A unique adventure, a once-in-a-lifetime sporting event or to meet their hero – these are the usual wishes granted to very deserving Kiwi kids by Make-A-Wish New Zealand. But Aron Birbal, 11, is no ordinary kid. His wish? To cook his family a delicious meal, in a proper restaurant, with the help of a top-notch chef.
It’s a sentiment that makes his mum Dolly, 42, tear up with pride.
“It’s very emotional,” she says. “All Aron ever wants is to put a smile on people’s faces. He’s such a great kid and we’re so proud of him.”
And after months of waiting – and a limousine arrival, no less – Aron is now standing in the kitchen of renowned SkyCity restaurant Cassia, with none other than legendary chef Sid Sahrawat, planning the epic menu he’ll be serving his family tonight.
“I’m so excited,” grins Aron nervously as he pulls on his custom-made mini chef whites, his family clapping and cheering. “I really want to be a chef when I grow up. My dad’s a really good cook – he was a chef and he’s my favourite cook. He’s taught me lots and I was always watching him when he was cooking. I’ve been trying to be a chef since I was six.”
Bouncing around the Auckland restaurant’s kitchen, Aron is now the picture of health and happiness – but it wasn’t that long ago he was fighting for his life, battling stage-three liver cancer and then needing to undergo a liver transplant as a baby.
They were dark times for the family, necessitating a move from their native Fiji to New Zealand for the treatment Aron needed. Now cancer-free, his sights are firmly to the future – and all roads lead to food!
“Now he’s good,” nods Dolly. “He’s in good hands. We’ve spent a lot of time in hospitals, of course, and I’ll never forget the time he told me that when he’s 22 and he’s the owner of his own restaurant, he’s going to make sure that at Christmas he cooks the nicest meal for all the kids at Starship Hospital. I was like, ‘Wow! You go for it,’ He has a lot of determination.”
And today, thanks to Make-A-Wish, it’s his first step towards that dream, with Aron and Sid having worked out an incredible menu – chicken satay, pani puri, spring rolls, fried rice, lamb chops, Thai green curry, crayfish and chicken noodles, with lychees and chocolate for dessert. The drinks pairing? Coke, Sprite and Fanta!
“It’s going to be really yum,” smiles Aron. “We’re making it without too many vegetables because it tastes better. We couldn’t have any onions because my uncle’s coming and he hates them. And no broccoli because I hate broccoli.
“I really wanted to do this because my family have inspired me so much. They’re all pretty good cooks, too. Well, Mum’s okay. She’s good at lamb!”
So, what is it about cooking that Aron loves? For him, it’s the precise nature of the craft.
“I love how you have to measure it,” he enthuses. “I love maths as a subject – using centimetres and stuff. It’s a good feeling when it comes together.”
And Sid reckons Aron might just have what it takes to be a budding chef. “He’s pretty amazing, eh!” he says. “It’s always so cool to see kids this young passionate about food. I don’t think I knew I wanted to be a chef until I was 16 or 17!
“I asked Aron what his family liked, so we’ve worked together on this menu and he’s happy with it. He’s going to pop back and help with the final details, and I’ll teach him a few things. I’m a dad and my kids are around the same age, so I really wanted to be part of this today. It’s very special.”
And after an action-packed day, thanks to SkyCity and Make-A-Wish, including lunch, a visit to the Sky Tower and even a well-deserved trip to the spa for Dolly, it’s finally time for service, with Aron and Sid presenting their creations to the lad’s delighted family – and the result? Delicious, of course!
“Today has really made me more excited to become a chef,” tells Aron. “I think the dream is to own restaurants overseas too, maybe like Gordon Ramsay.
“That would be pretty cool. I think it’s going to happen. If I think about it for a long time and not think about anything else, I can do it!”
If you’d like to donate to make more wishes come true for kids like Aron, visit makeawish.nz/wishmakers
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