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...

Özlem Warren is an award winning Turkish food writer and cookery teacher. She frequently travels to teach Turkish cookery in the USA, Türkiye, and Jordan. Her recipes and articles are published in major newspapers and magazines, including...

Growing up in Auckland, Mrinal's culinary passion was sparked at a young age and influenced by the rich flavours of his Indian heritage. Train as a chef at AUT and eager to expand his culinary experience, he embarked on a journey exploring some top kitchens in...

Nic is chef de partie at Onslow in Auckland. He was raised in Oamaru and Dunedin and was inspired to cook from a young age by his mum and his nana. This inspiration grew into a passion and eventually became his career path…

Chetan developed his love for cooking from a young age, inspired by his mother’s incredible kitchen skills. He went on to become a chef and develop his skills at some of India’s most renowned luxury hotels, such as Oberoi, Taj, Radisson, and The Leela Palace…

Cameron trained to be a chef at CPIT but has actually been cooking since the age of 10. Inspired by his Nana’s passion for food, cooking soon became his life-long love and career. While studying he was fortunate to get a job at the Crown Plaza and have mentors like...

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…

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”…

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...

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…

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…

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…

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…