Chef Mario Rodrigues has travelled the world and enjoyed a very interesting career to date. Having trained in Cape Town, when Rodrigues qualified, he worked in London for seven years. He worked at a Michelin guide restsaurant for two years during his time there. He also catered on a charter boat on the Thames river part time for a year while I was head chef at a small hotel. After moving to New Zealand, he worked at Botswana Butchery in Wanaka for two years. His love for cooking meat has been ingrained since he was young. Bistro Gentil won their first hat this year in the Cuisine Good Food Awards 2016. They have been the number one restaurant in Wanaka on Trip Advisor since he took over as head chef. His inspiration has changed over the years with the way that food fashion has also changed. He always uses the best ingredients for the dishes he creates. Rodrigues has entered a Steak and Onions dish into this year’s awards using Silver Fern Farms Reserve eye fillet, onion caramel, tempura shallots, smoked shallot puree, red onion relish, herb oil and black garlic jus.
MARIO RODRIGUES, HEAD CHEF, BISTRO GENTIL, WANAKA
