Introducing Georgia van Prehn of Alta

Georgia van Prehn, head chef and owner of Alta

Georgia van Prehn is the owner/operator and head chef of Alta, a restaurant that’s already been awarded one hat by Cuisine Magazine, with Georgia noted as a rising talent.

That’s a big deal within the highly competitive Auckland dining scene, and a wonderful start for her first business.

We caught up with Georgia to get to know the creative force behind this restaurant.

Have you had other careers before being in hospitality?

I tried quite a few different careers when I was younger. I've worked in hospitality since I got my first job at 14. I started a hairdressing apprenticeship, started a degree in political science and then switched to a visual arts degree, and yet nothing stuck quite like hospo. Cooking was always my number one hobby, and when I switched from front of house to working in the kitchen I knew exactly what I had been looking for.

Could you give us a sense of the trajectory that got you to this current incarnation?

I had always dreamed and planned of owning my own restaurant, so I tried to work at as many good restaurants and under as many good head chefs as I could. I picked places to work at that I knew were going to teach me what I needed to know for my ‘vision’ of what this restaurant would be. I wanted to achieve this before I was 30, so I think to do it at 31 is still really cool. My previous employer gave me the opportunity to take over the space that he once had and mentor me. I was lucky: not everyone gets that kind of help.

How did you arrive at the name Alta?

I couldn’t come up with a name to save myself. It was going to be called Georgia’s for a while there. I decided on a few ‘buzz’ words that linked into my vision and put them into thesaurus and just stumbled across alta. The original meaning ‘high’, I more thought of it in a way of, to alter something, to change it, to present it in a different way. It's kinda how I like to cook, too. I try to come up with different ways of doing things, not so much to try to be different and unique but more because it makes what I’m doing more interesting to me, constantly learning and developing; not just doing the same thing over and over.

What do you love about working for yourself?

 I love the challenge; it's hard. I think to some people working for yourself is easy, you don’t have to answer to anyone, it’s the dream so to speak, but it's actually a big challenge to be the one making the decisions and it can be quite lonely. In respect to a restaurant you are also stressed about whether you might have staff that leave, bills that might not be able to be paid, bookings that might get cancelled and so on. It’s the challenge of navigating all of that and making it through that’s so rewarding. 

One of the things that really sets you apart from other chefs is your creativity with textures and flavours. (E.g at Alta you serve daikon radish almost hasselback potato-style but instead of roasting it you braised it with leek stock. It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever experienced.) Could you explain how you creatively develop a dish?

That’s one of my favourite snacks too, so I'm glad you liked it. I'll try and explain: Sometimes it's an image that pops into my head, and I work backwards to think about how that could be a dish that tastes good. Sometimes I have a ‘classic’ dish idea and I try to think of a way I could alter it differently. Sometimes ideas come more responsively, we have things on hand in the kitchen and an idea just pops, it tastes good, and it's on the menu that night. A lot of the time I write down a list of say fruit and vegetables that are in season, fish or meats I could get and start there. I'll take broccoli for instance and write down all the different ways I could cook it or ferment it or juice it and it kind of just unfolds from there. I spend a lot of time just thinking.

What’s a recurring business challenge you’d like to see overcome?

There's lots of challenges especially with the current climate and the fact that this is my first business and it's so new. But I would say more personally it’s work-life balance. I'm quite obsessive when I get my mind stuck on something and the realisation that I have to take time to rest or not think about work in order to make work better has been something I'm still trying to overcome, it was even a challenge when I was just a head chef and not an owner.

What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made?

 I'm hoping Alta is, but I don’t really see it as a financial investment to get rich, more as an investment to make something of myself, to create something and give myself happiness. I feel like you’ll never regret investing in your passion.

Interview by Sarah Ferguson.

Alta is open on Karangahape Road!

WEBSITE:  366krd.co.nz INSTAGRAM: @alta_366krd