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A popular supermarket cuisine expert has hung up the apron and served her last produce sample at New World Howick.
Rosa Kullstrom is well-known and admired by customers and Howickians and finished her final shift demonstrating and offering last Saturday after seven years.
The Times met with the well-travelled, very life-experienced 80-year-old on Friday and was inspired by her attitude to life.
For starters, she still swims in the ocean and has found a lovely spot across the Tamaki River at Point England.
In a very short space of time, we learn of how she came to New Zealand and some of her philosophies.
Probably explaining her longevity and enjoyment for work, she says her father back in her original homeland Finland told her at an early age “these hands are going to work as long as they can”.
“I’ve been lucky. Life is a friendship,” says Rosa.
“You must always chip-in to society. You can’t always be taking.”
How did she end up in Aotearoa? The answer is there was a German chef who asked her to come to these shores 40 years ago. They’d known each other in Europe.
He was “an old summer love” – they’d met as young people at a holiday camp in Sweden.
But there were years after that when they were in different countries on other paths.
Rosa studied home economics in Finland and got her first real taste of the joy of preparing food, as well as all those other useful practical skills for life.
It was on a Christmas trip away from snowy Finland with her mother in the warmer climes of Spain’s Canary Islands that she got a break to do something completely different.
She was spotted for her talents – mainly her skill of speaking Scandinavian languages – and recruited as a stewardess by Iberia Airlines, the national carrier of Spain, working for it for 15 years.
Rosa also took time to study the Spanish language in Madrid. She speaks six languages, and during our chat she says she was in Switzerland once and had forgotten she spoke French, reminding herself that she must practise it, or she’ll lose the ability.
Once in New Zealand, after receiving the invitation by the in-demand German chef to come and work with him, they started out for four years “in a little restaurant in Whangarei”, and then onto Auckland where they had Plusone in St Mary’s Bay Road, Ponsonby, for almost 20 years.
“He was a very good chef in Auckland,” she says.
Rosa also mentions that she attained a diploma in mental health after taking a break from hospitality, but “it wasn’t for me”; did care work, and had a weekend role at former gourmet supermarket Nosh.
She’s enjoyed the job at New World Howick because she’s been able to talk about what she loves – food – for its enjoyment, health benefits, and to get others excited about it too.
That’s where her knowledge and experience of other foreign cultures adds to the flavour of her message to shoppers, and journalists.
“I’ve had a good time,” she says, with a knowing smile.
As we talk, customers are coming up to Rosa to compliment her and wish her well. She’ll be missed.
“She is well loved by all the staff and customers,” says Angela Pullar, of Ambridge Rose Manor aged care village, as Linda Nickalls delivers day-brightening sunflowers.
Sam Lynch, New World Howick store manager, says Rosa has had a “loyal and dedicated following” of customers.
“People have come to the store to hear her recipes and to just see what she’s doing.
“She’s incredibly knowledgeable about food and for the storytelling that goes with it.”
As we sign off, Rosa explains her next adventure is to drive from the top of South America, from El Salvador in Central America, to the bottom of the continent, to Tierra del Fuego in Chile and Argentina, with her partner who is from Santiago de Chile.
They’ll no doubt share some amazing experiences on that journey and discover new foods and their meaning and culture.
