While the judging process is so secret that even sharing the above information will probably get me into trouble, the outcome is generally the same each year - we finish with a list of 50 must-visit restaurants (think of it like one-per-week for you to visit until this time next year) plus some gold medallists in a bunch of categories, and one supreme winner, whose life suddenly gets a fuckload busier.
Then there's this award, which you might like to chip in on yourself: Personality of the Year is awarded to someone working on the floor, usually as maitre d', and it's a good way of rewarding a person who can have as big an impact on your night out as the chef.
You can vote for the one you'd like to win by text - details are on this PDF which, if you're a real Auckland restaurant groupie, you can print out, frame and put on your wall. I can't tell you who to vote for, but I can tell you I'd be very happy if either of the excellently talented two I've met win - Damaris Coulter or Mimi Gilmour, coincidentally two of the younger, more attractive women in the photo, but we've all seen X Factor, I'm not sure looks are going to help much when it comes to a public vote.
The Top 50 is announced, along with POTY and all the other big winners, in the May issue of Metro. But hey, the April issue has just come out, and it's got my review of Vinnies and that exclusive Millie Holmes interview and plenty more besides. It's a bloody good magazine; thank God Auckland has it or we'd all be sitting around reading restaurant reviews in Harbour City News.
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