Meet the new movers and shakers in Wellington’s hospo scene
Saturday, 8 November 2025
During Covid there were the RaRas. Now, as the hospitality sector moves from “surviving 2025” to “Can’t predict 2026” a new national award has been launched to recognise excellence in an industry reeling from some of the toughest economic times.
Restaurant Association CEO Marisa Bidois says the new awards, The Chevrons, are as much about boosting spirits as they are about shining a light on those doing exceptional things.
“They come at a time when the industry needs a morale boost. We want to give our industry something to rally around and feel proud of.”
Like the RaRas ‒ the Restaurant Association Resilience Awards which were a one-off in 2020 ‒ the Chevrons were designed to give hospitality something to celebrate as well as giving diners a reason to get out and support local businesses.
But, put down the fork; punters don’t get a look in.
The awards are peer-judged. Venues are able to “earn their stripes” in national and regional sections across six categories, including best restaurant, best cafe, hidden gem and best newcomer.
Bidois says the fact that the public were not involved in the voting meant recognition would be more meaningful. In other words, online hype would not be considered.
“It’s not dictated by judges or by social media buzz so it is a chance for the industry to celebrate its own and signal to the public where the real standouts are.
“There’s always healthy debate when people are passionate about their industry. Some votes will be obvious … that many agree on. Others will be more personal or based on specific experiences.”
Bring on the team bickering.
The Chevrons would not replace regional programmes ‒ such as last month’s Welly Hospo awards, which the Association also supported - but highlighted how the industry was evolving, with the digital-only format giving equal recognition to businesses across all parts of the country, whether they’re in a major city or a small town, Bidois says.
Movin’ on up
Meanwhile, the funk that has seen a wave of Wellington restaurants and cafes shutting up shop in recent months appears to be lifting, with a bunch of new openings and insider moves hinting of an up-tick in confidence.
“It’s still tough,” says Volco’s Kirran Buckland. “It’s a slow grind and it’s going to take years to bounce back. That’s not going to be next year, but you know, we’re all passionate about it, we love feeding people.”
And, as they say, change is as good as a rest. This week Volco’s seven-day-a-week Egmont St-located eatery opened for dinner on Wednesdays through Sunday.
Yes, Buckland agrees, it’s a risk, but the decision hadn’t been taken lightly.
“We’ve been planning this for a long time. We wanted to get off the ground with the daytime stuff first. Our whole intention when we took over the site was to do dinners eventually.”
The menu was pasta-focused, “Italian but not traditional”, featuring local and seasonal produce. “It’s going to be modern casual and fun, not stuck up. There’s no white tablecloths.”
Across town, at the northern end of Featherston St, the green paint is only just dry on the former Bordeaux and short-lived Le Ciel satellite site. It became Cortado at the end of last month and is the second offering of the mononymous Jessica.
The hospitality management course graduate cut her teeth at several Wairarapa restaurants, including Iberia in Masterton and Martinborough’s Union Square, before moving over the hill to the capital in 2021.
In 2022 she was offered the chance to manage Oviedo, in the heart of government agency land in Pipitea St and two years later bought the business.
Cortado in Featherston St felt like the natural next step: “It’s central, busy, and full of people who appreciate good coffee and quick, quality food. We saw a gap for something grab-and-go that still felt thoughtful and well made, and the location made sense logistically with our other site.”
Its name ‒ a cortado is a small, bold coffee, no fluff‒ is the perfect metaphor for the focus and “vibe” of the compact space, she says.
The cabinet menu includes sandwiches, salads, pies, and fresh baked goods, and had been designed for speed and quality. “But we’re keeping it flexible and open to suggestions. Early next year, we’ll introduce a small menu to expand the variety a bit further.”
Industry veteran Laura Greenfield, 42 years and counting, needs no introduction. The chef-owner of the late, much-lamented Field & Green took over the kitchen at Glou Glou in Allen St earlier this year and has just introduced a new spring/summer menu. It includes a number of her trademark F&G “European soul food” signature dishes ‒ in a variety of guises.
The famed kedgeree has morphed into croquettes, her smashed pea dish has been updated but still includes avocado and a soft boiled egg and the salt beef hash cake has returned but topped by fried egg rather than poached.
The venue plans to open its evening wine bar in the coming months.
“We’re loving the energy in Wellington hospo at the moment,” Glou Glou’s Casey Wilson says. “There’s some great new spots opening up, and the collaboration, creativity and passion in the industry is amazing to see.”
Another industry stalwart Jacob Brown, who with partner Sarah Bullock helmed Miramar’s The Larder for 16 years and Kent Tce’s Myrtle bakery before it closed last Christmas, is now production manager at Volco, bringing his bread and pastry-making heft to its retail arm.
The Larder’s new owners did not respond to The Post’s interview requests. Its website hasn’t been updated since Brown and Bullock moved on, but a Facebook post from October introduces the new team as Kevin and Pisay.
“Together with our little family, we’re so excited to share some wonderful news — from the 7th of October this month, we’ve officially taken over The Larder.”
Taking it slowly
New in Vivian St is Dilly Dally, in what was Romeo’s deli. It’s the latest offering from Jesse Phillips who honed his skills in kitchens in Melbourne, Canada and New Zealand (including Havana and Fidel’s) and Bryn Thomas, former maître d at the Matterhorn, ex Mt Vic’s Five Boroughs, and former nutritional chef to the film industry.
It pumps out a range of made-fresh-to-order salad bowls (with optional protein), rice boxes and smoothies to the lunch crowd.
The pair say the name reflects how they work. “We dilly dallied for so long trying to think of a name for the business that it just became the whole personality,” Thomas said.
“Saying that though, both of us live our lives taking time to stop and smell the flowers, that’s what dilly dallying is all about. Taking a breath, enjoying the journey.”
The menu, which features their own pickled and cured ingredients, is seasonally focused and “homey”.
“We really just want people to come in and feel like they can relax. It’s only a small venue with an open kitchen, so designing the space we both wanted to extend that home kitchen feel. We both love cooking for our friends and families, and wanted to extend that feeling into the venue,” Thomas said.
Just around the corner in Taranaki St is Ben Stiff’s Zodiac Wholefoods. Stiff, a chef and food technologist made redundant from his last job, has turned the former House of Dumplings into a hole-in-the-wall plant-based eatery, open from noon Wednesday to Saturday. His astrological-themed seasonal menus (currently Scorpio) showcase the soy products he makes on site, and include fried “chicken” strips and fruity “moon shakes”.
The closure of Tom Kirton’s decade-old Courtenay Place pizzeria Tommy Millions at the height of the Covid pandemic in 2021 was the third of Kirton’s pizza businesses to shut its doors. But Lucky Chicken, a fried chicken joint he set up in 2017 survived the downturn and still pulls lines of hungry punters.
Now his latest venture which opened this week is a return to the heyday of Tommy Millions - Cutie Pie Pizza Workshop has taken over the former BambuchiSan site in Hataitai.
Kirton and co-owner and fiancée Alicia Mendez describe it as a family-run neighbourhood pizzeria and pizza school that will “hopefully become a hub of the Hataitai community”.
Meanwhile One80’s Chetan Pangam, whose burgers have taken on almost cult status, has flown the coop, taking over Bellbird Eatery ‒ the café attached to Lower Hutt’s Dowse Art Museum.
He plans to continue serving up favourites but is also looking to gradually adding some India-inspired flavours to the menu and, from November 21, is opening for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights.
Back in Wellington, Volco’s Buckland echoes the thoughts of many as he points out continued fluidity in the capital’s hospo sector is a positive sign. The Chevrons were an added bonus.
“Yes, everyone could always be busier, but Christmas is coming up and there’s a lot going on. We all want to have fun, and we want to keep evolving. You have to keep pushing, you know, or else what's the point of doing it?”
Adds Bryn Thomas from Dilly Dally: “We totally believe and feel like the city is getting back on its feet. There's great venues all through the city, some old, some new … there’s some exciting places opening every week.”
– Addtional reporting by Frances Chin