 | | Darryl Soljan
Captain With a passion for wine, food and travel, Darryl reckons he has the world's best job. A voracious reader and sports lover (he was an Auckland representative runner and completed the 1996 NZ Ironman), Darryl also coaches his son Dominic's soccer team and has total sympathy for the frustrations of professional coaches all over the world. Darryl is usually introduced as "Bridget's husband". Awarded "Hospitality Personality" at the 2009 Manaakitanga Awards.
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| | Bridget Soljan
Navigator Bridget was made an "honorary Dally" following an outstanding effort planting out Ascension's vineyard while pregnant in 1997. Like Darryl, Bridget was an Auckland rep runner in her previous life though these days she is a full time mum and spends most of her time chasing Dominic & Emma. An enthusiastic lover of life, Bridget can be found most Tuesday evenings at Pub Quiz where her team regularly finishes outside the top three.
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 | | Michael Foxall
Kitchen Wing-commander Michael and his wife Tina (a chef de partie at Ascension) have been with us since the very first day we opened our doors in 2000. An exceptionally dedicated assistant to Armin, Michael is from Manchester, England, and is a devoted fan of Manchester United FC.
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 | | Predrag Jankovic
Kitchen Lieutenant Predrag joined us from Croatia in 2007 having worked in a number of top kitchens around the Mediterranean. A dedicated food-lover, Predrag's special interest is seafood though he has a hankering for expensive ingredients like truffles, and really good red wine.
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 | | Mike Reid
Winemaker (reds) Mike has worked at a number of premium New Zealand wineries, and as well as crafting Ascension's red wines, makes small volumes of his own "Michael Ramon" label from local fruit. Mike is a scratch golfer and a Crusaders supporter - apart from that we like everything about him!
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 | | Allison Gordon
Botanical Zen-master Over the years, Ascension's gardens and grounds have grown extensively, particularly with the addition of substantial vegetable and herb gardens for the kitchen.
Allison takes care of all things "green", propagating heirloom plants from seed, meeting the demands of chefs and keeping the gardens gorgeous. Allison also helps the vineyard lads, especially "tying down" during pruning - the vines, not the lads.
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 | | Annette Graamans
Chief Palate Officer Annette and her friendly Cellar Door team are the first faces you see when you arrive at Ascension! Annette looks after all aspects of the Cellar Door, though it would be fair to say that her interest in wine is much more than just purely professional! A keen tennis player, Annette is also a busy grandmother.
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 | | Allan Moors
Grape Guardian & Gamekeeper Allan looks after the entire grape growing operation and is also responsible for Ascension's grounds and maintenance. An "ex-Westie" and Henderson orchard owner, Allan is a top shooter (a bit of a shame for our rabbits), a very even tempered golfer and widely regarded as the "dad" at Ascension.
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 | | Malcolm Kidd
Assistant Grape Guardian
& Gamekeeper Born and bred in Matakana, Malcolm definitely meets the 20 year residency rule to be a "local". Malcolm is naturally talented at just about every sport he tries, much to the chagrin of the rest of us. Whether it is cricket, golf, pool, darts or a punt on the footie, he always excels. Widely regarded as Ascension's most "thrifty" staff member!
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 | | Jessica Haack
Director of Romance, and
Connoisseur of Meetings & Events Jessica has an extensive background in corporate travel and event management, and is proof that women are great multi-taskers because she juggles about 20 things at the same time! Having moved to the bright North Shore lights from Gisborne some years ago, Jess has adapted to the new shopping environment and has a shoe collection the equal of Imelda Marcos.
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 | | Guido Paseri
Maestro, Food & Beverage Born & raised in Italy, Guido has been a dedicated hospitality professional since the age of 14 having spent his career running the food and beverage operation of 5-star hotels in Europe and New Zealand (he has a lovely Kiwi wife). Guido's charm and wicked sense of humour are surpassed only by a voice that has been compared to an Airbus on takeoff.
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