Eat Well for Less NZ

Chef and restaurateur Michael Van de Elzen is perhaps best known for presenting the high-rating television series The Food Truck, and is one of New Zealand’s best-known chefs. After a period working as a chef in the United Kingdom, New Zealand-born Van de Elzen returned to New Zealand in the late 1990s, and in 2003 opened the award-winning restaurant Molten, in Auckland’s Mount Eden, with his wife Belinda. Molten won both the Metro and the Cuisine Restaurant of the Year award. He subsequently sold the restaurant, and in addition to writing cookbooks and starring in The Food Truck, worked on several culinary projects. His Food Truck Garage restaurant opened in Auckland in May 2013 and was an instant success. His first book, The Molten Cookbook, won Gourmand’s 2011 Best First Cookbook award, and was described by The Press’s award-winning food writer Kate Fraser as ‘a chef’s cookbook’. Cuisine magazine said of The Molten Cookbook: ‘Chefs often don’t manage to make the transition of writing for the domestic cook, so it’s pleasing to see a cookbook where the recipes have been tweaked to make them as accessible as possible without losing any of their heart.' The New Zealand Herald’s Viva magazine called the first Food Truck Cookbook ‘a must’ which ‘made us smile as much as it made our tastebuds tingle’. The Sunday Star-Times declared it ‘a fun book, with quirky ideas and will provide inspiration in any Kiwi kitchen’. Mike lives in Auckland his wife Belinda and their two young daughters, Hazel and Ivy. For more about Mike see vandeelzen.com

With his entertaining, hilarious presenting style, and infectious passion for food, restaurateur Ganesh Raj, of The Tasting Shed fame (Cuisine Magazine’s Best Restaurants of New Zealand, and Metro Top 50 Restaurant list for the last five years), is one of New Zealand’s most experienced hosts, both in television and live events. Having hosted his own television programmes on MTV Asia and ESPN for over a decade, as well as being featured on TVNZ’s Good Morning, Family Recipes, and Neighbourhood, Ganesh literally brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. Recipient for two years running of Metro Magazine’s Restaurant Personality of the Year, as well as live hosting renowned events like Taste of Auckland, Winetopia, and the Auckland Writers Festival, Ganesh creates a wonderful rapport with audiences of all ages, showcasing his love of life, and unique take on all things delicious. Ganesh is currently the co-host of ‘Eat Well for Less NZ’ on TV ONE and host of his own channel ‘The Humble Yum Yum’ on Youtube and on TVNZ On Demand.