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Getting to know Cuisine editor

No one knows food and the people who grow it, produce it, cook it and love it like Kelli Brett. An award-winning food journalist, author and broadcaster, Kelli is editor and owner of New Zealand’s iconic and much-loved food and wine magazine ‘Cuisine’ and director of Slick & Sassy Media Ltd. Kelli brings to the table a vast knowledge of the hospitality and media industry and a fierce dedication to promoting the evolving New Zealand food culture to the world, with a view to claiming a place for New Zealand as a premium food and drink destination.

Kelli delivers and entertains within diverse audience and event environments from intimate Q&A sessions to intense panel discussions, MC and keynote speaker. With a keen interest for fashion, trends, science, technology and nostalgia all looped together through the things that we eat and drink, Kelli can bring an authentic and fresh approach to a vast array of topics and connect audiences through her passion for vivid and vibrant story-telling. After all, everyone’s got to eat!

Available for:

  • MC
  • Panel Discussions
  • Judging
  • Keynote Presentations
  • Endorsements where appropriate

Here’s your chance to learn more about New Zealand’s award-winning food journalist

When and where did your love of food start?
Watching the power my mother wielded from behind her canape trays at her dinner parties and realising the joy and connection that can be created through the sharing of food.

What is your favourite dish to cook yourself?
Cooking time is precious and a luxury for me so it is always the opportunity to try out something new. (my poor family…)

What is one of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to food?
With regard to cooking: Timing
With regard to the food we eat: Our biggest mistake is the current perception of value. We don’t value our food enough.

Who are the three people you would invite to a dinner party, living or dead?
George Clooney, Marcus Pierre White and Anthony Bourdain – Sorry, it’s all about me.

What was the biggest career (or life) lesson you have learnt so far?
Trust your gut, stick to your vision and back yourself.

What is your favourite story you’ve ever written?

Always the latest one. I’m very privileged to be in a position now where I don’t have to create content unless I love it. However, this conversation was probably one of the most fun. What was supposed to be a 1-hour interview turned into a 4-hour lunch with one of the world’s most famous chefs…
https://www.cuisine.co.nz/bloomin-heck/

What are your aspirations for the next five years?
To put New Zealand on the global map as a premium food and drink destination and to learn how to make a really good sponge. I’ve lived in too many countries and used too many different ovens to be able to blame the oven anymore.

What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
I would sometimes much rather have a grilled cheese sandwich and a glass of wine than a 9-course degustation. Sometimes…

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