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.
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.
The RAAD® details are everywhere at Paris Butter - in the atmosphere, the attitude, the flavour, the care. We couldn’t be prouder to play even a small part in their story.
Paris Butter Collection
RAAD Story
RAAD® is a family business sprung from our desire to help you live a RAAD® life.
We’re passionate about making life simpler, kinder, more creative and filled with joyful moments. Living by these values forms a RAAD® life, it's what we instil in our family and it’s what drives us to create our addictively fragranced, empathetically crafted, formulations for home & body.
We’re problem solvers and creators. We think design can and should, inform everyday life. We’ve crafted the RAAD® experience this way and focused on simplifying daily tasks and making them meaningful choices.
Matt / Bec / Zoe / Issy
RAAD Fragrances
All RAAD® formulations feature one of our unique, discerning fragrances. Crafted in Grasse France, each scent is gender neutral, deeply addictive and designed to evoke positive emotions to cultivate memory connections.
We have created our fragrance portfolio to encourage meaningful choices for your home & body. Choose one signature scent, or select from our collection and align aroma to purpose, be it on your skin or wafting gently through your surroundings.
RAAD Products
Addictively Fragranced
Fragrance defines us. It’s the DNA within the RAAD® experience and it’s made for an under-valued sense that generates memory recall and cultivates memory making. It’s simple enjoyment. All of our scents are about coming home, home to live a RAAD® life.
Empathetically Crafted
A RAAD® life is forever. So everything we do has the future in mind to ensure generation after generation experience (and care for) the world in all its glory. Empathetically crafted means our process begins with empathy, thinking about the impact and the opportunity at every junction for every entity. We craft for the users, the makers, the planet today, the planet tomorrow.
RAAD Formulations
RAAD®’s plant based formulations are a blend
of nature’s finest and humanity’s best scientific developments.
Naturally Derived, Scientifically Proven.
Designed to be highly effective, nourishing
and insanely enjoyable thanks to a combination
of clinically proven ingredients and carefully curated active botanicals.
RAAD Future
To be truly RAAD®, it’s important to us that we reduce our impact on our beautiful planet.
To help conquer this, our bottles are glass, our vases are ceramic, our packaging is biodegradable, our shipping to you is carbon neutral, our refill pouches are recirculated and our ingredients are future friendly.
