I’ve never actually met Iain Alexander in person. He reached out on Instagram just to say that he had been inspired by the chats on Conversation with a chef. At the time he was living in Melbourne and working for Scott Pickett, which is always going to go in someone’s favour, as far as I’m concerned. Then I looked at the photos of the food he was putting up on Instagram and I thought, this guy loves cooking. The next time I checked his feed, he was in Christchurch, my hometown, and that certainly piqued my interest some more. Caught up in lockdown, his plans to just stop over in New Zealand on the way to stages in the US and the Netherlands were more than a little thwarted. But from talking to Iain, I get the idea that he’s not someone who gives up easily and he is certainly not someone who will rest on their laurels and hope for the best. Iain has set up Hazel Dining, offering Christchurch diners an intimate dining experience in the comfort of their own home. Iain came out with some ideas that really made me think and I loved every minute of our conversation. I absolutely know you will too.