Chef Biography

Te Awa Winery Restaurant’s executive chef Francky Godinho has collected almost 50 medals during his 15 years in the hospitality industry.

He has won a host of awards and titles including New Zealand Chef of the Year in 2007 and 2009 and has recently been part of the Gold Medal winning NZ Culinary team in the “Battle of the Tasman”.

Before stepping into kitchens across the globe, Francky studied fashion design and music, which helped shape his artistic talent that is now famous in culinary world. He set his sights on Dubai to join the Emirates Airlines catering team where he won a string of awards that launched him into stardom, scoring a job at the world’s only seven star hotel – Burj Al Arab.

Francky describes his happiest moment as winning the ‘Emirates Culinary Guild Junior Chef of the year’ award which won him a trip to London for the opportunity to cook with the top names in the culinary industry.

Francky’s recipes are simple refined. He uses the freshest ingredients and adds flavours from around the world, creating visually appealing and contemporary cuisine.