Mangawhai's sweet success

The exterior cafe courtyard at the Bennetts of Mangawhai complex. Photo / Babiche Martens

When Clayton Bennett describes the art of chocolate making as a "chemical analysis of constituents", it would be easy to believe he'd lost his passion for this cocoa-bean delight. But it doesn't take him long to begin waxing lyrical.

"Chocolate is exciting. Solid at room temperature, liquid at 30 degrees, you can carve, sculpt, mould and colour it. It gives you a good feeling whenever you work with it."

Far from turning their backs on the product that allowed them to become a virtual household name, Mary and Clayton, of Bennetts of Mangawhai fame, have taken a giant leap forward for chocaholics with their new venture - a project 10 years in the making.

The European style building they've created in the popular coastal village houses a chocolaterie, cafe and restaurant, Italian gelateria and French-style fruit and vegetable store around a charming central courtyard.

"We wanted to create a destination," explains Mary, "a place where you could walk through the big wooden doors and be transported into another world."

The vision began when the couple spent 14 months living in Cadenet, a quaint village in the south of France.

"That's where we came up with the idea of a market square - but we didn't want to take a French building and simply pop it in the middle of Mangawhai."

So they called on the architectural expertise of David Ponting.

"He took what we were explaining to him and turned it into physical form," says Clayton.

Traditional terracotta roof tiles, generous timber eaves, plastered block-work, iron detailing and a mixture of brick, stone and timber flooring lend the structure a materiality that harks back to another era.

And when parts of the form didn't comply, builder Greg Dowson took a hands-on approach to the cedar and macrocarpa doors, for instance, which arrived in pristine condition. Greg went at them with his hammer, drilled holes in the timber, and enthusiastically rolled stones over them to add that sense of age.

"The other builders were sceptical until they saw the results," laughs Mary.

The couple, too, played their part in the aesthetics.

A French antique stone feature with weathered brass taps, has pride of place as a water station in the restaurant.

"We spotted it disassembled in a dealer's yard, fell in love with it, crated it up and had it sent over to New Zealand," says Mary.

A glittering chandelier hangs from the domed ceiling in the chocolate shop, while a slender harvest table bought from a friend in the States is used for display. Verdigris cabinetry and patinaed mirrors lend an old-world elegance to the decor.

Fountains in the courtyard, along with pots of geraniums and espaliered lemon trees, bring a relaxed rustic feel to the area while a generous, covered internal atrium allows light to flood in and provides protection from the elements.

"It was all about creating space," explains Clayton.

"We could have added more shops but this is not just about commercial gain. People can come in, watch the chocolate-making process and not spend a penny."

Indeed, the project has been a labour of love and one way of giving back to the community that has served them so well.

Visitors watch in awe as master chocolatier Remi Le Levre whips up sublime morsels, alongside locals who are happy to be part of this sweetly successful enterprise.

"We invited Remi over from France. He's amazingly talented and it's important to keep new ideas coming through," says Clayton.

In the restaurant, head chef Jennifer Perry has equally impressive credentials.

A protege of the father of fusion, Peter Gordon, and having worked at The Engine Room and Rocco in Auckland, Perry is happy to be able to live and work close to her parents.

"My food is simple, seasonal and tasty," she says.

"And all the baking is done on the premises."

Locals often come in to exchange their daily crop for a coffee. Then Perry will adapt the menu to include donated ingredients such as fennel, artichokes, tarragon and courgettes: "We try to serve spray-free and organic produce as much as possible."

At night, the cafe is transformed by candlelight and an ever-changing three-entree, three-main offering that keeps the selection interesting for regulars.

Perry and her team work from the big open kitchen on a range of dishes with the flavour of Europe. Free-range pork, organic beef and Salumeria Fontana sausages from nearby Wellsford tempt the tastebuds.

With Le Levre's divine chocolate mousse for dessert, heaven has landed in this holiday destination.

Free from the constraints of their tiny at-home production facility, the new Bennetts premises has allowed a move into making confectionery including award-winning passionfruit marshmallow and melt-in-the-mouth nougat.

"We're very proud of what we have done here," says Mary.

"And we've made so many friends along the way."

DID YOU KNOW?

Unless the air temperature is warm (above 23 degrees), it's best not to store chocolate in the refrigerator. "You can't pick up the subtleties in flavour when the chocolate is too cold," explains Clayton.

* Visit bennettsofmangawhai.com for more information.