Vaughan Mabee Amisfield Departure explained: the release driving the conversation

Executive chef Vaughan Mabee has resigned after nearly 15 years at Amisfield. Vaughan Mabee Amisfield Departure has emerged this Friday as one of the stories drawing attention in New Zealand.

Key facts

• Executive chef Vaughan Mabee has resigned after nearly 15 years at Amisfield.
• “Amisfield can confirm that Vaughan Mabee is no longer employed by the business, having resigned in February 2026,” he wrote.
• An email was sent out to staff members yesterday, which stated: “After almost 15 years with Amisfield, Vaughan Mabee has resigned and is moving on from the business”.
• Internationally-renowned Queenstown chef Vaughan Mabee has left Amisfield.
• Vaughan Mabee told the Herald he wants to spend more time with his young family.

What we know

Going deeper, an email was sent out to staff members yesterday, which stated: “After almost 15 years with Amisfield, Vaughan Mabee has resigned and is moving on from the business”.

On the substance, Internationally-renowned Queenstown chef Vaughan Mabee has left Amisfield.

Beyond the headlines, Vaughan Mabee told the Herald he wants to spend more time with his young family.

More precisely, a source told the Herald that Amisfield staff were notified by text and email on Thursday about Mabee’s departure – and some were told face-to-face.

It is worth noting that when Amisfield received third spot in the Top 15 International Restaurants category in Food & Wine’s Global Tastemasters Awards, Mabee told the Herald he was “truly honoured and very proud”.

By the numbers

“Amisfield can confirm that Vaughan Mabee is no longer employed by the business, having resigned in February 2026,” he wrote.

On a related note, Mabee, named the 44th best chef in the world in 2023, could not be...

Going deeper, In 2024, Amisfield was named ‘‘Best Chef Dining Experience’’ at the Best Chef Awards in Dubai, where Mabee, a serial winner of Cuisine’s innovation award, was won a coveted ‘‘Three Knives’’ - the year prior he was named 44th in the world’s ‘‘Top 100 Best Chef Awards’’.

On the substance, the dinner tasting menu at Amisfield is $595 per person.

What they're saying

“I resigned my role as executive chef at Amisfield early this year in order to be able to spend more time with my young family while also pursuing several overseas opportunities.”

“Amisfield does not comment on the private affairs of its current or former staff in order to protect their privacy.”

“Aaron and Chef Peng will work closely to align our kitchen and front-of-house operations as we continue to evolve the Amisfield experience.”

The wider context

On a related note, World-renowned Kiwi celebrity chef Vaughan Mabee has resigned from the Queenstown restaurant he took to global acclaim, saying he wants to spend more time with his family, and pursue “several overseas opportunities”.

Going deeper, In a statement to the Herald, Mabee said his departure was planned.

On the substance, Mabee’s gastronomic creations last year took Amisfield Restaurant to a third-place finish in Food & Wine’s Global Tastemasters Awards.

Beyond the headlines, In an email to the Herald today, Amisfield chief executive Simon Toneycliffe confirmed the departure.

More precisely, Mabee’s biography was still on Amisfield’s website this month but disappeared

The bottom line

• An email was sent out to staff members yesterday, which stated: “After almost 15 years with Amisfield, Vaughan Mabee has resigned and is moving on from the business”.
• A source told the Herald that Amisfield staff were notified by text and email on Thursday about Mabee’s departure – and some were told face-to-face.
• When Amisfield received third spot in the Top 15 International Restaurants category in Food & Wine’s Global Tastemasters Awards, Mabee told the Herald he was “truly honoured and very proud”.
• Searches spiking right now: Award-winning chef Vaughan Mabee has quit Amisfield, Celebrity chef says he quit top restaurant for family and 'overseas opportunities', World-renowned head chef Vaughan Mabee suddenly quits Arrowtown restaurant Amisfield after 15 years, Celebrity chef quits world-renowned Queenstown restaurant.