It’s been less than four months since Aaron and Heather Freeman stood – devastated – in front of the entire nation, having lost the grand final of My Kitchen Rules New Zealand by a single point.
For a brief, earth-shattering moment, it seemed as though their much longed-for careers in the restaurant industry had slipped away – and with it, the ability to afford to put food on their own tables through their love of cooking. But the dream is now a reality for the Palmerston North couple, who have turned their MKR instant restaurant, Tatou, into a business.
Although he’s now thrilled to be cooking for a living, Aaron (36) says the biggest change to come out of the show has, in fact, been deeply personal.
Their experience on My Kitchen Rules made Aaron and Heather even more determined to start their own restaurant.
“It changed my approach to our relationship,” he explains. “I was always confident in my cooking abilities. If I wasn’t, there was no way I was going to put my wife and I in front of a camera! While Heather initially came on the show to help me, she proved herself, and got stronger and stronger as it went on.”
And, he adds with a proud smile, looking at his beautiful wife, “She hasn’t stopped.” Now very much a balanced and complementary team, Aaron and Heather (31), who are parents to Halle (4) and Sanaa (2), are full of determination, passion and confidence – and they still can’t believe they’re finally doing what they love. There hasn’t been a lot of time to reflect since the first season of the show wrapped in October, because demand for their unique blend of Polynesian cuisine has been off the charts.
Aaron and Heather helped out at Awapuni School by feeding 68 kids a tasty lunch.
The last few months have seen the busy couple travelling around the country for events, demonstrations and speaking appearances. “We’ve never been busier,” says Heather, who prior to MKR had been studying homeo-botanicals. “Although it has been interesting learning how to work with your husband!” she laughs. “We’re the perfect combination when it comes to business, but it’s definitely been a juggling act,” Aaron, a former stay-at-home dad, chips in. “I don’t want to give up the throne when it comes to who’s boss!”
What has surprised them is that despite their new lives as chefs, caterers and business owners, they are able to spend more time with their family. “In terms of balance, it’s a lot better now,” says Heather. “Before, one of us would be working, while the other would be at home with the kids. Now we’re with them four or five days of the week as we work, and we leave our travel around the country doing events until the weekends. We get to be together a lot more.”
Aaron describes how busy they were at the conclusion of last year. “We had to have a little downtime in January, to reconnect with the kids and remind them that they still have parents.” And they still talk almost daily to their fellow MKR contestants – the men of their instant restaurant group chat online. “They are friends for life now,” reveals Heather.
It is the public’s support that continues to spur the couple on – and the determination that they wouldn’t walk away from the show with nothing. Their plates are incredibly full. As well as some top-secret projects and planning for a visit from the Prime Minister and High Commissioner of the Cook Islands later in the year – a huge highlight for Aaron who has Cook Islands heritage – the couple is getting behind causes they feel passionate about. This includes Green Party leader Metiria Turei’s Feed the Kids Bill, which proposes a plan to provide breakfast and lunch to children at decile one and two schools.
With their eldest daughter starting school this year, it’s all the more important to Heather and Aaron that school kids have enough to eat.
“There’s no excuse in a country like New Zealand for kids to go hungry,” says Aaron. “Halle’s starting school later this year and I don’t want to be worried that she or any of her mates are hungry in class. We’re responsible for them.”
To help out, the couple recently visited Awapuni School, which is near their home, where they made chicken and mango meatballs and beef chop suey, plus muesli bars, for 68 kids at a cost of only $2.28 a head. It’s a way of paying back their community for all the support they received during and after their MKR journey – and it reminds Aaron of the advice his mum gave him as a child, he says. “She used to tell me, it all comes down to humility, dedication and sacrifice. We got a golden ticket to what we wanted, to take our food as far as we could, and we’re grateful for that. And we won’t stop until the wheels fall off!”
