“I will have my fingers crossed with everybody else on Tuesday night.”
Crown entity TNZ announced last November it had signed a deal for three years’ worth of guides to cover Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown.
And now that multimillion-dollar coq au vin is coming home to roost.
Which restaurants will get a star? Will the bubbly be bona fide French? And what about the Amisfield elephant in the room?
We have everything you need to know about hospitality’s biggest night since sliced bread.
What time will the ceremony start?
Red carpet arrivals for the inaugural Michelin Guide Restaurant Ceremony begin at 4pm. The ceremony proper starts at 5pm and will be livestreamed from the New Zealand International Convention Centre.
Who’s going and what will they be wearing?
The dress code is cocktail, but chefs who are flying in from around the country have been told to pack their whites (clogs, presumably, are optional). The Michelin contingent, including the guide’s international director Gwendall Poullennec, will attend.
Who is the host?
Non Disclosure Agreements abound, but we can confirm Viva restaurant critic and broadcaster Jesse Mulligan is out of the country.
Personally, we’d pick Newstalk’s Kerre Woodham to serve Michelin stars with a side of hospo cred via her infamous days as a waitress and maitre de’.
Who’s cooking?
Confirmed internationals include chef Nobu Lee. He currently runs Nobuo, one of Taiwan’s most celebrated one Michelin-starred restaurants, but Auckland will remember him best as the last man on the pass at Clooney (RIP).
He’ll be joined by Michael Cimarusti of Providence, a seafood-centric restaurant in Los Angeles, where the top tier tasting menu costs around $880, excluding drinks.
Any locals in the kitchen?
Again with NDAs and wild rumours, but among the names being flung around are Ahi’s Ben Bayly (makes sense, given he cooked for the $1.4m crayfish and heated cutlery “stargrazing” campaign that kicked this whole Michelin thing off back in 2024), Tala’s Henry Onesemo and Chris Scott from Sherwood in Queenstown.
Chris Scott, executive chef at Sherwood, is among the Queenstown contingent attending the inaugural Michelin restaurant ceremony.
Who’s actually eligible for a star?
The initial investment in the restaurant ranking system that launched in France in 1900 only covers four centres.
Craggy Range (Hawke’s Bay), Chef’s Table at Blue Duck Station (Ruapehu), Arbour (Marlborough), The Green (Waikato) and Embra (Taupō) et al will have to remain content with their Cuisine Good Food Guide hats.
An estimated 64% of the country’s hospitality outlets are located in the four regions that will be covered by Michelin – 7785 in Auckland, 2556 in Canterbury, 2058 in Wellington and 384 in Queenstown.
The Amisfield effect
One of those Queenstown restaurants is the much-lauded Amisfield.
Its award-winning executive chef Vaughan Mabee resigned this year against a backdrop of serious workplace misconduct allegations.
In a statement, Michelin told us it wouldn’t comment on the judging of individual restaurants or specific situations.
However, “the Michelin Guide firmly condemns all forms of violence, harassment, or abuse, whether physical or psychological. Such behaviours are incompatible with the values of humanism and excellence that the Guide has upheld since its creation”.
Chefs v restaurants
In the same statement, Michelin reminded us distinctions were awarded to restaurants, not to individuals.
“They recognise the collective commitment of an entire team and do not constitute an endorsement of any individual’s conduct or managerial practices, nor of the working conditions within an establishment.”
So, who will win a star?
Auckland’s rumour mill consistently grinds out two names – Paris Butter (co-owner Nick Honeyman operates a one-star restaurant in France and is in town for the New Zealand ceremony) and Viva Top 50 Supreme Winner, Tala.
Henry Onesemo, who owns the latter, told us he hoped Michelin would “validate Samoan culture by including Samoa cuisine among the global elite”.
A Michelin star on home turf for chef Nick Honeyman? The co-owner of Paris Butter (who runs a restaurant in France with wife Sina) is in Auckland for tonight’s ceremony.
What’s actually up for grabs?
The first rung on the Michelin ladder (currently occupied by 11,772 restaurants worldwide) is the “recommended” or “selected” list.
Bib Gourmand is described as “not quite a star, but most definitely not a consolation prize” and recognises good cooking at more pocket-friendly prices.
One, two or three stars are the most coveted and least awarded. There are currently just 161 three Michelin-starred restaurants in the world.
The morning after
Marisa Bidos, Restaurant Association head during the period Tourism New Zealand was negotiating with Michelin, said she hoped for “much more than a one-night announcement . . . Ultimately, success won’t be measured by how many stars are awarded.
“It will be measured by whether, a year from now, we’re welcoming more international visitors who are choosing New Zealand because of our food, whether restaurants are seeing stronger trading, and whether hospitality is increasingly recognised as one of our great cultural and tourism assets.”
Current association head Nicola Waldren said she hoped the guide would reflect the diversity of hospitality across the regions being recognised.
“One of the great things about the Guide today is that excellence isn’t defined by white tablecloths; it’s about exceptional food, consistency and creating memorable experiences, and we know we have that in abundance.”
Kim Knight joined the New Zealand Herald in 2016 and is a senior journalist on its lifestyle desk.