Al Brown, Wellington, MNZM, for services as a chef
Mr Al Brown is a well-known chef, TV presenter, culinary writer and restaurateur. His latest eatery, Depot, which opened in Auckland in 2011, is the winner of the supreme award in the Metro/Audi Restaurant of the Year Awards 2012. At the same time, Mr Brown was awarded Audi Progressive Restaurateur of the Year. He remains part owner of Logan Brown Restaurant and Bar, which opened in Wellington in 1996 and was the 2009 overall winner of the Cuisine Restaurant of the Year award. He has been a co-presenter of the award-winning TV series ‘Hunger for the Wild’, as well as presenting the first series of ‘Coasters’, focusing on New Zealand’s coastal stories. His latest show in 2011, ‘Get Fresh’, looked at ten regions, their farmers' markets, local produce and regional dishes. He has represented New Zealand cuisine for many years including working as a New Zealand Trade and Enterprise chef and presenting at international master classes. Mr Brown is the author of the award-winning book ‘Go Fish’, the 2010 New Zealand Post Book Awards Illustrated Non-Fiction winner, and Best Single Subject winner at the 2010 IACP Cookbook Awards, and ‘Stoked’, which was released in 2011.