Last night was one of those rare evenings that will be remembered for decades.
For the first time ever, the Michelin Guide unveiled its New Zealand restaurant selection, placing Aotearoa firmly on the global culinary map. For those of us who have spent years championing New Zealand’s food, wine and hospitality industry, it felt less like an awards ceremony and more like the world finally recognising something we’ve known all along.
New Zealand isn’t just a beautiful place to visit.
It’s an extraordinary place to eat.
When people hear “Michelin”, they often think of luxury restaurants, white tablecloths and impossible-to-book dining rooms. While Michelin Stars certainly celebrate exceptional cooking, the Guide is about much more than that.
Its anonymous inspectors look for outstanding ingredients, technical skill, consistency, personality and the ability of a chef to tell a story through food. They also celebrate great-value dining through Bib Gourmand awards and recognise many more restaurants through the Michelin Selected category, proving that memorable food experiences come at every price point.
As someone who has spent the past 15 years introducing visitors to New Zealand through food, I couldn’t be prouder to see our country receive the recognition it deserves.
Auckland’s restaurant scene has quietly evolved into one of the most exciting in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s multicultural without trying too hard, deeply connected to local producers, and confident enough to celebrate both humble neighbourhood eateries and world-class fine dining.
Each of the newly recognised restaurants offers a completely different experience, yet together they tell the story of modern New Zealand cuisine, one built on exceptional produce, cultural diversity and genuine hospitality.
While chefs understandably take centre stage, I couldn’t help thinking about everyone behind the scenes.
The fishermen bringing in pristine seafood.
The growers harvesting vegetables before dawn.
The cheesemakers, winemakers, beekeepers, butchers and foragers.
The small artisan producers whose names rarely appear in headlines but whose products appear on every great plate.
Michelin recognition elevates an entire food ecosystem. It gives international visitors another reason to travel here, creates opportunities for local producers, encourages culinary talent to stay in New Zealand and inspires the next generation of chefs.
That’s something worth celebrating.
Food has become one of the biggest reasons people choose where to travel.
Increasingly, visitors don’t simply want to tick landmarks off a list. They want authentic experiences. They want to meet the people behind the food, hear the stories, visit the markets, taste local wines and discover neighbourhood favourites that locals genuinely love.
That’s exactly why I started The Big Foody.
For years we’ve been showing visitors that New Zealand’s food story extends far beyond the restaurants that make international headlines. Michelin now gives the world another reason to look our way, but the real magic still happens in the conversations with passionate chefs, artisan producers, café owners, winemakers and family-run businesses that make our hospitality industry so special.
To every chef, restaurateur, front-of-house team, dishwasher, producer, supplier and hospitality professional recognised last night, congratulations!
Whether you received Two Stars, One Star, a Bib Gourmand or were included as Michelin Selected, you’ve helped tell the story of New Zealand through food.
And to those who weren’t recognised this year?
Keep cooking.
Keep creating.
Keep backing yourselves.
Our food scene has never been stronger, and this is only the beginning.
The Michelin Guide may have arrived in New Zealand, but I have a feeling the best chapters of our culinary story are still to come.
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