J JAMES STAPLEY Executive Chef, Whare Kea Lodge E J James is an award-winning chef who was raised iin the kitchens of the Hilton and Selfridges Premier Restaurant in London. In New Zealand, P he first came to our attention when Pegasus Bay h won Cuisine Magazine’s Best Winery Restaurant w Award. After serving time at the iconic Saggio di A Vino in Christchurch, James moved on to Whare V Kea Lodge, where he is now the mastermind K behind the sumptuous but deceptively simple b ccuisine so enjoyed by discerning international palates. In creating his menus according to season p aand guest preference, he sources ingredients from his own garden, and can often be found trawling h tthe local markets for the day’s freshest best.
JOHN HANCOCK President and Founder, Trinity Hill Winery John is one of New Zealand’s charismatic wine personalities and the man behind some of the local industry’s most significant achievements. As founding winemaker for one of New Zealand’ss early wine successes, Morton Estate, John’s chardonnay was judged Best in the World at the 1997 Wine Magazine’s International Wine Challenge. His experiences working vintages at Tain L’Hermitage in the Rhone with the late Gerard Jaboulet were the catalyst for the now iconic Trinity Hill Homage Syrah.
LEYTON ASHLEY Head Chef, Terrôir @ Craggy Range Winery Leyton earned his chef ’s stripes cooking in kitchens throughout New Zealand and Australia, and in Tahiti’s five star Hotel Bora Bora, before taking up a sous chef position at Craggy Range’s Terroir Restaurant in 2006. He believes in taking full advantage of the abundance of fresh local produce and changing his menu to reflect seasonal availability. Leyton was promoted to Head Chef at Terroir in 2009. Under his guidance, the restaurant has received numerous accolades, and has been a regular finalist in the Cuisine Winery Restaurant of the Year Awards. In 2011, Terroir was named Outstanding Winery Restaurant in the Hawke’s Bay Hospitality Awards.
JAMES BECK Chef and Owner, Taste Cornucopia James describes the food at his organic café and restaurant as modern New Zealand cuisine. But while he believes innovation and new techniques are important in what he does, at the heart of his cooking are the very best ingredients. James brings serious international experience to the kitchen, having spent eight years working the kitchens of Michelin Star restaurants including: La Rive (Amsterdam), De Pastorale (Antwerp), Martin Berasetagui (San Sebastian), El Poblet (Denia), and The Savoy Hotel (London). He also completed a brief internship at Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant, The Fat Duck. Since opening in 2009, Taste has won the People’s Choice Award for the café section in the 2010 Regional Signature Dish Competition and again in 2011 in the casual dining section.
JIMMY MCINTYRE Executive Chef, Otahuna Lodge Jimmy discovered his love of cooking at age 15. It wasn’t long after that he became a familiar face in the Auckland restaurant scene, working there for 10 years before moving to Christchurch, where he opened Vines Restaurant. Jimmy’s cooking style and his versatility as a chef have been shaped by his food experiences here and around the globe, including time spent cooking in Singapore, Sri Lanka, India, the Netherlands, Germany, Thailand and Portugal. For a man committed to providing ony the cleanest and freshest ingredients, Jimmy describes Otahuna as a culinary dream, with its orchard full of fruit and nut trees and its gardens lush with vegetables, herbs, and mushrooms.
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