Kitchen Day Podcast

Brandon Lela'ulu is one of those people who has helped shape Auckland hospitality from the floor up. Over 26 years at Prego, he's gone from runner to co-owner and general manager of one of the city's most enduring restaurant institutions. But his influence reaches well beyond Ponsonby Road. He's trained, mentored and inspired generations of hospitality professionals, many of whom have gone on to open their own venues, carrying with them the standards, systems and philosophy that make Prego what it is. He's helped build an institution and, in the process, helped build an industry.With Prego celebrating 40 years, Dom sits down with Brandon for a conversation about the craft of hospitality, the power of great people, and what it takes to create something that stands the test of time. This is a masterclass in leadership, service, culture and the business of making people feel genuinely welcome, from someone who has dedicated his career to getting it right.THE KITCHEN DAY PODCAST IS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY DROPPAH. See why Droppah is the leading choice for hospitality rostering. Kitchen Day listeners can try Droppah for a month free. Click here!WITH THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTING PARTNERS💻Tevalis - Leaders in POS technology🥂Angie Atkinson at Blanc Distribution🚚Goodman Fielder FoodserviceEpisodes of the Kitchen Day Podcast were filmed at Apero on K'Road in Auckland, and Loretta on Cuba Street in Wellington.Created, hosted and produced by Dominique Fourie McMillanFilm production and editing by Jono Tucker at Empire FilmsGot a question? Drop us a line: [email protected] you for listening!

What does it take to give up the security of your family home and put everything on the line for a restaurant dream? For Emma Rogan, co-owner of Hello Beasty, it was a decision twenty years in the making. She got her start in a North Shore nightclub, eventually found her way into restaurants, and met her now-husband Stu while working in Queenstown. The rest, as they say, is history.Along the way came a young family, an impressive career in graphic design, and years of watching Stu work long chef hours for other people. Eventually, they decided it was time to back themselves, selling their family home and take the chance of a lifetime.In this episode, I chat with Emma about the journey to Hello Beasty, from the realities of raising a family in hospitality to the risks and sacrifice of opening your own place. We get into the careful dance of finding the right site and landlord, what a good accountant can do for your business (and sanity), and why you never want to just buy yourself a job. We cover branding, obsession, community, and there's a lot of love for the mighty folk who have made Beasty what it is. This was a heart-on-the-sleeve kind of conversation and I really hope you enjoy it. THE KITCHEN DAY PODCAST IS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY DROPPAH. See why Droppah is the leading choice for hospitality rostering. Kitchen Day listeners can try Droppah for a month free. Click here!WITH THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTING PARTNERS💻Tevalis - Leaders in POS technology🥂Angie Atkinson at Blanc Distribution🚚Goodman Fielder FoodserviceEpisodes of the Kitchen Day Podcast were filmed at Apero on K'Road in Auckland, and Loretta on Cuba Street in Wellington.Created, hosted and produced by Dominique Fourie McMillanFilm production and editing by Jono Tucker at Empire FilmsGot a question? Drop us a line: [email protected] you for listening! 

Nici Wickes loves restaurants. Not just the food, but the people behind them, the risks they take, and the passion, drive and talent that goes into creating somewhere people want to be. It’s what made her become a respected restaurant critic, and why she approached the job a little differently: she wanted to champion restaurants, not tear them down. In this conversation, Nici takes us inside the world of restaurant reviewing - including her thoughts on giving and receiving feedback - before we trace her unexpected path from corporate coaching to food television, thoughtfully written cookbooks and an unlikely social media career born from a desire to help others.There’s plenty here about the realities of working in food and hospitality, the courage it takes to change direction, and ultimately, about what it means to build a life that feels right for you.THE KITCHEN DAY PODCAST IS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY DROPPAH. See why Droppah is the leading choice for hospitality rostering. Kitchen Day listeners can try Droppah for a month free. Click here!WITH THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTING PARTNERS💻Tevalis - Leaders in POS technology🥂Angie Atkinson at Blanc Distribution🚚Goodman Fielder FoodserviceEpisodes of the Kitchen Day Podcast were filmed at Apero on K'Road in Auckland, and Loretta on Cuba Street in Wellington.Created, hosted and produced by Dominique Fourie McMillanFilm production and editing by Jono Tucker at Empire FilmsGot a question? Drop us a line: [email protected] you for listening!

Hawthorn Lounge was only ever meant to last two years. Make some cash, buy a house, move on. Twenty years later, Justin McKenzie is still behind that black door on Tory Street, running one of Wellington’s most respected cocktail bars. In this episode, we get into the wild early days of 42 Below, a bartender sabring champagne on a helicopter skid, the year-long ritual behind the perfect Manhattan, and why Justin still reckons you can tell a lot about a bartender by watching them make a G&T.But underneath all the stories is a pretty clear idea of what hospitality is actually about. Justin talks about why every guest gets welcomed and farewelled, why he backs his team’s decisions 100%, and how you build a bar people keep coming back to for twenty years. We get into cutting people off, the details that make Hawthorn what it is, and what happens when the job you love starts taking more from you than it gives back. THE KITCHEN DAY PODCAST IS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY DROPPAH. See why Droppah is the leading choice for hospitality rostering. Kitchen Day listeners can try Droppah for a month free. Click here!WITH THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTING PARTNERS💻Tevalis - Leaders in POS technology🥂Angie Atkinson at Blanc Distribution🚚Goodman Fielder FoodserviceEpisodes of the Kitchen Day Podcast were filmed at Apero on K'Road in Auckland, and Loretta on Cuba Street in Wellington.Created, hosted and produced by Dominique Fourie McMillanFilm production and editing by Jono Tucker at Empire FilmsGot a question? Drop us a line: [email protected] you for listening!

Leah Kirkland’s career has taken her from waiting tables in Takapuna to fifteen years working alongside chef Adam Byatt in London, cooking for Michel Roux Jr. in Provence, working a harvest in Burgundy, and eventually finding her way back home to New Zealand. Today, she looks after wine and beverage across the impressive Emett Group, including Onslow, Gilt Brasserie, The Oyster Inn and the newly opened Lottie’s on Queen Street. In 2025, she was named number one in the inaugural Champagne Louis Roederer Top 100 Sommeliers New Zealand, though interestingly she’s not all that keen on being called a sommelier.Leah is one of those people who has spent a career at the very heart of hospitality, learning from some of the best in the business and developing a very clear idea of what great service actually looks like. She has stories from some seriously good dining rooms, strong opinions on everything from wine lists to team culture, and a refreshingly no-nonsense take on what it means to actually succeed in this business. We get into all of it with her, from the art and business of wine to why the smallest details can make the biggest difference. This is a conversation with someone who really knows her craft, so if you're in the industry too, prepare to take notes!THE KITCHEN DAY PODCAST IS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY DROPPAH. See why Droppah is the leading choice for hospitality rostering. Kitchen Day listeners can try Droppah for a month free. Click here!WITH THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTING PARTNERS💻 Tevalis - Leaders in POS technology🥂 Angie Atkinson at Blanc Distribution🚚 Goodman Fielder FoodserviceEpisodes of the Kitchen Day Podcast were filmed at Apero on K'Road in Auckland, and Loretta on Cuba Street in Wellington.Created, hosted and produced by Dominique Fourie McMillanFilm production and editing by Jono Tucker at Empire FilmsGot a question? Drop us a line: [email protected] you for listening!