Visa launches $30,000 hospitality scholarship –
Visa, supported by Visa Wellington on a Plate, has launched a new hospitality industry scholarship open to candidates across New Zealand, valued at NZD $30,000.
The Visa NZ Hospitality Scholarship aims to attract and retain more young people into the industry and support them to take up hospitality as a fully-fledged career. It includes a five-day placement at a top international hospitality venue, professional development, a one-year mentorship, business training and future participation in Visa Wellington On a Plate.
Visa’s Head of Marketing for Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific Natalie Lockwood said, “As a proud partner of Visa Wellington On a Plate since 2009, we are excited by this new opportunity to inspire and uplift the wonderful young emerging talents across the country.
By providing access to a unique scholarship with international reach, this will have a positive impact not only on the scholarship winner, but on the wider hospitality industry as a whole.”
Wellington Visa On a Plate Festival Director Sarah Meikle says, “The scholarship is a welcome initiative that will help to attract and retain talent within the industry by providing hands-on industry training and ‘money-can’t-buy’ international experience.
“We know that working in hospitality can teach people so much, from people skills to finance, marketing and more. Whether you’re back or front of house, it’s an industry that can be incredibly rewarding and we are here to encourage that.”
The Scholarship Prize
The 2023 Visa NZ Hospitality Scholarship winner will win a prize tailored to their career interests, stage, and progression, including:
- A five-day work experience placement internationally at a restaurant or hospitality establishment (Including flights and accommodation).
- Attendance at an international professional development forum such as Food on the Edge or Tales of the Cocktail (including flights and accommodation).
- Professional skills development including a year-long mentorship. The experience will be catered to the Successful Applicant’s area of expertise within the Hospitality Industry.
- Access to a Social Media specialist for personal brand development coaching.
- Access to virtual business skills training, which includes access to EAP (mental wellbeing support), physical well-being support, career coaching and financial advice.
- A trip to Wellington for the 2023 Visa NZ Hospitality Scholarship Announcement including flights and accommodation.
The total prize value is NZ$30,000.
The scholarship is open to hospitality workers who are NZ residents, aged between 22 and 35 years of age at the time of their submission and have a minimum of two years’ experience working in the hospitality industry. Applications close at 11.59pm NZST on Monday 15 May 2023.
The scholarship winner announcement will be made on Thursday August 24, 2023.
For more information and full details on application criteria visit www.visawoap.com/visa-wellington-on-a-plate-hospitality-scholarship
$1.00 meals this weekend in Christchurch & Wellington –
A selection of popular food hotspots in Wellington and Christchurch have joined forces with DoorDash to provide a menu of items for just $1.00 each – this weekend only.
“We’re excited to launch $1 meals this weekend and urge Kiwis to get behind their favorite hospitality outlets,” says Rebecca Burrows, DoorDash General Manager New Zealand, Australia and Canada.
“We’ve got some amazing local eateries behind us and together we’re hoping to get their delicious food out to more Kiwis this weekend for only $1.”
From Friday 14thth to Sunday April 16, there will be a rotating roster of restaurants and $1 meals available, offering something new each day for fans to get their teeth stuck into. Some of the mouth-watering highlights in Wellington include legendary:
- Reburger and their Smashed Prince burger
- Hutt Rubs with pulled pork loaded with fries
- Gerry’s Charcoal Chicken and the infamous chicken and chips
- Mama Brown’s infamous southern fried chicken burger
- Lord of the Fries and their sampler munch box
- Abrakebaba and their classic go-to, meat on chips
Popular Wellington diner Mama Brown chose to join the promotion to encourage Kiwis to support locals this weekend and to help them celebrate a massive milestone for the restaurant.
“The $1 deal aligns with our 10-year anniversary, so what better way to celebrate and share the good vibes than treating people to our best-selling Southern Fried Chicken Burger for just one dollar?” says Queenie Lai, Mama Brown General Manager.
Further down the country, Christchurch’s $1 deals include:
- $2 Dumpling Rice’s famous lunch box
- Burger Station’s chicken burgers
- Lazeez and their fan favorite grilled chicken souvlaki
- Pot Sticker Dumpling Bar and their dozen matter dumplings
- Empire Chicken’s scrumptious tender box
Plus, many more options up for grabs exclusively on the DoorDash app.
New and existing DoorDash customers who order via the app from participating eateries between 2-5pm on Friday 14th to Sunday 16th April can claim $1 menu items.
B&B operators getting ‘back in the swing’ –
Reconnecting New Zealand’s valuable Bed and Breakfast sector with the international travel trade will be the key focus of its first annual conference in three years.
Industry operators are keen to reunite for the first time since 2020 at the Bed & Breakfast Association New Zealand conference, taking place at the Copthorne Oriental Bay, Wellington, on 19-21 June 2023.
“The 2023 conference is about getting all geared up for the return of our international visitors. We’ve continued with domestic travelers during the pandemic but our members are excited to get back into the swing of hosting our international visitors. So the theme of our conference is appropriately Back in the Swing,” said BBANZ president Donna Brooke.
The conference begins on June 19 with a Travel Trade Afternoon which will facilitate connections between B&B operators and inbound tour operators. The session is already attracting a lot of interest from agents and wholesalers in New Zealand and in Australia, Ms Brooke says.
Participants will include bed and breakfasts, homestays, farm stays, luxury accommodations, self-catering properties as well as small commercial sized bed and breakfasts.
Operators participating in the afternoon will meet BBANZ minimum quality standards and are assessed at three yearly intervals, providing assurance that they offer a first-class quality experience and are ready to work with international travel wholesalers.
“This will be an excellent opportunity for inbound tour operators to meet both established and new ‘product’, with plenty of opportunity for them to get to know the people behind the business,” Ms Brooke says.
The B&B sector is helping meet the demand from international travelers for high quality accommodation in New Zealand, especially after the loss of so much accommodation due to the impacts of the pandemic, she says.
“We provide a boutique and genuine Kiwi experience to our visitors. Having the opportunity to meet and stay with their hosts offers an unforgettable chance to live like a local.”
For more information about the conference and registration, go to: 2023 CONFERENCE, Bed & Breakfast Association
Entries closing soon for the Hospitality Awards for Excellence –
Time is running out to enter the Hospitality Awards for Excellence. Honoring the achievements of the hardworking and talented people who make hospitality and accommodation throughout New Zealand exceptional, the Lion Hospitality Awards for Excellence are your opportunity to showcase all that makes your venue team exceptional, and they are closing soon.
The Lion Hospitality Awards for Excellence are New Zealand’s premier hospitality industry awards that honor operators nationwide, recognizing excellence in both the accommodation and food and beverage sectors. The awards are open to all Hospitality and Accommodation operators in New Zealand. Applications to enter the awards are FREE for Hospitality New Zealand members.
visit https://www.hospitality.org.nz/s/awards today and nominate. In a change from previous years, the winners of the People of the Year award categories will be awarded at the Hospitality Social Evening 2023, held at Sweat Shop Brew Kitchen social evening on June 27. The Lion Hospitality Awards for Excellence 2023 black-tie gala dinner will be hosted on 28 June at the Pullman Hotel Auckland, as the closing night of Hospitality New Zealand’s annual two-day conference. So get nominated and come along to celebrate the best the industry has to offer.
Southern Discoveries announce leadership changes –
One of New Zealand’s most experienced tourism professionals is retiring and a well known industry stalker is stepping into the role in July.
Queenstown’s Southern Discoveries owner, Skeggs Group has announced the retirement of CEO Tim Hunter and is delighted to confirm the appointment of former GM Sales and Marketing, Kerry Walker to the role of CEO.
Kerry has 25 years of tourism experience, the last four-and-a-half of which have been spent at Southern Discoveries. In the previous 15 years, she worked in a range of senior sales and marketing roles for Ngāi Tahu Tourism.
During her time with Southern Discoveries her sales and marketing skills have proved invaluable to the company, along with her strong industry networks.
Southern Discoveries has been owned and operated by the Skeggs Group since 2009 and company director David Skeggs says he welcomes Kerry into her new role.
“It is fantastic that we have been able to make an internal appointment and give Kerry the opportunity to showcase her unique skills and experience that will continue to drive the company forward,” he said.
Tim Hunter retires after seven years spent as Southern Discoveries’ CEO following extensive experience in the New Zealand aviation, coach transport and destination marketing sectors.
Those roles have included working as a commercial pilot in the Southern Lakes area, holding airline planning roles with Air New Zealand, and working in a number of senior general management roles, including GM Marketing with The Mount Cook Group during the 1990s.
Tim broadened his international market experience with Tourism New Zealand as Regional Manager for Americas & Europe and General Manager Operations, and in 2010 became Chief Executive of Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism (CCT).
“Tim has done a superb job of running the business during his tenure, especially during some very challenging times during Covid,” said David Skeggs.
“He would be the first to say he couldn’t have done it without the support of all his team and I’m sure he will be missed by all.”
Kerry says Southern Discoveries is an industry leader that delivers exceptional nature experiences in this “unique” part of New Zealand.
“I’ve always worked within businesses that show off the very best of New Zealand’s scenery, adventure and hospitality, and align with my values of preservation and social sustainability.
“Southern Discoveries fits that bill perfectly.” Kerry takes up her new role on July 17.
Meet NZ’s Divine Hot Cross buns! –
A team effort is behind the best hot cross bun in New Zealand, and its biggest critic, Daily Bread head baker Patrick Welzenbach describes it as “perfect”.
Daily Bread, Auckland took out the top place for a second consecutive year in Baking New Zealand’s Great NZ Hot Cross Bun Competition, which was judged in Palmerston North on March 17.
With extra butter, a little more moisture and a faster proving of the sourdough, the winning entry is the fluffiest hot cross bun Daily Bread has created while continuing to produce a classical bun.
“I have to say that this year’s bun was perfect. I was so happy. Normally I’m just 90% happy about the finished bun, but this year I couldn’t make it any better. It was perfect,” says Patrick.
And he credits the perfection to locally sourced ingredients as much as possible, even the candied peel and orange glaze, which is made in the bakery, use New Zealand oranges.
Part of the secret is Patrick’s baking history in which he can trace back to more than 20 generations of his family and he’s grateful to his grandfather for teaching him to bake as a six year-old. “I was born to be a baker.” And while hot cross buns are not part of German bakery goods, Patrick knows just how they should taste.
With the team at Daily Bread, he develops the recipe before individual bakers add their expertise focusing on a specific element.
“At Daily Bread we put the team in front. It was absolutely a team effort. I couldn’t do it without the team. One guy did the crosses perfectly and super wide and straight, another baker made the perfect dough and another made the absolute shiniest glaze. Everyone has a small part to make the complete product and everyone is so proud that we have won for a second year.”
You can get your hands on the winning hot cross buns at any of the Daily Bread bakeries in Auckland, at Farro, New World in Remuera who is a keen supporter of the bakery, and at other Auckland New World stores and some Four Square supermarkets. Outside of Auckland, they are available by ordering online.
Nada Bakery takes second place
Who would have considered adding pimento – a type of chilli pepper, or coriander to a hot cross bun spice recipe? Well Michael Gray and his mother Judith Gray did along with their bakers at Nada Bakery in Wellington.
The spicy combination blended with plump presoaked fruit gave their hot cross bin the in the Great NZ Hot Cross Bun Competition earning them a second place win.
Nada Bakery general manager Michael Gray says: “Our dough is made in a precise way before we bulk ferment the dough to allow the yeast to feed and develop a more intense flavour. Our qualified bakers weigh off each bun at 140gm, hand mold each one before a final proofing, adding a crispy cross and baking. Once our buns are baked, we glaze them with an apricot and yuzu glaze.”
To get your hands on Nada’s hot cross buns you can purchase them at their Tawa or Johnsonville bakeries or order them online.
Inventive taste of Denmark
You can take a Dane from Denmark but their love of chocolate will always follow them.
For John Thomsen, head baker and owner of Christchurch’s iconic Copenhagen Bakery with wife Donna, opening up the category for the 2023 Great Hot Cross Bun Competition meant he could add chocolate to his much loved buns.
In 2022 Copenhagen Bakery won third place in the national competition and this year they’ve claimed third place again.
Copenhagen’s recipe features indulgent spicy flavours, three traditional fruits but also cranberries and the finishing touch of Belgian chocolate. “We made our hot cross buns for the competition with the indulgent traditional spicy flavors of a zesty three-fruited cross bun, blended harmoniously with cranberries and Belgian chocolate.
John describes it as: “Decadence – a spicy, zesty fruity, oh so nicely warmed through…with a melted choccy explosion.”
SkyCity welcomes Cassia –
Auckland’s award-winning Indian restaurant Cassia, led by Chef Sid Sahrawat, is moving to SkyCity.
The renowned restaurant in Auckland’s Fort Street was closed in January after severe weather events and flooding left the business inoperable, temporarily opening as a ‘Cassia Kitchen’ pop up in the private dining room at the Sahrawat’s restaurant, Sid at The French Café.
Owners, husband and wife duo Sid and Chand Sahrawat have now found a new permanent home for the much-loved restaurant and its 20-plus team members.
Cassia is scheduled to open in early May at the site formerly housed by The Grills and will continue to run its Cassia Kitchen pop up offering until the new restaurant is ready to open.
“Sid and Chand have changed the face of Indian cuisine in New Zealand with Cassia and we are thrilled to welcome them and their talented team to SkyCity. We know their fresh and interesting take on modern Indian cuisine will continue to delight our customers and all the loyal Cassia followers,” said David Allott, General Manager Hospitality, SkyCity.
“What is even more exciting is that this is going to be the first of many changes to come at our precinct, so we are thrilled to welcome Cassia to the SkyCity family,” he added.
“It’s great to join up with SkyCity,” said Sid Sahrawat. “It was really important for us to find a location where we could quickly get up and running again, but where there would be absolutely no change to the Cassia experience.
“It was also just as important to partner with people who are serious about great food, so we can’t wait to share SkyCity Federal Street with some of New Zealand’s best dining outlets.”
The race is now on to get Cassia ready to open in early May.
“We want to recreate the look, feel and warmth of the old Cassia but add a few new features to mark our new beginning,” said Sid.
Sid and Chand run several of Auckland’s most-awarded restaurants: Cassia, Sid at The French Café and Kol, as well as Cassia at Home, the couple’s lockdown-inspired curry sauces and spice kits range.
From banking to hospo – meet Queenie Lai –
Claiming to have more eateries per capita than New York, Wellington has no shortage of restaurants and cafes to choose from. Fortunately, there are plenty of women-led restaurants in the capital which is fitting this week as we celebrate and support International Women’s Day, which was March 8 this year.
If you’re finding it hard to choose what to eat – you might want to do a DoorDash and support women-led businesses in the city!
If you’re after chicken waffles for breakfast, scrumptious burgers, mouth-watering milkshakes, and classic American-style cheesecakes, Wellington institution, Mama Brown, might be just the ticket.
Mama Brown is led by Queenie Lai, who swapped a career in banking and technology for hospitality. As General Manager, she is focused on making Mama Brown an inspiring place to work and delivering a standout experience for customers.
Queenie has been in hospitality for enough time to see the change that the pandemic and evolving dining preferences have brought to the industry. Technology has changed the way people dine – from how they make reservations and orders, through to where they eat. Given the last few tumultuous years for the industry, Queenie has observed how technology has helped restaurants like themselves survive through lockdowns.
“Mobile delivery apps such as DoorDash have been a game-changer for Mama Brown, and a lifesaver during the pandemic. They have enabled us to reach a broader audience and expand our reach beyond our physical location, meaning we can share Mama Brown’s goodies with more Wellingtonians.
“In my experience, using DoorDash has been fantastic – who doesn’t love having delicious food delivered right to their doorstep for a marathon Netflix session or a brekkie in bed after a fun Saturday night out, right?”
Having seen Mama Brown make it through the pandemic, Queenie and the team are excited to see what the next few years have in store.
When asked what tips she’d give to other women considering careers in hospitality, Queenie has some simple advice.
“Do not hesitate to speak up and demonstrate your capabilities. Always stay true to your values, be persistent, patient, and always be yourself.”