Pomeroy’s
We caught up with Ava Nakagawa, long time manager of Pomeroy’s and founder of Beer Baroness to hear about her hospitality journey and the Christchurch institution that is Pomeroy’s.
Tell us about your establishment and hospitality journey.
Pomeroy’s has been owned by my parents Steve and Victoria for the past 23 years. I started working here when I was 16 and took over running the pub at the age of 25, so have been at the helm for around 15 years. When my parents bought it, it was very much a little local pub and has since changed and expanded over the years. Our major success happened around the time of the Canterbury earthquakes where we got really into craft beer, and this ultimately put us on the map. Our journey through brewing and offering craft beers has been an evolution,when my parents purchased Pomeroy’s, there were just 10 taps, and they were all pouringHarringtons. As craft beer started to gain traction, we jumped on the movement and went from those 10 taps to now 31, which are changed on a week-to-week basis. We now have a brewery on site so brew our own Pomeroy’s house beers as well as Beer Baroness. Our taps are never permanent, and everything changes frequently, which our patrons love.
What do you think defines a gastropub and how do you stand out in this space?
I think the term gastropub can be used quite broadly. To me, it’s looking to some of those amazing pubs across the UK for inspiration and delivering a combination of great food, paired with great and interesting drinks, all with a service that’s quite approachable. I think you can go into a gastropub and have a really fantastic meal and feel comfortable being there in your shorts and jandals – it doesn’t have that stuffiness attached to it.
Steve popped by during this question to say a quick hello and shared his thoughts:
I think it’s really important that pubs are part of communities and it’s where they can come in to discuss important issues. It’s also a place where people can be comfortable to come in by themselves and feel welcomed in doing so. Beyond that, it should deliver quality craft beers, really tastyfood, good service and atmosphere. As the busy man that he is, Steve bid us farewell and was on his way.
How would you describe your clientele and what are they often looking for when they visit you?
We have such a diverse range of people that come into this pub. I can look at two customers who have just come in and are two elderly ladies having a glass of wine on a Monday afternoon, then following that will probably be some younger demographic like craft beer enthusiasts and then probably after that will probably be a family, so we have such a broad range of people. Because we have been in the market for so long and where we were positioned following the earthquakes, we have really institutionalised. For people we really are part of the Christchurch fabric and their home away from home, so it’s ultimately such a broad range of people.
What’s your approach to crafting your menu?
Brad has been with us for 13 years, and he makes everything from scratch. Just about everything is made in our kitchen. Brad has a massive priority on local and he crafts dishes and food that he knows our customers will want. He’s really sensitive to how people are ordering, and how he caters his specials. He’s really big on comfort food but adds a level of surprise to his dishes. Yes you can come in here for chips and gravy but you can also order a really beautiful piece of groper that is delivered with fresh ingredients to accompany it. He likes to take the idea of pub food and elevate it, but in a non-assuming way.
What is your favourite meal on the menu at the moment?
Our burgers are incredible. Our beef burger is delicious, and I think we are pretty famous forthem. Equally so, Brad makes really good homemade pies. There are so many layers to what we do beyond what you see on the plate. For example, we brew our beer for Beer Baroness onsite and then all our spent grain gets collected by Poaka, a local meat producer. That then gets used to feed their free-range pigs which then comes back through our doors and onto our menu through their meat supply. That’s just one example of some of the cool behind the scenes work we are doing.
What inspired you to enter the Top 50 Gastropubs competition last year?
It was largely inspired by how closely our Chef, Brad, follows the UK pub scene, and how he takes inspiration from the history and ethos of those pubs. We’ve always had a strong identity in craft beer so we’ve sat quite firmly in that space, but the gastro element spoke to our food as sometimes that can get hidden behind our beers.
What advice would you give to those considering entering this year?
Stay true to yourself and be clear on your identity, and really own that. It doesn’t have to be a huge offering, its about focusing on the things you know you do really well and staying true to that.