Merouane Rahal

Merouane Rahal qualified as a chef in France at the age of 20 before venturing across Europe, picking up the continent’s diverse flavours and food traditions along the way.

He lived in London for five years where he worked alongside Michelin Star chefs before immigrating to New Zealand and settling in Auckland.

It was there that he and his sister opened a café, Voila, and created an innovative, standout menu inspired by their French/Algerian roots.

Voila featured on Metro Magazine’s coveted Top 50 Auckland Cafés list for six years and was also on TVNZ’s Taste of New Zealand show.

Merouane sold Voila “at its peak” and made the move to teaching, starting as a cookery tutor at Whitireia in Auckland.

In 2018, he took up a position as a Culinary Arts tutor at NMIT where students benefit from his extensive restaurant, café, and business experience.

“I focus a lot on self-development by enhancing confidence, teamwork, respect, creativity and passing on a passion for food to students.”