In this episode of Bacon Butty, Daniel sits down with Chetan Pangam — executive chef at One80 Restaurant in Wellington, Beef + Lamb NZ ambassador, and one of the driving forces in shaping hotel dining into something uniquely Kiwi.

Chetan takes us from his childhood in southern India — growing up in a home where discipline came from his father and generosity came from his mother’s cooking — through his time at boarding school, where he first learned discipline, resilience, and how to secretly cook after lights out. He recalls his early hotel training in Bangalore and New Delhi, his meteoric rise through five-star kitchens, and the turning point that brought him to New Zealand.

We talk about his philosophy of flavour as emotion, his role in elevating Wellington’s food scene, and his back-to-back Burger Wellington wins with creations that tell his family’s story. Along the way, he shares how he balances tradition and innovation, why loyalty matters, and how food is always about people, memories, and love.

Want to see Chetan’s bacon butty creation? Head to www.ripplmedia.co.nz for photos.

Special thanks to our sponsors:
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Bacon Butty is made by Rippl Media — Daniel Todd, Karli Mitchell (Get Content.nz), Helen Lea Wall (Get Content.nz), and Sofia Wenborn.