It all starts here: The farm kid who got a loan from Gordon Ramsay for his first home
When Josh Emett was 28 and broke in London, Gordon Ramsay dropped £30,000 into his bank account so he could buy his first flat. You might know Josh as the MasterChef NZ judge, or as the chef behind Auckland's Onslow and Gilt Brasserie and Waiheke's Oyster Inn.
In this episode of It all starts here, Josh sits down with Sarah Wood, CEO of realestate.co.nz, to reflect on climbing the walnut tree by the farm gate, frying himself four eggs for breakfast since age seven, and the run of homes, London, New Jersey, Melbourne, Queenstown, that followed before he and wife Helen settled into the Auckland home that now features a bespoke kitchen they have designed.
Highlights#
• A 350-acre sheep and beef farm outside Ngāhinapōuri, bordered by the Waipa River, where Josh spent his childhood roaming, shooting, eeling and swimming, sometimes even through winter.
• The colossal walnut tree by the farm gate that he'd climb into and eat straight from, still his standout memory of that first home.
• Baking from necessity: with the nearest supermarket 20 minutes away and the local dairy long closed, Josh loved to bake to satisfy his sweet tooth.
• One of his early jobs was on the Waipa Delta boat, peeling potatoes on the back of the boat. His Mum would wave to him from their home overlooking over the river.
• At 28 living in London, Gordon Ramsay lent him £30,000 for a flat deposit.
• Buying his current Auckland home from its owner Mark, a deal settled over a shared bottle of champagne after the two of them couldn't agree on a price.
• A full kitchen renovation six or seven years ago, fitted out with Sub-Zero Wolf appliances, the reason Josh says they'll never bring themselves to sell.
Chef and MasterChef New Zealand judge Josh Emett shares stories of growing up in the Waikato, buying his first home, renovating kitchens and what home means to him.
Growing up on a Waikato farm#
Emett grew up in Ngahinapuri, a small farming community near Mount Pirongia in the Waikato. His childhood was spent on a 350-acre farm, where the property itself became his playground.
The Waipa River formed one of the farm's boundaries, while creeks, paddocks and an old Māori pā site provided plenty of places to explore. He remembers swimming, fishing for eels, riding bikes, playing cricket and getting into the everyday work of farm life.
There were chores to be done, too. After school, Emett and his siblings would feed the chickens, chop wood and help feed the cattle.
It was a childhood where home and work were closely intertwined – and where food was never far away.
His mother maintained a large vegetable garden and kept chickens, while the family freezer was stocked with meat from the farm. Emett began cooking and baking from a young age, making everything from pavlovas to banana cakes.
That early connection with food eventually became central to his career.
From first jobs to the professional kitchen#
Emett's first kitchen jobs began when he was a teenager. At 15, he worked after school in the kitchen of a rest home, serving meals and cleaning up afterwards. He later worked on the Waipa Delta, a floating restaurant on the Waikato River.
His career eventually took him overseas, including a long stint working for Gordon Ramsay in London.
But despite the glamour of working in some of the world's most prestigious restaurants, Emett says he never wanted a conventional office career. He wanted to do something creative, and cooking proved to be the natural fit.
His professional journey would take him from London to Australia, New York and New Jersey before eventually bringing him and his family back to New Zealand.
Buying his first home when money was tight#
Emett's first experience of buying property came when he was 28 and living in London.
He wanted to get onto the property ladder but didn't have the money to do it. Gordon Ramsay lent him £30,000 to buy his first property, allowing Emett to purchase a one-bedroom flat.
The flat had dated features including green carpet, old wallpaper and a mauve bathroom. Emett says he could barely afford the basics at first, but he was determined to make it work.
His first DIY renovation attempt also taught him a lesson. Wanting to freshen up the lounge, he chose a paint colour without asking for advice – only to discover after painting the room that it was far more yellow than he'd intended.
He promptly painted over it.
Looking back, Emett's advice to his younger self is straightforward: don't be afraid to get onto the property market, even if the home isn't perfect from day one.
A life of moving – before finding home#
Property became an important constant during a particularly unsettled period of Emett's life.
After the global financial crisis, he and his wife Helen moved between the US, Australia, the UK and New Zealand. With two young children, they lived in around 14 or 15 different houses over roughly three years.
Eventually, they returned to New Zealand and settled into the house they still live in today.
They initially rented the property and later bought it from the owner because they didn't want to leave.
For Emett, the property wasn't necessarily about having the biggest or newest house. Its appeal was more personal.
The house is an unusual conversion of two old shops, with a boxy layout that Emett describes as being almost like living in a large apartment. It's on a quiet road close to the beach, and the family loved it from the beginning.
Today, as his sons grow older, he says they don't feel the need for more space.
The kitchen that keeps him from moving#
Perhaps unsurprisingly, one of the home's biggest highlights is its kitchen.
As a chef, Emett has a professional understanding of what makes a kitchen work. When the family renovated their home around six or seven years ago, they invested heavily in the kitchen, including the cabinetry, layout and appliances.
The result is a space Emett still describes as spectacular.
It includes a wine fridge and two dishwashers, although he admits they only use one of them most of the time, with the second providing extra capacity when needed.
For someone who has spent much of his career working in professional kitchens, the importance of a well-designed kitchen clearly extends beyond appearance.
It's about how the space works, how people use it and whether it makes everyday life easier.
And in Emett's case, the kitchen has become such a valued part of the home that he jokes it's one of the reasons they haven't moved.
When a house becomes a home#
After years of moving between countries and properties, Emett's definition of home is perhaps more meaningful than his collection of houses might suggest.
"Home is everything," he says.
The family's current property isn't necessarily conventional, and Emett acknowledges that its unusual nature could make it challenging to sell one day. But he believes the right person will come along and fall in love with it.
That sentiment captures something many homeowners eventually discover: a home's value isn't always found in how it looks on paper.
A property's quirks, location, layout and memories can make it uniquely suited to the people who live there.
For Emett, home has been a farmhouse playground, a first London flat with green carpet and a mauve bathroom, a series of temporary houses around the world, and finally an unconventional New Zealand property that his family chose not to leave.
And perhaps that's the real story behind finding a home – it doesn't always have to be perfect. Sometimes it simply has to feel like yours.
For more stories about the homes that shaped New Zealanders, follow It all starts here wherever you get your podcasts.
Host Bio #
Vanessa Williams, General Manager - Customer, realestate.co.nz. Vanessa is one of New Zealand's most trusted voices on property, at home unpacking market data for industry audiences and translating it into practical guidance for everyday buyers and sellers. She regularly appears across national television, radio, print and digital media. Her commentary combines the extensive listings, search and market data held by realestate.co.nz.
