‘Love Bites’ showcase diversity of city’s chefs
Hamilton’s food scene has dedicated the month of August to tasty bites inspired by everything from nostalgic feelings to the cultural wonders of the world.
Love Bites Hamilton is a month-long event that celebrates a wide range of foods, and brings communities together.
The event has brought over 30 local eateries together to develop a bite sized menu item, exploring the tastes of the world and encouraging others to explore the diversity the city has to offer.
It’s not just the evening restaurants, many of the city’s daytime cafes have jumped on board.
Chef Gauram Patel of Markyles Cafe, created a love bite “Gulab Juman”.
“We wanted to do something different that no one else was doing. It’s popular in India so I thought, let’s just do it.”
Patel said that Love Bites was the perfect opportunity to share their culture with a wide community of people and to make something that will make people want to keep coming back.
Robin Moo, owner of Moo’s Table, chose to partake in Love Bites to have the experience of doing something new in the city.
“It’s nice to belong to a group of people. You cannot miss an opportunity like this, it’s a great opportunity to show everyone what you are capable of”.
Moo ended up in Hamilton after a friend of his moved here and encouraged him to follow from Australia.
Similarly to Moo, French born Samantha Wiria used Love Bites as an opportunity to share her culture with others after growing up in Bordeaux.
Wiria first opened her authentic French restaurant, Le Rendez Vous in 2023 after arriving in New Zealand in 2018.
“It’s a great opportunity to be showcased with all of the other local eateries and to be more widely recognised.”
Dots & Winnies chef Laura Pritchard drew inspiration for her Love Bite from nostalgia and her grandmother, Dot.
“I went through Dot’s recipe book and what would you know? Cinnamon Oyster!”.
Pritchard recalls her mother telling her about how she used to have them all the time.
“Dot used to make them all the time, with people coming over for morning tea”.
Pritchard and her husband named the cafe after their grandmothers, describing a feeling of comfort the food provides them.
Dave Murray, the owner of Mr Twist says he joined Love Bites to give the community the option of something affordable, but still tasty for people to enjoy.
He also stated that he thought it was a good way to bring more people into the CBD to learn about the different eatery spots in Hamilton.
Murray has always focused on what the community would enjoy, recalling older memories of putting on movie nights when they first opened.
“We would do themed ice creams for events like Christmas and others.”
Love Bites Hamilton is on for the whole month and is open to all. See the participating restaurants and cafes here
