Brick Bay Stories & News

A new partnership is beginning at The Glass House. From November 2026, Dominique Fourie McMillan and Hayden McMillan join as Brick Bay’s hospitality partners, working closely with Richard, Christine and Anna Didsbury and alongside our existing team. They bring considerable restaurant experience, three young daughters and a new address in Snells Beach. As we approach twenty years of The Glass House, there’s plenty to look forward to, with the restaurant open as usual throughout.

Good things take a little time

If you know Brick Bay, you’ll know that things here have grown gradually. A vineyard, a sculpture trail, a garden, a restaurant over the lake. Each has developed through years of thought, care and a willingness to give good ideas the time they need.

Welcoming new hospitality partners deserves that same care.

For Richard, Christine and Anna, this partnership brings experienced people into a place that means a great deal to them, our team and our guests. For Dom and Hayden, it’s an opportunity to get to know The Glass House from the inside: the people, the seasons, the regular tables and the small details that make a visit feel like Brick Bay.

Their first few months will be spent listening, learning and working alongside the team. With The Glass House celebrating its twentieth anniversary in 2027, there’s a rich history to get acquainted with

Two new hospitality partners. Five new neighbours.

Dom and Hayden have recently moved from Wellington to Snells Beach with their three young daughters. So this welcome reaches well beyond the restaurant doors.

They’re making their home here, becoming part of the same community that has supported Brick Bay over the years. Alongside learning the rhythms of the restaurant, there’s a whole new neighbourhood to get to know.

For those of you who visit regularly, we hope you’ll enjoy getting acquainted. And if you meet them out and about in Snells, please join us in making all five feel at home.

We’re delighted to call Dom and Hayden our hospitality partners. We’re just as pleased to call them our neighbours.

Dominique: a good welcome goes a long way

Dominique Fourie McMillan knows how much of a restaurant visit comes down to how someone makes you feel. Her hospitality career spans more than twenty years across New Zealand, Australia and the United States, including managing Melbourne’s Cutler & Co. and Marion.

She was named Outstanding Maître d’ at the 2021 Felix Wellington Hospitality Awards and recognised among Cuisine’s Top 50 Most Influential & Inspiring Women in Food & Drink in 2026.

Together with Hayden and Hannah Green, she co-founded Melbourne’s Etta. More recently, the couple have co-owned and run Wellington favourites Floriditas and Loretta alongside Julie Clark and James Pedersen.

Dom is also a co-founder of Kitchen Day and hosts the Kitchen Day podcast, sharing conversations with the people behind New Zealand’s hospitality industry. Through its gatherings and podcast, Kitchen Day gives hospitality people a place to exchange stories, share lessons and connect beyond the demands of service.

Hayden: plenty to bring to the table

Hayden McMillan joins The Glass House as Executive Chef, bringing experience from kitchens including Vinnies, The French Café, Meredith’s and TriBeCa.

His career has taken him to San Francisco, where he led the kitchen at the Waiheke Island Yacht Club pop-up during the 2013 America’s Cup, and Melbourne, where his work at The Roving Marrow earned a chef’s hat before he went on to co-found Etta.

Through Etta, Floriditas and Loretta, Dom and Hayden have experienced both opening a restaurant and caring for established places with loyal teams and regular guests.

Here, Hayden has a new kitchen to get to know, along with the garden, farm, orchard and growers who contribute to our menus. His interest in seasonal cooking and good produce gives those conversations a promising place to start.

The new recruits are already digging in

We’ve wasted no time putting the youngest arrivals to work in the kitchen gardens.

There are carrots to carry, broccoli to inspect and at least one basket that could do with its own set of wheels.

The garden is a lovely place to begin getting to know Brick Bay. It brings the seasons into view, offers plenty of discoveries at a child’s height and makes the connection between growing and eating wonderfully tangible.

It’s also part of the everyday conversation between our garden and kitchen teams. Alongside produce from the farm and orchard, and the growers and suppliers we work with, it helps shape what arrives on the table.

For Hayden and the family, there will be plenty to discover here. We suspect the smaller garden hands will have a few opinions of their own.

Cam Cook: twelve years of shaping our food story

Cam Cook joined Brick Bay twelve years ago, when Christine, Anna and Cherie were preparing cheese boards in a small kitchen for Sculpture Trail visitors.

He helped grow that modest offering into the restaurant we know today, developing the connection between garden, farm and kitchen, championing our lamb and building a longstanding kitchen team. His contribution has helped make dining at The Glass House a reason to visit in its own right.

We’re deeply grateful for everything Cam has contributed as he prepares to open his own restaurant in Ōrewa. You can follow their progress here, and we’ll share the news when they open.

The welcome you know

When you next visit The Glass House, there’ll be plenty of familiar faces to greet you. Most of our team are staying, bringing the care, experience and knowledge of our regulars that make a visit feel personal.

For Dom and Hayden, having that established team alongside them is an important part of beginning this partnership. They know our guests, understand the restaurant and help make it the place people return to. The first few months will be spent working together, listening and learning, while continuing to look after you much as you know and enjoy.

A big thank you also goes to Hospitality Operations Manager Drew Hester and Duty Manager Hayley Thexton as they move on. We’re grateful for everything they’ve contributed to looking after our guests and supporting the team, and wish them both well for what’s next.

We’ll raise a glass to that

There’s something fitting about beginning this partnership around a table, with Brick Bay wine being poured and everyone taking a moment together.

There will be plenty of work ahead, plenty to learn and, we hope, many good conversations along the way. For now, we’re enjoying the chance to welcome Dom and Hayden, introduce them to our guests and help their family feel at home.

Please join us in welcoming them to The Glass House, to Brick Bay and to Snells Beach.

Your questions answered

Is The Glass House open as usual?

Yes. The restaurant remains open throughout, and you can continue to visit and book a table as normal.

Are Richard, Christine and Anna still involved?

Yes. Dom and Hayden will work closely with all three as our hospitality partners. The Glass House remains very much part of Brick Bay.

Will the menu change?

The menu will continue to evolve with the seasons, as it always has. Dom and Hayden’s first few months will focus on getting to know the restaurant, our team and our guests.

Can I still use my gift vouchers?

Absolutely. Brick Bay Gift Vouchers, Restaurant Association Vouchers and Best Restaurant Vouchers continue to be accepted as usual.

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