Our Mission is to reduce food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Humans spend an enormous amount of time and resources producing food. Yet around one-third of the food we produce globally does not end up in our stomachs. In New Zealand, the majority of it ends up in landfills, where it breaks down without oxygen and releases harmful greenhouse gases like methane that contribute to global warming.
When we throw away this food, we are throwing away all of the inputs required to produce it. Colossal amounts of oil, water, and labour are being wasted - our planet is fragile and we simply cannot afford for this to continue.
At the same time, it is estimated that globally one billion people are going hungry. And this is happening right here in New Zealand. A 2014 global survey found one in six Kiwis ran out of money for food, meaning we have one of the worst food poverty problems in the developed world.
Our society is becoming increasingly fragmented, we don't know our neighbours. We need more opportunities to come together, with people from different walks of life, to build community and get to know each other.
We recognise these problems have the ability to solve each other. We take perfectly good food that would otherwise go to waste and use it to feed people suffering food poverty. By inviting anyone and everyone to join us for a meal in a welcoming space, at shared tables, served by friendly volunteers we are able to bring communities together, allowing people to get to know each other and build trust.
Too much food
Humans waste around one-third of the food we produce. 1.3 Billion tonnes of perfectly good food, worth over One Trillion dollars.
Not enough food
At the same time over one billion people are going hungry. Recent studies show that in New Zealand 1 in 6 people don't have enough to eat.
Disconnected
Communities are increasingly fragmented. We don't know our neighbours anymore. Social Isolation is a significant and growing problem.
We serve restaurant quality, three-course meals, prepared by volunteer chefs, from perfectly good food that would otherwise go to waste.
Founder & General Manager
Nick loves food and is passionate about bringing people together around food. He was first exposed to the enormous amount of food we waste while undertaking research for his Master’s Degree in Green Economics. He saw prime cuts of red meat, fresh avocado, even whole wheels of cheese all just simply thrown away. On this journey Nick visited 12 projects in the UK and Spain, learning the various ways these initiatives are affecting change in the food system. When he returned home, Nick knew he wanted to do something to help solve the problems of food waste and food poverty in New Zealand. Everybody Eats was born.
Manager Everybody Eats Onehunga
Amanda has a strong background in hospitality and events and is passionate about food and wine. Amanda has always enjoyed the social aspect of working in hospitality and bringing people together over food and music. Wanting to fill her spare time with something meaningful, Amanda signed up to volunteer, and loved it. When the project expanded she became part of the team managing the temporary site in Avondale. These days Amanda manages our restaurant in Onehunga where she runs services and coordinates the diverse family of volunteers who come together to help bring joy to the community through food served with love.
Head Chef
Jamie, originally from Kent in the UK moved here 10 years ago after coming over for a holiday. He fell in love with the produce and way of life. Jamie worked with some of New Zealand's top chefs before leaving the restaurant scene to co-found award winning sustainable food truck Judge Bao. Jamie first found out about Everybody Eats from a friend; he loved the idea, so signed up to cook at the Gemmayze St pop-up immediately. After working in commercial kitchens, seeing all the food waste, it made him wonder how he could do more. Having already cooked for Everybody Eats a lot, Jamie felt it was a perfect opportunity to jump on board and make a difference.
Gemmayze St Monday Pop-Up Manager
Growing up in her family's adventure tourism business meant ensuring people have an amazing experience has been instilled in Aimee from a young age. She studied Tourism Management at University and quickly found her passion as an Events Manager. She missed being ‘front-of-house’ so signed up as a volunteer with Everybody Eats to get her weekly hospitality fix. She’s been the Gemmayze St Manager since January 2019 and does a stellar job of managing volunteers, rescuing food and greeting guests each Monday. Aimee is happy to say she doesn’t suffer from ‘Monday Dread’ as she genuinely loves what Everybody Eats is all about.
Board Member & Consultant
Sophie lives and breathes food and hospitality. She’s been waitressing at many of Auckland's best restaurants from 17 years old; co-founded multi-site free range rotisserie chicken concept Bird On A Wire; and most recently honed her cooking skills at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland. One of the resounding lessons from her time at Ballymaloe was the utmost respect that our food deserves - where it’s come from, who has grown it and what it does for our bodies. Sophie applies skills from her time in commercial litigation, as a Board Member of hospitality industry charity Dine Aid and as a hospitality operator to advise and empower Everybody Eats to execute its mission.
Accountant
Julie is a qualified accountant and a great home cook (qualified by three daughters). Julie heard about Everybody Eats at a fundraiser where Nick was a guest speaker. Wanting to give back and having worked in Chartered Accountancy and Consultancy roles for many years, she volunteered her accounting skills. Julie enjoys working for such a relevant cause and admires the Everybody Eats teams energy and passion for what they do. Having been involved in a community budgeting service for several years, she has gained insight into the struggles that many in our community face, as well as increasing her awareness of the impact food waste has on our environment.