From Zealong to Zero Waste: this year’s conference had it all. Niki Bezzant gives us the run down. “I’m a farmer and I pollute”. Taupo Beef & Lamb’s Mike Barton looked squarely at the audience and got the attention of everyone in the room. Mike, and his wife Sarah, were part of the second session of … Continue reading Storytelling and shaking hands

Kate Underwood, winner of the ‘Emerging Food Communicator of the Year’ relates her observations of an industry she grows to love more every day. Just before I jetted off to Europe and the UK for another culinary escapade, I somehow found myself in the possession of a beautiful bespoke hunk of NZ rimu with the … Continue reading Why what you write, share and cook matters…

Ashia Ismail-Singer is a Malawi-born home cook now based in New Zealand. She is passionate about Indian cuisine and sharing it with Kiwis. After developing recipes for various magazines she reaslied her dream of writing her own cookbook, My Indian Kitchen – which has been hugely successful. Check out her website, blog and cookbook here What … Continue reading Five Questions: Ashia Ismail-Singer

The skies might have been grey overhead, but the stars of Ireland’s food scene (including a transplanted Kiwi) shone brightly when Lauraine Jacobs visited recently. While reviewing Massimo Bottura’s book, Bread is Gold (about the restaurant he established in Milan to use food waste from the 2016 Expo to feed the city’s hungry) I spied Jessica … Continue reading The luck of the Irish

Are you ready for your close-up? If you’re interested in maintaining a social media presence for your work, video skills are becoming every bit as important as knowing how to boil an egg, craft a sentence about it or explain its nutritional profile. At a recent Food Writers New Zealand workshop in Auckland, Rhiannon Baldock … Continue reading Professional development: Video 101

Vicki Ravlich-Horan is the founder and editor of Nourish magazine. She’s a passionate advocate for the culinary delights of the Waikato region and has just stepped down as chair of Waikato Food Inc. Vicki brings more than 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry to the table, which no doubts helps her keep cool under pressure in … Continue reading What I’m cooking: Vicki Ravlich-Horan

Manja Wachsmuth is a Danish-born, Auckland-based photographer who specialises in shooting food. Luckily (and maybe not surprisingly), she loves eating great food shoot lunches (and food shoot leftovers for dinner). She can often be seen trying to work it all off, biking around Auckland Copenhagen-style with her two boys in tow. Most recently, she’s been … Continue reading Five questions: Manja Wachsmuth

Like you, I love talking to people passionate about New Zealand food and hearing their stories. As much as I relish those conversations, I wonder what more we as food communicators can do.  How much can you really say in a social media post or story, and is it about them or more about what … Continue reading From The President: 16th June 2019

Alexia Santamaria knew very little about the Adelaide food scene before being invited to attend Tasting Australia earlier this year. She tells us why she’s glad she took the opportunity to learn. Tasting Australia is an annual event; a celebration of the food and drink of South Australia. The 2019 festival consisted of 100 events, … Continue reading Tasting Australia

What I’m cooking: Asher Regan Wellingtonian Asher Regan has had a keen interest in food from an early age, largely fuelled by his Nana’s bagels, chopped liver and fluffy jelly. As a teenager, Asher began washing dishes after school at a local Taiwanese restaurant then left school at 17 to open the Kia-Ora Coffee Lounge … Continue reading What I’m cooking: Asher Regan