You may recognise Noël Jelsma from the Nelson Market, where you’ll find him and wife Teena selling their famous black garlic. Noël talks to us about dreams of cricket stardom, Queen fandom and where he’d love to ‘slowly’ travel.
If I could tell my younger self one thing it would be... (Apart from buy and hold Apple, Amazon and Tesla shares?!) The more serious advice would be to keep practising – develop your skills/hobbies – it doesn’t really matter what in. In my case, I regret never fully mastering the guitar. My father is an amazing guitarist and has played in various bands and music groups, and although I’ve owned a guitar since the age of nine, and from time to time would have a few songs I could play, I never stuck at it long enough to get to an enjoyable level.
If I could travel anywhere, it would be… I’d really like to go back and spend several months travelling slowly around India and China. There is such incredible diversity of culture and life to be experienced there. The people are amazing, the food incredible – however the usual speed of tourist travel rarely allows for a full experience. While I had the opportunity to enjoy some amazing hospitality during business trips to China, you really need more time to get beyond the airport/hotel/office loop, typical of a business trip.
If I could be famous for something, it would be… Being an international cricket star! I’ve played social forms of cricket all my life, from twilight cricket in Whangarei, to indoor and Saturday social cricket, including twice representing Singapore at the World Masters Indoor Cricket tournaments. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm for the sport far exceeds my abilities. But it’s certainly true that you don’t have to be good at something to love doing it.
If I could have any job, it would be… Ever since I was a boy, I always wanted to be a chef or a pilot. I moved on from being a pilot – but still liked the idea of being a gourmet chef. I’ve always loved cooking and trying new and interesting flavour combinations. Having said that, I’m not sure I could handle working as hard as most chefs do. After a career in technology and software sales I’m now in the food business – producing black garlic products – so maybe this is the next best thing.
If I could only take one thing to a desert island, it would be… Hmmm tough one… how’s the cell coverage?
If I could have a superpower, it would be… As a teenager, I remember having the most amazingly vivid dreams of flying. Not really like superman – but something requiring real effort and focus. I was always so disappointed when I’d wake up and find I was still unable to disregard gravity! So, it would have to be the power of flight. Soaring like a bird. Amazing.
If I could have lunch with three people, they would be... Oh, definitely the surviving members of Queen! I sat glued to the TV screen when Bohemian Rhapsody first came out in 1975. I’ve been a huge Queen fan ever since – seeing the original line-up with Freddie Mercury live at Mt Smart stadium in 1985 was such an amazing experience. I stood slack-jawed soaking in every second of the experience, while the friend who had travelled down with me from Whangarei on the “Concert Bus” was getting very friendly with a girl he met at the concert. More recently I’ve seen Queen and Adam Lambert live in concert - still epic!
If I could only eat one meal for the rest of my life it would be... Wow – some serious opportunity cost with this one! I’m staying in Asia with a steaming hot plate of Char Koay Teow – wok-fried flat noodles, really popular in Malaysia/Singapore. Such amazing street food all over Southeast Asia. The hawker centres in Singapore have multiple small kitchens – each producing a particular product. You could always tell the favourites by the length of the queue! Back in New Zealand, barbecued pork ribs with a spicy/smoky sauce come a close second. Not many greens in my selection – but there you go.
