Queenstown chef Paul Froggatt on Essence’s two-star Michelin win and surge in bookings

The head chef of New Zealand’s newly minted Michelin two-starred restaurant says being recognised on the coveted list has been like a “light switch”, as a flood of bookings leave few dining spaces left this year.

Queenstown’s Essence emerged as the standout in New Zealand’s inaugural Michelin Guide ceremony last night, becoming Oceania’s first and only two-starred establishment.

Chef Paul Froggatt accepted the prestigious accolade, which has immediately put Essence into a category few others have achieved.

Speaking on Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning, British-born Froggatt said it was “a dream come true”, having worked in kitchens since he was 13.

“[I] saw a picture in a guidebook way back when in England and I was like, ‘I want to cook food like that’,” he said.

Froggatt said he’d received constant messages of support since the ceremony, while reservations were through the roof with few spaces available before Christmas.

“It’s like a light switch on that booking engine ... It will literally just switch itself and just explode.”

Froggatt said he worked in both single and two-starred Michelin-awarded restaurants in England before taking on a role at a French establishment with three stars (the most that can be given).

He then “flipped a coin”, spending five-and-a-half years in Singapore and later heading to Hong Kong to become chef de cuisine of a two-starred restaurant.

“I had a conversation with my wife over dinner one day, and we were like, ‘We need to do something for the family, and a little bit more family orientated, to bring up the children,” Froggatt said.

“New Zealand came up. And a lovely place called Huka Lodge came up.”

After 10 years at Huka Lodge, and a stint at Kauri Cliffs, Froggatt and his family uprooted again, heading south to take on what is now Essence, which opened last September in Queenstown’s latest luxury hotel, ROKI Collection.

With many chefs like him heading abroad to specifically train and work in starred kitchens, Froggatt said bringing the Michelin Guide to Aotearoa was “huge” for local hospitality, which he acknowledged had “suffered in the past few years”.

“It’s an industry that is a hard industry,” he said.

“Bringing this to the shores of New Zealand will certainly help it ... I hope it will raise everyone’s game, you know, from our chefs to the producers to the service team.”

Froggatt said the accolade was a reflection of Essence’s dedicated team.

“It’s their stars, you know,” he said.

“Like I said last night, it’s the team that’s done it, it’s the family that have done it. It’s not just me.”

A total of 110 hospitality establishments were recognised by Michelin last night, with 14 receiving one star, 35 awarded Bib Gourmand Status, and 60 added to the selected restaurant list.

The 14 recipients of one Michelin star were:

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