“We aim to provide quality food at an affordable price with a special emphasis on Gluten Free and Dairy Free items.”​

 

Gary was at the forefront of making Gluten Free foods readily available to diners as early as 1998. As Executive Chef of Christchurch Casino he realized that more and more diners were requesting Gluten Free items so he delivered a Gluten Free dining experience to an appreciative public. Since then he has been refining and perfecting dishes and recipes so much so that they are now enjoyed by all customers. He says that a lot of GF foods/dishes have now evolved to be just as tasty as foods/dishes prepared in the more traditional manner.

“What really excites me about Willows Café is having the Opawa/St Martins Farmers Market right on our doorstep on a Sunday Morning this allowing me to have the choice of the freshest of local ingredients and just as importantly supporting our local growers. I can pick the freshest of ingredients and then take them back to the kitchen to create the coming weeks offerings. Due to the nature of seasonality and availability no two weeks at Willows Café will be the same as far as food offerings go. “

We asked Gary to describe his style of food at Willows Café- “It’s restaurant quality food at an affordable Café price’. Not only will we have our selection of staple cabinet foods, but I’m going to enjoy stripping back some of my fine dine dishes and adapting them to a Café environment, and these will be found on our blackboard specials.”