How does it feel to be named by global food and wine experts the number three restaurant in the world? Amisfield’s Vaughan Mabee says he’s “honoured and very proud”.
This week, Queenstown fine dining restaurant Amisfield placed third in Food & Wine’s third-annual Global Tastemakers Awards. The outpouring of congratulations from all over the world has been “nothing short of awesome”, says executive chef and Masterchef NZ judge Vaughan Mabee. “When you get this kind of prestigious mention, here in New Zealand, and this is a first, people take notice. We have had such wonderful support from ‘the team of 5 million!‘”
The US-based Global Tastemakers Awards draws on the expertise of more than 400 chefs, travel experts, food and wine writers, and industry specialists from around the globe, who nominate their standout culinary experiences. A Global Advisory Board then curates the final shortlist across various categories, including the Top 10 International Bars and Top 10 International Markets for Food and Drink.
Only “the most extraordinary” restaurants feature in the international category – those that have earned “international interest” and remain innovative and unparalleled when it comes to flavours, ingredients and service.
Amisfield earned third place in the Top 15 International Restaurants alongside some of the most influential names in global dining.
“I am truly honoured and very proud to be on this incredible list,” says Vaughan. “Quite honestly, it’s still sinking in! This was totally unexpected and came out of nowhere. I’ve been head down, we’ve all been working so hard in the kitchen … and working flat out.”
Located just outside Queenstown in Central Otago, Amisfield is an experiential fine dining restaurant and winery offering a refined dining experience that highlights the region’s seasonal produce through innovative, multi-course menus.
The judges praised Amisfield for being “a beacon for wine enthusiasts worldwide who seek an unparalleled dining experience. What sets Amisfield apart is not just its stunning location or award-winning sips but also its otherworldly, refined tasting menu that showcases the region’s seasonal, hyperlocal ingredients”.
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Advertise with NZME.They also noted its “Trust the Chef” menu, a creative and theatrical menu that covers 27 dishes, costs $695 per person and takes several hours to enjoy. The menu includes stunning dishes like the Kaeo, a long-stemmed black and red sea tulip that tastes like a mix between an oyster, mussel and scallop, served in a sculptural black vessel. Or the Mallard Palmate, a duck’s “foot” crafted from dehydrated and fried duck with truffle “claws”.
“The multi-course feast unfolds like a show with dishes crafted to look like the animals they came from,” said the judges. “If anyone is worthy of this trust, it’s Mabee, the only New Zealand chef chosen as one of the World’s Top 100 Chefs.”
In December 2023, Vaughan came in at number 44 in the World’s Best Chef Awards Top 100 list, the same year his restaurant earned three hats in New Zealand’s Cuisine Good Food Awards and was named Restaurant of the Year. Forbes magazine called Amisfield “one of the coolest places to eat in 2024″ and it won World’s Best Chef Dining Experience in the Best Chef Awards 2024.
Vaughan says this recognition is “validation” of his and his team’s “way of thinking”. “There was more pressure for me, getting on to the best chef awards list. Now that I am on the list, and then winning the World’s Best Dining Experience in 2024, this validates our way of thinking and allows us to pivot and drive our ideas forward. The team and I are charged to keep going with a new focus, and I feel renewed, like I’m just getting started ... there is more to come. That is as good as it gets.”
Awards like these are not only great recognition for Amisfield, but the region too. “Diners walk away having experienced something unique to the region. It’s a moment that’s not forgotten and New Zealand always works its magic.
“Many of our local and regional products can only be found here, including matching our food with our own organic wines from our vineyard at the Pisa range. It’s a true story of Otago, which gives me a huge advantage. I’d love to take credit for all that we do here, but I also have a great team, an incredible array of some of the purest product in the world. New Zealand is the perfect, most beautiful backdrop for what we do.”
Vaughan says plans are almost complete for a makeover of the kitchen and restaurant, and he and the team look forward to welcoming diners from all over the world in 2025. “We always have plans in the works to continue to make our guests feel as though they have had the best, most unforgettable meal of their lives,” he says.
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