Meet Ray
Ray McVinnie (M.A.(Hons), C&G Dip CA) has been a food writer and advisor at Cuisine magazine, celebrity judge on Masterchef NZ, food columnist in the Sunday Star-Times, Sunday magazine and Bite magazine.
Ray has always had 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 Aucklandʼs best restaurants, he was Executive Chef at Aucklandʼs Metropole Restaurant for 6 years.
Ray has published 5 books: He is an experienced food judge, judging the Corbans Food and Wine Challenge and the New Zealand Cheese Awards for many years. He was 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 has travelled extensively in Asia as well as in Italy, Spain. Germany and France researching food and as a professional chef. In 2008 he was invited to present his paper on kumara at the prestigious Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery at Oxford University UK.
Apart from his food and travel writing, Ray is a former lecturer at the Auckland University of Technology and is an experienced food stylist, consultant and guest chef for various restaurants and cook schools.
Most importantly, he believes in getting the best quality products that suit your budget, eat real food, cook it well and share it with people you like.