Kāpiti – A Portrait Through Food and Drink is less a conventional cookbook and more a love letter to the Kāpiti Coast told through recipes, photography, and personal stories.
Created by award winning photographer Joanna Piatek with publisher/Sagafare, the book profiles around 33 local cafés, food producers, restaurants, and culinary personalities from Paekākāriki to Ōtaki.
What makes the book stand out is its sense of place. Rather than focusing solely on recipes, it captures the identity of the Kāpiti Coast through storytelling and imagery. The photography is consistently one of its strongest elements — warm, atmospheric, and grounded in local character. Piatek’s background as a professional photographer shows in the way food, landscapes, and people are framed. The result feels intimate rather than polished-for-marketing.
The structure also works well for readers who enjoy “food culture” books more than technical cookbooks. Each section combines: a local personality or business, a short narrative about their connection to Kāpiti, recipes tied to their story, and photography that reinforces the region’s coastal, community-oriented atmosphere.
The recipes themselves appear approachable rather than chef-level ambitious. They function almost as souvenirs of the people featured rather than the central attraction. Readers looking for a dense recipe collection or advanced culinary instruction may find it lighter than expected, but readers interested in regional food identity will likely appreciate the balance.
One of the book’s strengths is how authentically local it feels. It avoids turning Kāpiti into a generic tourism brochure. Instead, it highlights the region’s producers, cafés, hospitality culture, and creative community. The creators explicitly intended it as something visitors or locals could “take away” as a representation of the region beyond scenic landscapes alone.
Overall, the book succeeds best as a beautifully produced regional portrait — somewhere between a cookbook, photographic essay, and cultural snapshot. If you enjoy books that connect food with geography, local identity, and personal stories, it’s an appealing and sincere project. Fans of New Zealand regional culture, food tourism, and café culture will probably get the most from it.
Jo Piatek says part of every book sale contributes to KaiBosh.
Books may be purchased from: www.byfriday.co.nz/book
