Stephen Wong MW on passing the hardest wine exam in the world

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.

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!

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.

Judith Tabron has spent nearly 50 years in hospitality, from accidentally landing an apprenticeship as a teenager, to cooking in London, running Sails through the '87 crash, owning Ramses in Newmarket at just 26, and spending 18 years at the helm of the iconic Soul Bar & Bistro. Now, with First Mates, Last Laugh at Westhaven, she’s back doing what she loves.. and with five decades behind her, Judith has plenty of lessons worth sharing. Judith joins Dom for a brilliantly candid chat about what it really takes to build and run great restaurants: knowing your numbers, learning from the best, front-footing the hard conversations, understanding your customers, opening slowly, and knowing when it’s time to move on. There are brilliant stories along the way, but underneath them is something every hospitality professional can take away: keep learning, keep adapting, and don’t spend too much time looking backwards.

Charles Williams of Bowler has spent the last decade learning from businesses that didn’t quite go to plan. From opening Ceremony in Grafton with a $20,000 car loan, to a gallery café at the Pah Homestead and then seven years running the uber chic Williams Eatery, Charles talks openly about the mistakes, setbacks and hard-won lessons that eventually led him to the supernova that is Bowler. It’s a conversation about why past failures can set you up for future success, and why sometimes the thing that feels like a constraint can become the Big Idea itself. We get into the thinking behind Bowler: the tiny kitchen that shaped the menu, the influence of fast-casual brands overseas, the winter that nearly undid the business, and the family reset that became Bowler 2.0. We talk about building a business with his brother Patrick, bringing in partners, and the ambition to take healthy fast food to the masses. This is a candid chat about hospitality, resilience, family, and staying in the game long enough to find what works - I hope you enjoy!