How the hospitality industry incentivises smoking

The reward for being a smoker in the hospitality industry? Extra break time than non-smokers, causing many hospo workers to pick up the bad habit.  For years it’s been a running joke in the hospitality industry that in order to get more breaks, young workers should start smoking. But it turns out there’s actually some … Read more

How the restaurant industry is finally opening up about mental health

For chefs and restaurateurs all over the world, hospitality’s pressure-cooker environment is no joke. As we increasingly grapple with the consequences of depression and anxiety among those working in our food industry, what’s New Zealand going do about it? Le Suquet à Laguiole in the south of France enjoyed the highest accolade in fine dining for two decades. … Read more

A ringside seat at NZ’s ‘most important cooking competition’

The country’s most promising chefs of the future battled it out in the grand final of the National Secondary Schools Culinary Championship this week. Alice Neville went along to watch the action. The teenage years, so they say, are a time for experimentation, exploration and, quite often, failure. If the reminiscing of The Spinoff team … Read more

All hail the chicken king

From a Tokoroa fish and chip shop to a spicy chicken empire, via a few stints in the world’s best kitchens and a foray into jet-setting with supermodels, chef Morgan McGlone has a backstory quite like any you’ve heard before.   The third Uber has turned back in fear without us in it. I am cosmically … Read more

You wouldn’t eat a kiwi – so why is whitebait okay?

Whitebait season is here, and Forest and Bird is steaming mad about it. Why are we serving endangered fish in home kitchens and cafes alike? And where are the catch limits?  What’s all this then? Set the nets and get out your gummies – it’s whitebait season, and nothing tastes better than an endangered fish. … Read more

An illustrated guide to New Zealand’s loosest BYOs

Nothing goes better with cheap food than cheaper wine drunk quickly. Here are the 10 best BYO spots in New Zealand, as submitted by you.  Ah, the BYO, most depraved of dining methods! Sinking seven standards with the fam and boofing a bit of Thai – it’s the degustation for the modern lad. What better … Read more