Ms Gillies and husband J. P. Henderson opened the Salty Pidgin in Wellington's Brooklyn about six months ago.
She works the kitchen and he the front of house.
It is a far cry from their days as students in Dunedin.
Ms Gillies studied fine arts while Mr Henderson spent six years studying a variety of subjects.
''I love Dunedin, it is great city,'' she said.
Ms Gillies also spent many years in the South, including a few years doing window displays for H&J Smith in Invercargill.
After seven years working as a furniture maker in Auckland she realised that if she was going to travel with her job, she would end up in a factory.
''That wasn't the type of work I wanted to do.''
So she decided to turn to her other love, cooking, and studied the trade in Blenheim before moving to Melbourne.
''I've always loved being in the kitchen. My mum was a great cook, quite creative and fun in the kitchen and I've always loved restaurants and that way of life.
''I've been cooking for 10 years now. I came into it quite late.''
When her sister found out she was having twins - she already had two children - Ms Gillies decided it was time to come home and get to know ''the little ones''.
Wellington was similar to Dunedin with its hills, harbour and wind, she said.
''It feels quite familiar.''
The couple wanted to open their own restaurant and had their eye on the building in central Brooklyn for years before they got the opportunity to buy it.
''It's a great spot and iconic building for Wellington, so we thought let's go for it. It has been a long process to get here.''
They opened six months ago with a fresh menu and the aim to be the neighbourhood hub.
''Wellingtonians are going more local, with the driving laws and staying closer to home, so we wanted to be that local joint and also be a destination for those coming up from the city.''
The name was one of the hardest aspects to decide upon but after trying out different combinations involving associations with both Wellington's and New York's Brooklyn, they decided pigeons were synonymous with both and the ''salty'' comes from the city being close to the sea.
''We got there in the end. We got so fixated on it.''
