Ray McVinnie

New Zealand

Ray McVinnie M.A.(Hons), C&G Dip CA has been a food writer and advisor and now editor of Cuisine magazine which was adjudged the best food magazine in the world at the 2006 Gourmet Media World festival in Cannes, France.  Ray was born with a passion for food. Even while studying for his Master of Arts in History at Auckland University he cooked part time. A professional chef for many years at some of Auckland’s best restaurants, he was Executive Chef at Auckland’s Metropole Restaurant for 6 years.

He is an experienced food judge, a newspaper columnist and has been on the international jury for the Italy-based Slowfood Awards and has also twice been on the panel of judges for the World Food Media Awards.

Ray is also an award winning food and travel writer and was winner of a multitude of accolades. He has travelled extensively in Asia as well as in Italy, Spain, Germany and France researching food and as a professional chef. Ray lectured in Gastronomy at the Auckland University of Technology for many years and in 2008 he was invited to present his paper on kumara at the prestigious Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery at Oxford University UK. He is a published author with five cookery books to his name and one of the judges in the hit television series Masterchef New Zealand.