Kiri Erb said this catering gig is the biggest undertaking of her career. Photo: RNZ / Emma Andrews
Kiri Erb has a 'natural' gift of cooking for crowds, now she and her kaimahi are gearing up to feed thousands at Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga.
Erb, the owner Hāwera's Tika Restaurant, Cafe, and Catering said it was an honour to be one of two catering companies dishing out kai at the upcoming event.
"This is, without a doubt, probably the biggest undertaking I've done in my career. I'm not going to lie, it's a little bit scary, but really exciting."
Tika has two locations, one on Nelson St and the other on Glover Rd.
Erb tapped into her smaller cafe to make a 'couple of thousand' pies while the restaurant was making muffins, which will feed around 2500 people per day.
Her staff role will also grow from 36 to 50 for the week of the kapa haka nationals, satisfying various rōpū such as volunteers and kaumātua with revolving canapes and continuous refreshments.
Tika Restaurant, Cafe, and Catering on Nelson Street, Hāwera Photo: RNZ / Emma Andrews
"This is a team collaboration across Taranaki - it's not just one business - it's all of us, and we've all got to do our part," she said.
"This is not just about upholding us as a business, this is about Aotea. This is about Taranaki Kāhui Maunga."
As a young kōtiro (girl), Erb spent quality time with her grandmother in the kitchen.
She left school young and fell into part time work at a little pizza cafe in Lower Hutt, but after she started her whānau, she got in administration, but said it was not "her thing".
When Covid-19 hit, she had time to think.
"I just took a bit of a leap of faith and started my own thing.
"I kind of went around in circles. My pathway is probably backwards."
Erb started out making kai for one school out of the Hāwera racecourse kitchen, and Campbell Mason, owner of Caffeinate Hāwera, allowed her to have a small cabinet of food.
She applied to be a school lunch provider for six school's, which she got, and needed to expand.
So, in July 2023, she purchased the cafe on Glover Rd, and at the tail end of the year she leapt into the already established, but closed restaurant on Nelson St.
"We ran like the clappers, created menus and got the restaurant in full operation in less than four weeks and we've been running ever since."
The birthdate of her business was also the date her first mokopuna was born, so she was not at Tika's opening night.
"I was busy falling asleep on the hospital floor waiting for my granddaughter to be born."
The business was whānau orientated - nine kaimahi were related to Erb, school children 'run' the buffet, and she supported kaimahi who embarked on their own journeys.
"I was an oddball at school, I was bullied. So to have an opportunity to create a space where everybody is celebrated for their uniqueness, that's what I've wanted to do."
Previous staff member, Josh Guttenbeil-Smith just left Tika to start his own coffee business, but occasionally returned to teach people the art of coffee making.
The day RNZ caught up with Erb, Guttenbeil-Smith shut his business early to help train new staff.
"I'm sad he's not with us anymore but I'm proud that he's established his own thing and walking his own path," Erb said.
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