Tales from the Pass: Stacey Jones

In this episode, we chatted with Stacey Jones, an award-winning event creative and marketer with over 20 years of experience blending food, innovation, and community. Stacey shares how childhood memories of making meringues with her mum sparked her love for food and bringing people together. She takes us through her career journey, from working in advertising agencies to founding her ventures, Kitchen Takeover and Secret Sauce, where she creates bespoke culinary experiences that delight and inspire. She also discusses her newest venture, The Only Table. We also explored how Stacey turns meals into unforgettable experiences, her advocacy for using indigenous ingredients in New Zealand cuisine, and her approach to designing shareable, memorable moments for diners. She opens up about the challenges and rewards of running a creative business, the importance of self-care and work-life balance, and the ways she fosters creativity and connection in everything she does. Whether you're passionate about food, hospitality, or creativity, Stacey's insights and stories offer inspiration for anyone looking to bring people together through memorable experiences. Don't forget to subscribe for more inspiring conversations. The Restaurant Association is the link between good food and good business. It supports New Zealand's diverse and creative hospitality businesses to deliver first-class experiences to diners. Since its humble beginnings in 1972, it has worked to offer advice, help and assistance in every facet of the vibrant and diverse hospitality industry. The organisation now represents, advocates and cheerleads for more than 2500 hospitality businesses within New Zealand. It offers advice and assistance on key industry issues, from property lease advice to wellness in the workplace. The Association also provides its members with industry-wide accreditation programmes, which set best practice standards and help them measure how they're tracking. It also works in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development to deliver the Hospostart and Springboard training programmes.