Taste of Kiwiana in New York

This month New Zealand chef Mark Simmons, a former contestant on US television show Top Chef , opened Kiwiana in Park Slope, New York. The Village Voice spoke to Simmons about his new restaurant, hokey pokey ice cream, and the allure of a gas-station meat pie. “Obviously New Zealand cuisine is very close to my heart, and I wanted to bring something different to my neighbourhood,” Simmons said. “I wanted to create a dining room that small, homey, and intimate in ambiance – we’ve only got 4 seats.” Simmons explains what New Zealand food is about. “What I tell people is it’s mainly about the ingredients,” he says. “I just started working on pies, the kind that you get at the gas station for lunch. I wanted to elevate that concept, so I’m doing one with braised lamb shank, and a summer-vegetable pie with peas.” Simmons previously worked at New York restaurants Melt, Get Fresh Table & Market and Public.