Al Brown — Wellingtonʻs Chef
Wellington/Auckland
Al Brown started as a dishwasher in Auckland, became a Michelin-star head chef in London by his late 20s, then returned to Wellington to open Logan Brown with Steve Logan — which became Wellingtonʻs most treasured fine-dining restaurant for 25+ years. His signature: pāua ravioli (NZ abalone in pasta — the Pacific shellfish in Italian format). His cookbook “Stoked” and his show “Al Brownʻs Best of NZ” championed regional NZ food. Brown represents the Wellington food identity: technically rigorous, locally sourced, unpretentious, and always anchored in NZ ingredients.