Fleur Sullivan
Fleur Sullivan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sullivan in 2013 | |
| Born | 1939 or 1940 (age 84–85) |
| Occupation | Restaurateur |
| Culinary career | |
Previous restaurant(s)
| |
Fleur De Lyse Ross Sullivan CNZM (born 1939 or 1940)[1] is a New Zealand restaurateur and author. In 1999, Sullivan was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to tourism, and in 2013 she was promoted to Companion of the same order, for services to the food industry.
Life
[edit]Sullivan grew up on her grandparents' farm on the banks of the Waitaki River.[2] She first worked in hotels and restaurants on the West Coast of the South Island, and then in Alexandra.[3] In 1967, she bought the Dunstan Hotel in Clyde, and ran it as a bed and breakfast.[3] She became a local councillor and founded the Clyde Promotion Group to help preserve the town's history and promote it as a tourist destination.[3] After the breakdown of her marriage, Sullivan moved to Queenstown with her three children, before returning to Clyde in the late 1970s.[3] Sullivan and her partner converted the general store into a restaurant, named Olivers, which she ran for twenty years.[4] After a diagnosis of, and treatment for, bowel cancer, Sullivan retired to Moeraki. She and her family started selling seafood chowder from a van, and then she opened a restaurant, Fleurs Place, in 2003.[5][6] Fleurs Place attracted worldwide attention when the English celebrity chef Rick Stein chose it to visit in 2006.[7] Sullivan later opened the Loan and Merc restaurant and bar in the heritage precinct in Oamaru.[8]
Sullivan closed Fleurs Place temporarily in 2021, finally closing permanently and selling her fishing quota in 2024.[3][9] She wrote an autobiography, which was published by Random House in 2011.[10] She was also featured in the book Grow – Wāhine Finding Connection Through Food, by Sophie Merkens, documenting 35 New Zealand women connected to food.[11]
Cavalcade
[edit]Sullivan had the idea to establish the Otago Goldfields Cavalcade, to boost tourism to small Otago towns. The first cavalcade was held in 1991, and attracted 220 people. The 25th anniversary cavalcade attracted nearly twice as many participants, including horseriders, wagon drivers, walkers, and bikers.[12]
Honours and awards
[edit]In the 1999 Queen's Birthday Honours, Sullivan was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to tourism.[13] In the 2013 New Year Honours, she was promoted to Companion to the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the food industry.[14][5]
References
[edit]- ^ Brookes, E., "Iconic restaurant Fleur's Place, shut since Covid, closes for good, stuff.co.nz, 20 June 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ "A Wild-Food Legend". GrownUps New Zealand. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Fleur's Place: Legendary Moeraki restaurant closes its doors". RNZ. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ Cuisine (29 January 2023). "Hall of Fame award nominees – Women in Food & Drink Aotearoa New Zealand 2023". Cuisine Magazine – From New Zealand to the World. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Restaurateur honoured for services to food industry". NZ Herald. 9 February 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ "Fleur's Place: a Moeraki institution". RNZ. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ Lutze, Tristan. "The seafood restaurant Rick Stein flew to the other side of the world for". Delicious. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ^ Bruce, David (2 August 2010). "Fleur expanding into heritage area". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ "Watch: Fleur's peace – legendary Moeraki restaurant closes its doors". NZ Herald. 12 October 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ Sullivan, Fleur. "Fleur: The Life & Times Of Pioneering Restaurateur Fleur Sullivan". The Women's Bookshop Ltd. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "Grow: Wāhine finding connection through food". RNZ. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ Marquet, Sarah (2 March 2012). "Small towns at heart of cavalcade". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "The Queen's Birthday Honours List 1999 (including Niue) | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC)". www.dpmc.govt.nz. 7 June 1999. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "New Year Honours List 2013 | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC)". www.dpmc.govt.nz. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
External links
[edit]- Twelve questions with Kiwi restauranteur Fleur Sullivan, Woman's Weekly, 24 August 2017
