A Piece of Argentina in Wellington

Mariana, co-owner of Aurora and Le Cordon Bleu Alumna, standing outside the Manners Street storefront,
less than a 5 minute walk from the Le Cordon Bleu New Zealand campus. 

Mariana was one of our very first Bachelor of Culinary Arts and Business graduates, since completing her studies she has remained in Wellington and steadily grown her local business, Aurora Argentinian Bakery. With two storefronts in the Wellington CBD and a production kitchen supplying both locations, Aurora is now slowly expanding into frozen supermarket products. Aurora’s frozen medialunas are now available in select locations in Wellington and Auckland. A medialuna (named after is crescent moon appearance) is a traditional Argentinian pastry that is commonly confused for a croissant, but its smaller size, sweeter flavour, and denser less flaky texture separate it from the iconic French pastry.

Mariana showcasing Auroras new frozen medialunas, now available in select NZ locations.

With such an exciting product releasing it was a pleasure to catchup with Mariana and learn more about her culinary Journey.

What is Aurora?  
Aurora is an Argentinian Bakery and Cafe. We try to stick as much as possible to traditional recipes from our home country. During the years, we’ve adjusted the flavours to be more friendly to the kiwi and international appetite. Aurora is not only a food business, but also a way for us to share a bit of our culture with the people in New Zealand. It is a place for South Americans to feel at home, and for us to help Argentinian people to find community and integrate into New Zealand culture and life.  

What are your current responsibilities now that you manage two locations and a production kitchen?
My key responsibilities at the moment are: Employees contracts, wages payments, suppliers' orders and payments. I make sure that our operations comply with the requirements from the WCC (FCP, use of pavement, etc). I do stock control, and ordering, some food prep (especially pastries and sweet treats), recipe development, and costing.  

What ispired you to create the new frozen medialunas?
We decided to sell our medialunas frozen so, even when people are at home, or they cannot afford the full price of going out for a coffee and a sweet pastry, they can still enjoy them. We decided to start with the medialunas because it is the first product we ever baked at our business and there is currently no competition in the New Zealand market. 

What do you think makes a good leader in hospitality?
Being transparent, honest, and taking the time to listen to others. Always teach by example and never think you are better than others.

What advice do you have for students entering the workforce?
Always be ready to learn something new. Do not assume or pretend that you know everything. There are a lot of people in the kitchens willing to teach you everything they know if you are open to listening. And always be grateful for feedback; either if positive or negative, take it into consideration. 

What has been the biggest impact of studying at Le Cordon Bleu New Zealand?
Networking. I attended every single event we were offered and that helped me to meet a lot of people working in the industry I still know nowadays. 

What type of person do you think would thrive in the Bachelor of Culinary Arts and Business? 
Proactive people. People who are really passionate about food and hospitality in general. To make the most out of the programme? Work really hard on your assignments because they are the best way of learning, and get out there! Attend the events the school invites you to, get involved in the industry as soon as you can, because experiencing it is the best way of reinforcing the academic lessons from the school.

Experience the breadth of possibilities within the hospitality industry with our Bachelor of Culinary Arts and Business.