SPQR is probably my favourite place for long lunching in Auckland…sun, people watching and good food…it was a true pleasure to photograph this one with Chris and Courtney.

Always a pleasure working with two of my favourite people in Auckland. Tony and Des, you’re amazing. Clooney is better than ever.

Xuxu recently became a dumpling bar…be sure to head there for cocktails into the early hours and these tasty pint-sized pockets of joy.

This is a fun crew of people…all committed to making the best burgers in town. Fresh produce, incredible brioche buns, from the butchers to the fisherman…I’m slowly, slowly, taking portraits of the entire process and each person behind each step of the way. Go there! Burger Burger, Ponsonby Central.

Hands down, the best goddamn burgers in town. Mimi & Adrian’s newly opened Burger Burger should make other burger joints shake up their act. $10 burgers – think pulled pork, slow-cooked lamb shoulder that literally falls apart in your mouth), medium-rare cooked beef patties…the list goes on. There are cute differences too – for example, if you’re diet conscious, you can order your burger in a lettuce leaf instead of a bun. There are half-bottles of Veuve to wash down your burger, or good ol’ swapper Lion Reds. Cocktails, old-fashioned shakes, the best old-fashioned lemonade (that your mother never made)…all in a prime location in Ponsonby Central. YOU MUST GO.

www.burgerburger.co.nz

I have a large backlog of jobs to update on this site…the blog updating has fallen by the wayside due to a busy wedding season (that you can see here). This was a recent favourite. I was invited by La Cigale (the gorgeous Parnell markets) to shoot imagery for their brand refresh – new website coming soon…all very exciting. I first fell in love with the market eight years ago when I moved to Auckland, my husband and I would spend lazy Saturdays strolling around, eating crepes with coffee, picking up big loaves of warmly baked bread before retiring to our apartment in the city. One time one of our dogs got into a sausage bin, but that’s a story for another day… Liz and Mike are so lovely, you’ll always see them on market days with their big black poodle wandering between stalls. And, if you happen to make it to their bistro evenings (Wednesday & Thursday evenings) be sure to say hi to Emerald, possibly the best maitre-d in town.

www.lacigale.co.nz

Mexico is definitely one of my favourite restaurants in Auckland. It’s so delicious, everything on the menu is packed with flavour and you can always count on the restaurant being packed with people you know and love. They make the best tacos – and don’t even get me started on how much I love their polenta fries.

This was a seriously fun shoot for me – Mimi’s apartment became a haven for Mexican food as Javier cooked up a storm on the BBQ, made deliciously fresh salads, all the while we photographed step-by-step Mexican recipes. I’m very lucky to work with such a creative, talented and fun crew of people. Make sure you visit the restaurants and enquire about their recipe cards.

Happy festive season!

On an extremely hot Sunday afternoon, Sophie, Mimi, Emerald, Camille and I piled into Mimi’s incredible city apartment and prepared, styled and photographed 35 vibrant and delicious salads. Bird on a Wire has become a Ponsonby staple – serving delicious salads and rotisserie chickens for eat-in or takeaway, so it was really only a matter of time before another location came calling…and calling it did. Box of Bird, sister to the hero store, has opened on Auckland City’s Commerce Street, no doubt satiating hungry city dwellers with their mouth-watering menu options. It was a particularly fun shoot – I always love working with this talented family.

Diane, the owner of New Zealand company Picnic Box, has nailed the concept of luxury on the go. Her picnic boxes, can be found at many leading events in Auckland, from the tennis, to Veuve Clicquot’s polo, to late night movies at Silo Park. Each box is prepared with so much love and care, the food is created by the former chef of Harbourside restaurant and range from Italian antipasto themed boxes, to stuffed roast chicken or even fondue…I was asked to photograph their first set of campaign images (stay tuned for part two which is going to be amazing…). Here are a few of the shots I took. If you haven’t tried one, make sure you order a picnic next time you see their truck…brilliant idea, executed perfectly.

The other night saw the launch of two new luxury spirit brands distilled right here in New Zealand. Blue Duck & Black Robin, vodka and gin respectively, launched to some of New Zealand’s leading artists and collectors at an art charity auction at the Auckland Museum. The art auction, with proceeds supporting conversationalists Forest & Bird, included works from Don Binney, Elizabeth Thomson and Dick Frizzell. In summary, it was a standout evening of fine art and liquor, and I can’t wait to see more from the crowd at Blue Duck and Black Robin…I have no doubt they will command centre stage.