Susy, Kim and Ray live in the North of New Zealand and are all passionate about tourism and have set up MealBook.nz as a way of connecting travellers with some of the wonderful kiwis who love to cook and share food.
As an adult Susy has built her own Bed and Breakfast lodge in Tutukaka.The Lighthouse Lookout Wedding Venue and BnB. She operates this with her husband Brett. It is from this that she recognised the gap for travellers.
Local cafes and restaurants were either fully booked or not open. Mealbook sprang into action. Susy pulled Kim in on it and eight months later Ray came aboard.
The Mealbook Team know that travellers want to experience the life of the locals and they know too that New Zealand is hiding some of the best cooks. These are the people who love our fantastic produce and love to share a meal.
Out of the three Susy is the most, outspoken but she is well balanced by Kim who is the steady as you go and Ray who quietly confirms and suggests .
Why and How did Mealbook come about
The Mealbook team: Kim, Susy, Gill and Ray
Last summer , 2015/2016 Susy and her husband had BnB guests fly direct from Boston, get off the plane at Auckland, into a car and head north.
They assumed they would dine that night at a local cafe or restaurant… Christmas Day…But not one eatery was open for Dinner Service. They ate at a McDonalds half an hour’s drive back into town.
Two days later Susy had a couple from the UK arrive. They were heading on to the Hokianga. “Where do we eat over there ” was posed .
This couple had booked accommodation off the beaten track. There was no cafe within a half hour radius.
And so the gap was recognised. Where do our travellers eat if they are staying in accommodation that has no local eatery close by. Many people want to get off the beaten track and there are some fabulous places to stay in NZ where there is no café for miles.
Do you like to cook and host people for meals – join up with Mealbook
There are international sites such as Bon Appetour that connect travellers with locals, but this is the first one I know of in New Zealand.
Leave a Reply