Following the allegations reported by Newsroom, The Press and other media platforms of alcohol and verbal abuse, lewd comments to colleagues and, at times, physical aggression and the resulting apology to former staff by executive chef Vaughan Mabee for his inappropriate behaviour, the Amisfield restaurant listing has been removed from the Cuisine Good Food Guide 2025 which remains current until the release of the new guide in August 2026.

It is not a decision that we have made lightly. Amisfield was awarded Restaurant of the Year and 3 hats at the Cuisine Good Food Awards 2025 as a result of the hard work and talent of a team of outstanding hospitality professionals who were celebrated alongside the extraordinary talents of chef Mabee for offering a world-class restaurant experience. However, this behavior by an executive chef does not meet our standards of ethical workplace behavior so as a result we can no longer promote Amisfield as the leading restaurant in New Zealand at this time.

The restaurant has announced that it will close for renovations on 18 May and re-open on 7 July. This means that we will be unable to re-assess the restaurant within our 2026 assessment period, however we will re-visit in 2027. We are disappointed for current head chef Sun Peng and the Amisfield team and look forward to the opportunity to re-evaluate Amisfield once the renovation is completed and its new direction is firmly in place.

The Cuisine Good Food Awards and the resulting annual Cuisine Good Food Guide have been built over 22 years with a fierce determination to support our hospitality industry and provide it with a benchmark for excellence, while giving our Cuisine audience the very best recommendations on where to dine. I have always proudly stated that we do not waste our pages and platforms on giving bad reviews. Our voice is intended to showcase and celebrate our restaurant industry and provide our audience with advice that they can trust on where to go, not where not to go. But we cannot allow our audience to turn to our current guide and be advised that a restaurant where employees were disrespected and abused is, in our opinion, one of the country’s best.

Despite the fact that Vaughan Mabee has resigned, there is a precedent that must be set here that leaves no room for misinterpretation. No amount of talent or expertise is an excuse for abuse. No high-pressure environment, no matter how monumental the expectations on delivery, make this behaviour acceptable. The fact that Mabee has stated, “This industry I gave my heart and soul to has changed dramatically over the past 20 years ‒ for the better ‒ and many of us older chefs have had long roads adjusting,” only makes it more crucial that we send an unarguable, irreversible message that standards of excellence go hand-in-hand with respect.

As I write this I am distressed. Just yesterday a chef asked me if the industry will be tainted by these recent developments and my heart sank. It’s a question that so many of our great hospitality leaders who are committed to building a safe, respectful and inclusive culture will now be asking. I said no. I believe that the eyes of the world have finally turned to New Zealand as a premium dining destination because our restaurants truly deserve to be recognised and celebrated. Cuisine has proudly played a major role in showcasing Aotearoa to the world but that pride must now sit alongside the acknowledgement that, in championing this chef, we inadvertently gave reach and credibility to someone who presided over a culture of harm.

Our hospitality industry is heaving with brilliant, bright, dedicated, talented and passionate humans. Let’s not lose sight of that. As the current outrage peaks and then inevitably settles, perhaps enabling the reporting and resisting of abuse rather than enduring it can become the norm. If you are a victim or eyewitness to any abuse within the industry it is also your responsibility to step forward. And it is the responsibility of the employer to listen and understand their duties and obligations.

We stand with the victims of this cruel behaviour. It is not acceptable.

Author: Kelli Brett For Cuisine