RAAD x Paris Butter

The RAAD® Details at Paris Butter

At RAAD®, our mission is to create exceptional goods with and for exceptional people - and few embody that ethos more than the team at Paris Butter.

RAAD x Paris Butter

The RAAD® Details at Paris Butter

At RAAD®, our mission is to create exceptional goods with and for exceptional people - and few embody that ethos more than the team at Paris Butter.

Tucked into the heart of Herne Bay, Paris Butter is co-founded by 2023/24 Cuisine NZ Chef of the Year Zennon Wijlens and longtime collaborator Chef Nick Honeyman. It’s a place where refined French technique meets unapologetically modern flair.

Zennon’s journey started in the dish pit of a Titirangi kitchen and led him through some of the most iconic restaurants on the planet. Along the way, he dined at 34 of the world’s Top 50 restaurants, sharpening his perspective and deepening his obsession with experience. Today, as Executive Chef and partner, he’s helped shape Paris Butter into one of Aotearoa’s most elevated dining destinations.

RAAD® co-founder Matt Saunders spent the prep avo & evening service with Zennon and front-of-house lead Ben Carmine to talk about what makes it all click - the RAAD® Details that move this place beyond fine dining, into something unforgettable.

WATCH FILM

So, what are the RAAD® Details at Paris Butter?

Zennon didn’t miss a beat:

“First and foremost — it’s the people. Absolutely the people.”

Then:
2. Ambience
3. The small details
4. Product
5. Story

Here’s how it all breaks down:

People

At Paris Butter, people are the experience. The chefs. The service crew. The farmers growing the produce, the ceramicists shaping the napkin holders, the wine merchants, the glassmakers - and yes, the guest amenity suppliers (thanks for the love).

But most of all, it’s the guests. The ones who show up every night and complete the picture. It's a melting pot of people who each bring their own energy to the room.

Ambience

It’s not just the people creating the vibe, they’re one note in the symphony of a cleverly crafted piece with many instruments.

There’s lighting: softly diffused, precisely angled to spotlight each table just enough, never harsh, never distracting. Mirrors catch glints and bounce them through velvet-draped corners. The table spacing is deliberate - close enough to feel connected, far enough to feel like your moment is yours alone.

The soundtrack? A crisply curated Paris Butter Spotify playlist (sexy, moody, considered, we've had it set on repeat at RAAD® HQ) and the warm, genuine banter between the crew as they work their magic.

The Small Details

This is where it gets obsessive. The suede on the chairs? All brushed in the same direction. The plates and tableware? Hand-made by stunning local ceramicist Kirsten Dryburgh. The hand wash in the bathroom? That’ll be ours - locally made, refillable, addictive.

Every table has a handbag stool. Every guest is briefed in. Who are they? What’s the occasion? What detail can the team amplify to take it from ‘lovely night out’ to 'night they’ll never forget?' Nothing is too small to make a difference and it all adds up.

Product

When we asked Zennon about product, he was clear:

“Every dish has to earn its place.”

It’s precise, expressive and emotionally loaded. With a feast for the eyes as much as the taste buds, the menu is evolution style and ebbs and flows with seasonal availability and the teams creativity.

Nothing is plated for show. It’s flavour first, driven by story and backed by unapologetic technique. The desserts are to die for.

Story

The story is the thread that runs through everything here at Paris Butter and it always comes back to people.

The team operates like an F1 pit crew: synced, efficient and pushing for greatness. But there's heart in the hustle. Zennon, Nick and Ben nurture creativity like it’s part of the menu - because it is.

Ideas are welcomed, trialled, celebrated, such as the croissant cocktail we tried while filming created by service team member Vincent that had debuted that week. Divine.

Hierarchy exists, of course, but so does opportunity. The result is a culture that’s as energised behind the pass as it is in the dining room.

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RAAD x Paris Butter

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WATCH FILM

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