About Us
Smoke is a locally owned BBQ destination built on passion, resilience and genuine hospitality — creating spaces where great people, food and community come together.
Our Story
Our journey began in 2019 at The Lake House at Lake Hood in Ashburton, with a single 1.5 tonne smoker and a big vision. Just as we seasoned our first piece of meat, the country went into lockdown. But we didn’t stop. As soon as restrictions lifted, we launched Smoke as a takeaway offering and quickly became a local favourite.
What started as an idea grew into something much bigger. In 2021, we opened our first standalone Smoke restaurant in Rolleston, bringing authentic low-and-slow BBQ to our local community. In 2023, we opened Smoke Ashburton — a purpose-built, warehouse-style space designed for connection, great food and shared experiences.
Since then, we’ve continued to grow the Smoke brand. From launching our mobile smoker for off-site catering and events, to creating Smoulder — our private dining and function space in Ashburton, we’ve built a business that goes beyond a traditional restaurant.
At our core, we’re about more than just BBQ. We’re about supporting local, creating spaces people feel welcome in, creating a work environment that thrives on team work, personal growth and passion and delivering an experience people come back for.
Whether you’re dining in, grabbing takeaway or celebrating something special — Smoke is built for our community, by locals, for locals.
Meet some of our Team
Andrew Poswillo
RESTAURANT MANAGER - Ashburton
started with us in September 2025 working in the pits with Simon. Due to his great sales and people background he moved to Restaurant Manager early 2026. Andrew has a wealth of knowledge on bbq having his own low and slow food truck until 2024. He is an awesome dad of 3 kids, loves people connection, great food and great beer.
Ange Buswell
HEAD CHEF - Ashburton
started at Smoke Ashburton as a Sous Chef in early 2026 and moved to Head Chef soon after. Ange was born in Auckland but has spent most of her life in Dunedin where she worked in many hospitality sites both out the front and in the kitchen. Her love for food finds her leading our Smoke kitchen team in Ashburton with a great eye for detail and delicious new ideas.