Dean has been head chef at Schnappa Rock for six years. Aged twenty-seven and with ten years of culinary experience, he is deeply passionate about all aspects of hospitality, from food and ambiance to service. At Schnappa Rock, he has proudly created a menu that emphasises fresh, local and sustainable ingredients, with New Zealand beef and lamb playing a central role. Backed up by fresh produce grown in their own restaurant garden…

Kate is an internationally experienced and highly awarded designer/art director by trade. After working on some of the world's biggest and most demanding brands for some of the advertising industry's top names, she moved back to NZ and shifted her focus to running her own business. Now living in Grey Lynn with her husband, two young boys and dog. In 2019, Kate and her husband Levi Slavin founded Ironclad Co. with their business partner Joe Carter. Their aim was to create a sustainable product that brings back craft and techniques used to make some of the most beautiful cast iron antiques still in use today. Ironclad enabled Kate to explore product design in a new way and work with hand selected craftspeople to create the Ironclad range of products.

Andy Hearnden, better known as Andy Cooks, is a digital chef who creates online cooking videos for his 14 million subscribers across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Awarded YouTube Australia’s Top Creator in 2023, Andy creates educational, entertaining food videos to help inspire people to cook better food at home. Known for his signature “Hey Babe” and “Order’s Up” format, his videos are viewed by 140 million people on average each month…

Kelli is the editor and owner of New Zealand’s iconic and much-loved food and wine magazine Cuisine and Director of Slick & Sassy Media Ltd. An award-winning journalist and broadcaster Kelli sits on the judging panels for some of the world’s most prestigious restaurant rating lists and has been a guest judge on Masterchef NZ. She’s also Executive Chair of Aotearoa’s only national and independent restaurant awards. Kelli brings to the table a vast knowledge of the hospitality and media industry and a fierce dedication to promoting the evolving New Zealand food culture to the world, with a view to claiming a place for New Zealand as a premium food and drink destination. And boy does she eat at that table a LOT!

Geoff Ross was born and raised on a dairy and deer farm south of Auckland. He attended Lincoln University where he graduated with a B Com (Agricultural). In 2018 he received a Doctor of Commerce from Lincoln recognising his achievements as a serial entrepreneur. He founded 42 Below and was a director and chairman of The Trilogy Group and the Savor Group. Geoff has been a trustee of Melanoma NZ and the Endangered Species Foundation. He is currently a trustee of Pure Advantage New Zealand and a board member of New Zealand Natural Fibres. He was in the New Zealand Free Diving Squad and is a keen Hunter and conservationist and climate lobbyist.

Janika ter Ellen is a reporter and presenter for Three’s Newshub. She has been a journalist since 2010, covering stories like the Scott Guy murder trial, Cyclone Gabrielle and more recently, whistleblower suppliers calling out New Zealand’s supermarket duopoly. She lives in Te Atatū South with her husband Ross Karl and their 4-year-old son Eden, and loves swimming in big waves, walking tourism, vintage shopping, coffee, and great food.

Rachel, a prominent business leader, is a strong advocate for the Māori economy and sustainability in the food and beverage sector. Her commitment to kaitiakitanga has been evident throughout her career, from founder of sustainable seafood company Yellow Brick Road, to her time as chief executive officer of Māori-owned food and beverage company Kono, and now in her current role as co-founder of business design and brand strategy firm Oho.

Rachel presently chairs Moana NZ, the Fonterra Sustainability Panel, and Sky Stadium. She is co-owner of the semi-pro women’s basketball team the Tokomanawa Queens, a director for The Warehouse Group, Sealord, and ANZCO Foods.

In 2023, Rachel was the inaugural winner of the Supreme Woman in Food and Drink Award.

Trudi is a longtime NZ broadcaster. Originally based in Northland, she spent 20 years across Auckland radio and TV before escaping the hustle and bustle for the Bay of Plenty. Currently running an organic kiwifruit orchard, she’s heavily involved with Food Writers NZ (for whom she was president), and has a weekly Sunday slot on Magic Radio as well as being the voice of More FM, NZ-wide.

Matt Preston is an award-winning food writer, TV presenter and radio host. He has written ten books including 8 best-selling cookbooks. And his columns in NewsCorp magazines and all metro mastheads are read by over 2.8m Australians every week. For 11 years he was one of the judges on the record-breaking MasterChef Australia and subsequently has worked on My Kitchen Rules, Plate of Origin, The Masked Singer and Dancing with the Stars. But when all is said and done he’s just a bloke who eats cake for a living.