A New Village, a New Kitchen
Summerset Boulcott is one of Summerset’s newest retirement villages, located in Lower Hutt, Wellington. When the village opened, its purpose-built kitchen opened with it, designed to serve daily meals to residents and support a lively café for visitors.
As the new Chef Manager, Josua Rasolo arrived expecting to see the gas hobs he had cooked on throughout his career. Instead, he found a kitchen equipped entirely with induction cooktops.
Josh says his first reaction was uncertainty: “As a chef, all we know is gas. How am I going to do this?” Adapting to a completely different cooking system while delivering high-quality meals for residents and café customers felt like a significant challenge.
From day one, however, Summerset set the team up for success. The kitchen was fitted with modern induction units and compatible cookware, and Josh’s team were given hands-on time to experiment, practise, and build confidence.
What began as unfamiliar territory quickly became second nature. Within just a couple of days, the team realised the advantages of their new system.
Discovering the Benefits
Induction cooking immediately delivered faster heat and more precise temperature control, boiling water in around two minutes and holding steady heat without constant adjustment.
With no open flames, the kitchen stayed dramatically cooler, making busy service periods far more comfortable. “There’s no more sweating. You actually smell nice when you go home!” Josh says with a laugh.
Safety also improved: the cooktops stay cool to the touch even while boiling, eliminating the risk of burns or reaching across flames. Cleaning became far easier, with no soot or burnt residue left on pots or benches. Kitchen hands no longer spend hours scrubbing equipment at the end of a shift. And the increased efficiency has helped Josh and his team handle last-minute orders with ease.
EECA’s Electric Homes Technical Report shows induction cooktops are two to three times more efficient than gas or LPG, and the reduced heat load can lower ventilation and cooling costs.
For Summerset, the shift supports a broader move toward reducing gas reliance and improving energy performance across its sites. “It’s a godsend, seriously,” Josh says. “It’s fast, safe, and keeps the kitchen cool. Once you get used to it, you won’t want to go back.”
Moving Forward
Josh says Summerset Boulcott’s experience offers practical lessons for other businesses considering a transition to induction:
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talk to sites already using the technology
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assess power requirements such as three-phase supply
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invest in compatible cookware
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and give staff plenty of hands-on time.
The long-term gains in efficiency, energy savings, and staff wellbeing quickly repay the investment. The village now plans to add a Merrychef hybrid oven to complement the induction setup and prepare for growing demand.
What began as an unexpected change for Josh has become a transformation, creating a cooler, safer, and more efficient kitchen that supports staff, sustainability goals, and consistently high-quality food for residents and café guests.
Want to learn more about implementing sustainable practices in your business?
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