Hosted by Dominique Fourie McMillan, the Kitchen Day Podcast celebrates the people who bring hospitality to life through service. Each episode features chats with some incredible folk who work in service - from hosts and bartenders to sommeliers and owners - sharing their philosophies, challenges, triumphs, and why they believe service is the best job in the world. Whether you work in hospo (or did once!) or simply love dining out, these stories will reveal why service is an honourable craft, and those who do it well are worth celebrating.
Justin McKenzie of Hawthorn Lounge on the discipline behind a great cocktail bar
Hawthorn Lounge was only ever meant to last two years. Make some cash, buy a house, move on. Twenty years later, Justin McKenzie is still behind that black door on Tory Street, running one of Wellington’s most respected cocktail bars. In this episode, we get into the wild early days of 42 Below, a bartender sabring champagne on a helicopter skid, the year-long ritual behind the perfect Manhattan, and why Justin still reckons you can tell a lot about a bartender by watching them make a G&T.
But underneath all the stories is a pretty clear idea of what hospitality is actually about. Justin talks about why every guest gets welcomed and farewelled, why he backs his team’s decisions 100%, and how you build a bar people keep coming back to for twenty years. We get into cutting people off, the details that make Hawthorn what it is, and what happens when the job you love starts taking more from you than it gives back.
THE KITCHEN DAY PODCAST IS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY DROPPAH. See why Droppah is the leading choice for hospitality rostering.
Kitchen Day listeners can try Droppah for a month free. Click here! (https://www.droppah.com/nz/kitchenday?utm_source=Partnership&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_campaign=Kitchen-Day-Podcast&utm_term=Offer-1-Month)
WITH THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTING PARTNERS
💻Tevalis (https://website.tevalis.com/) - Leaders in POS technology
🥂Angie Atkinson at Blanc Distribution (https://blancnz.co.nz/)
🚚Goodman Fielder Foodservice (https://gffoodservice.co.nz/)
Episodes of the Kitchen Day Podcast were filmed at Apero (https://www.apero.co.nz/) on K'Road in Auckland, and Loretta (https://www.loretta.nz) on Cuba Street in Wellington.
Created, hosted and produced by Dominique Fourie McMillan
Film production and editing by Jono Tucker at Empire Films (https://www.empirefilms.co.nz/)
Got a question? Drop us a line: hello@kitchenday.co.nz (mailto:hello@kitchenday.co.nz)
Thank you for listening!
11 Oct 2026
Leah Kirkland of the Emett Group: so much more than a sommelier
Leah Kirkland’s career has taken her from waiting tables in Takapuna to fifteen years working alongside chef Adam Byatt in London, cooking for Michel Roux Jr. in Provence, working a harvest in Burgundy, and eventually finding her way back home to New Zealand. Today, she looks after wine and beverage across the impressive Emett Group, including Onslow, Gilt Brasserie, The Oyster Inn and the newly opened Lottie’s on Queen Street. In 2025, she was named number one in the inaugural Champagne Louis Roederer Top 100 Sommeliers New Zealand, though interestingly she’s not all that keen on being called a sommelier.
Leah is one of those people who has spent a career at the very heart of hospitality, learning from some of the best in the business and developing a very clear idea of what great service actually looks like. She has stories from some seriously good dining rooms, strong opinions on everything from wine lists to team culture, and a refreshingly no-nonsense take on what it means to actually succeed in this business. We get into all of it with her, from the art and business of wine to why the smallest details can make the biggest difference.
This is a conversation with someone who really knows her craft, so if you're in the industry too, prepare to take notes!
THE KITCHEN DAY PODCAST IS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY DROPPAH.
See why Droppah is the leading choice for hospitality rostering. Kitchen Day listeners can try Droppah for a month free. Click here! (https://www.droppah.com/nz/kitchenday?utm_source=Partnership&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_campaign=Kitchen-Day-Podcast&utm_term=Offer-1-Month)
WITH THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTING PARTNERS
💻 Tevalis (https://website.tevalis.com/) - Leaders in POS technology
🥂 Angie Atkinson at Blanc Distribution (https://blancnz.co.nz/)
🚚 Goodman Fielder Foodservice (https://gffoodservice.co.nz/)
Episodes of the Kitchen Day Podcast were filmed at Apero (https://www.apero.co.nz/) on K'Road in Auckland, and Loretta (https://www.loretta.nz) on Cuba Street in Wellington.
Created, hosted and produced by Dominique Fourie McMillan
Film production and editing by Jono Tucker at Empire Films (https://www.empirefilms.co.nz/)
Got a question? Drop us a line: hello@kitchenday.co.nz (mailto:hello@kitchenday.co.nz)
Thank you for listening!
4 Oct 2026
Jared-Lyron Fa'asalele of Red Rabbit Coffee on service and the power of self-worth
Jared-Lyron Fa'asalele took the long way into coffee. Fashion school, then a stint at Deadly Ponies, then founding his own leather bag label, before moving into buying.. a lot of seemingly logical 'next steps' before he finally worked out what he was actually good at: talking to people, finding common ground and looking after others.
Now the general manager of Red Rabbit Coffee, Jared sits down with Dom to talk about finding your calling, chasing validation, being the golden child, and what happens when you start to separate your self-worth from your work.
At the heart of this chat is service. Growing up Samoan in central Auckland, Jared learned early that hospitality isn't just a job, it's an honour - from serving elders first to carrying the bowl of warm water around the table. They get into the millennial manager experience, Gen Z boundaries, leading with empathy, his ADHD diagnosis, and Red Rabbit's exciting next chapter.
Expect a warm and very honest chat about work, identity, and learning that you don't have to earn your worth.
THE KITCHEN DAY PODCAST IS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY DROPPAH.
See why Droppah is the leading choice for hospitality rostering.
Kitchen Day listeners can try Droppah for a month free. Click here! (https://www.droppah.com/nz/kitchenday?utm_source=Partnership&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_campaign=Kitchen-Day-Podcast&utm_term=Offer-1-Month)
WITH THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTING PARTNERS
💻 Tevalis (https://website.tevalis.com/) - Leaders in POS technology
🥂 Angie Atkinson at Blanc Distribution (https://blancnz.co.nz/)
🚚 Goodman Fielder Foodservice (https://gffoodservice.co.nz/)
Episodes of the Kitchen Day Podcast were filmed at Apero (https://www.apero.co.nz/) on K'Road in Auckland, and Loretta (https://www.loretta.nz) on Cuba Street in Wellington.
Created, hosted and produced by Dominique Fourie McMillan
Film production and editing by Jono Tucker at Empire Films (https://www.empirefilms.co.nz/)
Got a question? Drop us a line: hello@kitchenday.co.nz (mailto:hello@kitchenday.co.nz)
Thank you for listening!
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
21 ratings
Contact Kitchen Day Podcast
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
