There’s a strong flavour of nostalgia in the kai Haylee Chanel Simeon cooks. And it has made the 40-year-old mum of four’s restaurant an award winner.
Her humble restaurant, Hayz at the Anchorage, is attached to the local pub, tucked in between the grand yet weathered heritage buildings that line the main road in Bluff.
“I was born and bred down here in Bluff at the bottom of Aotearoa,” says Simeon.
The atmosphere is vaguely reminiscent of an era of rugby clubroom after-match functions, and memories of another time come through strongly in the kai Haylee serves up.
Her menu is filled with nods to the kai she grew up eating and includes paua cheese rolls and pate made from tītī or muttonbird hearts.
“I never seen pāua really on the menu, it’s like, why? I never see tītī on the menus, again, why?”
“I just showcased them by sort of modernising unique dishes or traditional dishes that I’d grown up with,” says Simeon.
One of the most nostalgic dishes on the menu is the cream paua wontons - a throwback to her mum’s creamed paua on toast.
“My mum was always a pretty big influence in my kai journey,” says Simeon.
Simeon also teaches customers about local Murihiku resources and where she harvests kai from - including taking them to the local pauā harvest and research centre, Ocean Beach Aquaculture.
“When you have a kai with us at Hayze at the Anchorage, you can not only see visually, but you can taste the passion and the stories.”
But building herself and the business up hasn’t been an easy journey.
After a long-term relationship break-up, Haylee lost her previous hospitality business and her passion for kai.
“It left me as a solo mum of four. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do or how I was going to face things. I had hidden myself away for three months. I couldn’t even leave the house,” says Simeon.
But a request from the owner of the Anchorage pub for help in the kitchen gave Simeon a stepping stone back into the world of hospitality.
“I was nervous, I was broken, and I was like, what’s the worst that could happen at that point?” says Simeon.
In five years, Hayz at Anchorage has become an institution in the small town, attracting visitors from around Aotearoa and the world.
Recently, it won three awards at the 2025 Southland Business Excellence Awards.
But with this success comes the pressure of being a full-time businesswoman and mum, which has taken a toll.
“So six weeks ago, I actually had a heart attack. And that was not on anyone’s bingo card or had been forecast,” says Simeon.
She’s slowly returning to mahi - with the support of her community and whānau.
“I’m just a young, Bluff girl doing her thing - cooking kai with passion. I’m absolutely humbled, and I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be where I am today,” says Simeon.
Made with support from Te Māngai Pāho and New Zealand on Air.
