New chef brings perfect match of food and wine to train

Media Release from the Kingston Flyer
18 September 2012
New chef to bring the perfect match of food and wine to iconic train experience

An experienced chef with a passion for local produce is the perfect person to guide the new look café at Kingston’s iconic train station.

Nestled on the shores of the South Island’s Lake Wakatipu, Kingston is home to the beloved Kingston Flyer steam train.

It’s where The Flyer Café’s new chef Andy Lisseman is set to delight diners and train riders alike this summer season.

Originally from the UK, Andy’s experience includes a stint at the prestigious Le Pont De La Tour restaurant in London under Chef Tim Powell, a protégé of global culinary superstar Marco Pierre White.

Since moving to New Zealand, Andy has made a name for himself at some of Queenstown’s finest establishments, most recently at the highly-regarded Jack’s Point Clubhouse. Andy brought his passion for local produce to the establishment and while he says he loved his time at Jack’s Point he “couldn’t resist” the opportunity to work alongside the historic Kingston Flyer.

Andy has an affinity with the train as he and his wife are Kingston residents of six years and will soon welcome their first child.

“Living here in Kingston, the train is part of daily life and I’ve always had such a soft spot for it,” says Andy. “When the train was shut down by previous owners a few years back and I saw it abandoned and run-down, I found it really sad.

“One of my main objectives in this new role will be to showcase the café as a destination experience. Just like you would travel to a vineyard restaurant, a visit to the Flyer Café for good quality food alongside one of New Zealand most iconic steam trains is going to be a superb day out.”

Andy can’t wait to impress diners with his home-made delights and locally-sourced produce. The new look menu will feature home-made artisan breads, chutneys and preserves, and an emphasis on local produce.

“Diners can expect to see a breakfast offering with our range of home-made condiments, or a light lunch consisting of freshly made sandwiches on home-made bread, or a seasonal salad of the day from locally grown produce. One of our stand-out dishes will be the Central Otago Tasting Platter featuring locally sourced products such as olives and olive oils.

“The tasting platter was something we developed for the ‘First Class Carriage’ experience on the train. You can choose to travel in the gorgeous first class birdcage compartment with bubbles and a tasting platter. I thought it looked so amazing we had to offer it on the menu at the café as well.

“I’ve always been really impressed by the quality of local produce in this area, and I’m really looking forward to weaving it throughout the menu. I think it’s some of the best in the world.”

Andy is also expecting his terrines to become a drawcard for visitors to the café. Terrine-making is another passion for the experienced chef, enabling him to incorporate products such as duck, pork and pistachio.

“Most importantly we’ll be offering excellent wine matches with our food, because we’re lucky that Kingston Flyer’s new owner David Bryce is a wine man. His background is in vineyards and he still holds a fantastic passion for wine, so he’s sourced some impressive ‘Kingston Flyer’ wines to complement the new menu. I think diners will be really impressed by the wines we’re serving.”

Andy has been working hard to prepare The Flyer Café for opening day and has assembled and trained his front of house team. He’s now in the process of finalising his kitchen brigade who will complement his depth of experience.

“The café’s had a good spruce-up with a lot of work on the space over winter and it’s got a great feel to it, definitely somewhere to come and enjoy a meal.

“We can’t wait to open the doors. We’re catering for a private charter this Saturday for around 80 people which will be a great way to kick things off, then the café will open its doors from next Monday (September 24th),” he said.

The Kingston Flyer steam train officially opens for the season on Saturday 29th September with a gala opening day event.

The season opening will kick off with a ‘Gala Opening Day’ on Saturday September 29, a fun-filled day which will include a car boot market day from 10am to 3.30pm, free music, and discounted opening day fares at $30 for an adult and $15 per child. Vintage cars and machinery are invited to be on display in Kingston. The Saturday timetable will see the train operate at 10am, 12pm and 2pm, while on Sunday it will revert to the regular season long timetable and run at 10am and 1.30pm only.

For more information and to reserve tickets for the 2012/13 season go to www.kingstonflyer.co.nz

ENDS

About The Kingston Flyer
The Kingston Flyer is New Zealand's famous vintage steam train set in the spectacular mountain scenery of the Queenstown Lakes District. When gold was discovered in the Wakatipu district in 1862 the need to connect the district by steamships and steam trains became apparent. The railway line at last reached Kingston on July 10, 1878 and a public holiday was declared by Queenstown Borough and Lake County Councils.

The express passenger steam train known as "The Flyer" serviced Kingston-Gore on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and Kingston-Invercargill on Tuesdays and Thursdays from the 1890's. During peak holiday periods she also carried passengers from Dunedin to Kingston to meet up with Lake Wakatipu steamboats connecting with the popular holiday destination of Queenstown.

The service was replaced by buses and passenger numbers declined through the 1950's. The final Kingston Flyer operated during the Easter holiday of 1957. Trains continued to run on the Waimea Plains Railway until 31 March 1971.

The New Zealand Government came up with a plan to save the historic steam train and funded its restoration in 1971. The atmosphere of the 1920's was retained and remains today featuring polished brass and steel work, white tyres, red fluted side rods, and glossy black paintwork.

The Kingston Flyer heritage service between Kingston and Lumsden continued until 1979. Today the service covers a 14km stretch of track between Kingston and Fairlight. The rails are the originals laid in 1878 but many of the 19,360 sleepers have been replaced.

The driving force and face of The Kingston Flyer was Russell Glendinning who is credited with saving and restoring the Flyer back in the 1970's. This was acknowledged when he received an MBE in 1975 New Year Honours. Russell’s career began at age 14 in Dunedin in 1953. His apprenticeship took 7 years. In 1964 he became a First Class Driver and in 1969 a Special Class Driver. Russell's passion and energy continues to this day, he still occasionally drives the train, shines the brass and can be seen regularly out maintaining the track.

© Scoop Media