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NZ Herald
7 days ago
- NZ Herald
Auckland Restaurant Month: Where chefs want to eat and how much they'll tip
Edmundo Farrera, owner, Tacoteca: Mole. Emilie Pullar, pasta blogger and recipe developer, The Burnt Butter Table: The cheese-filled thin crispy bread at Amano. It gets me every time. Gareth Stewart, partner chef, Advieh: So many! The pork bossam at Majordoma in Los Angeles is a smoked and slow-cooked pork shoulder served with condiments. The best meal you've ever had in downtown Auckland? Emilie Pullar: Every meal we have had at Gilt has been incredible. Glen [File], the executive chef there, looks after us so well. It feels fancy but also so welcoming and casual at the same time. Gareth Stewart: That's a tough one. I am torn between Gemmayze Street and Hello Beasty. Two very different cuisines but both packed with flavour and both consistently good. Matty Opai: This is tough. Usually my go-to's are Soul, Oyster & Chop, and Wildfire. In saying that, I can't help but think my most memorable meal was at The White lady after a few too many tequilas. I'll spare you the details. Edmundo Farrera: Mr Javier Carmona made his version of frijoles charros at La Fuente. The casserole was cooked over charcoal – beans and guanciale base with smoked pork ribs, smoked yoghurt, grilled spring onion and salsa macha. Anyone who knows Mexican food was blown away that night! Sean Connolly: Cassia. Sublime. After travelling from Kashmir to Goa, I felt as though each dish was representative of villages and cities I had visited along the way. I could taste the regions. Their pani puri was an atomic burst of flavours on my palate and reminded me of the bhel puri I had eaten on the streets of Goa. Is there a perfect drink to begin a restaurant experience? Sean Connolly: Yes, and it's not water. Nothing turns me off more than being offered still, sparkling or tap. I like to start with a glass of bubbles, like No.1 Daniel Le Brun. Opens up the palate, gets the saliva going – it's a 'back of the net' kind of moment. Edmundo Farrera: Filthy martini (mine is with Mezcal and two olives). Emilie Pullar: Downtown, we head to The Nightcar for a cocktail before a meal, it's such a special place. Otherwise, I generally start with bubbles or a negroni. Gareth Stewart: I love to get things going with a dirty gin martini or Champagne. And a good old long lunch should have a few refreshing beers to break up the wines! Matty Opai: I love starting a meal with an Americano cocktail. Bittersweet and super refreshing. Having one makes my mouth water and gets me in the mood for eating. So, naturally, I have three. Matty Opai, beverage director at Sydney's Icebergs, is coming to Auckland Restaurant Month for a one-off collaboration with Soul Bar. The one thing you'll always order? Sean Connolly: If a menu looks like an explosion in a fireworks factory, I go straight for the steak, it's usually the most uncomplicated item on the menu. Gareth Stewart: Oysters. I love to start with a dirty gin martini or glass of Champagne matched with a few oysters, served natural. Emilie Pullar: Chocolate fondant. Matty Opai: I generally always go steak – the bigger the better. Love chewing on the bone of a rib-eye or T-bone. Edmundo Farrera: Fish - whole, if available. The Burnt Butter Table's Emilie Pullar (left) is joining forces with chef Sean Connolly's team at Esther for an Auckland Restaurant Month event. The one thing you'd like to see more of on a menu? Sean Connolly: There's not enough offal on menus these days. Cooking with offal feels like a lost art that should be rekindled. Every foodie and enthusiast I know always goes for the offal and unusual morsels. It's a place where the chef can show technical skill and passion for the dark art. Emilie Pullar: Chocolate fondant! (See previous question). Gareth Stewart: More alternative fish species. Sure, snapper is nice, but we should work harder at trying something else. At Advieh, we often use hake, Alfonsino, Southern Boar fish, monk fish and many more. Matty Opai: Offal. I know it sounds weird, but I absolutely love eating things like tendon, tripe, liver, sweetbreads, etc. Done right, it's 10/10. Edmundo Farrera: Seafood. We are an island nation. Can you remember your first restaurant experience? Matty Opai: Volare Italian restaurant at The Gardens, South Auckland, was Mum and Dad's favourite. I have photos of me dancing there and getting tips thrown at me as a 2-year-old. Edmundo Farrera: Of course I do, a seafood restaurant at the meeting place of river and sea in Coatzacoalcos, so you can smell the salinity before you get there. I remember having a prawn cocktail and the emotion of having a treat! Sean Connolly: Solo Mio, Huddersfield, Summer of 82. Chilled pepper smoked mackerel, aioli, lemon, brown bread and butter. Sole Mio, a popular Italian restaurant in Huddersfield's Imperial Arcade opened in 1975 and closed down 35 years later. The restaurant was run by Nino Granata and Mario Bortoletto and was a Huddersfield favourite Emilie Pullar: If I am answering this really honestly, it is a pizza place in Christchurch where I grew up called Spagalimis. It was the best place for a kid's birthday, and their fries were so legendary (years later, we all realised they were just frozen fries from the supermarket, and it really ruined the fantasy). Gareth Stewart: I remember being around 7 or 8 years old and being in a French restaurant in Portsmouth with my dad – pink tablecloths, and quite posh. It was the first time I tried escargot. I remember the tongs and the little picks. They were very garlicky ... liked the flavour and the chewy texture. I already knew that I wanted to be a chef so I was quite happy to try anything. Edmundo Farrera from Tacoteca, where Auckland Restaurant Month events include a hands-on Masa class with dinner and drinks. The most formative thing that's happened to you in a restaurant? Edmundo Farrera: Exposure to exquisite wines, those which are considered of higher importance than the food. I worked at Hakkasan in London under a tremendous wine buyer and head sommelier. Those sessions made me who I am in hospitality. Gareth Stewart: I would have been in my 20s and had booked a table in a Michelin-star restaurant; my first time dining in such a place. I was waited on by an older gentleman and he made us feel so unwelcome - like we didn't belong there. My girlfriend at the time felt very uncomfortable. It was from there that I knew that guests from any walk of life needed to feel welcome from the moment they entered the building. No judgment, just open arms and being made to feel like you belong. Matty Opai: Having BSY [Sydney chef] - Big Sam Young - dump a huge bump of caviar on my hand and completely fill my plate of anything in black truffles. Iconic! Sean Connolly: Being given the reins of Astral in 2007 - full control of both front and back of house - was the most exciting time of my career and the most stressful. I got alopecia and large clumps of my hair fell out, but it was worth it. Emilie Pullar: My husband and I have a favourite restaurant in Los Angeles called Bestia. It's impossible to get a table and the first time we went they could only fit us in at 5pm. The kitchen is open to the restaurant and because we were there so early, we got to see the full team of chefs come together and do a big huddle and chant to get themselves fired up. It was so incredible to see. When was the last time a restaurant dish surprised you? Sean Connolly: Ragtag's steak tartare taco, with pickled onion and cheese powder was off the hook. The lads there are doing an amazing job, and blew me away, to be honest. They weren't that good on My Kitchen Rules from memory. I voted them off, of which they kindly reminded me of. Emilie Pullar: I recently went home to Christchurch and had an amazing long lunch at Black Estate. They only had one dessert on the menu, which was a white chocolate, cream cheese, carrot ice cream situation. It's not something I would ever have chosen but we all agreed it was one of the best desserts we had ever had. It was honestly so perfect. Edmundo Farrera: It must be the chicken hearts with farofa at Tempero – no wastage! This is such an underrated ingredient. I love seeing it on the menu, and [chef] Fabio Bernadini's skill with bold Latin flavours. Matty Opai: I was in Bali and there was a tiny hole-in-the-wall place called Pasta Dealer. I'll be honest, in the middle of Canggu, I didn't have high hopes. I ordered spaghetti carbonara. Easily one of the single best pasta dishes I've ever had. A++++ Gareth Stewart: A restaurant in Singapore called Cure, owned by a friend of mine, Andrew Walsh. A box of Jammy Dodgers came to the table but when you ate them, they were stuffed with foie gras parfait and a raspberry jam. Utterly decadent and very clever. Gareth Stewart, partner chef at Advieh, one of the 100-plus restaurants offering special set-price, multi-course menus for Auckland Restaurant Month. Tipping – yes, no, how much and why? Gareth Stewart: On the most part, yes. If you have a good time, then definitely show your appreciation; however, it shouldn't be a given. Some establishments expect it even when the experience has been poor. There's always a danger that some servers are in it just for the tips and will sometimes give better service to a guest they think will pay out and neglect other tables. Matty Opai: Yes. Generally, even if the service isn't the best, there are still more people involved in your meal than that one server, who all deserve something. A few bucks here or there. I'll usually go 15-20% if I've had a belter of a time. Edmundo Farrera: Yes! But coming from Mexican hospitality, I will only do this if there is a display of the X factor, or if we simply want to support the staff or businesses. Sean Connolly: I always tip 10% and sometimes 15% depending how the meal went. There's an art to presenting the opportunity to the customer that not all restaurants have mastered. I find it an extraordinary, missed opportunity for the customer to show their appreciation. Emilie Pullar: I generally do, even if it's just a small gesture. To me, service is such a huge part of the dining experience, so I like to acknowledge it. You know you're in an Auckland restaurant when you're eating . . . Edmundo Farrera: Kingfish crudo, Te Matuku oysters or sliders of some sort after Al Brown started the trend. Sean Connolly: Katsu Sandwich at Hello Beasty - good tunes, great service. Emilie Pullar: Fish crudo! And I am so happy everyone has their own version, as it's the perfect way to start a meal for me. Gareth Stewart: Fried calamari. I'm pretty sure it's on most menus. There are a few of my squid dishes still floating around in previous restaurants. It is good. When you have the right balance of sauce and spice, and the squid is cooked beautifully, you can't go too wrong. Matty Opai: Te Matuku Oysters and whitebait. Both of those make me feel home again. Nothing better. The dish/ingredient/meal you're most excited to eat next? Matty Opai: The first thing I eat when I get to Auckland. Two steak and cheese pies and a punnet of kina. You can take the boy out of South Auckland … you know the rest! Edmundo Farrera: Ingredients? Anchovies with something. And the dish would be 'Taco de Lengua'. At Tacoteca, we're doing a special with incredible quality tongue. Sean Connolly: I love inhaling oysters when I'm travelling. Each oyster has its own story and its own flavours of its location. Auckland-Sydney-New York-Marseille - they all have their own tale to tell. Emilie Pullar: I think we have established I love chocolate? I am hanging out to try the latest Whittaker's banana caramel block. The pitch Heart of the City Auckland Restaurant Month is in its 15th year with more than 100 set-price menus ($30, $45 and $55+) and 20-plus special events including collaborations, masterclasses and international guests. Sell us your offering. Matty Opai: Icebergs in Sydney is notorious for translating seasonal, local produce into our signature Italo-Australian menu and Mediterranean-inspired beverage programme. We're stoked to have access to the quality and unique produce of Aotearoa, and to be bringing our signature style to the epic waterside setting of Soul Bar. Edmundo Farrera: We are flavour, spice and great ambience. Feast with Tacoteca – come along to get your hands into the masa over cocktails and Latin vibes. Join us to learn the craft of Mexican cooking and make the food we love to eat together. (For the aspiring little chefs, we're also doing a family-friendly Masa Class full of culinary fun and tacos). Emilie Pullar: Myself, Sean Connolly and executive chef James Laird have designed a pasta-focused menu with seasonal sides and iconic Esther snacks to start. A beautiful custom-made ravioli mould will wow guests, followed by sharing-style pasta dishes including my famous slow-cooked pork and fennel ragu. Good food and good wine, plus a chance to roll some pasta if you would like to learn. Sean Connolly: Honestly, when we are collaborating with another cook, we are a vehicle for them. We have created a platform for Emilie Pullar – an exceptional talent and wealth of knowledge – to showcase her passion for pasta. Gareth Stewart: At Advieh, we have a very generous offering for both lunch and dinner. For lunch, you can have two courses with bread for $55 or three courses for $65 – light dishes, perfect for a quick lunch away from your desk. For dinner, our banquet menu allows you to try multiple dishes designed for sharing, including our puy lentil hummus with fried sujuk, whipped tahini and nigella seeds or our duck leg shish, smoky ketchup, beets and sheep's curd. For the main course, you have to try our Fish Doctor Stew – market fish, cockles, winter greens, preserved lemon. Auckland Restaurant Month runs August 1-31. Book at Full programme at Kim Knight joined the New Zealand Herald in 2016 and is a senior journalist on the lifestyle desk.
NZ Herald
23-07-2025
- NZ Herald
Society Insider: Marc Ellis to open wellness studio; Trelise Cooper's $10m apartment off the market; Andy Higgs new executive director role
Villafrana and Ellis have been dating since early last year. She has two young children with her former partner, Kiwi Blake Loveridge, while Ellis has four - two with ex-wife Augustina Mon, and two with his former partner, Italian Linda Codegoni. Marc Ellis and Mibella Villafana in Europe. Mibella Villafana and Marc Ellis. Originally from California, Villafrana moved to New Zealand a decade ago. She has a health and wellbeing background. She was a high school gymnast and coach, graduated from the University of California with a bachelor's degree in psychology, and is now a yoga instructor. Ellis registered Cora Club as a business last June, and Villafana says the premium wellness studio will offer Reformer Pilates, and contrast and intravenous therapy (IV), mixed into bespoke community events and corporate executive groups. A sneak peek at Cora, the new wellness space for women in Grey Lynn. Villafrana, whose father is Mexican, says the name for the new studio comes from the Mexican word Corazón, meaning heart. It can also refer to the courage or spirit of a person. This isn't Ellis's first foray into the wellness market. In 2019, Society Insider revealed he and then-girlfriend Codegoni opened Look Lab Medispa in Westmere, specialising in luxury treatments. Society Insider revealed last November that Ellis was part of the group of rich and famous Kiwis joining forces on the $100m Auckland Surf Park in Dairy Flat. Villafrana and Ellis enjoyed time together in Mexico last year, as well as taking in the Mediterranean summer. Earlier this year, the couple spent time at Aro Ha Wellness retreat in Glenorchy. Whilst there, Ellis joined Aro Ha founder Damian Chaparro in the Aro Ha sauna to record a podcast on how wellness keeps him grounded. Mibella Villafana and Marc Ellis. Ellis discussed love, saying, 'If you're in pursuit of love or in receipt of it, you're winning.' He also talked about the importance of empathy and teaching values to his children, how rugby has evolved and the importance of mental health in sports. Wellness lovers Mibella Villafana and Marc Ellis. Ellis returned to the airwaves last year, resurrecting popular TV show Sports Café as a podcast, alongside its creator, Ric Salizzo. Former co-stars, media personality Leigh Hart and Lana Coc-Kroft, also came back, and the podcast has become a top 10-rated show. They were thrilled last month when they won Podcast of the Year at the 2025 NZ Radio & Podcast Awards at SkyCity Theatre in Auckland. Dame Trelise takes $10m penthouse off the market Dame Trelise Cooper and her husband, Jack. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Fashion icon Dame Trelise Cooper and her husband, Jack, have taken their $10m St Heliers apartment off the market. Barfoot & Thompson's Aaron Foss tells Society Insider the couple is removing it for a year, 'and will see what's happening in the market in 2026'. When Society Insider contacted the Auckland offices of Trelise Cooper Ltd, we were told Dame Trelise, 67, was at her house in France, awaiting news of her son Jasper's first child, and she would be heading to California soon. In April last year, Cooper told the Herald that she and her husband already spent five months a year in their house in France and that they planned to buy a place in San Diego, in the United States, to be close to family. Once their St Heliers apartment sells, Cooper has said, she hopes to buy a smaller place in the same area, as well as one in California. 'Our son and his wife have made a life in San Diego with incredible careers. So, I am not waiting any more for him to come home, we are going to him. While we talk most days, I miss him and being in his presence.' Dame Trelise Cooper and her husband, Jack. Photo / Norrie Montgomery While she still designs daily and is in regular meetings with her business, at the beginning of last year Cooper stepped back from the day-to-day running of Trelise Cooper Ltd. Long-time employee Kate Devlin became CEO and now runs the fashion business alongside Cooper's trusted right-hand of more than 20 years, general manager Judith Pratt. The Coopers spent a reported $10m on their Buchan-designed Devore St 275sq m three-bedroom apartment in late 2022, on the third floor of the Sonata apartments. An apartment in the Sonata building on Devore St. The Sonata apartment building. Photo / Barfoot & Thompson The property passed in at auction in May last year. A few months earlier, a garden apartment in the same complex sold for $8.2m. Foss told Society Insider that when the Coopers' apartment does go back on the market, it will be for upwards of $8m. The couple sold their modernist Orakei home for more than $2.6m in late 2024. Just weeks after moving into Devore St, they put the palatial apartment up for sale. The Coopers' home in France is in a small medieval village near Toulouse. They have owned the house for 17 years and have lovingly restored parts of it, which date back 600 years. In April, son Jasper started working for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, where he leads data analytics, integration, and evaluation at LA County's largest provider of services for unhoused people. Andy Higgs' latest crusade for NZ Andy Higgs is crusading for New Zealand's digital sovereignty. Photo / Supplied After years of helping lay the foundations of Digital Identity New Zealand (DINZ), colourful businessman Andy Higgs has now become the organisation's executive director. Thanks to some high-profile support from more than 100 leading corporates, including Air NZ, Spark, major banks and leading tech companies, such as Xero, DINZ - a member of the NZTech Alliance - is working to enable Kiwis to have secure control over their data and online identity. The membership-funded, not-for-profit NGO is working with the private and public sectors, helping New Zealand companies lead the way in tech innovations. The aim is to enable Kiwis to have a safer digital footprint for e-commerce and ownership of their online identities. Higgs says this is increasingly important as the use of AI, automation and surveillance systems becomes more common. 'It's about how we retain agency over our data in a world of AI agents, deepfakes, and global digital ecosystems,' he tells Society Insider. 'As the world's innovation petri dish, New Zealand has a unique opportunity.' Higgs, 53, has been known as a connector throughout his 30-year career and maintains a tight circle from his King's College days. He lives with his wife, Rachel, and their three boys in a sprawling North Shore bungalow with sweeping views. In his guest house, Higgs has his own golf pro, Paul Parlane, famous for coaching A-listers including Sylvester Stallone, Pete Sampras, and David Beckham. Golf pro Paul Parlane and Andy Higgs at Piha. Higgs' first foray into dealing with local government and the media came when he and some friends, including Marc Ellis, made headlines fighting to open a café in Piha in 2009. Higgs and his associates later handed it over to be run by chef Lucas Parkinson, who turned it into Aryeh Restaurant in 2023. The Piha Café experience paved the way for Higgs to work at the Auckland Council, and to work his magic with Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development. 'I leveraged my network to create partnerships for Auckland, including Ian Ferguson's Wero Whitewater Park, Vector Lights and the Hyundai Marine Sports with Akarana,' Higgs says. Higgs is also a shareholder in Sarah and Otis Frizzell's successful business, The Lucky Taco. Higgs is now championing DINZ, working with the public and private sectors. 'The bigger picture is that digital sovereignty will help us get a more symbiotic relationship between NZ's growing tech scene and the overseas tech giants,' he says. Andy Higgs at a Tech Week event on digital infrastructure at Parliament. Higgs has previously worked with tech titan Aaron McDonald on a portfolio of Web3 companies specialising in decentralised product and service companies, including AI and blockchain tools provider Futureverse. In 2018, they approached the chief executive at NZ Tech, Graham Muller, to establish DINZ to advocate for the world's first decentralised credential identity ecosystem. Before our interview, Higgs had just spoken to the country's leading tech billionaire, Rod Drury. 'Rod's view is that digital identity will unlock the next wave of unicorn companies [high-value start-ups],' says Higgs. Higgs will talk at Anna Mowbray's Revved 2025 conference early next month at Auckland's Viaduct Events Centre. He says he admires Mowbray's announcement on LinkedIn last week that she had deleted all her Meta social media channels, calling it a 'profound safety move for future generations'. Anna Mowbray. Like Mowbray, Higgs is also a big supporter of the B416 campaign. Co-founded and chaired by entrepreneur Cecilia Robinson, the lobby group is advocating for a minimum age of 16 to access social media in New Zealand. He was pleased to see Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and high-profile Kiwis at the launch at Mantell's on Tamaki Drive in May. Sam Wallace and Andy Higgs at the B416 launch at Mantell's in May. Photo / Supplied Now, Higgs is focused on his Digital Trust Hui at Te Papa in Wellington, a conference of digital identity innovators, regulators, researchers, educators, entrepreneurs and leading executives in the commerce and tech sectors. Higgs says the Government's new Digital Identity Services Trust Framework, with rules covering online security and identity, is in step with how local corporates are innovating. He highlights Spark's investment in MATTR (TrustTech solutions) as one corporate leading the way. Judith Collins. Photo / Mark Mitchell Speaking at the conference will be the Minister of Defence Judith Collins, as well as the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Scott Simpson, with Higgs telling Society Insider that 'security and commerce sit hand in hand'. Party people of the week Romeo & Juliet Season Auckland Theatre Company (ATC) opened its latest production on Thursday evening, William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet directed by Benjamin Kilby-Henson. Set as a fast-paced thriller in 1960s Italy, the production stars Shortland Street star Theo Dāvid as Romeo and One Lane Bridge's Phoebe McKellar as Juliet. Peter Goodfellow and Desley Simpson at the ATC premiere of Romeo & Juliet at the ASB Waterfront Theatre. Photo / Jinki Cambronero Before the show's opening, ATC's Artistic Director and CEO Jonathan Bielski and Kilby-Henson, who is ATC's Artistic Associate, hosted guests who enjoyed Villa Maria wines and pizza. The star-studded opening night was attended by a who's who of Auckland governance, theatre, culture and arts, including Auckland Council CEO Phil Wilson and Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson and her husband Rich lister, Peter Goodfellow, Shortland Street alumni Bella Kalolo-Suraj and her husband Suraj Kumar, local It girls Sophie Negus and Coco May, TVNZ's Isobel Prasad, and fashion legend Dame Denise L'Estrange-Corbet. Romeo & Juliet is on until August 9 at the ASB Waterfront Theatre. Micah Heath and Ari Peach. Photo / Jinki Cambronero Dame Denise L'Estrange-Corbet and Teresa Sokolich. Photo / Jinki Cambronero Graham Vincent and Kellie-Michelle Cheung. Photo / Robert Trathern Catriona and Eliza Ferguson. Photo / Jinki Cambronero Lachie Oliver-Kirby and Ni Dekkers-Reihana. Photo / Jinki Cambronero Richard Sikuea and Lisa Zhang. Photo / Jinki Cambronero Sophie Negus and Coco May. Photo / Robert Trathen Suraj Kumar and Bella Kalolo-Suraj. Photo / Robert Trathen Keven Souza and Theo Shakes. Photo / Jinki Cambronero Odd Socks Ahoy Odd Socks Productions – founded by the small yet mighty creative team of Yvie Harvie-Salter and Daryl Habraken - celebrated its first birthday in style aboard charter boat Wasting Light on Auckland's Viaduct Harbour on Friday. They were joined by clients and colleagues who have supported them throughout their first 12 months. Yvie Harvie-Salter and Daryl Habraken at their Odd Socks Productions' first birthday party on board the charter boat, Wasting Light. Photo / Octavio Benitez Laje The company specialises in commercial, documentary and content creation. Harvie-Salter and Habraken gave thanks, sharing with their guests lashings of bubbles, fine wine, and a collection of Waiheke Distilling Co's gins and RTDs. Yvie Harvie-Salter and Brian Thorrington. Photo / Octavio Benitez Laje Guests also dined on canapés from the onboard crew led by Jodie Vaughan, and a handcrafted Basque cheesecake from Nosh Clan catering. An eclectic group of guests and partners joined the festivities, including music promoter Ramesh Premaratna, DJs Chris EM and Rich Parker, Detective Inspector Scott Beard, author and advocate Gloria Masters, socialite Marlana Ritchie, Adam Brami, Director of Art of the Possible agency; Honorary Consul Brian Thorrington, co-founder of Fleetwood and stylist Jackie Houghton, and Tanya Walshe of Waiheke Distilling Co. Gloria Masters and Scott Beard. Photo / Octavio Benitez Laje Andrew Farrant and Chris Boyd. Photo / Octavio Benitez Laje Ramesh Premaratna, Tammy Janwattana and Chris Moody. Photo / Octavio Benitez Laje Stephen Salter and Lynette Harvie. Photo / Octavio Benitez Laje Injecting Elegance Affair LA Aire, a New Zealand cosmetic medicine consultancy and training organisation, held its Injecting Elegance evening at the Park Hyatt Auckland on Saturday evening. LA Aire provides support to registered nurses, oral health therapists, and pharmacists through NZSCM-accredited doctors and connects clinicians to exclusive, industry-leading brands. The evening brought together some of the country's top cosmetic industry leaders, clinicians, and media for a memorable night of cocktails and networking. LA Aire founders Dr Nameer Wadea and Dr Peter Aspell hosted guests who included the CEO of The Diamond Shop, Sera Lynn, former Real Housewife and beauty maven Angela Stone, ihartpr's Jade Hart, Aotearoa Aesthetics' Shalu Shankar, Inhance Cosmetic Clinic's Weilim Shin and Laser Clinic's Selina Fernandes. Sirinya Rikau, Selina Fernandes, Nameer Wadea, Weilim Shin and Bomy Lee. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Shalu Shankar, Angela Stone and Jade Hart. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Kaitlin Chapman and Casarah Cooper. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Gemma Bryenton, Sian Bennett and Amy Carlyon. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Kim Wright, Leisa McGill and Kirsty Smith. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Lin-Jing Wang and Julia Liu. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Ricardo Simich has been with the Herald since 2008 where he contributed to The Business Insider. In 2012 he took over Spy at the Herald on Sunday, which has since evolved into Society Insider. The weekly column gives a glimpse into the worlds of the rich and famous.
NZ Herald
15-07-2025
- NZ Herald
The nightmare of Gregg Wallace's last MasterChef – scrap it or show it?
The Telegraph has spoken to four previous winners who say the BBC owes it to those who took part in the series to air it, as Wallace's bad behaviour is the only reason it has been delayed. Thomasina Miers, the winner of the 2005 edition who went on to found the Wahaca chain of Mexican restaurants, says not showing that series is 'a punishment happening to people who have very little to do with what's going on in the news'. If the contest never saw the light of day, she adds, it would be 'a terrible thing to do to someone. What does it achieve? I'm not sure what it achieves, other than being deeply unfair to someone'. Thomasina Miers won the first series of the revived BBC cooking competition MasterChef in 2005. Photo / Getty Images Winners often line up a move into the hospitality industry before their series airs, so they can hit the ground running in their new business as their triumph is in the public consciousness. Mat Follas, the 2009 champion, says he had signed a lease on a restaurant in advance of its broadcast and he was inundated with early interest. 'That publicity is like no other award. For the general public, MasterChef, [The Great British] Bake Off and, maybe, Great British Menu – nothing else really matters,' he says. 'The publicity is worth tens of thousands of pounds to the winner, however you cut it, probably more, and they've earned it … I really feel for those in the top half-dozen [in the unbroadcast series] because they've all got careers in food, if that's what they want to do. Without that publicity boost, they're not all going to make it.' Irini Tzortzoglou, who triumphed in 2019, says there must be some kind of compromise that would allow the series to go out despite the Wallace scandal. 'The presenter's career is down the drain. The BBC has said – very openly, very rightly – they are not going to work with him again. So what about not depriving the viewers of the series? What about finding a middle ground? So broadcast, but air it with a statement or disclaimers at the beginning of every programme,' she tells me. 'I think the viewing public should be given the credit to be able to differentiate between bad behaviour and a TV competition,' Tzortzoglou adds. 'Knowing how much my life has changed, I would hate to see somebody who made sacrifices, gave a lot of time, effort, money – because you buy ingredients, you buy gadgets, you try very hard – and then was being deprived of that opportunity.' There is also a recognition that Wallace, with his cheeky-chappy greengrocer persona, was a large part of MasterChef's success. 'Gregg played the role the BBC paid him to do,' says Follas. 'They've employed somebody, he performs an act, and it shouldn't be on the contestants. 'You could see him get out of his car in the morning, and almost like putting on a jacket he put on the character of 'Gregg Wallace',' he adds. 'And I liked the guy outside of the studio; in the studio, he's a bit of a t***, there's no way around it. But he's the t*** that every kitchen had. I don't think they've got them anymore, but every kitchen had someone like that.' Simon Wood, the 2015 champion who now works as a private chef, says: 'It's someone's journey and Gregg has been an integral part of MasterChef for so long – and the BBC kept him there for 20 years. I don't see why they can't show it. I think the BBC has shown worse things. And what they're going to show is the best part of everybody that's involved in the programme.' The BBC is considering options, with a decision expected soon, amid concerns about fairness to participants. Photo / Getty Images MasterChef contestants are required to sign up to strict secrecy rules about their involvement in the programme and are not allowed even to tell their loved ones if they won. The previous winners who spoke to the Telegraph say it was difficult to keep the secret from their families for the brief period between filming wrapping and the eventual broadcast. 'It must be absolutely gutting for whoever is sitting on their hands waiting for the show; I can't think of anything worse,' says Follas. 'I know what it was like for me. I was holding down a corporate job knowing that I was ready to leave. There's got to be a way to get the show on air one way or the other, even if it is heavily modified.' Much of what is now Wallace's last series of MasterChef had been filmed before news of the allegations against him broke, and the final was shot last year with Irish chef Anna Haugh – who has previously stood in for Monica Galetti in MasterChef: The Professionals – replacing him. Grace Dent, the restaurant critic, has been named as Wallace's fulltime replacement. The scandal around Gregg Wallace leaves MasterChef participants in limbo. Photo / Getty Images The ubiquity of Wallace in this as-yet unaired series means it would be almost impossible to edit him out, according to production sources. 'Gregg and John [Torode] set the challenges together, the chefs walk in and stand in front of them and they say, 'Hello, welcome to the MasterChef studio.' You can't edit that out,' says one. 'They walk around and talk to people all the time while they're cooking, and get to know them. You can't cut that out. You can't cut the deliberation out, you can't cut out the final decision. I'd say it was nearly impossible to do any editing to make it less [Wallace-heavy].' The source also points out that the Lewis Silkin investigation upheld only one complaint about Wallace since 2018, meaning his behaviour in last year's series has not been seriously questioned. 'The historic nature of all this being responsible and penalising people now is completely disproportionate,' they say. 'If he's not offended anyone since 2018 then what's the f***ing problem?' Gregg Wallace (right) with fellow judges in MasterChef UK 2023: The Professionals, Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti. Photo / Getty Images Those at Banijay insist that, as the finished series has been delivered to the broadcaster, the decision is one only BBC bosses can take. 'It is entirely a BBC decision as to when to schedule it,' says an insider. 'They're probably looking at what the reactions are to [the Wallace report] and then they'll have to make a call.' The BBC said on Monday: 'At this stage we are not going to make a final decision on the broadcast of the series that was filmed last year. We know this is disappointing for fans of the show and those who took part and at the appropriate time Banijay UK will consult further with the amateur contestants.' It is understood a decision will be taken in the coming days. 'Everyone has huge sympathy with the people who took part in a programme last year that hasn't appeared yet through circumstances that are outside their control,' says a BBC source. 'In the light of the findings, we will want to check whether people are comfortable. That is a conversation for us and Banijay, and then Banijay and the contestants. There is a winner out there somewhere, and they will want that programme out there.'
