A lineup of some of Auckland's best culinary talent will take to The Conscious Kitchen's Shared Table, lending their skills to transform rescued food.
Auckland food rescue charity Fair Food is launching an intimate dining series, The Conscious Kitchen’s Shared Table, in collaboration with hospitality stalwart Tony Stewart and some of New Zealand’s leading chefs, who will channel their creativity into menus crafted from rescued kai.
Inspired by three-Michelin-star chef Massimo Bottura’s Refettorio model, The Shared Table brings together top Kiwi culinary talent, Fair Food’s community and surplus ingredients to create unforgettable dining experiences designed to feed the imagination and soul.
Launching on Thursday, 2 April at Fair Food’s Conscious Kitchen in Avondale, the first six events in the series will feature:
Thursday 2 April: Dinner: Ben Bayly (Ahi, Origine, Aosta, Little Aosta, The Bathhouse)
Thursday 23 April: Dinner: Tom Hishon (Daily Bread)
Thursday 21 May: Dinner: Lucas Parkinson (Aryeh, Piha)
Thursday 18 June: Dinner: Sid Sahrawat (Cassia, The French Café)
Sunday 26 July: To’ona'i lunch (traditional Samoan lunchtime feast): Henry Onesemo (Tala)
Thursday 23 August: Dinner: Michael Dearth & Federico Schincariol (Baduzzi)
Tickets are NZD 180 per person. Each dinner seats just 20 guests at communal tables and includes three canapés followed by a four-course dinner with thoughtfully matched non-alcoholic beverages. Seedlip will supply ingredients for alcohol-free cocktails.
One hundred percent of funds raised will go directly to Fair Food, Auckland’s original food rescue charity, whose mission is simple: feed people, not landfill.
Hosted by Tony Stewart alongside each guest chef, the evenings will open with a welcome from Fair Food. Throughout service, chefs will share the story behind each course, the provenance of the rescued ingredients, how they were transformed and what inspired the dish.
Stewart swapped his fine-dining sensibilities for hi-vis in June 2025, bringing decades of hospitality experience into Fair Food’s warehouse and Conscious Kitchen in Avondale. Now, he is opening the doors to an intimate dining experience where guests can witness the creativity, dignity and humanity behind rescued kai.
“Chefs are naturally drawn to innovation. Working with rescued ingredients challenges them to rethink flavour, texture and presentation, proving that beauty and excellence can emerge from imperfection. It’s not charity, it’s hospitality at its most human and generous. When we break bread together, we break barriers too.”
“Hunger can feel really isolating, which is why Fair Food seeks to be a place of aroha and abundance for our community. The appetite for change has never been greater, and we’re excited for more people to experience the magic and manaakitanga of our kai tables,” said Fair Food General Manager Michelle Blau.
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