Two more of New Zealand’s best culinary talents were recognised at the Feast by Four Famous Chefs, the restaurant industry’s annual black tie gala dinner.

Twenty-eight years’ experience in the hospitality industry, including establishing Wellington’s highly acclaimed Logan Brown Restaurant & Bar and co-creating the popular TV series Hunger for the Wild, was recognised with chef Steve Logan being presented with the Hall of Fame Award.

The Westpac Innovator Award went to returned Kiwi ex-pat and former New Zealand and British “Chef of the Year” Mark Gregory for his work in founding and managing the local DineAid charity.

Based on the Streetsmart scheme that operates in the UK, US and Australia, DineAid sees $2 added to diners’ restaurant bills to support charitable causes – some of the recipients of the tens of thousands raised in New Zealand since 2008 include Stars, Project K and the City Missions.

Gastronomes from around New Zealand should be on the lookout for the country’s newly crowned top chef, restaurant, sommelier and wait staff announced at the 2010 New Zealand Culinary Fare.

Blanket Bay Lodge chef de partie Joseph Clarke was named as “Chef of the Year” after producing a series of medal-winning dishes during the three-day competition held in Auckland.
Clarke also picked up the Hot Kitchen Excellence Award – despite being just 22 Clarke is no stranger to accolades, previously winning awards at the Culinary Fare, Southern Lights Salon Culinaire and most recently the Hans Bueschkens World Junior Chef’s Challenge.

New Zealand Restaurant of the Year went to relative newcomer Mt Eden’s Two Fifteen Bistro while the trend across the other major awards pointed to a thriving food and service culture in the country’s hotels.

Westin Hotel’s Roy Assadi was named Sommelier of the Year, Crown Plaza Christchurch’s Christine Mallinson was awarded Service Professional of the Year, the Hilton Auckland’s Loic Steiniger took the award for Bartender of the Year and the New Zealand Pastry Team of the Year award went to SkyCity Auckland’s Sarah Harrap and Zhiqi Zhou.

Up-and-coming chef Alan James Stuart of the Culinary Institute of New Zealand was named New Zealand Commis Chef of the Year.

Apart from the awards and glitzy dinner event, New Zealand’s culinary industry was also given the chance to learn from the best.

This year’s MasterClasses with Fernando Peire, director of London’s famous The Ivy Restaurant, were extremely popular with industry keen to hear his insights on how to create internationally-recognised restaurant businesses.

Previously only held in Auckland, the MasterClasses event ran in Wellington for the first time this year.
For more information please visit  www.restaurantnz.co.nz or contact Sarah Alexander-Willcox from PR ink Ltd, 021 400 458 or sarah@pr-ink.co.nz

The annual Culinary Fare is a fiercely contested industry showdown with close to 1000 people taking part in 74 competitions across three days. Held at the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland, the competitions encompass the kitchen and restaurant sides of the hospitality industry. It provides a platform for hospitality participants to match themselves against their counterparts and to compete for prestigious industry awards and prizes. MasterClasses and a black tie gala dinner are also held during the week of the Culinary Fare. Organised by the Restaurant Association of New Zealand, this year’s Culinary Fare ran from August 22-24, 2010.

2010 New Zealand Culinary Fare Awards
New Zealand Restaurant of the Year 2010
(Sponsored by Crombie Lockwood, QBE Insurance & Dish Magazine)
Two Fifteen Bistro

New Zealand Chef of the Year 2010
(Sponsored by Moffat Ltd and Southern Hospitality)
Joseph Clarke

NZ Sommelier of the Year 2010
(Sponsored by Wither Hills)
Roy Assadi, Westin Hotel, Auckland

New Zealand Service Professional of the Year 2010
(Sponsored by SKYCITY)
Christine Mallinson, Crown Plaza Christchurch

New Zealand Pastry Team of the Year 2010
(Sponsored by Equagold)
SKYCITY Auckland Team A Sarah Harrap & Zhiqi Zhou

New Zealand Commis Chef of the Year 2010
(Sponsored by The Auckland Branch of the NZ Chefs Association)
Alan James Stuart

New Zealand Training Food & Beverage Person of the Year 2010
(Sponsored by Restaurant & Catering News)
Rocio Torres, Instituto Culnario de Mexico

Hot Kitchen Excellence Award 2010
(Sponsored by e-gas)
Joseph Clarke, Blanket Bay Lodge, Glenorchy

Training Excellence Award 2010
(Sponsored by Host Magazine)
North Shore International Academy, Auckland

Secondary Schools Excellence Award 2010
(Sponsored by Hospitality Standards Institute)
Papakura High School

Toque d’Or 2010
(Organised by Nestle Professional in association with Vegetables.co.nz, New Zealand Beef & Lamb Marketing Bureau, Akaroa Salmon, The House of Knives & Perrier)
Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology

Training Team Skills 2010
(Sponsored by Hospitality Standards Institute (HSI))
Auckland University of Technology

New Zealand Bartender of the Year 2010
(Sponsored by De Kuyper Liqueres)
Loic Steiniger, Hilton, Auckland

BIDVest Regional Team Challenge
(Sponsored by BIDVest in association with BIDVest Fresh & Regal Marlborough Salmon) Marc Soper & Tim Jones, Wellington Regional Team