Vaughan Mabee
Vaughan Mabee is a celebrated New Zealand chef and executive chef at Amisfield, a fine dining restaurant and winery located near Queenstown. Known for his innovative approach to cuisine, Mabee emphasizes the use of seasonal and local ingredients, creating multi-course tasting menus that showcase the best of Central Otago. His culinary expertise has earned him accolades, including a spot on the World’s Best Chef Awards Top 100 list. Under his leadership, Amisfield has gained international recognition, recently being named the third-best restaurant in the world by Food & Wine's Global Tastemakers Awards.
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Recent news mentions
Vaughan Mabee resigned after a series of formal complaints of bullying and lewd comments and behaviour to female staffers.
Society Insider: Sally Ridge and John Darby’s Fijian escape; Wayne Leach’s Remuera mansion expected to sell for more than $25m
New Zealand· 2026-05-27
Vaughan Mabee is the executive chef at Queenstown’s Amisfield and a judge on Taste of Art.
NZ’s “actual badass chefs” battle it out for chance to showcase creative geniusNew Zealand· 2026-02-08
Mabee is a judge on the Taste of Art TV show and is known for his creative culinary approach.
Taste of Art TV show: Melissa Leong and Vaughan Mabee on food as artNew Zealand· 2026-02-07
Vaughan Mabee highlighted the unique culinary offerings of New Zealand that should be showcased.
Kiwi chefs react as France’s Michelin Guide comes to rank New Zealand’s restaurantsNew Zealand· 2025-11-06
Vaughan Mabee received the top 'three knife' award at The Best Chef Awards.
Top chef Lesley Chandra closes Ponsonby fine diner Sidart after award winNew Zealand· 2025-10-15
Vaughan Mabee is the head chef at Queenstown’s Amisfield Restaurant, which recently made the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
What It Means For NZ for Amisfield To Be On The World’s Best Restaurants ListNew Zealand· 2025-08-01
Vaughan Mabee, executive head chef at Amisfield, is a fan of Arrowtown icon The Blue Door for a winter drink.
Best winter restaurants in New Zealand, according to chefs and foodie expertsNew Zealand· 2025-06-08
Vaughan Mabee is the executive chef of Amisfield, which was named the third-best restaurant in the world.
Amisfield Executive Chef Vaughan Mabee On Placing Third In The World’s Best RestaurantsNew Zealand· 2025-04-09Vaughan Mabee is the executive chef and Masterchef NZ judge of Amisfield, which was named the number three restaurant in the world.
Queenstown’s Amisfield Named Number Three Restaurant In The World, According To ExpertsNew Zealand· 2025-04-07
