Who doesn’t have a culinary crush on Michael Meredith?! Right? Well now the eponymous chef of Auckland’s Merediths is showing his altruistic side by coming on board Eat My Lunch, which gifts a lunch to a child with every gourmet lunch sold.
The initiative has just won the Excellence in Social Innovation prize at the 2015 NZ Innovators Awards and rightly so.
It’s a worthy cause, well done and a great idea to boot. And with Meredith on board it’s tasty, in more ways than one.
Smiths is chuffed to be included in the New Zealand Cafe Cookbook. It’s a cool book that takes a sweeping tour around the country stopping off at favourite eateries – imagine the caffeine rush trying a short black at ALL these amazing places included in the pages!
The big deal for us was being able to share recipes with readers. We have two included: our coconut roasted pumpkin salad bowl and our white chocolate and passion fruit lamingtons.
I shouldn’t mention the C word so soon but if you are looking for a sweet Christmas gift, especially for ex-pats home sick for a decent flat white and a contemporary twist on a classic lamington, this is perfect!
Unna Burch from My Garden Kitchen and The Forest Cantina is coming to Hawke’s Bay to do a food styling and photography workshop at Opera Kitchen! We are so chuffed to have her. She’ll be here on Sunday 22 November from 1-4pm and the workshop price is $150. Unna is an amazing stylist and cook and has some stunning techniques. She’s a vibrant and bubbly person and this workshop will be really special. There’s a lovely video about Unna here, made as part of the launch of her book. You can book your place through her blog.
People is the key to lifting what we do above mere ingredients, recipes, techniques. People bring creativity, ingenuity and verve.
The men and women who pour your perfect cup, those behind the scenes who cook and bake and clean and make, all of you, bringing us your appetites and your open minds, your loyalty, and your taste buds, you’re all our people.
Then there are the people who flit in, make magic, flit out.
We’ve had some special guests working behind the scenes over this busy period, with opening The Picnic. They are not there to take centre stage, but to bolster and mentor the talent we have in our kitchen and front of house. They guide and support, and when they think their job is done, they flit off again. We, of course, want them to stay, not to hold our hands but to enjoy the fun!
So thank you people! People who come to eat and drink and share, and people too who come each day to pull on your aprons and do your bit for the team. You’re the real oil that keeps us cranking.
