Have a listen to the second episode of CUISINE BITES where we take you beyond the beautiful pages of Cuisine Magazine and our digital platforms to experience the stories behind our food and drink through the intimacy of audio.

First up our ‘Crispy Bits’ will bring you up to date on fashion, trends and happenings with regards to New Zealand food and drink news.

We are delighted to partner with Ferment Festival Auckland, an event for the little guys, run by the little guys. Festival organiser Connal Finlay promises it will have you fizzing with excitement over a diverse range of artisan producers and fermenting experts. It’s on Sat 23rd and Sun 24th March 2019 in The Cloud, 10-4pm both days. www.ferment.co.nz

Visa Wellington on a Plate is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever this year and festival director Sarah Meikle fills us in on why you will need a large pair of stretchy pants to attend New Zealand’s biggest culinary extravaganza this August.www.visawoap.com

And the Plate of Origin competition is underway now until the 16th of March. I’ve got the lowdown for you from the 16 incredibly talented NZ chefs competing, on the tastes and textures that will be making mouths water on participating Manawatu restaurant menus over the next few weeks. www.plateoforigin.co.nz

Lauraine Jacobs is my special guest on CUISINE BITES this week. Lauraine is a past president of Food Writers New Zealand, the food columnist for the NZ Listener magazine and an internationally respected food and drink writer and author. Fiercely passionate about New Zealand food and in particular the promotion of regional food and artisan producers, Lauraine also just happens to have been a senior food editor for Cuisine Magazine. I hope you’ll have a listen as Lauraine shares some of her delicious stories from the past and her thoughts about the brilliant future of the New Zealand food story.