroom, and its volunteers sleep in the company's office space. It has benefited from the "incredible" generosity and support of Nicholson, Jowett and the airport company just to get this far, and will be relying on the community to get the build over the line, he says. LandSAR volunteers do a huge amount for the community, applying high-level expertise and training to save lives. "These people are vitally important, and this is our opportunity to future-proof the organisation for the next 20 to 30 years."
