Michael Van de Elzen, born and raised in West Auckland, started his cooking career at the tender age of 14 and worked at various Auckland restaurants until he left New Zealand for London in 1998. During his time in London he worked for the internationally renowned restaurateur Terence Conrad's Bluebird Restaurant.
This job saw him enjoy many unique experiencing including heading up the team for the opening of the Tate Modem Museum in London serving 5,000 guests; serving many of London's high profiles and celebrities as well as running Bank, a 1,000 cover a day restaurant in the financial precinct of South Bank London. After this he was the Head chef in a small luxury hotel which earned a Michelin star.
He returned to New Zealand in 2003 to opened Molten in Mt Eden, Auckland which serves a contemporary European menu combined with fresh Kiwi ingredients and an array of boutique wines. In 2008 Liquid Molten opened serving dishes designed to be shared and enjoyed with fine wines and cocktails.
