Chef Michael Rowland-Jones – bringing business nous to the table
28 Jul 2025
Old Boy Michael Rowland-Jones (12707) has created the recipe for success by combining the best business ingredients as the co-owner of popular Christchurch eateries Brigittes Merivale and the new Brigittes Sumner.
A member of Harper House from 2000–2004, Michael has returned to Christ’s College to share his food and business secrets – as a hospitality entrepreneur and executive chef – with 35 students at Career Convos.
He credits “getting involved” in the many opportunities on offer at College with helping to “put me in the position I am now”. He also values those school friends who have also started their own businesses for supporting his goals.
“You have every opportunity to be successful at College,” he has told the boys while underlining the importance of making the most of co-curricular programmes.
However, Michael’s passion for food and drive to become a chef were discovered as a student in Dunedin, when he started to prepare meals for his flatmates, cooking dinner most nights. At just 24, he was ready to commit to his true passion.
He returned to Christchurch to work as a chef at Yellow Cross in Sol Square. However, when the earthquakes shattered Christchurch in 2011, Michael decided it was time to move to London to develop his career.
“It was a high-pressure environment but I thrived in it – even the 90 to 100-hour weeks,” he says. “I was soon learning from the best.”
That included roles in high-end Michelin-star restaurants working for one of Gordon Ramsay’s protégés.
That extended stay in London came to an end when he returned to his hometown. After stints in notable Christchurch establishments, he became executive chef for the Aikmans Hospitality Group. Just a couple of years later, he became a co-owner of Brigittes Merivale, expanding the business to Sumner this year.
Despite the hard work and long hours, Michael is thriving as a hospitality entrepreneur and executive chef, with plans to further expand the Brigittes concept.
“We work to the highest standards but you can always be 10% better in business,” he says of his career. “I also firmly believe in building strong relationships in business and creating seamless connections. At all times, you must be honourable, honest, and kind. In all things, you get out what you put in.”
