EAT & EXPLORE

Kate Underwood, Guest Food Editor @relishthememory

As an ever-hungry food writer, storyteller, and communicator, I like to think that when I eat, I eat for good. So it’s a delight to be here to help season the pages of this cherished Canterbury publication for this food-focused issue.

With a life deeply immersed in the food realm, I speak, create, observe, devour, and write about it, in all its wondrous forms. My childhood was shaped by eating, growing up in the small town of Te Puke in the Bay of Plenty, where kiwifruit reigns supreme, citrus drips from the trees, and avocados line the rural roads.

There were whitebait fritters from Dad’s catch in the Kaituna river, marmite and cottage cheese sandwiches at school (evidence of a 90s kid amidst that dreaded low-fat era), and highlighter pink buns to greet us for afternoon tea (shoutout to Tom’s who have brought back all our childhood dreams with their version). I established a thriving Christmas cake business at high school, studied nutrition at Otago University, and then spent several years representing NZ’s favourite tuber, working across marketing and communications for Potatoes New Zealand.

Today my work is focused around celebrating and supporting the incredible people doing wonderful food-related things across Aotearoa. I hang out on Instagram at @relishthememory, where I share plates, people, and places I’ve enjoyed and think other people might too.

I contract to small food businesses who need a hand with their socials, brand voice, or storytelling. However, most of my week involves working for the not-for-profit Eat New Zealand, a national food movement working to connect people to our land through food. We do this through a multitude of ways which you can read all about on page 28. If you’re interested in learning more about our food culture, food systems, or the Aotearoa food landscape – this is the place.

A core part of the reason I moved to Christchurch in early 2021 was the thriving food scene that has emerged here. We’re so lucky to have eateries like Gatherings, who’ve built community and changed the way we think about restaurants and culinary precincts such as The Welder, New Regent Street, and Riverside, which have become hubs for human connection.

It’s been a tough few years for many in food, particularly hospitality. These are the places where we come together to socialise, make memories, and celebrate life’s precious milestones. The small (often owner-operated) restaurants, cafés, and bars that we frequent create our city’s culture, and if we want them to survive, as eaters, we must eat out. It’s a worthy and rewarding role we can all play to help build a flourishing and truly delicious world.