That Food Guy has been a food guy all his working life. (5-minute read)

Perhaps best known for providing delicious pork and chicken banh mi at the Ōamaru Farmers’ Market in recent years, Mark Townsend’s first job was working in a cafe in Auckland in the 1980s - before cafes were really a thing.

“When they opened there were two other cafes in Auckland,” he said. 

The eatery catered for a lot of students, and chilli beans on rice was in hot demand.

“It was big because it was cheap,” he said.

“So yeah, that, sort of, was my introduction to the industry, really . . . as a sort of journeyman. I didn't train until much later.”

Food has taken Mark around the world. From Auckland, he had a stint in Sydney, then 10 years in London working in Italian fine dining in Putney with a Michelin-starred TV chef, followed up by one of the first ever gastropubs, before making a shift from à la carte to high-end, high-pressure catering as part of the banquet team at the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden.

“That was just another world, you know, 26 chefs in the brigade, four restaurants and a catering team, and we were doing two and a half thousand covers a day . . . It was phenomenal.

“We did big, you know, sit down dinners. That was what my team was involved in . . . canapé events for up to 750 people . . . all sorts of things.”

A few events stand out for Mark - there was a launch event when one of the major newspapers changed from broadsheet to tabloid-size, and GQ magazine’s Man of the Year awards.

Former UK prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were both on guest lists while he was there.

“I mean it was an interesting place. When I wasn't busy with catering, I was seconded into the different restaurants, and I walked out of my kitchen door one day and there was John Major sitting there dining with us.

“It was pretty high pressure, yeah. It was pretty bewildering for a country boy from New Zealand in amongst all that, but after a year or so, it was just another day at the office.

“It really taught me, you know. When I first was doing things there, I had a bit of nerves because of the sheer size of it and things like that. But really, those nerves disappeared after being there for a while.”

He describes the situation as “intense” with a lot of working hard and playing hard. Some people were able to maintain the lifestyle, but he did see people burnout as well.

“You definitely don't want to be in any sort of long-term relationship working in that scene in London.”

Mark was at the Opera House for three years, before deciding to return to New Zealand in the mid 2000s to pursue a business opportunity. 

“It didn't actually pan out, but what happened during that time is I met a guy . . . and he was very well off, and he loved opera, and he loved the fact that I worked at the Opera House, and he sort of said to me, ‘get into catering’, and he threw some work at me, including doing a pre-election small dinner for 25 at his house for John Key before he got elected, which was quite an intimate affair. 

“He really kind of gave me the opportunity to, well, mentored me into my own business really.”

From 2006 to 2017, Mark worked in and around the Matakana area catering for events - big and small, and “lots and lots and lots of weddings”.

In 2017, Mark and his partner Sally were ready for a change. They had a connection to Ōamaru and decided to make the move south. 

He started working for Fleur Sullivan at Fleur’s Place in Moeraki in 2018, in an operations role.

“When Covid came along I restructured the business for Fleur, and it was clear that one of the jobs that I needed to disestablish was my own,” he said.

The two came to an arrangement, and Fleur “very kindly” gave him the caravan she used to sell seafood chowder from on the waterfront before the restaurant was built.

“I still see Fleur, you know, from time to time and we talk about things and what's happening . . . it's really nice to actually get her thoughts on things, because she's very accomplished.

“I learned a lot off her actually. I'd been in the business for 30 years by the time I went to work there, and you're always learning, but you know, there's a lot of things that I learned off her about business and about how she approached it that I've applied to this business, which are working really well for me.”

So, it was from Fleur’s old caravan That Food Guy was born, with Mark selling food at markets and doing some catering work.

The move to Ōamaru was with the idea of slowing down in mind, but as word spreads of his tasty offerings, and now having secured a partnership with the Ōamaru Opera House, things have “exploded again”.

His stepdaughter Katie also works with him, and she has a young child, so a conscious decision has been made recently, to step back from weekend work. 

They jumped at the chance to work with the Ōamaru Opera House, and have now, essentially, finished at the Farmers’ Market.

But for those who are missing their weekly banh mi from the Farmers Market, Mark intends to do a regular Wednesday delivery around town, and is considering adding it to the Opera House lunch menu.

“You know, Katie's a big part of the business . . . so we decided that rather than focusing our efforts and doing weekends, we really wanted to manifest a Monday to Friday business, with just a little bit of stuff on the weekends,” he said.

Mark has a goal of creating a business which is about more than just food.

“It’s about an enriching experience, a commitment to sustainability and a celebration of community.”

He provides in-house catering for events, meetings and workshops held at the Opera House, as well as handcrafted lunchboxes.

Future plans include offering a selection of daily-prepared cabinet food, and a small cook-to-order menu with an emphasis on affordable, accessible healthy food choices.

“While it isn't my total business, it is very much more the kind of business model that we want to be doing now, rather than chasing those big jobs on the weekends - actually having more of a family life, you know?”

Also of importance to Mark is making the business work in alignment with his planet-friendly values. Sustainability is important, and there has been a focus on zero food waste, and greener packaging.

“So, for example, we do a delivered lunchbox, either in-house or wherever you are in town . . .  We collect those boxes back up.

“The biggest thing I've realised is that there are no easy solutions in terms of packaging and, you know . . . you can't solve all the problems, but you can do your bit.

“I turn all of my food scraps that are compostable into compost. Any food scraps that aren't compostable go to chickens or into bokashi bins. So we've managed to reduce our landfill by about 50%.”

Mark is keen to be a leader in the sustainability space, and come up with initiatives, working with local groups, such as the Community Gardens, and other businesses.

“It’s about getting in front of the curve, because I think, from what I hear from council, down the line, food waste, particularly into landfill, is going to become more and more of a regulated thing. So if we're already doing it, you know, we can lead the way for other food businesses.” 

He already uses compost in his garden, where he grows some of the greens, herbs, and edible flowers he uses in his food. 

Despite 38 years in the industry, Mark still loves what he does. 

“I'm very creative, and as long as I am creating and innovating, I suppose, I'm happy.

“One of the biggest kicks I get out of it is when I deliver something for a client, in whatever capacity it might be, whether it's a wedding or an event or something like that, everything just goes perfectly and everyone loves the food and, you know, it helps the event to be successful, whatever that may look like.

“It's probably what keeps me coming back for more. I think it's something you don't get when you're à la carte cooking because you're just so in the moment, getting that dish out, sort of thing, but with events you create bonds with people and you create relationships with people, and yeah, it's nice to see it through to a successful conclusion, I suppose.” 

Outside of creating food, enjoying family time and gardening - which Sally is “very much involved in” - Mark spends his “little bit of spare time” in his home music studio.

He did a lot of DJ-ing in the UK, and started writing music over there and performing “sort of more in an electronic space”.

He generally releases a song every month on Spotify, which can be found under the name Markt.Djp.

“I'm very, just sort of, you know, consistent. And I've really . . . become committed to it in the last three years, and just really played around with it prior to that.”