Al Brown

Alister Brown is a New Zealand chef, TV presenter, writer and restaurateur.

He is co-owner of award winning Wellington restaurant, Logan Brown, and is opening a new eatery Depot in Auckland in August 2011.

Al is also a writer, having just completed writing his second book Stoked that celebrates meat cookery and our love of cooking outdoors. It’s a follow up to his first book Go Fish, which was published in 2009. He has also been a features writer for Cuisine magazine since 2008.

As a TV presenter, Al co-presented three series of the successful Hunger for the Wild TV show, presented the Coasters TV series and has completed filming for his new series Get Fresh with Al Brown.

Key Achievements
2010
• Best Single Subject Book Award IACP cookbook awards for Go Fish
• Best Illustrated non-fiction book and People’s Choice Award for Go Fish at the NZ Post Book Awards
• Al Brown and Logan Brown Restaurant business partner Steve Logan were given the award for Outstanding Contribution to Wellington Hospitality in the Capital Awards
• Held a master class at the World Chef Showcase at the Crave Sydney International Food Festival

2009
• Logan Brown Restaurant awarded Cuisine Magazine’s Supreme Winner in the 2009 Restaurant of the Year Awards
• Hunger for the Wild TV show wins Best Lifestyle Information Series at the Qantas Television and media awards
• Al Brown and Steve Logan awarded Joint Wellingtonians of the Year¸ an award run annually by the Dominion Post newspaper

2003-2008
• Logan Brown consistently rated as a finalist in the Cuisine Magazine Restaurant of the Year awards each year since its inception in 2005, as well as Best Wine Service winner in 2005
• Chef Ambassador for NZTE (New Zealand Trade & Enterprise) since 2003.
• Represented New Zealand as Guest Chef at the 2005 Pinot Noir Celebration in Oregon, Portland

Coming up in 2011
• New eatery Depot to open in Auckland in August. Fast paced and fresh, Depot will be a place to drop in and refuel with small plates of food to share, oysters shucked to order and much of the produce cooked over charcoal or hard wood.
• Stoked, which celebrates outdoor cooking, due out in October
• New TV show Get Fresh with Al Brown, due to screen in New Zealand this year

Additional Background Information:
After growing up in Wairarapa, New Zealand, on a sheep and cattle property, Al worked for three years in the New Zealand hospitality industry before travelling to North America to work in commercial kitchens in Montreal, San Diego and New Orleans.

Al completed a two year Culinary Arts degree at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, USA. He gained experience in restaurants in the United States and New Zealand, as well as a year as Chef for the New Zealand Embassy in Brussels.

In 1996 Al teamed up with business partner Steve Logan, opening the now highly acclaimed Logan Brown Restaurant & Bar in Wellington, New Zealand. The restaurant received Cuisine Magazine’s prestigious 2009 Supreme Winner restaurant of the Year Award. Logan Brown has also been featured in international publications around the world, including The New York Times, Gourmet, Conde Nast Traveller and Australian Gourmet Traveller. Al’s signature dish Paua Ravioli with Lime Beurre Blanc has been on the menu since their first year of operation. In 2008, Al stepped away from the day to day operation of the restaurant, and while maintaining co-ownership, has freed up his time to concentrate on other culinary interests.

Over the last few years, Al has represented New Zealand cuisine with numerous cooking events including: presenting New Zealand food at NRA, Chicago in 2008 & 2009; telling his life story while cooking his signature dish to an audience of 2000 people at Thrive 08 in Auckland; MC at the new Kiwi’s Best during Fieldays in 2008, 2009 and 2010; presenting a master class at the Melbourne Food & Wine event in 2007; hosting international culinary TV show presenters such as Michael Smith and Anthony Bourdain while filming in New Zealand; cooking for Charlie Trotter at a private dinner with Seresin Estate Wines; and presenting New Zealand seafood at the Boston Seafood Show.

Al enjoys eating just about anything, but most of all simple food, cooked perfectly. He believes that more time should be spent pleasing the palate than garnishing to please the eye.

Al loves fishing and spending time with his wife Liz, their two daughters Alice and Connie at their Lyall Bay home in Wellington.

Philosophy List:
• Less is usually more.
• Keep it simple.
• Surround yourself with enthusiastic talented people, you can’t do it all yourself.
• Don’t take yourself or your food too seriously.
• The fundamentals of cooking are the most important.
• Salt, pepper, sugar, acidity, texture!
• Life is more important out of the kitchen.