The foodie club
Those who take part are sworn to secrecy. However, that’s done little to curb the growing popularity of Kitchen Takeover.
The secret pop-up restaurants – a brainchild of passionate foodie Stacey Jones – sell out within days, sometimes hours.
‘‘It’s so exciting how it all of a sudden exploded,’’ says Jones.
‘‘I head cheffed my first secret supper for 24 of my most supportive friends. By the fourth pop-up restaurant, I recognised just a couple of names on the list of 450, and that’s when I realised I’d cracked it. When tickets for our latest edition went on sale, more than a thousand were snapped up on the first day.’’
Two-and-a-half years ago the former London marketing executive came up with a quirky concept to bring the big-city experience to the Bay of Plenty: temporary restaurants with strong themes, communal tables, and classy degustation menus designed by a top chef.
‘‘I remember someone saying to me a few years ago, that they drove to Auckland when they wanted a great meal. I thought: ‘We can do better than that’.
‘‘I like to really push the envelope when it comes to fine dining. We source unusual ingredients, and we have lots of fun with it. It’s quite theatrical. I think of it as ‘edible story telling’.’’
Jones’ passion for pushing the boundaries of fine dining saw guests at the Hunter Gatherer Kitchen Takeover enjoying deer milk cre` me caramel and community garden weed lollipops.
At the Taiao edition, Masterchefs Ka¯ rena and Kasey Bird were inspired by their childhood to serve smoked eel, ku¯ mara brulee and pu¯ ha¯ verde.
The next pop-up restaurant has a Middle East theme.
‘‘I cut my teeth in a top UK advertising agency where I learned to take a single-minded idea and follow it through,’’ says Jones.
‘‘Every single touch point has to make sense and feel aligned with that idea. We want it to feel as though you’ve been transported to
the Middle East. Everything is considered, from the ingredients to the decor – even the hand soap and the towels in the bathroom. It needs to feel authentic, creative and playful.’’
The idea is to take every traditional element of a restaurant night and turn it into a mystery destination event. People prepurchase a ticket for a six-course fine dining feast and welcome cocktail, and receive a text an hour prior revealing the location.
‘‘Diners love the idea of belonging to a secret club and no one wants to ruin the surprise for others. Each edition only runs for a short time and when it ends, that’s it. I never repeat the restaurant again. I think people get a kick out of giving their friends and family FOMO [fear of missing out].’’
Diners have travelled from as far away as Dunedin, Hawke’s Bay and Whanga¯ rei to be part of the experience, despite not knowing what or where they’ll be eating.
‘‘Kitchen Takeover started as a wee gem of a crazy idea and has evolved into a sought-after experience that I now want to take to other cities,’’ says Jones.
‘‘If you dream it, with a lot of hard work and tenacity, you can make it happen.’’
Jones loves knowing that diners are connecting. She’s seen romances begin, old school friends and neighbours meet after years apart, and new friendships form. And she admits being reduced to happy tears on one occasion when all 50 diners got up for a spontaneous mass selfie.
‘‘I think the people who enjoy Kitchen Takeover are those who are most willing to just let go and trust. Those people who want to be taken somewhere unique and don’t want to try and control it.
‘‘But, of course, they can’t tell anyone. It’s strictly a secret.’’