From farm to fork: Michael Van de Elzen's journey back to the land

Celebrity chef Michael Van de Elzen is no stranger to evolving with the times, and his latest venture sees him combining his culinary expertise with a deep passion for sustainable farming.

In November, Michael will attend Garden Marlborough for the first time, hosting a series of workshops centered around food, farming, and how lifestyle blocks can help provide for the family. This passion for lifestyle living marks a full circle from his upbringing on a poultry farm to a celebrated chef reconnecting with the land.

“The Garden Marlborough event is kind of a new direction for me,” says Michael. “I have attended food festivals before and am still heavily involved in food, but this event will be focused on producing on a scale that can be managed without going full Clarkson’s Farm.”

Born and raised on his family’s chicken farm, Michael's early years involved collecting eggs and shoveling manure. “Working in kitchens was my way of getting away from the farm chores,” he recalls. “I started as a kitchen aid at 14, which got me out of work at the farm, but they also fed me!”

While the culinary aspect came later, the excitement of working in a kitchen captured Michael's imagination. “The restaurant was high energy, and I couldn’t wait to go back. My parents had grand plans for me to take over the family farm, but at 15, I knew I wanted to pursue being a chef.”

Fast forward to today, and Michael’s life has come full circle. Living on a 15-acre lifestyle block in Muriwai, West Auckland, with his family, he now has 36 chickens of his own and produces much of his own food.

Michael and his wife Belinda purchased their property in 2015 after a five-year search, falling in love with it despite seeing it for the first time on a foggy, rainy day. Over the years, they’ve faced their fair share of natural disasters, from a massive storm in 2020 to the Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle. “It’s made us resilient, but also taught us a lot about managing the land,” he says.

Merging his culinary talent with his lifestyle block learnings, Michael’s workshops at Garden Marlborough will focus on the practicalities of lifestyle block management, particularly how smaller blocks—like 5 to 20 acres—can be productive.

“It’s about making the land work for you. Whether through grazing or growing crops, there are ways to make a lifestyle block contribute to its upkeep. It does require effort,” he admits. “Growing your own food isn’t as easy as going to the supermarket. You have to work with the land, and the farm doesn’t wait for you. You need to be flexible, work when the weather allows, and adapt as needed.”

His experience over the years has taught him the importance of setting up a property to handle the unexpected. “I’m no expert,” Michael says humbly, “but I’ll be sharing the lessons we’ve learned and the successes we’ve had.”

Michael’s workshops will offer a mix of education, inspiration, and practical advice for anyone considering a lifestyle block or looking to improve the productivity of their current property. “I’ll come more so from a from a food perspective, and around setting it up to make it easier to manage, because we’ve all heard of phrases like a ‘no life’ block. The workshops are about creating a sustainable, enjoyable life on the land.”

Michael’s passion for fresh, homegrown produce shines through when he talks about one of his favourite recipes: a smoked tomato passata made from the tomatoes he grows on his property. “Last year, we had an amazing crop of tomatoes. I cold smoke them first with rosemary and garlic, then slow-cook them into a rich passata for pizza. Add some fresh basil, mozzarella, and maybe a bit of chorizo, for me that's the perfect meal.”

See Michael at ‘Good from Scratch’ Cooking Demonstration and Q&A Session: Thursday 7 Nov 6.30pm – 8.30pm $70

Making Sustainable Gardens and Lifestyle Blocks Work for You. Friday 8 Nov 9.00am – 10.30am $70

Get tickets at:www.gardenmarlborough.co.nz/workshops/michael-van-de-elzen