RIVERSTONE KITCHEN
Riverstone Kitchen is an award-winning restaurant nestled in the spectacular North Otago countryside which has gained a reputation for delicious food, simply prepared from local, seasonal ingredients.
Chef, restauranteur, author of four cookbooks and father of two, Bevan Smith is the owner of the renowned and award-winning Riverstone Kitchen, located just 15km north of Oamaru.
Bevan’s food ethos is reflected in the all-encompassing gardens that surround and define Riverstone Kitchen.
Bevan Smith is founder, and owner of Riverstone Kitchen restaurant, opening Riverstone Kitchen in 2006 and very quickly making a name for himself winning Cuisine’s prestigious Restaurant of the Year Award in 2010. Riverstone’s focus on local suppliers and its large production gardens has helped redefine, seasonal dining in rural New Zealand.
“I am passionate about showcasing the best that New Zealand has to offer and am a strong advocate of locally-sourced produce and sustainability.”
Bevan’s culinary journey began in 1991, when he left his family’s farm to train as a chef in Christchurch. His passion for cooking then took him to London, where he worked at Terence Conran’s La Pont de la Tour and Michael Caine’s Canteen. From there he spent five seminal months travelling through the Mediterranean, before ending up in Australia, where he became head chef at Philip Johnson’s acclaimed Ècco Bistro.
In 2006, Bevan returned to New Zealand to establish the now famous Riverstone Kitchen. Built in a paddock on the family farm, 15 minutes north of Oamaru in North Otago, it has become a destination for lucky locals, food-loving kiwis and international visitors alike. In 2010, Riverstone Kitchen was the supreme winner of Cuisine magazine’s coveted Restaurant of the Year award, putting it firmly on the map.
Bevan has also authored four of his own cookbooks. Each book focuses on the seasonal food showcased at Riverstone Kitchen. All the recipes are simple and full of flavour, reflecting Bevan’s ideas that everyone should and can eat well. Bevan considers his newest cookbook to be his best yet, as it is a collection of over 90 of the restaurant’s most popular and most requested recipes, brought together for the first time in one volume.
15 years on from when it began, Riverstone Kitchen continues to be a vibrant and busy restaurant with Bevan leading his dedicated team from within the kitchen. Passionate about delivering a high-quality food and dining experience and showcasing the best that New Zealand has to offer.
