EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY MY UNDERGROUND DELI My Underground Deli - 100 favourite recipes from Jess’ Underground Kitchen is hitting shelves nationwide later this month. This is Jess’ latest labour of love - a behind the scenes journal of life in her buzzing Herne Bay deli, with everything from Middle Eastern mezze to turmeric fish tacos, plus plenty of crowd favourites inbetween. She even shares the recipe for her much-coveted oaty ginger slice, which many customers deem “the best they’ve ever had.” The recipes are mouthwatering, accessible and don’t require a plethora of obscure ingredients. But they also challenge budding domestic goddesses and gods to think slightly outside the square, pairing goats’ cheese with honey... roasted grapes in a salad... salted caramel popcorn with fresh thyme leaves... yum! My Underground Deli is priced at $40.95 and is available in all good bookstores. F PN JESS’ UNDERGROUND KITCHEN, 203 Jervois Road, T: 09 378 7111, www.myundergroundkitchen.com
COMPLETE DINING & ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE Garnet Station Tiny Theatre open day, 8 April, 9am - 9pm Free
In 2015 Garnet Station did something a bit different, converting their standalone back studio into a theatre for live performance, hosting up to 20 plays a year. This year Garnet Station won the Auckland Fringe Festival award for Best ‘Off Broadway’ Venue. An accolade gained with the help of new venue manager, Teresa Sokolich.
Trophy event, and eight years of creating memorable celebrations for SKYCITY theatre. Now Teresa has come back to her main passion, working in community-based theatre.
“I found that there was this great opportunity to help Verity and Lisa grow the theatre they had already started and the wonderful, inclusive, community they offer with Garnet Station Café. The theatre is ‘tiny’ but gives so much to the arts and locals, allowing new work to be trialled, a place for voices to be heard and an excellent place for events. I love this space, it is truly boutique.”
So the time has come to throw the doors open and invite everyone to be part of this fun with venue tours, roving artists, musicians, storytellers, prize giveaways, a gourmet sausage sizzle, free face painting and Fairy Clare magic amid the secluded cottage garden.
From her beginnings in professional theatre stage-managing at the Mercury Theatre, Teresa has worked extensively in an industry she says, “gets into your blood.” She brings with her a wealth of knowledge and 30 years of experience in the live performance industry. Those years have seen her move from actor to stage manager to associate producer and production manager of the Auckland Theatre Company, which she cofounded with friend Simon Prast. Since leaving the ATC, Sokolich has gone on to gain experience with events such as WOMAD at The Edge, as creative director for the L’Oreal Professionnel annual Colour
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Find out what being in front of a 35-person audience feels like, speak into a microphone and feel the bright lights in your eyes. See the props table laid out back stage, and sit in the actors makeup chair pre performance. Verity George and Lisa Prager, who established Garnet Station 10 years ago, love to create a complete dining and entertainment experience for the locals and wider audience and are excited to share it with their supporters. GARNET STATION TINY THEATRE, 85 Garnet Road, T: 09 360 3397
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