PHOTO
Paul Froggatt was inspired by Michelin-starred chefs when he was a kid, thinking 'I want to cook like that'.
Now, his tasting menu at Essence has the country's top prize.
Adding a Michelin Star to his restaurant's name has been the dream of a lifetime for chef Paul Froggatt - and now, he has two.
Froggart is the director of culinary at Roki Connection, which runs Essence on the shore of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown.
The restaurant was the only one in New Zealand to receive the two-star accolade at Oceania's first Michelin Guide awards on Tuesday night.
"I saw pictures when I was a kid, when I was a young chef, of a Michelin star chef and I said I want to cook like that. Little did I know the path or the career it would take me, to bring me here today," he said, accepting the prize in front of 300 guests at the Auckland ceremony.
Essence opened 10 months ago but Froggatt told RNZ's Afternoons the menu reaches further back.
"It's a journey through my experience throughout the world showcasing New Zealand produce, and we want to showcase the best produce that we have in this country. It's a pretty simple philosophy: cook it well, use the right stuff. Easy."
A standout dish for Froggatt is called The Autumn Walk, based around foraging for mushrooms with his children.
A team of tasters spent months dining across Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. They considered quality of ingredients, harmony of flavours, mastery of culinary technique, how the chef's personality shines through and consistency over time.
"You don't know who these people are, we treat everyone as equals and that's the key for us to treat all guests as guests of ours," Froggatt said.
He said NZ's first Michelin Guide raises the bar for everyone - chefs, producers, people who want to get into the industry. Hospitality folk who would have once moved away to work in the world's best kitchens will now stay on home turf to learn and grow, he said.
Would an accolade like this change how Essence will run? "The short answer is no," Froggatt said. The menu will stay the same, he will continue to work in the kitchen with the team five nights a week.
"Nothing will change."
An additional 14 restaurants were honoured with one Michelin star in the country's first guide, including Auckland's Tala, which became the first Samoan establishment ever included in the guide, worldwide.
Owner Henry Onesemo shed a tear in accepting the first one-star award of the night.
"I'm very happy for the culture, I'm very thankful that New Zealand is ready for a Samoan restaurant because when New Zealand started celebrating it I think the world noticed."
On Wednesday morning Onesemo told RNZ's Morning Report the Tala team had been tasked with cooking for the inaugural Michelin Guide event - they thought that was a consolation prize.
"We were just excited for that. Again, when they called the name first to go up, I just completely lost it. I do apologise to the culture, I do apologise to the country, I didn't mean to embarrass us all," the humble chef said.
"They said [we were] the first Samoan restaurant ever recognised by the Michelin and the waterworks just started coming in."
He said Tala aimed to be very specific with their culture, with quintessential Samoan cooking, and to break down "Pacific fusion" cuisine into all it's special elements.
Other's given one star included: Inati in Christchurch, led by chef Simon Levy, Ben Bayly's Ahi, seafood led Ortega in Wellington, The Estate on Auckland's Waiheke Island, Rātā in Queenstown, Logan Brown in Wellington, Jano Bistro also in Wellington, lunch-only spot Tussock Hill in Christchurch, Kika in Wānaka, Auckland's Paris Butter, Mudbrick on Waiheke Island and Sherwood and Amisfield in Queenstown.
A total 110 restaurants would be in the guide, including 60 for general culinary excellence and 35 recognised with Bib Gourmand awards for offering exceptionally high quality food that's easier on the wallet.
Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said she didn't expect such a hefty list.
"Maybe I had 40 or 50 in mind and I didn't want to get my hopes up but 110 is a stunning result for a country the size of ours.
"We can now say we have a world leading hospitality sector in New Zealand and one that every single one of us should be proud of so that when we attract visitors into NZ we have confidence that we are the world's best."
Tourism New Zealand is spending $6.3 million to bring the Michelin Guide to New Zealand for three years, which it expects could lure 36,000 gastro tourists a year, bringing in $185m.
Who are the undercover inspectors?
The people who travel the world to eat at top restaurants have an internal check list they use to rank an eatery's likelihood of entering the guide or receiving a coveted star.
Michelin Guide international director Gwendal Poullennec said they have inspectors from 30 nationalities.
"They are all travelling the world, they are based in the region but also coming from far away because it is very important for the Michelin Guide to ensure the consistency so that you can compare the value of a restaurant in Paris or Toyko with one in Auckland or Queenstown."
He said an inspector eats out on average 300 times a year and a restaurant would be visited by different inspectors before it gains a spot in the guide.
"All the Michelin Guide inspectors are fulltime professionals. They have backgrounds working in the industry, they have been trained in the industry and when they join the Michelin Guide it's an additional two-to-three-year training process to ensure they have all the criteria in mind."
Poullennec said it was also important that the inspectors were open to all cuisines and food cultures.
"Ultimately one of the purposes of the Michelin Guide is to bring all the food cultures of the world to the same table, not to compare them but to celebrate them."
Poullennec said New Zealand's food scene impressed the inspectors.
"Our inspectors were really astonished, not only by the quality of the product, the skills of the people, the commitment but also the clarity I will even say the purity of the cooking style. The ingredients are shaping the stories behind the restaurants."
He would not share if any of the inspectors are New Zealanders or how many inspectors were on the mission "because it is part of the secret recipe of the guide".
This story was first published on rnz.co.nz |  |
