Kitchen Day Podcast

Ismo Koski - or Mo, as he’s known in hospo circles -  is one of Aotearoa’s most respected front-of-house operators. He came up through the city's most influential fine-dining rooms, including The Grove, Sidart, and the French Café under Simon Wright and Creghan Molloy-Wright, before opening the iconic Apéro on K'Road with his partner, chef Leslie Hottiaux.
Twelve years on, Apéro is the restaurant every restaurateur wishes was theirs. A brick-walled wine bar behind a small door on Karangahape Road, built on 90k and a vision board scrawled in Mo's dad's garage.
Mo and Les have realised a long-held dream together, and they've done it entirely on their own terms. In this conversation, Mo shares how Apéro came to be, what he learned in fine dining that still shapes how he runs a casual room, and the decision that changed everything for his family. We talk about hiring, service, online reviews, Michelin, and what it actually feels like to own a beloved restaurant after more than a decade.
Kitchen Day is proudly supported by Droppah, our season sponsor. Thanks also to Coffee Supreme and Craggy Range for their ongoing support of the show and the wider hospitality industry. This episode was filmed at San Ray on Ponsonby Road, Auckland, and our Auckland recording trip was supported by the team at Hotel Indigo.

I’m delighted to bring you this conversation with none other than Hannah Wells, the charming owner of Wellington’s beloved hidden wine bar Puffin. With a background in design, Hannah came into hospitality with a strong sense of feel and intention, and opened Puffin at exactly the right moment, backing herself to create something small, considered, and entirely her own.
This is a conversation about trusting your taste and building from there. We talk about making the leap into ownership, creating a space that people genuinely want to be in, and putting together a team that reflects that energy. There’s plenty in here on biodynamic wine too, what draws Hannah to it, what she hopes for the future of the industry in New Zealand, and why more people should be open to a slightly wild glass of what she calls purple jet plane wine!
A huge thanks to the rostering gods at Droppah for backing Season 2 of The Kitchen Day Podcast.
We also couldn’t do this without the support of the team at Coffee Supreme and Craggy Range. These guys love hospo as much as we do. 
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe wherever you listen and send it to someone who’d get something out of it. It makes a bigger difference than you think ✌️

An art history major who took a shift at Cazador at 18 and never really left.
Two decades on, Rebecca Smidt now owns and runs Cazador, the Cazador deli next door, and San Ray on Ponsonby Road with her partner Dariush. Three very different venues, all with their own identity, all built the hard way.
This is a wide-ranging, honest conversation about what it actually takes to run serious restaurants in Aotearoa right now.
We get into the Noma exposé and why it didn’t shock her, the limits of the Michelin framework, and the year they took BYO off the menu at Cazador and watched the room empty out. There’s the deli opening three weeks before the world shut down, the long road to getting San Ray right, and a Sydney trip that reshaped how she thinks about scale.
We also talk about where hospitality is heading. Why Bex is optimistic about AI and automation. Why a properly costed flat white is closer to nine dollars than five. And what “good service” actually means when you strip it back.
It’s a great conversation with one of the most thoughtful operators in the country.Big thanks to Droppah for backing Season 2 of The Kitchen Day Podcast.
We also couldn’t do this without the support of the team at Coffee Supreme and Craggy Range. These are people who genuinely care about hospitality and the people in it.
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe wherever you listen and send it to someone who’d get something out of it. It makes a bigger difference than you think ✌️

In this episode of The Kitchen Day Podcast, I chat with Tait Burge and William Bridewell Roberts, two of the most driven, humble, and exciting entrepreneurs in New Zealand right now. These guys started out with a simple obsession: to make the perfect flat white. Fast forward to today, and they’re behind one of the most influential coffee empires the country has ever seen. And trust me, they’re just getting started.
In this conversation, Tait shares how his relentless dream to craft a perfect cup of coffee led to the creation of Swimsuit. What started with one location on Dixon Street in 2019 has now expanded into four venues, and their brand has become something way bigger than just great coffee. From the beginning, Tait and Willy have merged coffee with music, fashion, art, and events in a way that feels completely natural They’ve built something that taps into so much more than just the hospitality world.
But what really stands out to me is their approach to team culture. Tait and Willy have gone above and beyond to create a supportive and growth-focused environment for their staff. They care deeply about looking after their team, and it’s obvious in the way they talk about them. They’re all about developing people and creating a space where everyone feels valued and encouraged to grow. It’s this mindset that I believe is at the core of their success, and it's clear from chatting with them that their humility and genuine care for others are big reasons why Swimsuit has thrived.
This conversation was an absolute pleasure to have, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Special Thanks:
Big shout-out to Angie, Pete, and the team at Droppah for sponsoring this season of The Kitchen Day Podcast. We also couldn’t do what we do without the legends Coffee Supreme and Craggy Range, thank you for your ongoing support!

In this episode, we sit down with the incredible Renee Coulter, co-founder of Coco’s Cantina and one of the most influential voices in Auckland hospitality.
Opened with her sister Damaris in 2009, Coco’s Cantina was always intended to be more than a restaurant. It’s a place built on care, where generosity extends beyond the plate to staff, regulars, and the wider community. A true K’ Road institution, and a living example of what heart-led hospitality can look like.
To this day, there are very few venues in Aotearoa as deeply woven into the fabric of their city as Coco’s.
Renee is a force, thoughtful, generous, and deeply committed to doing things differently. This is a conversation about building something that lasts, leading with care, and creating spaces where people feel they belong.
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A huge thank you to Angie, Pete and the team at Droppah for sponsoring this season of The Kitchen Day Podcast.
A classy tip o’ the hat to our good friends at Coffee Supreme and Craggy Range for their ongoing support.
This episode was filmed upstairs in the private dining room at San Ray on Ponsonby Road.