New Zealand King Crab, as served at Amisfield Restaurant. Photo: Amisfield
A Queenstown restaurant is the first ever from New Zealand to make it onto a prestigious "World's Best Restaurants" list.
Amisfield Restaurant is based at a winery in Queenstown and has been ranked 99th on The World's 50 Best Restaurants 51-100 list.
Executive chef Vaughan Mabee said he's been working there for 15 years and this achievement is humbling because it's the "Oscar" of fine dining accolades.
Amisfield chef Vaughan Mabee. Photo: Vaughan Mabee
"It's our first time being on the list and that list is so hard to get onto because when you are in New Zealand you are kind of on the back foot because we don't have a lot of people who vote who travel through here," he said.
A panel of 1200 voters of chefs, food writers and restauraneurs vote at the end of each year and the voting is done by Deloitte.
Mabee said his whole career working overseas and bringing that training back to New Zealand, was always about showcasing Aotearoa's bountiful and amazing products as an island nation.
"There are so many things we cook here that are common to us, but no one else in the world knows about.
"Being on this list will open the eyes of the world and entice more people to come next season and it'll be like a snowball for food tourism," he said.
Photo: Vaughan Mabee
Mabee said New Zealand's food scene has been constantly improving and developing, and at Amisfield it's not just about the food, but also the very special team of people making it.
"It's the relationships we've harnessed with the local fishermen, the guys that hunt local deer and game for us - they've all turned into such a family connection with us.
"From the guy that grows most of our vegetables down the road to the paua diver that I'm best friends with, to the hunters and gatherers... it's the expertise and foraging we've been studying and gaining knowledge about," he said.
Mabee said all of these elements capture the beautiful and unique essence of New Zealand, which attracts people from around the world who are always looking for new things to eat.
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