Simon Gault is one of the leading lights in New Zealand’s culinary scene. Simon is a chef and restauranteur that has worked both in New Zealand and internationally at a vast array of establishments including Leiths restaurant in London and at the prestigious, Michelin-starred Thornbury Castle. He has also formally been the personal chef to the likes of billionaire Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, and prior to that, personal chef to Simon Fuller creator of  American Idol. Simon is a global culinary superstar who has a remarkable talent for bringing together tastes and techniques from around the world. When asked what his favourite recipe was, Kevin Roberts, former Worldwide CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi, replied ‘Simon Gault’s telephone number’.

Simon is former Executive Chef of the Nourish Group, a collection of multi-award winning restaurant brands that includes Euro Bar & Restaurant, FISH and Jervois Steakhouse in Auckland, Bistro Lago in Taupo, Jervois Steak House in Queenstown and Shed 5, Pravda and The Crab Shack in Wellington and Auckland. Simon opened Giraffe, a relaxed all day eatery in the heart of the Viaduct in mid 2017 and led this venture for the first couple of years and has now exited leaving a successful flourishing legacy business in his wake.

Simon has proved himself to be an innovator, a pioneer and a leader over many years and along the way his talents have been recognised by the industry, winning the New Zealand Restaurant Association Innovator of the Year Award, the Lewisham Awards, Chef of the Year and Outstanding Hospitality Personality of the Year. He was inducted into the New Zealand Restaurant Association Hall of Fame, named as the Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in the Services Category and honoured with the 2015 AUT School of Hospitality and Tourism award for Outstanding Contribution to the Hospitality and Tourism Community.

Simon has a number of business interests including Sous Chef, a fine foods import, distribution, deli shop and online food company that brings you the best in high quality ingredients from artisan producers the world over.

His supermarket brand Gault’s can be found on the shelves in Countdown and New World nationwide as well as in Farro Fresh and Moore Wilson and features four stock concentrates and four seasoning blends. A premium, ready-to-drink cocktail range, delivered to your door is his latest initiative and in his own words is “going off”. Simon also has a range of homewares available through Briscoes and a holistic science-based, health and well-being on-line education programme in partnership with nutritionist Sean Robertson called 4 Wheels of Health.

Simon is well known for fronting Television New Zealand’s Masterchef New Zealand over five seasons and starring in his hit television series Chef on a Mission and a documentary series Why Are We Fat?

He has been a food columnist in New Zealand Woman’s Weekly and NZ Herald, is the author of five bestselling cookbooks including Simon Gault Homemade and Modern Classics. 

Simon enjoys sharing his boundless enthusiasm for food, letting people experience food in a different way and getting people excited to get back into the kitchen and giving it a go.