Spilling the tea ft. Jesse's Teahouse

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"? Follow Kate on Instagram here.Find out more about Appetite for Words and sign up for $1/week.

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). Follow Ate Ate Ate on Instagram.Follow Sam on Instagram.Follow Jean on Instagram.

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).Follow Jesse's Teahouse on InstagramFollow Ate Ate Ate on Instagram

Hello! We're baaaaaack! Sam and Jean take to the microphone once again for Season 2 of Ate Ate Ate, alongside returning guest Emily Contois (professor, author, food expert extraordinaire).In this episode, we talk about what the hell is going on in the food world in 2025, including the rise of Ozempic (including brozempic), protein in everything, how politics is affecting food culture, and more. There's general chit-chat about what we're looking forward to in this new year, the realisation that we don't really eat out at restaurants as much (though we still LOVE to, obviously) and we talk about what we want to do more of.Hope you enjoy!

We sign off for the year in our finale episode, where we talk about everything from the best things we ate, our highlights of 2024, and where the fuck is this podcast going in 2025? IN for 2025: - more interesting breakfasts - more tasty non-alcoholic drink options - a congee pop-up - making money from this podcast (you'll find out in this ep, it's really on our mind) - giving sam a television show (lol) - more ate ate ate! Follow Ate Ate Ate on Instagram Download our zine!

In this episode, we make a version of juk (Korean rice porridge) for Steven Park, who is a multidisciplinary artist behind the label 6x4. He has a lot to say about the ethical and environmental ramifications of the fashion industry, his relationship to being a maker, and how he forages for his textile practice - and his food. For a special one-off season, Sam Low and Jean Teng talk to four Artists Who Eat, making a dish in response to their work, discussing how food intersects with their practice, and having a general kõrero about their relationship to food. This episode is made thanks to funding from Foundation North. P.S. We also made a zine!! If you want to read Artists Who Eat in zine form, you can download the free PDF from our website ⁠⁠⁠ate-ate-ate.co.nz⁠⁠⁠. (See the food art response we made for Steven in the zine!) ⁠Follow 6x4 online.⁠ Find out more about Steven's work. ⁠⁠⁠Follow Ate Ate Ate on Instagram.⁠

In this episode, we make banana roti for brunelle dias, a painter from India who is drawn to colour, light, and illuminating the sacred in the every day. For a special one-off season, Sam Low and Jean Teng talk to four Artists Who Eat, making a dish in response to their work, discussing how food intersects with their practice, and having a general kõrero about their relationship to food. This episode is made thanks to funding from Foundation North. P.S. We also made a zine!! If you want to read Artists Who Eat in zine form, you can download the free PDF from our website ⁠⁠ate-ate-ate.co.nz⁠⁠. (If you want to see the food art response we made for brunelle, you'll find it in the zine!) Follow brunelle dias. ⁠⁠Follow Ate Ate Ate on Instagram.⁠

In this episode, we make rou jia mo for Tony Guo, a painter that grew up in Northeast China and moved to Aotearoa when he was 12 (by himself!). For a special one-off season, Sam Low and Jean Teng talk to four Artists Who Eat, making a dish in response to their work, discussing how food intersects with their practice, and having a general kõrero about their relationship to food. This episode is made thanks to funding from Foundation North. P.S. We also made a zine!! If you want to read Artists Who Eat in zine form, you can download the free PDF from our website ⁠ate-ate-ate.co.nz⁠. (If you want to see the food art response we made for Tony, you'll find it in the zine!) ⁠Follow Tony Guo⁠. See more of Tony's art here. ⁠Follow Ate Ate Ate on Instagram.⁠