Discover Blue Rose, Sandringham Auckland

414 Sandringham Road, Sandringham, Auckland

Blue Rose Catering and Café in Sandringham opened by popular demand. Co-owners Robbie Kainuku and Lenny Stevens started out working as caterers from home – but through word of mouth, their popularity grew so much they needed to move to a commercial kitchen. They now own Blue Rose Catering and Café, a boutique catering company providing food for everything from weddings to corporate functions, and a vibrant café. 

Blue Rose opened in 2014, but the seeds were planted much earlier, explains Lenny. The café’s iconic blue rose-patterned wallpaper came from the kitchen of his grandmother, who taught him how to cook. 

“We still use a lot of her recipes in the café today,” says Lenny. “In a way, the inspiration for Blue Rose started when I was a little kid.” 

Lenny is of Māori heritage while his husband Robbie has a Cook Islands background, and it was important to them to represent both cultures in their menu and style of service. Blue Rose does serve some standard Kiwi café dishes, like eggs benedict and mushrooms on toast, but what’s made its name is the Māori and Pacific-style goodies. The café draws patrons from all over Aotearoa and beyond with its fusion pies, featuring fillings like classic palusami (Samoan corned beef, onion, taro leaves, coconut cream and chilli), hāngi (pork belly, stuffing, kumara and pumpkin) and boil-up (bacon bones, watercress and potato). “They’re our most popular item for sure,” says Lenny. “We sell 3,000-4,000 most weeks.” 

Blue Rose also offers traditional Cook Islands oka/ika mata (marinated raw fish), mussel fritters and lu’au (taro leaves and coconut cream) and taro – as well as a popular ‘Island Plate’, featuring pork belly, oka/ika mata, lu’au and potato salad on one dish. The café is famous for its sweet treats, too, including its Koko Samoa cupcakes, which are still made to Lenny’s grandmother’s recipe. 

Pacific and Māori food is Lenny’s favourite cuisine, he says, as much for the warmth and hospitality as for the flavours themselves. “Pacific and Māori food has to be made from the heart or it doesn’t have that full flavour,” he explains. “For example, both oka/ika mata and lu’au are made by taste, not by a recipe.” 

It’s an ethos apparent in every detail of this business – from the cheerful hellos at the door to the family photographs on the walls to the generously portioned food, everything handmade with love. 

Visit bluerosecatering.co.nz 

Facebook: @BlueRoseCafeandCatering
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