Are Media’s Gourmet Traveller has unveiled its annual shortlist of Australia’s leading hospitality talent.
The finalists in Australia’s longest-running restaurant awards hail from all six states across six categories: Best New Talent, Best New Restaurant, Best Destination Dining, Restaurant Personality of the Year, Wine Bar of the Year, and the return of the Readers’ Choice Icon Award.
The winners will be announced on Monday, 19 August at a ceremony in Sydney at waterfront restaurant, Catalina, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this September.
Other awards presented on the evening will be the peer-voted Chef of the Year, Outstanding Contribution to Hospitality and the night’s top award, Restaurant of the Year.
The Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards are presented by S.Pellegrino, with support from Devil’s Corner Wines, Lexus, Lurpak, Mutti, PorkStar and Riedel.
Gourmet Traveller editor Joanna Hunkin said the awards are more important than ever this year as the hospitality industry navigates a series of challenges.
“It’s important we continue to lift up the industry and take time to celebrate these milestones and achievements,” she said.
“There is no question 2024 is proving a tough year for hospitality, with many restaurateurs forced to make difficult decisions. At the same time, there are still plenty of success stories and new experiences to discover; the awards are here to remind Australians of the exceptional dining on offer across the country and to celebrate the joy of dining out.”
Details of all the finalists are in the August issue of Gourmet Traveller. All the winners will be profiled in the September issue, on sale Monday, 26 August, which will also include the annual Restaurant Guide, featuring Australia’s top 95 restaurants.
The finalists are:
Readers’ Choice Icon Award
Attica, Melbourne, Vic
Lake House, Daylesford, Vic
Quay, Sydney, NSW
Rick Shores, Burleigh Heads, Old
Sean’s, Sydney
Vasse Felix, Margaret River, WA
Best New Restaurant
Gibney, Perth, WA
LVN, Adelaide Hills, SA
Maria, Hobart, Tas
Kafeneion, Melbourne, Vic
King Clarence, Sydney, NSW
Pneuma, Brisbane, Qld
Best New Talent
Sofika Boulton, Sonny’s, WA
Jun Hwang, White Horse, NSW
Simon Ming, Ode, SA
Mischa Tropp, Toddy Shop, Vic
Pietro Segalini, Pilloni, Qld
Wine Bar of the Year
Bar Olo, Melbourne, Vic
Havilah, Launceston, Tas
Poly, Sydney, NSW
Otherness, Barossa Valley, SA
South West Wine Shop, Busselton, WA
11e Cave, Canberra, ACT
Best Destination Dining
Chauncy, Heathcote, Vic
Elementary by Soul Co, Mt Gambier, SA
EXP., Hunter Valley, NSW
Nunu, Palm Cove, Qld
Wills Domain, Margaret River, WA
Restaurant Personality of the Year
Sarah Baldwin, Joy, Qld
Lachlan Colwall and Sophie Pope, Omotenashi, Tas
Mel Hamilton, Temperance, SA
Dot Lee, Longshore, NSW
Tess Murray, Chauncy, Vic
Jae Woods, Le Rebelle, WA