A truly born and bred New Zealand creation never fails to excite us, but we have to admit, when we first heard about Homeland we were more than just intrigued.

In fact, we were almost overcome with emotion as we read deeper into the story behind the opening, and what exactly it’s inspired by.

Let us welcome you to Homeland, the brainchild of renowned New Zealand chef, Peter Gordon, and his partner, Alastair Carruthers. Previously, the pair were living abroad in London, prior to the global pandemic, but moved back home to New Zealand in March of 2020 to reconnect with their homeland. Seeing the wide-swept devastation Covid-19 brought to small businesses, Homeland was born – the food embassy for Aotearoa and The Pacific.

This is not just a restaurant with local suppliers, this is a purposely designed space to reconnect Kiwis back with their land via eating, creating, educating, sharing and bonding. Peter Gordon has spent more than 30 years sharing our kai with the rest of the world, but Homeland is where he brings it all back to where it started, to promote powerful, sustainable, and tradeable produce in NZ.

The goals and motivations of Homeland are to help Kiwi producers, growers, and small businesses who have been ravaged by the pandemic; The purpose is to boost local trade. Homeland aims to not only highlight fantastic local producers, but teach other members of communities how to prepare and nurture the produce so it can be appreciated at every step of the consumption cycle.

However, Homeland is not just a restaurant – the Westhaven Drive opening is space to dine, as well as a place to take cooking courses (in on-hands classrooms sponsored by Fisher and Paykel), a private events function space (whether that looks like a 50th birthday or a space to educate), and a community space (where you can book to spend the day swapping recipes and reconnecting with other members of the community).

The fantastic Nagaraju Sunkara has been appointed Head Chef of The Dining Room, carrying his experience over from SkyCity’s Sugar Club. The restaurant will spotlight different local producers seasonally, with the menu changing weekly at some points – meaning you can experience a brand new menu with every visit.

Rest assured you’re doing your part as a Kiwi when you dine at Homeland, with suppliers across Aotearoa and The Pacific shaping each menu item.

As an added exciting feature, there’d be a selection of Peter Gordon’s signature dishes from his successes around the world, including his famous Turkish Eggs with Aleppo chilli butter and Paua and Cheddar Toasted Sandwiches.

Peter and Alastair invite you to spend a business lunch, casual meal with your whānau, or sunset drinks with your dog at Homeland on the waterfront of Tāmaki Makau Rau.

The waterfront dining room is now available to book here, with more information about Homeland’s cooking school here. Homeland can be found at Pier 21, 11 Westhaven Drive, Auckland CBD.

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