Taste of success for Logan Brown duo

KENT BLECHYNDEN/ The Dominion Post

A LOT ON THEIR PLATES: Restaurateurs Steve Logan, left, and Al Brown after being named Wellingtonians of The Year.

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Restaurateurs Steve Logan and Al Brown, who together have been delighting diners with their culinary panache for 13 years, are Wellingtonians of the Year.

Last night's win at the town hall is the latest in a triumphant year for the pair, after their restaurant Logan Brown was crowned Cuisine magazine's Restaurant of the Year in August – the first time they've taken the title since the critically acclaimed establishment opened in 1996.

Cuisine judge and Dominion Post reviewer David Burton has described Logan Brown as a "temple, devoted to Dionysian worship of wine and gormandise".

The pair's reputation has spread nationally and around the world in recent years.

Television show Hunger For The Wild showcased their hunting, fishing and cooking antics over three series, while the Grillslinger – a barbecue toolbelt the pair designed – has been sold here and overseas.

Logan was also part of the think-tank which developed the Wellington On A Plate food festival, incorporating food tours and beer and wine tastings as well as dinner deals at the capital's finest restaurants.

Since the start of this year, the pair have worked to reduce the hospitality industry's carbon footprint, starting with Logan Brown.

The Wellys, sponsored by The Dominion Post, have recognised the city's star achievers for 20 years including Flight of the Conchords, Peter Jackson and Sir Jon Trimmer.

OVERALL WINNERS AND BUSINESS CATEGORY WINNERS: Steve Logan & Al Brown

Steve and Al's Logan Brown restaurant was recently named NZ's best. One judge commented: "If I had to select an international flagship for NZ cuisine, Logan Brown would be hard to go past". Staunch supporters of all that's Wellington since 1996, Steve and Al sponsor rugby, tennis, opera and ballet. They also can be seen on the telly with their "Hunger for the Wild" series and in the public arena tackling climate change and the sustainablity of our fish resource at the International Day of Climate Action.

YOUTH WINNER: Ben Irving

Ben Irving, 24, is the founder of the ON THE EDGE a social enterprise that's passionate about leadership and inspiring young people of all cultures and backgrounds to have a positive impact in their communities. In 2009 ON THE EDGE has been a catalyst for the iCan project which raised 54,527 cans of food for charities including the Salvation Army, the SPCA and City Mission.

SPORT WINNER: Cory Jane

Cory Jane has had a stellar season with the Hurricanes and Wellington, as he did last season. Earlier this year he had his first start in the black jersey against France at Carisbrook, another two caps against France and Italy and then a taste of Tri-Nations rugby in a victory over Australia in Auckland, capping it off against Australia in Wellington where he scored his first Test try.

ENVIRONMENT WINNER: Wanda Tate

79-year-old Wanda Tate was one of the first members of the Pauatahanui Inlet Community Trust and she has worked on the restoration of the Pauatahanui Wildlife Reserve for 17 years. Mrs Tate's efforts have won her Forest and Bird's annual national Golden Spade award, and a QSM for her conservation work.

COMMUNITY SERVICE WINNER: Margaret Rankine

Margaret Rankine's service to Eastbourne is notable for her selfless leadership of a group of Red Cross volunteers whose practical assistance has sustained the Eastern Bay community for more than fifty years. Margaret is the Eastern Bays Welfare Officer for the Lower Hutt City Council's Emergency Response team and, along with her husband Ian, she's also manned the CD radio link for York Bay for many years.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY WINNER: Dr Bob Buckley

Bob Buckley is the manager of the High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) programme at Industrial Research Limited, and has devoted his scientific career to the development of high temperature superconductor materials and devices. His vision and leadership have resulted in the establishment of two new Wellington based companies which are now selling cutting edge HTS products worldwide.

EDUCATION WINNER: Bill Manhire

Bill Manhire is the director of the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington, the Southern Hemisphere centre for new and emerging writers. Wellington has developed a powerful creative writing culture which he has led, putting us on a map which operates globally. Bill's also won several New Zealand Book Awards, and was honoured with the 2007 Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement.

ART WINNER: Elizabeth Knox

Elizabeth Knox is an adventurous and imaginative fiction writer, whose novel, The Vintner's Luck, was a huge success with readers and critics alike; winning a Montana Book Award, and the Tasmanian Pacific Region Prize. The Vintner's Luck has been made into a film by Niki Caro. Dreamhunter (2005) and Dreamquake (2007) form a thrilling novel duet, aimed at young adults. Both earned American Library Association Best book awards, and Dreamquake won a Michael L Printz Honor in 2008.

GOVERNMENT WINNER: Dr Alan Bollard

Dr Alan Bollard has been Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand since 2002, and before that Secretary to the Treasury. Over the years he's had a keen interest in interest rates and signed an awful lot of bank notes, as well as helpingsteer an economy through a global crisis.

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Kenny   #1   07:15 pm Nov 27 2009

Congratulations to these amazing guys - you do our city proud! Keep up your fantastic work!

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