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Based in the former Sail Rock Cafe building, the restaurant is expanding on the successful Newmarket bar, The Lumsden Freehouse, which Evan established three years ago.
Renovations to the building are underway and he hopes to open on October 21.
“It will be unrecognisable,” Evan says. “We’ve completely overhauled the building to create a place with a light and beachy feel.”
Evan says his love of hospitality came from his love of travel. He headed to Europe when he was 18, hitchhiking and picking grapes at vineyards throughout the continent. That started an 18-year immersion in hospitality, working in bars and restaurants in London and the USA and establishing a restaurant in Canada.
“I like everything about the industry. I get to taste something fresh every day, whether it’s the ripest tomatoes or the freshest fish. It’s incredible.”
He started The Lumsden Freehouse based on the philosophy of serving fresh and local produce. Part of this involved ending restrictive contracts with commercial breweries and stacking the bar-taps with craft beer.
“The big breweries have a monopoly over the majority of bars and they won’t let you stock any beer or wine that’s not under their brand. Now we’ve had 453 different beers on tap in the past year and our sales have gone through the roof.”
The Wood Street Freehouse is expanding on this philosophy, but with more of a food focus.
“We will have fresh seafood, pizzas and southern style barbeque food. I spent a lot of time in New Orleans and I’m a big fan of their slow cooked meats which are infused with southern spices.
The restaurant will open seven days a week, all year round.
“We will have specialty nights and we plan on holding a cooking school during the winter and will have a pizza delivery service.”
Evan is building a house in Mangawhai and will split his time between Mangawhai and Auckland.
