Alchemy cafe kitchen hand Connor Watson. Photo: Margot Taylor

Pressure is mounting in commercial kitchens in Wanaka as a chef shortage forces businesses to reduce menus and chefs to work 80-hour weeks.

Cafe and restaurant owners spoken to by the Otago Daily Times said there had been a shortage of chefs in the town for about 18 months but the problem was escalating.

Wanaka Ale House head chef Rebecca Stevenson said the restaurant was relying on an agency in Christchurch to source chefs.‘‘It is hugely expensive.

"We are having to pay the hourly rate, plus provide them with accommodation which, for the better of the business, we have to do but, ultimately, we can't sustain it.''

She had been working in the industry for about 30 years but was "almost done'' because of the necessity to take on extra hours to make up for the lack of staff.

"An average working week is 60 hours.

"On a busy Christmas/New Year, like I did 80 hours for more than two or three weeks in a row.''

The restaurant was considering reducing opening hours because of the problem, Ms Stevenson said.

A Wanaka cafe owner who did not want to be named was close to tears when asked about the shortage.

The owner said the shortage was "incredibly difficult.''

Not a chef herself, she had been forced to take on much of the cooking in the cafe.

Alchemy cafe head chef Jan Tomlin said she had worked in the industry for 40 years and had never experienced such a shortage before.

"Just about every business in Wanaka is advertising for chefs,'' she said.

At Florence's Foodstore and Cafe, a blackboard outside explained the menu would be reduced some days due to the shortage.

Cafe owner Sharyn Mathias said since the business opened three and a-half years ago it had become increasingly difficult to employ chefs.

"Every year it has just got a bit harder.''

Mrs Mathias said she believed there was often extreme pressure on new graduate chefs, who were entering the profession to find they were managing kitchens on their own.

Restaurant Association of New Zealand Southern Lakes branch president Grant Hattaway said the shortage was not unique to Wanaka.

He said the problem had been "exacerbated'' by a boom in the tourism industry.

"It is an issue and if it is not fixed it will slow down the tourism industry.

"People come here having heard good things about New Zealand wine and food, beverages, and if they don't really get the quality that's going to fall short of their expectation and well, it will be counterproductive to tourism.''

Celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay had created a misconception of the realities of working in kitchens, he said.

He believed pay was not the main reason people left the industry.

"You have got to meet the market and the rates have certainly gone up significantly.

"That's just the reality.

"It is tough on businesses, not just chefs.''

Speaking about a similar chef shortage in Wellington and Queenstown, Tourism Industry Association chief executive Chris Roberts recently told Radio New Zealand a good chef was "now priceless.''.

"I think we have to raise the profile and the status of tourism-related jobs like chefing,'' he said.

Tourism Industry Association NZ hotels chair Penny Clarksaid in Queenstown the shortage was getting worse because many chefs could not afford to live there.

She worried the country would get a bad reputation if it could not get enough chefs to produce quality food.

margot.taylor@odt.co.nz