It’s been a homecoming for Black Barn’s executive chef, Regnar Christensen who grew up in the Hawkes Bay before cooking his way around the world. His culinary journey started in Wellington where he ran the kitchen at Ortega, before heading abroad to London then Auckland before settling back in the Bay in 2020 with his wife and four kids.
He cooks the food he loves at Black Barn using as much local fare as possible with organically grown vegetables from around the corner, cheese from down the road and the most incredible mushrooms from Bayview. There’s an extended sense of family amongst the team and broader community which also makes it special.
‘I couldn’t think of a better place to raise our family,’ he says. ‘I’m a massive outdoorsman and spend as much time as
