In a humble kitchen nestled in the heart of a creative arts community, Quarry Arts Centre in Whangarei, there’s a woman who doesn’t just cook — she creates and nourishes. Amber Wallace, of Amber’s Kitchen, is a woman led by heart, fuelled by humour, terrifyingly honest and stirred by something deeper than slapping food on plates to make a buck!
Amber grew up in a family where food was language, love, and lineage. With a matriarch who could rule the kitchen blindfolded and a brother crafting dishes in top-tier Sydney restaurants, the flame of culinary passion was kindled early. But it wasn’t until her brother became terminally ill that Amber felt her calling ignite. “It was like something woke up inside me,” she says. “I knew I had to be in the kitchen. I knew food was going to be my way to serve.
Diagnosed as a type one diabetic, she didn’t let it become a limitation. Instead, it became her lighthouse. “Being diabetic is a gift,” she says. “It makes me pay attention. It makes me intentional. It connects me more deeply to the food I eat and serve.”
The ethos of Amber’s Kitchen — fresh, local, yum, affordable and accessible to all. Think seasonal produce straight from the local market, local producers of quality coffee (Turning Point) and bread (All you Knead), created into wholesome, vibrant meals by a woman who uses her fine arts degree to create beautiful plates. Amber’s actual kitchen is basic with a tiny induction cooktop she creates magic daily. “I’m a solutions person; there is always a way” says Amber with one of her mischievous grins.
While the world chases perfect presentation and profit margins, she leans into authenticity. “I’ve learned to sit comfortably in my skin,” she reflects. That self-acceptance radiates into her food, her space, and her easy comical banter with her customers. She speaks openly about the mental health challenges in hospitality — the burnout, the pressure, the invisibility. Amber does it differently, no burn out here, taking care of herself and shutting up the kitchen if she needs a break.
Amber’s kitchen feels like a hug. A space where the community gathers, not just to eat, but to be seen and connect. Her customers are people who care — about their bodies, about the planet, about connection. “Conscious eaters,” she calls them. Many have health stories of their own. Amber listens, adapts, and crafts meals that nourish with what she has found locally.
Amber isn’t chasing the dream of a Michelin star, although she would give it a go, given the opportunity. She’s creating a local sustainable community kitchen that makes local food the norm, not the niche. Hosting events, catering for festivals, writing recipes, starting a vlog and teaching others how to cook with consciousness — and to eat with love.
Amber believes that the food industry can be turned around, one ethical meal at a time from her own local experiment at Ambers Kitchen.
Amber Wallace is the kind of woman you want in your corner — or at least in your local café. In a world that often values speed and shine, she is a slow-cooked, soul-fed reminder of what really matters: people, purpose, and potatoes from the neighbour’s garden.So next time you’re in her corner of the world, look for Amber’s Kitchen. The door might creak, the cooktop might be small, but the flavour, the love, and the welcome are huge and usually hilarious because under it all Amber is a closet comic.
Find out more about Amber’s Kitchen by following their Facebook page
