Sharing the love at Visa Wellington On a Plate

Love can be demonstrated in many ways — cooking for others, sharing a meal, or cleaning up a mountain of dishes. In Wellington’s rich hospitality world, the people behind the scenes understand the love that goes into food, too. It’s a tight-knit community, and they often share meals at each other’s venues. This month, the chefs, managers, and restaurant owners behind some of the city’s favourite spots share the love for each other with their picks of their pals’ events and meals at Visa Wellington On a Plate. 

Floriditas has been around for nearly two decades. Co-owner Dominique Fourie has been involved in the landmark Cuba Street restaurant since 2020. “Every time Wellington On a Plate comes around, it’s a new creative experience for us. It’s always beautiful to be involved in.” For this year’s festival, Floriditas is hosting FloriDivas. Touted as an evening of ‘glitz, glamour, and high-energy cabaret,’ attendees can look forward to pink bubbles, elegant food, and high-octane entertainment. Dominique says she’s looking forward to sharing the love with Le Ciel on Tory Street. “I’m super excited to be introduced to the food of chef Shuchi’s childhood. She always cooks from the heart.” 

Shuchi Bhardwaj is chef and owner of Le Ciel Bakery. For Visa WOAP, she’s hung up her baking gloves and turned her attention to a degustation dinner menu. Nyumbani: A Taste of Tanzania is inspired by her upbringing in Africa. “African food options are severely lacking in New Zealand. I wanted people to see and taste where I came from.” Tanzania is blessed with a huge array of spices, so Shuchi has enjoyed recreating the right flavour profiles from local substitutes. When she gets a rest from the kitchen, Shuchi will be heading to Dragons at the other end of Tory Street. “Whenever I go, I always eat too much. [Owner and chef] Jessica has a similar ethos to me — hands-on in the kitchen and greets everyone like a friend.” 

Jessica Tang at Dragons has re-created the popular 2024 event ‘Dragons is my Uso’ again for Visa WOAP. She is collaborating with chefs Litia Lefaoseu and Lutita Mallon to draw on the centuries-old fusion of Chinese and Samoan cuisines. Jessica explains, “‘Uso’ is Samoan for ‘brother’. It’s a reference to wider family, to sharing across cultures”. This is Dragon’s fourth festival experience, having previously collaborated with Floriditas and Garage Project. Outside of Chinese cooking, Jess is a big pasta fan. For her, Italian cuisine centres around the family, just like Chinese and Samoan cooking. The burger at 1154 Pastaria is on her list. “Carbonara is one of my favourite pastas — I can’t wait to see how they turn that into a burger.” 

Kieran Wallace is a co-owner at Cuba Street’s 1154 Pastaria. He admits the burger ’Car’burg’anara’ is a mouthful in more than one way. “Pronouncing it and eating it is going to be fun”. Carbonara is one of the restaurant’s most beloved dishes, so it made sense to recreate it in burger form. For the team at 1154, Visa WOAP is a vital part of Wellington’s hospitality scene. “You can’t throw a stone in the central city without hitting a restaurant or café. It makes sense to celebrate together and support each other.” When he gets a night off, he’ll be heading to Charley Noble to try the burger. “Some of my best memories involve long lunches at Charley’s. The burger will have that smoky steak flavour, it represents what they do so well.” 

The smoky flavour at Charley Noble is courtesy of a wood-fired grill. ”It’s the heart of the restaurant and is a vital part of what we do,” explains general manager Melissa Lind. The restaurant won best burger at the festival in 2014 and has been involved in every Visa WOAP since. It’s Steak Me Home, Sir Loin’ burger is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Visa WOAP love theme. It also leans into what Charley Noble does best: steak. Melissa intends to visit Floriditas during the festival’s August run. “I have a lady crush on the team behind Flo’s. They are so committed to keeping hospo playful for the industry as well as guests.”