Two legends of American food culture are coming to New Zealand.
Visa Wellington On a Plate is thrilled to welcome award-winning pitmaster Rodney Scott and renowned burger historian George Motz for a pair of exclusive 2026 festival events.
Made possible with support from the New Zealand Government's Events Boost Fund, these one-of-a-kind experiences will bring world-class barbecue and burger expertise to Wellington for an unforgettable celebration of food and storytelling.
George Motz
George Motz
George Motz is a chef, author, filmmaker, television host, and the owner of Hamburger America, his acclaimed New York City restaurant dedicated to preserving America's great regional burger traditions. Widely recognised as the country's leading burger expert, he has been described by The New York Times as the "foremost authority on hamburgers."
His award-nominated documentary Hamburger America helped cement his reputation as one of the most influential voices in American food culture, leading to bestselling books, the Travel Channel series Burger Land, and his popular Burger Scholar Sessions on First We Feast. After more than 25 years of burger research - and over 30,000 burgers consumed - Motz continues to share and celebrate America's rich burger heritage with audiences around the world.
To learn more about George's exclusive 2026 festival event, visit the event page.
Rodney Scott
Rodney Scott has been cooking whole-hog barbecue over live coals since the age of eleven. By seventeen, he was working the pits full-time, honing the craft that would eventually make him one of the most influential figures in American barbecue. What began as helping at his family's roadside barbecue business in South Carolina grew into a career celebrated by food lovers and critics around the world.
In 2018, Scott was awarded Best Chef: Southeast by the James Beard Foundation, becoming only the second pitmaster in history to receive a James Beard chef award. His distinctive whole-hog barbecue style has been featured on Parts Unknown alongside Anthony Bourdain, and in 2020 he was profiled in Chef's Table: BBQ, introducing audiences worldwide to his South Carolina barbecue tradition.
To learn more about Rodney's exclusive 2026 festival event, visit the event page.
Rodney Scott - photo credit Angie Mosier
