Eat, play, love

As I was curating this issue, I had the pleasure of speaking with Michael Rowland-Jones, head chef at Brigittes of Merivale, about the restaurant’s redevelopment and his relationship with food. One thing he said stuck with me: “The number one ingredient in food, apart from salt, is love.”

He’s right. There’s a reason that you can’t replicate your mother’s scones, no matter how hard you try. Love is the secret ingredient that makes all the difference.

This speaks to those featured in these pages. They have a deep love for food, hosting, and developing their communities.

Alongside Michael and Jeremy at Brigittes of Merivale, there’s Mia and Andy, the powerhouse duo behind Double Dribble that have brought iconic names to the city like BBC Chicken, Midnight Shanghai, and Eightgrains. There’s also the team at Riverside Kitchen, sharing their food kaupapa with budding foodies and anyone who’s keen to learn, and Sacha and Chris – who created a household name in Coffee Culture.

Alongside our champions for food, we hop aboard the TranzAlpine, and weave our way over to the West Coast, test drive an exciting hybrid, and say hello to our neighbours in Lyttelton – among many other adventures just on our doorstep.

We also welcome to our pages a new columnist, breathwork specialist Chelita Kahutianui o-te-Rangi Zainey (Waitaha/Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Kahu/Ngāti Haua), who will share with us her monthly ponderings. Welcome, Chelita.

So strap in to eat and play your way around Aotearoa, with a healthy dose of love thrown in for good measure.

Yours,

Liam Stretch Editor