New Zealand's Best Restaurants

To say it has been a big week would be a little understated. Cuisine Magazine revealed its list of the top restaurants in New Zealand for 2018 on Monday, as assessed by our national team of judges. I've spent the rest of the week receiving thanks from many happy restaurants and chefs and dealing with the outrage of those who feel that their favourite restaurant should have been on our list, but wasn't. The list is the culmination of the work of over 40 experts over a 12 month period. We pay for every flight, every hotel room and every meal. In the final round to decide on our category winners and the allocation of our coveted hats, we make return visits to ensure that we have got it right. It's a huge exercise, one that quite frankly, as a newly independent publisher we could have done without this year. But to cancel it was not an option. One of the most frequently asked questions when we announced that we had purchased Cuisine was "Will the Cuisine Good Food Awards still go ahead?"

Interestingly, the majority of the negative feedback for our 2018 list has come mainly from the public, not from the restaurants themselves. The public do not seem to understand that this list is our endorsement of the best in the country, not the best in each region or town. We can not manipulate the scores to ensure that each region has it's fair share of restaurants recognised. Every restaurant is assessed using the same rigorous criteria. To put a lower scoring restaurant ahead of a high scorer just because of it's location would not give us a list that reflects the best restaurants in the country. This list and the Cuisine Good food Guide that is released after the awards ceremony, is used as a reference by national and international good food lovers. We make every attempt that we can to get it right.

The photo above is Amisfield chef Vaughan Mabee as he claimed the Ora King Salmon Innovation Award at the Cuisine Good Food Awards presented by Vittoria Coffee in 2017. (Thank you Alice Neville) This photo says it all for me, he was so proud, so emotional and so very real. These chefs work long hard hours, often put their personal relationships at risk, and put every ounce that they have to give into their restaurants, their teams and their food. It is a privilege to present these awards and give them a chance to celebrate their impressive work on this one special night of the year. It's also a huge responsibility that is front of mind for me pretty much all year long.

And so it's 6 PM on a Friday evening and I'm about to head home to the shelter of my couch and try not to look at any more social posts demanding to know why a favourite cafe or local didn't make our list. A glass of wine (or 3) and a cheese sandwich is all I need tonight. And maybe a hug from my boy.

Here it is if you'd like to have a read. Cuisine Good Food Guide List 2018