WellingtonNZ.com,
New Zealand 

Wellington chef Al Brown on the south coast during filming of MasterChef Australia in May

A strategy to position Wellington as the cuisine capital of New Zealand is proving fruitful internationally, with major broadcasters profiling the city’s culinary merits to millions around the globe.

Will Travel for Food, produced by NDTV during filming of the Bollywood film Players in February, recently ran a 22 minute feature on the “cheerful and cheeky” cuisine capital to an audience of some 40 million viewers in India. After taking a Zest Food Tours walking tour of the city including visits to Mojo Coffee’s headquarters, Ciocco and Logan Brown, anchor Aneesha Baig spends some time at Wharekauhau Lodge and Country Estate, where she jokes about gaining honorary citizenship.

New Zealanders will this Thursday have the chance to see part of* the special 90-minute episode of MasterChef Australia that saw two contestants take a food tour of Wellington with Justin North. The Channel 10 primetime series is Australia’s highest rating non-sporting programme of all time and is regularly the top rating show on the network. The broadcast has been followed by a series of tasty print features in the likes of Australian Gourmet Traveller and taste.com.au, which referred to the coolest little capital in the world as ‘a must for food-lovers’. In a piece that ends with the “Wellington is cool. We get it now”, New York Times also recently noted “for a city less than a third of the size of Auckland, Wellington punches above its weight on the culinary front”.

Positively Wellington Tourism Chief Executive David Perks says the city’s cultural scene and compact geography had fostered a united, quality and friendly hospitality industry that media from around the globe agree is world class.

“Our theatre-going culture goes hand-in-hand with dining out. Without question there are many destinations throughout New Zealand with fantastic food and wine, but Wellington has the whole package – a dozen coffee roasteries, a number of bars and restaurants to rival New York, four Cuisine Supreme Restaurant of the Year award winners and we’re tucked between two of the country’s finest wine regions to boot.”

*An edited version of the episode is scheduled to air on TV ONE this Thursday 15 September from 4.55-6pm.

 
What the international media have to say about Wellington’s culinary scene:

Australian Gourmet Traveller:

“…it’s a land of milk, honey and world-beating pinot noir … a thriving cosmopolitan environ that confounds stereotypes of soulless capitals.”

“Regardless of your intended length of stay, Wellington’s gastronomic riches seem too numerous to fit into a single trip. Rugby World Cup or not, any time is try-time for this most charming of capital cities.”

 Taste.com.au:

“…Wellington is a refreshingly relaxed, cool and cosmopolitan city. Before I went, I knew very little about Wellington. Four days later, I was ready to pack my bags and move there.”
 

 Further reading about the culinary capital on WellingtonNZ.com

:: After Match Functions & Feeds 1st XV (Rugby themed)

:: James Nesbitt’s Guide to Wining and Dining in Wellington