The renowned Craggy Range Restaurant was given the highest possible rating, winning three hats.
Mertens started cheffing 20 years ago and moved to Hawke’s Bay from Auckland in 2020 after Covid-19 closed the restaurants he worked in.
He moved to Waipawa, where he still lives with his wife and children, and started working for local restaurants like Wallingford Homestead and Vinci’s.
After living and working in Auckland and the Michelin circuits in Tokyo and New York, Mertens said he still considered the 30-minute journey to work a breeze.
He joined Elephant Hill in June 2025, which he described as a building-from-the-ground-up situation.
“I went in and it was like I had to change everything, from the food offering to getting new staff.”
Conor Mertens won the Innovation and Design Award at the Cuisine Magazine Good Food Awards 2026 for his work at Elephant Hill Winery.
He said many things were broken in the kitchen, but recalled those times as “fun”.
“I kind of like that charm about a place where stuff’s not working 100% because you have parameters.
“For me, if I have everything that I need, it’s hard to think. Whereas when you’ve got little constraints, you have to be more creative.”
Mertens used a lot of fermentation in his cooking and said it was six to eight months before he had the restaurant’s pantry the way he wanted it.
Mertens resigned earlier in August after the vineyard was placed on the market for the second time.
“It’s just a shame. But I think it kind of caught up in the family wanting to move the business on.”
He said, given the situation of leaving Elephant Hill, winning the award felt “a little bit bittersweet”, but he was grateful to be recognised for his work.
“I just feel quite humbled and happy by it all. I’m just happy to be recognised.”
In a Facebook post, Elephant Hill said its kitchen service was “paused at the moment”, but was still open for wine tastings.
As one door closes, another opens, with Mertens set to start work in the kitchen at Black Barn Bistro from Thursday.
Black Barn co-owner Kim Thorpe said executive chef Reinar Christiansen was excited about Mertens coming aboard.
“I think it feels like a brilliant combination and I’m really excited about it as well.”
Mertens said he eventually hoped to one day start his own restaurant.
“But that’s definitely a process.”
Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in the UK, Germany, and New Zealand.