New chef brings international experience to Treble Cone kitchen

Snow sports locals and holiday makers are enjoying a revitalised menu at Treble Cone this season with the appointment of renowned international chef Leungo Lippe.

Heading the 10-strong team of chefs and kitchen hands at Treble Cone’s Slopeside Café, Leungo has added delicious fresh dishes and home baking to the daily menu. The award-winning café is well-known for quality food, a stunning view and the large sunny courtyard.

Leungo, the brains behind the Botswana Butchery restaurants in Queenstown and Wanaka, managed the establishments in their early years and achieved many awards and international acclaim from food critics, is now enjoying the challenge of serving hungry snow sports enthusiasts.

“I am relishing the lifestyle and diversity of working at Treble Cone. The stark difference is preparing food en masse instead of table by table. Each day is different and demand is dictated by the visitors on the mountain be it locals, New Zealand or Australian holiday makers, or international athletes; all have very different tastes and requirements and we never know who is going to turn up!” said Lippe.

Everything served at Treble Cone is made on the premises, apart from the pies which are produced locally. The emphasis is on the ingredients to be sourced from the region, fresh and tasty. On average the restaurant serves over xx meals daily. Lunchtime options at Treble Cone include the hot servery with a choice of three wholesome hot meals, burgers and burritos cooked to order.

To further Treble Cone’s commitment to the environment, the cafe implements a multitude of measures to minimise waste. At the end of each day all surplus food is offered to staff at a reasonable price with the excess going to the local pig farm, coffee grinds are used to compost the staff’s gardens and all packaging is recycled.

Leungo has been in the cooking industry over 15 years. Following his studies in hotel management in Switzerland he moved on to Washington DC to the culinary institute of America. He has restaurant experience in New York and London before arriving in New Zealand to take on the head chef role at Pegasus Bay winery in Christchurch. Portage Resort in the Marlborough Sounds was the next destination before heading south to Lake Wanaka’s exclusive Whare Kea Lodge where the idea for Botswana Butchery took shape.

Treble Cone Slopeside Café is open daily from 8am. The skifield attracts of skiers and boarders from all over the world and is renowned for its extensive freeride terrain. For further information, visit www.treblecone.com.