We got lucky a few weeks ago when Dee from The Realness walked into our day job. After a chat about what the lovely kiwis were doing in Sydney, we ended up with a free ticket to the M.A.D. FEED Resilience episode at Carriageworks that night!

M.A.D. - taken from the  Danish word for food - is a nonprofit organization that brings together a global cooking community with a social conscience, a sense of curiosity, and an appetite for change.

Food is inseparable from some of the most pressing global challenges of our time. MAD inspires and educates the cooking community to find creative solutions and make a difference in their restaurants, communities, and the world at large.

Through its dynamic network, events, and media, MAD stimulates new conversations and perspectives; nurtures transformative ideas; and galvanizes the creative potential of the global cooking community.

Check out Dee's fab restaurant Coco's Cantina next time your in Auckland (their website is also a treat) Always pumping and full of cheer.

If you are hungry to discover a one-off local restaurant or café on your travels or in your own hometown then you need to check out The Realness - a website for people wanting to find owner-operated, independent eateries.

The Realness difference is that the people who own the business work in the business. All verified realness members use ethically sourced animal proteins and are free from corporate partnerships or deals that limit their practice in any way. The Realness eateries are for diners who value real experiences and are excited by the difference a personalised one-off eatery offers. our diners enjoy the discovery more than the varied opinions of review sites.

They have launched in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and will soon expand to incorporate eateries across the planet.

Thanks for the ticket love and the generosity of spirit from the speakers Kylie Kwong Indira Naidoo Graham Long from Wayside Chapel, Lydia Miller from Australia Council for the Arts, Josh Niland from Saint Peter and moderator Caroline Baum for facilitating so seamlessly.

We are now officially MAD converts.