Public voting opens for best French gastronomy in NZ

Members of the public are being encouraged to vote for the crème de la crème of French gastronomy in New Zealand in a competition from Thursday 19 September until Sunday 6 October.

Whether due to producing the most mouth-watering pain au chocolat or bowls of steaming bouillabaisse – the opportunity for accolades will soon be revealed by the crowd favourites.

The two inaugural national award categories now open for voting on Le Petit Journal that covers French news in 60 cities worldwide are:

• Best French Bakery/ and or Pâtisserie here
• Best French Restaurant here

The people’s choice-type competition is the brainchild of the French New Zealand Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNZCCI) in partnership with Le Petit Journal with backing by the French Embassy.

“Given this is our first year ever holding this competition - we’ve been overwhelmed with the sheer number of enquiries from business owners across the nation. It’s attracted entrants from Northland down to Queenstown, the metropolitan city of Auckland and regions in between,” says Thibault Beaujot, President of the French New Zealand Chamber of Commerce.

“French food is on a roll – did you know that in June this year a quaint French restaurant was crowned “best in the world” in the top 50 restaurants of all time beating out Michelin stars like Noma in Copenhagen?”

Beaujot also refers to consumer research by Business France, a French Government agency pointing to the popularity of the humble baguette that’s being fuelled by a craving for French foodstuffs by the masses. Exports to China alone have soared 7,800 percent over the past decade.

“It’s time for Kiwis to vote on their coveted favourites so the nation can discover them too. We’re all about supporting such excellence in both the hospitality and business industries,” he says.

The winners will be officially announced in Auckland on 10 October at a black tie Parisian themed gala before the elite of the French business community and sponsors that include ACCOR, Bureau Veritas, Transdev, Vinci Construction, L’Oréal, BNP Paribas, Moet Hennessy, Percod Ricard, March Construction, and New Zealand Services.

Each winner will receive a $3,000 prize package which includes media campaign advertising by Le Petit Journal in both print and online worth $2,000 and an annual membership to the French New Zealand Chamber of Commerce valued at $1,000. Winners will also receive recognition of the award to display on premise.

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