Love NZ food? Show your support

Chef Giulio Sturla has a dream. He wants to make New Zealand food famous, and he needs your help.

Giulio is the three-hat chef of Lyttleton’s Roots Restaurant and the brains behind ConversatioNZ, a movement to promote New Zealand food internationally and domestically.

Making New Zealand food famous

Showcasing an entire industry while running a busy restaurant is no easy task. So that the project can do all the amazing work it hopes to achieve, ConversatioNZ needs funds to pay a part-time employee. This person will drive the project, establish a strategic plan, organise events and generally make a lot of noise about the wonderful work that New Zealand foodies do.

Giulio is a busy chef, he can't do it all himself. So a Pledgeme page has been set up to help raise funds for a part-time salary and Giulio is asking all New Zealanders to get on board. If you’d like to be a part of this great cause and help drive New Zealand’s culinary tourism scene, then you can make a pledge on the crowd-funding site before it closes this Saturday, 17 September.

Join the movement

But if you need an incentive, don’t worry there’s plenty.

Some of the country’s best restaurants and events have donated experiences as pledge incentives. You can choose to make a donation for any amount, or if you pledge $25 or more you can choose from a mouth-watering line up of incentives offered from the best New Zealand has to offer. For a $25 pledge, you can grab a $25 voucher at Wellington’s Ramen House. Make a $100 pledge and you'll get yourself a $100 dinner voucher at Fishbone Restaurant in Queenstown. Or if you want to splash out, a $10,000 pledge will get you a complete restaurant buyout at Jonny Schwass’ Harlequin Public House.

In recent years, ConversatioNZ has garnered the support of some major players in the industry. The ‘diverse and significant’ lineup of supporters includes chefs Al Brown, Josh Emett and Fleur Sullivan. Media supporters include Lauraine Jacobs, Food Editor at The NZ Listener and Kelli Brett, Editor at Cuisine Magazine. There are also many food producers on board and event organisers from Wellington on a Plate and Taste of Auckland. 

ConversatioNZ was formed in 2015 and members are working together to unlock the potential of New Zealand food. ConversatioNZ’s aim is to become a central point where all stakeholders in New Zealand’s culinary scene can come together for the better of the industry as a whole.

Giulio’s dream 

Not only is ConversatioNZ aiming to put the New Zealand food scene on the map, it always wants to foster conversations about innovative food production, sustainability, keeping talent within New Zealand and creating a sense of pride and respect for food produced in New Zealand. ConversatioNZ is helping to create a platform to drive that conversation. With a strong focus on collaboration, the group wants to see food producers given the best opportunity to showcase their produce and the creation of sustainable food systems.

Giulio has a dream, and he wants everyone in New Zealand to get on board. Want to be part of the movement? Get in before it's too late and make a donation on ConversatioNZ crowd-funding page.

About ConversatioNZ

ConversatioNZ is driven by a collective of passionate chefs and food producers to highlight the quality and vast array of edible resources in New Zealand. It covers both innovative and traditional methods for the gathering, growing, raising and preparing of food from the land and sea. You can find out more information at the ConversatioNZ website.