Designed to surprise and delight.

Our multi-course menus weave together edible artistry, story telling and provenance. Our fine dining feasts are delivered to your plates by our world-class chefs, with an emphasis on service and faultless hospitality.

Mamma Mia! Italian Cooking Class
May
11
to 12 May

Mamma Mia! Italian Cooking Class

Introducing 'Mamma Mia', a delightful one-off Mother's Day  collaboration between Kitchen Takeover and Italian chef Stefano from Autentico Cooking.  

Under Stefano's expert guidance, this is your chance to learn new recipes, skills, and techniques, as you cook your own gnocchi and tiramisu, all while toasting to amore with a complimentary glass of prosecco. At the end of the class, you’ll then gather round the table to enjoy your culinary creations together. Who’s the hidden capocuoca of the family? 

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Taiao with Kārena and Kasey Bird  | Tāmaki Makaurau
May
16
to 26 May

Taiao with Kārena and Kasey Bird | Tāmaki Makaurau

  • Taumata o Kupe at Te Mahurehure Marae (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

It's the ultimate culinary combination of award winners and master chefs. Now the team behind Taiao: Food of the Gods is hitting Tāmaki Makaurau for the first time, after rave reviews and sold-out seasons in Bay of Plenty and Wellington.

Kārena and Kasey Bird and Kitchen Takeover have joined forces again with a six-course, multi-sensory journey of flavours, aromas and sound from Thursday 16th - Sunday 26th May.

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Truffle Experiences with Te Puke Truffles
May
25
to 28 Jul

Truffle Experiences with Te Puke Truffles

Tempted by tantalising truffles? This could be your final opportunity - Kitchen Takeover, Te Puke Truffles and St Amand have teamed up to offer a rare and memorable experience bringing together the best of the Bay of Plenty’s produce and people.

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Five Go Wild with Food | Flavours of Plenty Festival
Apr
13

Five Go Wild with Food | Flavours of Plenty Festival

Bay of Plenty's own famous five fabulous foodies collaborate in a Kitchen Takeover special.

Join Kārena and Kasey Bird (MasterChef), Ian Harrison (Sugo), Neil Sapitula (Solera & Saltwater) and Perrin Yates (Sailor, Hide and Brew Co.) as they each create their own dish, using mystery box ingredients, then bring it all together to create a five-course degustation feast.

This is one collaboration not to miss!

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Mead and a Feed | Flavours of Plenty Festival
Apr
5
to 14 Apr

Mead and a Feed | Flavours of Plenty Festival

Here's your chance to bee inspired by one of Kitchen Takeover's epic foodie collaborations! We’ve paired with hundreds of thousands of hard-working honey bee helpers and you're invited to our sumptuous two-course à la carte lunch with optional three-mead tasting paddle and honey infused cocktails. It’ll bee delicious!

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Speakeasy Supper | Tauranga Jazz Festival
Mar
29
to 31 Mar

Speakeasy Supper | Tauranga Jazz Festival

Dust off your finest fedoras and pearls and sashay your way inside Tauranga’s most exquisite 1920s venue.

Kitchen Takeover and St Amand on The Strand are set to transport you into the heart of a New York Speakeasy supper club in all its sumptuous, secretive allure.

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Burns Supper
Jan
25
to 27 Jan

Burns Supper

Clans o Tauranga! Hae we git a pure lovely feast fur ye!

Kitchen Takeover and St Amand on The Strand are delighted to present a culinary celebration of Scotland, with the inaugural Burns Supper from January 25-27.

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Pop-up Pours
Jan
11
to 3 Feb

Pop-up Pours

Kitchen Takeover's first event of 2024 celebrates summer and new beginnings, with a seasonal event designed to expand your love of local produce and wines.

We've selected our favourite vintages from events and explorations over the past year and are pairing them with seasonal and fresh tasting plates at Tauranga's newest venue, St Amand on The Strand. Pick your plates and find your wine or let us take you on a blind-tasting adventure!

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Christmas Carnaval
Nov
16
to 22 Dec

Christmas Carnaval

Can you feel the samba shake your hips? Will you lose control as the delectable bounties of Brazil bounce across your senses? Are you ready for Rio?

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Edible AI: Chef vs ChatGPT
Sep
9
to 10 Sep

Edible AI: Chef vs ChatGPT

For this short pop-up, we stepped into the realm of culinary innovation as we explored the true capabilities of AI in the culinary universe.

Our Kitchen Takeover Executive Chef, Shane Yardley, squared off against ChatGPT in the ultimate culinary showdown of Chef vs ChatGPT…

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Taiao: Wellington on a Plate
May
11
to 21 May

Taiao: Wellington on a Plate

This edition of Kitchen Takeover saw the team hit the road for the first time to take on the largest food festival in the Southern hemisphere – Visa Wellington On a Plate. For two weeks we showcased our award winning event – Taiao with Kārena and Kasey Bird.

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Ki Tua with Kārena & Kasey
Mar
11
to 2 Apr

Ki Tua with Kārena & Kasey

Kārena and Kasey Bird and the Kitchen Takeover team served up a five course degustation that transported diners into the immersive world of Māori Atua. Through audio clips, Kārena and Kasey’s Mother guided us all on a culinary journey explaining the course, the wine match and the deity which inspired the dish.

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Joyeux Noel
Nov
10
to 22 Dec

Joyeux Noel

Kitchen Takeover’s Christmas pop up “Joyeux Noel” transported diners to “The City of Lights” for a five course French feast by culinary creatives Shane Yardley and Ian Harrison.

The secret Tauranga venue was transformed into a Parisian Wonderland, with a 5m Christmas tree, rich red velvet curtains, and secret Santa presents for all.

Ooh lala!

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Christmas in the Caribbean
Nov
11
to 18 Dec

Christmas in the Caribbean

Our truly tropical treat delivered a six-course degustation that captured the distinctive flavours of a region that is known as the melting pot of so many cultures, from Indoamerican to French, Chinese to Spanish. Succulent seafood, mouthwatering marinades, and tempting tropical fruits transported guests to our delicious destination? Stop it, Jamaica me hungry!

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East of the Middle
Aug
20
to 16 Oct

East of the Middle

Kitchen Takeover’s East of the Middle bought the flavours of Arabia to the plate, with a tongue-tingling spice trail, working its way from the souks of Syria to the markets of Marrakesh.

Our culinary caravan menu captured the depth and mystery of the region that gave us poetry and romance. Our chefs interpreted the enigmas of the East, by blending modern techniques with traditional flavours and delectable food.

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Let It Snow
Nov
18
to 20 Dec

Let It Snow

“Find the ice skates… and you’ll discover our festive pop-up at the end of the alleyway where the present wrapped door awaits you…” Let It Snow, our 2020 Chirstmas pop-up upended yuletide with a December pop-up degustation feast of next-level foodie festivity. International chef Shane Yardley served up a heavenly reinvention of traditional Chrissy fare.

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Eat Your Memories
Oct
22
to 15 Nov

Eat Your Memories

Nana’s Sunday roast with all the trimmings, rice bubble square, or the double-scoop hokey pokey ice cream dripping down your arm at the beach.

For Kitchen Takeover’s, Eat Your Memories, we crowd-sourced fond food flashbacks from our culinary customers and turned them into a six course delectable degustation to transport you to another time and place.

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Hunter Gatherer
Mar
29
to 27 Jun

Hunter Gatherer

For 90 percent of human history, hunter gatherers roamed the earth. Collecting native plants, pursuing wild animals and unlocking the power of fire, their lives were defined by an endless hunt for sustenance.

Kitchen Takeover, Hunter Gather took diners on a journey of 1.6 million years, harnessing the taste buds of our ancestors.

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Secret Garden
Sep
26
to 3 Oct

Secret Garden

In September 2019, Kitchen Takeover tackled a plant-based theme to showcase the power of plants. Guest hikes the herbivorian highway to discover how a lowly turnip could top a T-bone. International chef Shane Yardley was pushed to his limits to deliver a six course menu that revealed the hidden depths of plants. We crept up the path, peeked behind the door and explored the hidden corners of the world’s secret garden, with a fine-dining, taste-tangling trip of a lifetime.

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Vietnam
Feb
25
to 11 Mar

Vietnam

On a balmy Sunday evening at the end of February 2018, 24 strangers gathered for an intimate evening together for the first Kitchen Takeover. Diners were treated to a 10 course rickshaw ride of flavours served under the stars at Spongedrop Cakery in Mount Maunganui. Collaborations with On My Hand’s for styling and Spongedrop for the final dessert course added the finishing touches to our taste adventure.

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