If first impressions count, Saint Sebastian has one almighty advantage. The stand-out building on a busy Masterton thoroughfare has presence.

By Walt Dickson.

Resplendent in a warm blue, the tall facade of the ex-Freemason headquarters in town blends seamlessly with the sky. Owner Caleb Kloeg says inspiration for the colour scheme was an image of St Catherine's Palace in St Petersburg.

Caleb, of Masterton culinary fame – dad John Kloeg owns award winning 10 O’Clock Cookie Company, and older brother Michael the world-famous in New Zealand Clareville Bakery – has always been a big fan of the building. But never did he think that one day it would house his establishment.

That seemed unlikely when he took himself off to university to study interior architecture. But a student’s gotta eat, so restaurant work in foodie-Wellington was a natural fit.

Saint Sebastian Restaurant Masterton 3 CREDIT Jet Productions-1.jpg

While enjoying study, “cheffing” became his calling and he took a break from the books to do a stint in Melbourne. He returned to complete his degree, however cooking continued to be his vocational rudder, steering him all the way to the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, where he was contracted to start up a western-style cafe. Within ten days, One Up All Day Breakfast was one of the most popular cafes in the city.

Back in New Zealand, he mixed it up between Masterton and Wellington, continuing to hone his cooking skills, until one day he had an epiphany, appropriately when on Chapel Street.

“I had been driving past this building all the time, which had been sitting empty for about three years, and I just thought, I’m going to do this.

Good fortune followed with a significant part of the risk taken care of when the building was sold to new owners supportive of Caleb’s plans.

WHAT’S IN A NAME

When Roman emperor Diocletian ordered the killing of Saint Sebastian by firing-squad, legend has it there were so many arrows rooted in this body that he resembled a sea urchin. Strange then that a restaurant should take the name of the martyred 3rd-century Roman soldier, although seafood does feature prominently on the menu.

Truth is, Sebastian is Caleb’s second name, and Saint, well, it is a religious title, so appropriate for a building on a street called Chapel.

A visual treat on the outside, Caleb is doing his best to repeat the appeal on the inside with equally mesmerising offerings. While there are intricacies of decor that are pleasing to the eye, unquestionably the most prominent feature is the large open-kitchen, positioned like a stage and directly opposite front entrance.

Patrons can choose to sit at the bar and watch chefs get about their work, free to ask for a talking commentary. As well as creating a “little bit of theatre”, Caleb says, the open-kitchen takes full advantage of the large space that the building provides.

“From a chef’s perspective, open kitchens are great to work in. They seem to be becoming more common, I worked in open-kitchens in Melbourne and also Wellington before opening here.”

For Saint Sebastian, it is also fits with Caleb’s ethos of sustainability and quality local ingredients.

“People can see what we are doing and hopefully get a sense of how much we love cooking with fresh local produce.

The menu is primarily divided into three categories: sea, earth and pasture. Paua Dumplings and Te Kouma Oysters are “Sea” favourites, with Seaweed Gnocchi and Jerk Zucchini popular with the “Earth” vegetarians. “Pasture” is for the meat-eaters, which initially was strictly red meat only to encourage people to eat something different. It worked. But now bird is now being served.

Saint Sebastian, 109 Chapel Street.

Facebook @saintsebastianrestaurant