Well-known Ashburton caterer Dan Lysaght is hanging up his apron and putting away his serving bowls after a 40-year career.
He has nurtured prime ministers, celebrities, national icons and colorful characters in the community, but this year he has decided to retire.
His All Fed Up business is on the market and Dan, 70, has drawn a line in the sand to sell it by the end of the month, with intentions of completing it by the end of the year.
Dan hopes someone else will take over and would like a transition period to help each new owner over the next three months.
Specializing in spit roasts for indoor and outdoor events, the company offers a variety of menus to suit every occasion and budget.
“I’ve really, really enjoyed my 40 years as a caterer,” he said.
“You see a lot of the same faces and visit some interesting places.”
His rewarding career took off unexpectedly in the early 1980’s in the North Island.
He was looking for a business other than groceries and ended up at an events center, he said.
This business grew and changed and after an eventual move back to Canterbury, All Fed Up was formed in Ashburton.
It is based out of leased premises in the Creek Road Shopping Center but Dan travels around the district and beyond as needed.
He has hosted weddings, business events, birthdays and conventions.
And worked in some remote places under extreme weather conditions.
But self-sufficiency with mobile gas-powered roasters has meant catering hasn’t been compromised.
Gone are the days of shrimp cocktails or formal dinners at weddings, which were more popular in the ’80s, he said.
Now there was more finger food, buffets or smorgasbords of spit roasts, vegetables or salads, and increased gluten-free and vegetarian needs, which meant knowing what’s in the ingredients.
Dan always thought he would work until he was 72, but now he wants to devote his time to other interests.
He looks forward to waking up in the morning and thinking, “What am I going to do today?”
He recalls his brother’s words comparing an average life of 80 years to a sporting reference of two 40-minute halves.
“If you’re in the paddock of life for 70 minutes, do you want to spend the next 10 of the game playing it to the end, or do you want that body to enjoy it?”
Fishing, jet boating, golf and travel are high on Dan’s future plans.
There are also grandchildren to spoil. “I feel now that the time is right,” he said. “You just know.”
Not one to let his regulars down, Dan has preferred bookings that he says he will respect, sell or not sell.
He has also committed to returning to the community’s annual Christmas dinner at Tinwald Memorial Hall in Ashburton, which he has been hosting for the past eight or nine years.
Christmas Day is also his birthday; he turns 71.
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