Beef and Lamb Excellence Awards

A fourth-time Beef + Lamb New Zealand Ambassador, Brenton has spent more than a decade contributing stunning cuisine to the Northland region at his Whangarei restaurant. Brenton focuses on serving fresh local produce at à Deco, resulting in the restaurant being a regular finalist in the Cuisine Restaurant of the Year awards. In 2011, a Deco was named Best Regional Restaurant in the awards for the second year in a row. Brenton also took out the Best Chef and Best Restaurant titles in the Northland Matariki Awards.

Having achieved a culinary arts degree from Portland, Oregon, Justin has brought his extensive North American experience Down Under. After working in some of the top kitchens in North West America, Justin moved to New Zealand six years ago, where he joined the team at Casito Miro 18 months ago. He has since made his mark by focusing on preparing simple, local and sustainable food for his diners, with the restaurant recently being recognised in the Metro Top 50 awards, winning Best Rural Restaurant and coming runner-up in several other categories. http://mirovineyard.co.nz/

Hospitality is in the blood for Stephen Barry, who realised his passion for great food at an early age, being born to restaurateurs in the Bay of Plenty. Loyal to the region, Stephen started his career at Aorangi Peak in Rotorua before moving to Baywatch and Harbourside in Tauranga. In 2007, Stephen opened his own restaurant, Mount Bistro, in Mt Maunganui where he places a strong emphasis on supporting local producers and suppliers. Stephen’s strive for excellence is evident in the number of awards won in the past few years and being awarded the Beef + Lamb Ambassadorship for the fourth time. Most recently he won the People’s Choice Award in Tauranga’s Plenty of Flavour competition, and was a finalist in the ‘Best Beef Dish’ category in the Hospitality Association 2011 Awards. http://mountbistro.co.nz/

Head chef of Wellington’s Logan Brown Restaurant and Bar since 2006, Shaun originally trained and worked in New Zealand for several years including a four-year stint at Logan Brown, before moving to Sydney where he cooked at La Grillade, Infusion@333 and Wildfire. In 2006 he was approached by Logan Brown Restaurant owners, Steve Logan and Alister Brown, to rejoin the business as their Head Chef. In 2008 Shaun became a business partner at Logan Brown, and the following year the restaurant was named Cuisine Magazine Supreme Winner, Restaurant of the Year. http://www.loganbrown.co.nz/

Bristol-born Ben Batterbury began his career in the UK, where he worked under the direction of two Michelin-starred British chefs in Oxford before becoming Head Chef of the triple rosette winning 'Lomonds Restaurant' in Scotland. Now Head Chef at the True South Dining Room at The Rees Hotel in Queenstown, Ben has collected a number of awards and accolades, including the restaurant being named as a Premier Award winner in the inaugural Taste of New Zealand Awards (TONZA) programme in 2011. Ben is also a regular on local television, and is the first New Zealand chef to be invited to participate in the 2012 Noosa Food & Wine Festival alongside 200 of the most influential international chefs, winemakers, media and food personalities. http://www.therees.co.nz/