Mikaera Te Whata with his French qualifications. Photo: RNZ/ Robin Martin
Following decade-long professional rugby career in France Mikaera Te Whata didn't join the media, open a sports store or head back to the family farm.
Instead, a love of French cuisine inspired the loose forward to enrol at university to study the art of charcuterie.
Te Whata went to France for a season intending to harden up after knocking on the door of the Auckland side, but ended up staying on.
"I played mainly for Bayonne, so I started in the second division and then I had six years in the top 16 or top 14.
"I guess, it's the equivalent of Super Rugby here in New Zealand and as you know the French are just one above us in the world rankings with Ireland up there as well."
At the end of 11 seasons of top-level European rugby Te Whata turned his mind to a new career.
No stranger to having a butcher's knife in hand, he first got stuck in at a mate's family get-togethers.
"Each year their family would kill a pig and they'd transform the pig, they'd use everything on it, so I guess using all those home recipes.
"And then I went to university over there in Bayonne and that's where I learnt the Métier or the trade of charcuterie."
Julie and Mikaera Te Whata fell in love with the French cuisine. Photo: RNZ/ Robin Martin
He fell in love with the possibilities.
"You've got the dried ham over there, so salted air-dried hams, the saucisson, which is the salamis, the pâtés, you've got the rillettes, which is either duck, chicken or pork rillettes.
"Yeah and obviously with France, and the cuisine, they're the best of the best."
His wife Julie wasn't surprised when Mikaera took up charcuterie.
"We loved the food in France and we were like if we are coming home what are we bringing with us that is different and what can we give that the kids have grown up on because they love this charcuterie side of it.
"And it meant we could spend a couple more years in France while Mike studied, so it gave us the perfect opportunity to stay there a little while longer and it also gave him something a bit different to come back with because no-one else has got the same qualifications here."
Fast forward to 2014, and the pair headed home with their three daughters and set up Maison Aotearoa Charcuterie.
Mikaera meanwhile had been awarded the Confrérie du jambon de Bayonne medal - which meant he was a recognised protector of the food of Bayonne.
Maison Aotearoa Charcuterie operates out of a converted 40-foot container on Julie's family farm in Omata, and at present production was focused on batch-made pork, chicken and duck rillettes and three varieties of pork pâté.
In their converted 40ft container Mikaera and Julie Te Whata presently make rillettes and pate. Photo: RNZ/ Robin Martin
Mikaera kept things simple.
"Our ingredients are salt, pepper and cognac and this is one product Rillettes de Candard which is 100 percent duck meat.
"So one of our sayings is let's bring back the goodness in our food without all the added extras, the nitrates, preservatives and all the rest of that, so that's gluten free, additive free, nitrate free and dairy free."
All Maison Aotearoa Charcuterie products have been through a thermal process and were the first New Zealand products packed in a jar to have a four-year shelf life approved.
Mikaera Te Whata - who's first to admit the enterprise was not yet his full-time job - said they supplied a handful of specialist retailers in New Plymouth and were looking to extend their reach into Auckland and Wellington in the near future.
Maison Aotearoa Charcuterie products were also available to purchase direct from its website.
Mikaera and Julie Te Whata will be sharing their story as part of the Taranaki Taste and Tales food trail next month and will have a stall at the Auckland Food Show in July.
