Meet Nick, the entrepeneur, founder and special human ensuring that everybody can eat in the heart of Tāmaki Makaurau.
Get to know and understand the 'WHY' behind this awesome charity. We are looking forward to supporting this great cause. Don't forget to book in for Friday's session now and in the meantime, enjoy Nick's interview.
In a few words, describe what EVERYBODY EATS is?
A charitable dining concept that feeds bellies, not bins.
Do you remember the moment that made you want to start EVERYBODY EATS?
When I saw a $500 wheel of blue cheese come out of a dumpster in the UK.
Tell us one successful story you have had with EVERYBODY EATS.
We've been super lucky to win a few awards including one at The Kiwibank NZ'er of the year which was pretty humbling.
Tell us one embarrassing moment you’ve had with EVERYBODY EATS.
I've had to do a bit of public speaking for EE and there have been a few times that I've gotten so into what I'm saying that I've completely lost my place and had to pause for what at the time feels like minutes. During one speech I apologised to the crowd who thought I was taking a break to stop myself from crying, luckily they clapped and cheered until I found my spot.
If I want to support you, what can I do?
Dine at our restaurants, volunteer at our restaurants or if you can't do either of those become a regular donor - every $5 we receive feeds another hungry kiwi. You can donate directly through our website.
What is your wish for EVERYBODY EATS and all the volunteers for the next 2 years?
We'd like to grow, ideally adding 2 new restaurants which will allow us to impact new communities and bring on a bunch of awesome volunteers.
If you were prime minister tomorrow, what would be the first thing you would put in place?
I'd ban people talking about politics - pretending they know better with silver bullet retrospective fixes to massive global problems. I'd ask everyone who wants to criticise to spend that time getting on with it; educating themselves, making better decisions to reduce their environmental footprint, volunteering and supporting people and organisations making a difference to the causes they believe in.
You are a true advocate of healthy food, what does physical health represent to you?
Over the last 10 years I've started to realise and understand the link between physical and mental health. To be mentally healthy, we need to be physically healthy and vice versa. When I am feeling down, frustrated or angry it is often because I haven't been active enough physically, I've not been meditating regularly or I've been eating poorly. To stay healthy when we are busy can also be a challenge, so it's also important not to beat ourselves up if we need to just relax or enjoy ourselves sometimes.
From 1 to 10, how excited are you to participate in the FAT GIVE BACK class on Friday 10/06?
I've heard a lot about FAT and haven't really done any or many group workouts before so I'm going to temper my enthusiasm and say 9.
What is your favourite exercise move?
Sitting very still, closing my eyes and focussing on my breath. I also love pigeon pose.