Not everything on our shelves came out of our kitchen. The birthday candles are beeswax, made by Hōhepa. The mugs are ceramic, made by Curios in Woolston. We could have bought cheaper versions of both from a wholesaler and nobody would have complained, which is exactly why it is worth explaining the decision.
One of the things Dhi Ferrari says about the business is that we select for taste, not cost, and partner with the best. That applies to a bag of couverture and it applies to the object a gift is handed over in. A cake is eaten within a day or two. The thing beside it on the table is still in the house a decade later, so it is worth choosing properly. Every producer we buy from is listed on our premium suppliers page.
Curios, from Woolston
Curios make our ceramics across town in Woolston. The handmade ceramic mug and the handmade ceramic tumbler sit alongside the rest of the range in our hand-made New Zealand ceramics collection. These are the pieces to reach for when a milestone needs something the recipient keeps. A cake for the day and a mug for every morning afterwards is a more considered gift than a bigger cake, and it costs about the same.
Hōhepa, and the candle on top
The Hōhepa beeswax birthday candles are the small detail that finishes a cake nobody has to decorate further. Our finishes are ganache and chocolate elements — we do not use fondant, colourings or bespoke decoration, and there are no custom cakes — so the candle is the one thing you personalise. Beeswax smells like beeswax rather than like nothing, which matters more than it sounds when the lights are off and everyone is looking at the same table.
What goes in the cup
The same logic runs through the drinks. Our coffee is the Terra Nova Fair Trade Organic blend from C4 Coffee Co here in Christchurch. Our tea is Zealong, certified organic and grown in the Waikato on the only tea plantation in New Zealand, fully traceable from soil to first sip, and it is served as a Zealong teapot for one. Benjer juices, Sidekick Soda and Chai Guy fill in the rest of the fridge and the chai. Inside the cakes, the chocolate is Barry Callebaut, the vanilla is Heilala, and the dairy is local. We do not use pre-mixed ingredients anywhere, which is the reason those names are worth naming.
Building a gift that is not only cake
For a milestone, start with the cake and work outwards. The specialty layer cakes run 15cm for 12 to 15 people, 20cm for 20 to 25, and 25cm for 30 to 35. If a cake is too much, the pre-configured boxes on the gift boxes page come in three sizes, and the full gift box range takes a handwritten note or a printed card. A gift card works when you genuinely do not know, and the packaged sweet treats add weight to a box for very little. Our writing on gifting at work and on the handmade sweet range goes further into both.
Choose it with the other person signing the card
Bring whoever else is going in on the gift. Standing in front of the cabinet together settles a flavour argument in five minutes that a group chat will drag out for three days, and you can buy a couple of cake slices and taste the contenders before you commit to a whole cake. Splitting the cost of a cake and a mug between two people is also how most of these gifts actually get bought. Dhi's own route from Rio de Janeiro to a Christchurch kitchen is set out in the story of the maker.
Ordering and collection
Cakes need two days, larger desserts three and petit four trays seven; you choose the pickup slot at checkout, and the date picker only offers days the kitchen can meet. The ceramics, the candles and the packaged treats are shelf stock, so they need no notice at all. Collection only, from our patisserie inside The Welder at 20-26 Welles Street, Christchurch Central. We are open 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 3pm Saturday.
