Festival Awards

Visa Wellington On a Plate Festival Awards 2022

The festival awards recognise excellence in Visa Wellington On a Plate participants. Ratings were back on the website this year and so here are the winners chosen by you:

Best Dine Wellington 2022

Chef Shuchi Bhardwaj from Neo Café – The Flat White Project

Congratulations Café Neo! For Dine Wellington, Neo Café & Eatery served 'The Flat White Project': Whittaker’s Flat White Chocolate mousse with Garage Project Cereal Milk Stout torte, chocolate almond dacquoise, chocolate shell, hazelnut praline and a Coffee Supreme blend espresso pour-over. Read the story that inspired the dish on our website!

Read the story that inspired the dish below:

Neo Café & Eatery are here to celebrate the flat white and the good work of the Wellington coffee pioneers of the early 1990s. It was their efforts and love for coffee that led to the innovation of this beloved morning staple - now a coffee lovers’ addiction worldwide. For cafés and baristas, the flat white has become the measuring stick for excellence. The evolution of brewing equipment and coffee quality has only added fuel to the fire of perfection. This year, in a playful take on the quintessential coffee-and-cake combo, Neo offers a melded dish designed to take you on a journey of delight and surprise; one that is reminiscent of those cuddly feelings you get when your lips meet the silky-smooth foam of the flat white, followed by the intense espresso hit of blended coffee, chocolate and malt flavours, forming a perfect balance as you head towards the bottom of the cup - or in this case, plate.

Best Garage Project presents Burger Wellington 2022

Vaibhav Vishen from Chaat Street – Dabeli

Congratulations Chaat Street! For Garage Project presents Burger Wellington, Chaat Street served 'Dabeli': Crispy dabeli spiced potato patty with Fix & Fogg Smoke and Fire peanut butter, coriander, onions, crispy chickpea noodles and tamarind chutney in a masala butter brioche bun, with kala masala chips. Perfectly matched with Garage Project's Transit of Venus beer.

Best Cocktail Wellington presented by Tommy's Real Estate 2022

Regan Gaffney from Boulcott Street Bistro – The Martinborough Martini

Congratulations Boulcott Street Bistro! For Cocktail Wellington presented by Tommy's Real Estate, Boulcott Street Bistro served 'The Martinborough Martini': Brown butter washed Reid & Reid Rev. Dawson’s gin with housemade Palliser chardonnay vermouth and fresh dill. Accompanied by a crayfish éclair.

Rising Stars winner

In partnership with Lumina Lamb this year, we introduced the Rising Stars Award during the Felix Awards.

Nominated by their head chefs, these are young chefs at the start of their careers that are showing a natural passion and promise for hospitality. We're pleased to announce Benny Forshaw from Charley Noble Eatery and Bar, Jacob Spackman from Kisa, Ben McKenzie from Ortega Fish Shack & Bar, Chinar Raut from Field & Green and Kritika Mahajan from Shepherd as the 2022 Rising Stars.

As part of their prize, each one of them will attend four tutorials and training throughout the year (including butchery, boning, and media training), a farm tour of a Lumina Lamb farm and a $500 Prezzy card per Rising Star.

Next Gen Cook Off by Everybody Eats winner

Every Monday during August, Everybody Eats hosted the Next Gen Cook Off at LTD. as part of Visa Wellington On a Plate.

Each week, an up-and-coming chef was invited to a mystery box challenge where they had to serve a three-course menu. The lineup of talented chefs who took on the challenge includes Maxime Gnojczak from Concord, Conor McDonald from Atlas, Kahlivia Russell from Rita, Tak Tanaka from Field & Green and Maddie Grace from Hillside,

After each session, diners were invited to rate their dining experience to help determine the winner of the cook-off. And so the winner of the Next Gen Cook Off 2022 is...

Tak Tanaka from Field & Green! Thanks to everyone who joined our pop up event. Everybody Eats operates all year long at LTD. Sunday to Tuesday to serve you a three-course meal on a pay-as-you-feel basis.

Visa Wellington On a Plate Festival Awards 2021

Best Dine Wellington 2021

Congratulations Boulcott Street Bistro! For Dine Wellington, Boulcott Street Bistro served "Crayfish Marseille": Butter-poached Yellow Brick Road Cook Strait crayfish with sautéed housegrown green vegetables, harissa and saffron tomato sauce and 26 seasons microgreens. You can watch the winning announcement here.

Best Garage Project presents Burger Wellington 2021

Congratulations Egmont St. Eatery! For Garage Project presents Burger Wellington, Egmont St. Eatery served "Kingston Tastee":

Free range smashed pork and beef patty with mango and pork fat chutney, blackened Penray Gardens chilli mayo, housemade cheese and spiced tobacco onions in a housemade milk bun matched with Garage Project Golden Path beer. You can watch the winning announcement here.

Best Cocktail Wellington presented by Tommy's Real Estate 2021

Congratulations C.G.R Merchant & Co! For Cocktail Wellington presented by Tommy's Real Estate, C.G.R Merchant & Co. served "Old Fashioned Donuts": A black Doughboy Donuts donut topped with white chocolate and coconut cream, served with a chocolate and coconut-infused rum old fashioned filling. You can watch the winning announcement here.

In 2020 we decided to not have public ratings or Festival Awards for Burger, Cocktail, Dine Wellington. We're all about collaboration, community and lifting everyone up rather than competition.