in residencE
We are open every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evening from 5pm.
Across our regular days, we host guest chefs
and winemakers.
Roses is a unique approach to our culinary scene — one that opens the floor for spontaneity and experimentation. Roses looks to our hospitality friends who throw the best dinner parties and asks: what do you love to make and want to share with people?
Alongside tasty share plates, we have a ever-changing thoughtful drinks list focusing on low-intervention wines made with respect to the land by small, independent makers.
The duration of our residencies is ever-changing, sometimes we have a chef for just a few weeks and others we have for a few months! The best way to stay up to date with who we are currently hosting is via our Instagram or by signing up to our mailing list.
For the most part we invite our guest chefs and winemakers but if you are a bloody good cook or winemaker and want to do something with us, please do get in touch.
ABOUT OUR CURRENT CHEF
KANE WILSON
We didn’t meet Kane via Roses or hospo crossovers but more just as salivating fan girls of the swish plates he was slinging up online. I remember when we found him on the gram it felt like we had stumbled upon a diamond no one else had yet found! It didn’t take long for word to spread and let’s be real everyone wants a piece of the Kane pie.
There is something in the calmness that Kane speaks about food and cooking that made me thinking it had been in his bones since birth but I could not have been more wrong. Kane grew up in South Tamaki, spending as much time as he could doing adventure sports, he says he actually remembers consciously avoiding eating so he could spend a few more minutes on some wheels
It wasn’t until his early 20’s when he met his beautiful wife where his palette became truly excited. She is Cambodian and introduced Kane to a whole new world of flavour. In his mid 20’s the pair were in search of a shakeup and so they moved to Melbourne which happened to be a bit of a booming food Mecca at the time. Through exposure to the blossoming culinary scene that they lived amongst for what ended up being the next 15 years…alongside a huge amount of travel Kane began to fall in love with food.
All foreign countries can awaken a part of our taste soul, which countries do that for which people is a roll of the dice. For me its probably Italy, for Karl it’s Iran and Palestine and for Kane it was Scandinavia and then Japan. He was completely drawn to the way both these cultures respond to and respect produce. The scarce climates of Scandavania force people to truly work with the seasons and to make the most of the light and prepare for the dark. It was here where Kane learnt to understand the possibilities of preservation and fermentation and a completely different way of thinking about the life of a food. In Japan he fell for the philosophical approach to everything but also to food, he loved the commitment, the mastery, the respect for the process and the desire to hero single ingredients. There is always something to be said for simple is best.
During these years Kane began cooking and playing at home, the fire was most definitely ignited and he decided he wanted to find a way for food to take centre stage in his life. So after a working life very far from food, 8 years ago - whilst still working a full-time job in logistics - he started culinary night school. It took him a while to finish as he juggled a 200 hour week and although the training was predominately by what is now a “vintage style chef” and in a classic French style he appreciated learning all the bases, the science and getting a grasp on time and flow.
Once Kane had finished his training he landed his first ever job in hospo at Northen Lights - a Yakatori on Smith Street where he fell head over heel with all things grill. From he went on to work at Harley House, a Peruvian restaurant where he experienced all things fusion and learnt the joys of embracing things raw!
With a couple of gigs under his belt, Kane knew the next step was to give his own thing a go so he hired a little space in Collingwood and set up a long-term pop up doing a 6-course wine paired intimate dinner seating. It was a very small pretty ill-equid space but I think the best kitchens often are. Kane learnt a huge amount during this time (we all learn a lot the first time round eh team) but most importantly it gave him the opportunity to play with his own thing, I think that’s what we are all trying to do. His venture lasted a year and then covid hit and the pair decided to move home. Kane was following Dan (of Ragtag) who had posted about needing a chef. The pair met and Kane was offered the sous chef role where he has been since they opened.
I don’t know Dan personally but I am going to give him a little shout-out because Kane couldn’t speak more highly of him as a boss. Kane has always been transparent about wanting to grow his own thing and Dan has allowed and encouraged him to do as much as he can. This is the support we should all get from our employers! Nah but seriously I do love it when the BS doesn’t get in the way of people just doing their thang.
So! That's what Kane has been doing, mincing his little biz all over this town. Kane has what I will call intuitive precision. Shit is extremely tight but he doesn’t stress about how to get it there. Flavours are fresh, and interesting but not pretentious or mysterious beyond the point of yum. Kane is deep in his ferments and sauces, letting them change (like anything alive does) and working to the strengths of their evolution. He is about GOOD meat and GOOD vege and he is going to hero the shit out of their core qualities.
Even though we don’t know Kane well personally there is something about his story that makes me feel like a proud mom. It's harder to change direction as we get older, we lock into habits, security, and knowing and it takes a lot of strength and determination to steer the ship towards a new sea. Kane has something very distinct going on and we think you’ll taste his journey in every bite. You might have had his skewers but you haven’t had this menu!!! Excited to have this dude in our little house.