Episode 9: We Check In (ft. Each Other)

Jean and Sam have been revived from the dead to discuss the much-anticipated Michelin Guide: the first ever in Aotearoa, New Zealand. 110 restaurants were included over two-star, one-star, Bib Gourmand and Select categories. Sam was on the ground (i.e. at the awards), while Jean was doing a pub quiz at Schapiro's (her team, Oat Milk Flat White, got fifth). They talk about their initial reactions to the list, the biggest surprises, who got snubbed (hellooo, where are all the Asian restaurants?) and, once again, go back and forth on the merits of the awards. Elsewhere, they also talk about the food scene in Wellington (where Jean is temporarily living), food trends, and also generally catch up, since it's the first episode of 2026. Oooops. Follow Ate Ate Ate on Instagram here.

It's the end of 2025, and Sam and Jean wrap a bow on the silly season by talking about the year we've had through food. What are the best bites we've had? The best food experiences? What do we think about the biggest food trends of the year (think: matcha, steakhouses, "ethnic" food in wine bars). And, a special end-of-year treat for you all: we talk to Janice Leung Hayes, a food writer whose work has appeared in Eater, The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, The Wall Street Journal and more. Currently based in Hong Kong, we discuss the Hong Kong food scene, the value of food criticism, how food writing has evolved, what goes into trying to represent a city for an overseas audience and, yes, Michelin! Janice also lives between Hong Kong and Dunedin (where she fell in love with its infamous farmers market). This is the last episode for the year (obviously) and may also be the last episode for awhile, so we hope you enjoy and digest. We'll see you soon.

Sam and Jean sit down with Kate Underwood, who is the Communications/Kaitaki Lead at Eat New Zealand, the Restaurant Manager at plant-based restaurant Forest and the co-creator of new digital food journal Appetite for Words. In this episode we ask about Kate's food writing journey (which includes a nutritionist degree, a blog called Relish the Memory and more), her work at Eat New Zealand, and, also: what does she think about the Michelin Guide coming to Aotearoa? The Michelin has been a Hot Topic in the food world, and between the three of us we have an honest discussion that balances the good, the bad and the in-between. What could Michelin mean for our standard of dining? What could it mean for our (world-class) food producers? How does it fit into a New Zealand way of eating, and the "New Zealand cuisine"?

Sam and Jean are back! And they've been travelling! And eating! In this episode of Ate Ate Ate, we talk about top tips + tricks of how to approach eating on holiday, and our recent experiences overseas. It's quite silly silly silly, fair warning! Some highlights from the episode: Sam talks about one of the worst restaurant experiences he's ever had, we discuss the potency of the slur ch*nk, and there is a whole-ass segment on the spectrum of wet and dry foods. What is wet food? What is dry food? And where would your favourite foods land on the spectrum? Also Sam advocates bringing Slim Tea to help your digestion (because you won't drink enough or eat enough fibre on holiday, apparently). P.S. Jean went to Europe (Paris, Italy, Dubrovnik, London, Copenhagen) and Sam went to Australia (Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney).

We're stoked to welcome Jesse's Teahouse, one of the biggest tea educators + appreciators in the English-speaking world, onto the pod to talk gongfu tea culture, his journey into learning about tea, what he loves about tea, the differences between types of tea, and how you can get started into drinking tea as well. You should drink tea while listening to this podcast (we recommend white).