Al Brown (chef)
Al Brown | |
|---|---|
Al Brown in 2025 | |
| Born | 1964 or 1965 (age 60–61) |
Alister Douglas Malcolm Brown[1] (born 1964 or 1965[2]) is a New Zealand chef, restaurateur and television presenter.
Early life and education
Brown grew up on a farm near Masterton, in the Wairarapa.[3][4] He attended a boarding school and was required to repeat Fifth Form, but was expelled due to "rolling cheap joints". He later described himself as being "hopeless in a traditional classroom environment". After leaving school he became a shepherd in the Hawke's Bay. He later studied at the New England Culinary Institute in the US state of Vermont.[4]
Career
In 1996 he and Steve Logan founded the restaurant Logan Brown, which is located at the Former National Bank of New Zealand Building in Wellington.[4] Brown and Logan presented the television programme Hunger for the Wild from 2006 to 2008 which involved fishing, hunting, foraging and cooking.[5] In 2011 Brown opened Depot Eatery and Oyster Bar at SkyCity in Auckland.[6]
Brown was appointed a Member of The New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2012 Queen's Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours, for services as a chef.[1]
Brown was a judge in MasterChef New Zealand series 6 in 2015.[7] In 2025 Brown published the fishing guide book Hooked: Learning to Fish.[8][9] Other books published by him include Depot: Biography of a Restaurant, Stoked and Go Fish.[7] In 2017 the publisher Allen & Unwin reported that over 100,000 copies of Brown's books had been sold.[2]
Personal life
References
- ^ a b "The Queen's Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours List 2012 | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC)". www.dpmc.govt.nz. 4 June 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ^ a b "Al Brown wants you to feel comfortable". Stuff. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ^ "Chef Al Brown on the best roadie snacks and what makes New Zealand so wonderful". Stuff. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ a b c d "Chef Al Brown on a lifetime of unease and finally finding the jacket that fits". Stuff. 3 October 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ Screen, NZ On. "Hunger for the Wild | Series | Television | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ^ "Celebrating A Decade Of Depot". SkyCity. Scoop. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ^ a b "Celebrity chef Al Brown confirmed as new MasterChef judge". Stuff. 23 April 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ^ ZB (15 March 2026). "Famed chef and restauranteur Al Brown returns with new book". ZB. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "Chef Al Brown and his new book "Hooked - Learning to Fish"". RNZ. 23 September 2025. Retrieved 15 March 2026.