“This is my heart. For me, there’s no better feeling than working a shift that’s busy and full, seeing people walk out the door arm-in-arm so happy with their experience and their kai. Acts of service, it’s so satisfying.”
SUPER’s vibe was born from Sahni’s connection to the local whenua, coupled with inspiration from the Japanese hospitality culture she so loved observing while travelling there with her daughter.
“They are so welcoming, gentle and grateful for whoever comes through their doors, I think that’s something hospo, and particularly Christchurch, could do better. Some places take their customers for granted and I remind myself and my staff all the time: the customer is everything in what we do.”
And as her reconnection to te ao Māori has grown, so too has the flavour profile of SUPER, burgeoning to include the likes of peppery horopito and earthy kawakawa. Sahni says the fusion of Japanese and Māori ingredients works well because the dishes of both cultures are traditionally simple and not overwhelmed by competing flavours.
SUPER WHANAU (FAMILY)
Ruminating on the path that brought her to owning and operating a restaurant, Sahni Bennett (Ngāti Mako, Wairewa) says her success probably has a lot to do with her dogged determination to build on what existed before. At just 22, she opened her first cafe with no experience and three tamariki in tow.
“I learnt how to carry a baby and make a flat white at the same time; they’d just come along to work and were very much part of it,” she laughs.
“I love cooking, it’s my love language. If I want to do something for someone I will cook. I might not always be able to say the words, but I can cook a mean feed.”
Her early foray into hospitality and business management resulted in two popular cafes in central Christchurch – Barbadoes and Beat Street, the latter of which she sold in 2014. However, while hospo is her world, Sahni’s seven tamariki are the central pou it orbits around. Her eldest – an actor based in Los Angeles – is 26, with four more in between him and the pōtiki, three year old twins.
There’s a clear whakapapa to the unwritten value system which stewards SUPER. Kaitiakitanga shines through Sahni’s kōrero and whakaaro. Whether it’s removing beef from the menu, using only line-caught fish or keeping ingredients local, organic and seasonal, Sahni says these decisions support the hauora of te taiao, as well as helping customers connect with what they’re eating and be present with the kai.
“There’s also an aspect of healing I like to think is being brought through with the whole experience. The space encourages people to slow down, connect to their food and where it’s come from.”
That manaakitanga translates well for returning customers, suppliers like local farmers at the Spring Collective, and her staff, who Sahni says keep her young.
“Taking care of my staff is really important. Ensuring they are listened to, heard and respected in their place of work is everything. I love their good ideas and I know that no one person holds all the knowledge.”
Owning a business is just one aspect of being in the hospitality industry for Sahni, who also cares deeply about sharing her own mātauranga around kai to foster wellness.
“As a young woman, I had a lot of body image issues and I was quite afraid of food for a long time. I didn’t love or respect it. At about 17 I began to realise how beautiful and nourishing kai can be. I was coming into myself at that point and realising that when I was eating, it wasn’t ‘good’ and it didn’t help me to feel good about myself. As I began to love myself and nourish my body, it all just fed into wanting more goodness.”
