Back in 1920, Devonport was the birthplace of Jim Allan who grew up in that area to become an apprentice to a baker during his teenage years in Hamilton.Upon completion of his
apprenticeship, Jim spent 18 years in the Royal Navy serving on HMNZS Archilles and HMNZS Gambia during the war years.
Following the war, Jim did a brief stint at the Savoy and Dorchester Hotels in London and then through until the middle of the 1950's he ran the Officers Mess at Philomel.
Back to Hamilton, and in the early 1960's Jim instigated the commencement of the five year apprenticeships for cooks in that area. He also generously gave his time and became heavily
involved judging at local Hot Food Cooking Competitions at various army and navy camps throughout the North Island.
Jim was also very active as a foundation member of the New Zealand Hotel Chef’s Association, as it was called in its early days, and remained a very staunch member of that group until his sudden and untimely death at a young age in 1970.
Throughout Jim’s career, he trained many young apprentices who are still active in the profession of cooking today. Not the least of
those is his son Terry.
Many members of the New Zealand Chef’s Association will have had the pleasure of meeting Terry while attending the “Taste of Canada” competition in Toronto.
Terry did his five year stint with his father at the Commercial Hotel in Hamilton from 1964 to 1969. During Terry’s big OE in the 1970's, he worked in Toronto at the Inn on the Park. He was also fortunate enough to score a position in the royal kitchens of Queen Elizabeth II.
Terry tells me he thoroughly enjoyed his stint working for the royal household, not only in Buckingham Palace but several other households belonging to the royal family in Great Britain.
He still thoroughly enjoys the reunions of the chefs he worked with during that time, some of who are still employed within the royal kitchens.
For the past 17 years, Terry has been one of Canada’s top chef professors at the George Brown College in Toronto and highlights some of his greatest career
achievements as receiving an award from the Emperor of Japan in 1971, and also from His Majesty They Yang Di Pertuan Agung of Malaysia in 1973. Terry was also awarded the Order of the Sacred White Elephant by His Majesty the King of Thailand in 1973.
He has been the winner of numerous Gold Medals of regional and international cooking competitions including the Federation Mondiale Des Societies Des Cuisiniers Gold Shields Award at Food and Hotel Asia in 1986.
I can tell
you that Terry is quite a character and thoroughly enjoys his profession.
And now for the third generation of Allans in the industry, Terry’s eldest son Jim is just completing a two year Hotel Management programme at George Brown College in Toronto. He hopes to travel down under and spend some time in New Zealand shortly. Terry’s second son won a Gold Medal in the 1991 regional “Taste of Canada” and is currently apprentices as a cook in Manitoba, Canada.
Future plans for the
Allans are, within five or six years, to be running two small bed and breakfast establishments, one on the east coast of Nova Scotia and the other one on a warm coast of New Zealand. Terry says, that at least that way he will not have to shovel snow for six months of the year.
Thanking the Allan family for their contribution to the hospitality industry in New Zealand and wish them all the best in their future endeavours.
