Ask Me Anything: Simon Gault talks to Paula Bennett about weight loss and hospitality success

Chef Simon Gault has gone on a weight loss journey inspired by becoming a father. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Simon Gault is one of New Zealand’s best-known chefs, having launched multiple beloved restaurants over the last three decades and gone on to judge on Masterchef NZ, but he admits that a lot of success comes down to luck.

Gault, who has shared his story in his new book, No Half Measures, told Paula Bennett on her NZ Herald podcast, Ask Me Anything, that he owes much of his success to his mentor, Tony Astle, encouraging him to save money and buy shares.

"I was lucky that those shares went up. And I was also very lucky that I had a family that supported my dream. I remember when I left school at 16, friends' parents were saying, 'you should be going to university', 'he should be staying at school'.

"But my mum and dad supported me and they could see from a young age I wanted to be in kitchens."

Gault said he worked with a number of amazing chefs when he immersed himself in this industry as a teenager, learning from them and their styles, but opening his first restaurant, Bellhouse, at 22 was a different challenge as he found himself in charge.

“You start developing your own style and your own way of inspiring people who work for you and trying to get peak performance out of them. And I tell you, I was terrible at it. To start off with, I made Gordon Ramsay look like a p***y on some days, because you’re just so passionate and so cannot afford to put a bad meal out.” He said he worked three years before taking a day off, working every lunch and night shift and sleeping on the couch upstairs, as he threw every ounce of himself into his work.

Through that process, Gault said that it contributed to his weight gain, as he was trying every meal he was making without having a proper meal, and then getting Georgie Pie on his way home or raiding the fridge and going to bed at 1am on a full stomach.

He was eventually diagnosed with type-2 diabetes, and was told to lose weight to help manage it, but the biggest push to change his habits came from becoming a father to his daughter, Hazel. Gault said he was given a wake-up call about his weight when a doctor framed it around his daughter's future.

“This is when my daughter was one, and I’m being told by a new doctor, ‘do you wanna walk down the aisle with your daughter?’

"That was the wake-up call that I needed, and I went home that day and I started Googling reverse diabetes, and it didn't take me long to discover there was no silver bullet, so I went on a massive mission."

Gault said he is glad he became a father later in life, as he was "married to restaurants" and admits he would have been terrible as a younger man. Being a single father is his main priority now, and he's focusing his full attention on his daughter.

"That's why I don't have a restaurant anymore, because I get one shot at being this dad. I don't get a second chance and I'm determined to get it right."

Listen to the full podcast above for more on Simon's journey in hospitality, and both he and Paula discuss gaining and losing weight.

• Ask Me Anything is a NZ Herald podcast, hosted by Paula Bennett. New episodes are out every Sunday.

• You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.