You probably already know that Nelson is the original home of the internationally acclaimed phenomenon known as WOW (World of WearableArt). And although the event now takes place in Wellington each year, the WOW Museum here in Nelson – conveniently located on the way from the airport into town – hosts a wonderful collection of award-winning entries.
Simon & Lee, Burger Burger, The White Lady, Big J’s Takeaways & Xi’an Food Bar
AUCKLAND. Not trying to bark up my own tree but burgers are a topic that I could confidently debate about. I have had my fair share of the delicacy in my short 21 years of living in Auckland and built a strong body of knowledge that I take great pride in. To me, a burger is more than just a sandwich with triple the saturated fat.
Moiety
DUNEDIN. Moiety is a fresh and exciting addition to Dunedin’s vibrant warehouse precinct, housed in the smartly refurbished 1880s Railway Central Terminus Hotel building.
Simon & Lee, Burger Burger, The White Lady, Big J’s Takeaways & Xi’an Food Bar
AUCKLAND. Not trying to bark up my own tree but burgers are a topic that I could confidently debate about. I have had my fair share of the delicacy in my short 21 years of living in Auckland and built a strong body of knowledge that I take great pride in. To me, a burger is more than just a sandwich with triple the saturated fat.
Moiety
DUNEDIN. Moiety is a fresh and exciting addition to Dunedin’s vibrant warehouse precinct, housed in the smartly refurbished 1880s Railway Central Terminus Hotel building.
The Birdwood
CHRISTCHURCH. The Birdwood is a beacon in the night while all around is sepia, sleepy and quiet. Enter this food nest through the double doors, however, and the surprise is the captivating buzz, warmth, and heady yeast aromas from the pizza oven.
Frenchie
WELLINGTON. With low lighting, intimate booths and waiters who anticipate your needs by bringing extra bread and brushing down your table between courses, Frenchie is perfectly set up for a romantic dinner for two.
View to a Tipple
If you are a visitor to Queenstown you will find yourself on the magnificent lakefront – it’s what you do in Queenstown. And once there, you can’t miss the glorious, palatial façade of Eichardt’s Private Hotel, dating back to 1867. It’s a significant local landmark, born as a result of the rich vein of gold that attracted many prospectors and opportunists from around the world to the shores of Lake Wakatipu.
Up the Line
Imagine a magnificent day out tasting flavours and ingredients that you might never have tried before, mixing with people who are passionate and knowledgeable about premium food, and along the way hearing inspiring stories of determination, ingenuity, risk and innovation?
SOUTHERN LIGHTS
Sauvignon Blanc, salmon and salt. It’s often what comes to mind when you think of Marlborough. Of course it is much more diverse than that. From the idyllic northern Marlborough Sounds to the beginnings of the Kaikoura Ranges in the south, the vast, wide plain of the Wairau Valley makes for varied geography and a wealth of wine, food and experiences.
Sydney
Trips to Australia now find me constantly comparing their restaurant offerings to what we have in New Zealand, trying to get a measure on what we do well and what opportunities might exist to increase our rating as a must-visit culinary destination.
THE MAKER
Rekindle Skills
When we are able to create what we need from what we have, we are resourceful. When we are resourceful we make the most of our own inner resources while living carefully in relation to the resources upon which we depend.
SWEET BOY
When Kate Marinkovich was seven she wanted to have a banana cafe with everything made from bananas: banana cakes, banana smoothies, a floor made of banana chips. With that idea planted she went into a career in hospitality, with jobs in catering, working in bars, on a boat in Spain and finally a job as head baker at Wellington cafe/bakery, Prefab.
MAKING WEAVES
Jude Huani-Te Uruti had no formal training in weaving, nor did she learn from her mother or grandmother. One day she just cut some kōrari (flax) and starting weaving.
SPICE & SMOKE
Thomas Heaton meets the artisan bringing a taste of Hungary to the Bay of Plenty. Where Atilla Kovacs comes from, every family has its own special recipe for ruby-red kolbász – a slender, paprika heavy Hungarian smoked salami.
HIDDEN GEM
Their Best Shot
It all came about when Graeme Rogerson and brother-in-law Tyson Downing were having one of those “I wonder…” conversations. If food such as pizza tastes so much better in a wood-fired oven, would it work for roasting coffee, they wondered. So they decided to have a go.
STILL GOING STRONG
Kids are spilling out of school at the end of the day, and as they wait with Mum to cross the road outside Rupa’s cafe, two small girls are highfiving with cafe owner, Dilip Rupa.
STALL CRAWL
We celebrate buying fresh produce right at the farm gate, and find that the tradition of the Kiwi honesty box lives on. There's a wee section of road north of Tauranga, between snippets of sea, hills and farmland, that has some hidden gems dispersed around its sideroads.
SAVIOUR BY THE SEA
Sitting at the end of Greymouth’s Blaketown Tip is an unlikely looking coffee cart. Painted in the colours of the Dutch flag, Richard Mons’ antique lifeboat plays host to fresh, chewy stroopwafels, pour-over coffee and uplifting conversation.
ARTISAN WATCH
Artisanal products tell a premium New Zealand food story
Cuisine magazine reveals it’s top artisan products for 2018 at the New Zealand Food Awards
Jo Kempton Happy Belly Ferments
Riding the tide of interest in natural wellness, probiotic drinks are increasingly popular, no longer to be found just in health-food shops but crowding our supermarket shelves and cafe menus, too. Their appeal lies in the benefit that naturally fermented foods can offer our health and the desire for alternatives to sugar-laden, carbonated drinks.
Cuisine Artisan Awards Finalists 2018
Who will be the Cuisine Artisan Award supreme winner for 2018?
Ben Leggett Elemental Distillers
“Our biggest problem is that most consumers don’t know what it is, or what to do with it,” says Ben Leggett of the range of aromatic cocktail bitters made by his Marlborough boutique distillery, Elemental Bitters.