Cam Davies is a head-down, lamb-in-the-oven, let-the-food-speak type. He is the executive chef and co-owner of The Fat Duck in Te Anau, and this year, the restaurant was named Supreme Winner at the 2025 New Zealand Gastropub Awards, as well as Best in the Lower South Island.
Not a bad follow-up to last year, when they picked up top prize for the Best Estrella Damm Beer & Food Match. In 2023 he won the semifinal for Global Chef Pacific Rim competition, and is a CPIT-trained chef with a gold-medal win at the national Toque d’Or under his belt. Seems like Cam’s building a bit of a streak.
Cam’s career has taken him from London’s Harvey Nichols to private yachts, where he cooked for the likes of Beyonce and Rihanna. But it’s Southland where he’s chosen to put down roots, and that says a lot.
Cam’s food has never been about showing off. He’s more interested in substance than spectacle. His signature dish, the slow-braised Lumina lamb, is cooked overnight and created from ingredients grown and made right here in Southland. It’s rich and comforting, elevated but grounded. Like the place it comes from.
That philosophy flows through the whole menu. Every dish tells a story. Every detail is doing something, building flavour purposefully across the plate.
Cam and his team use regional produce wherever they can, and the back page of the menu lists every grower and maker they work with. From meat to microgreens, it’s all connected. And that matters, not just for flavour, but for community.
Over the last few years, Cam’s leadership in the kitchen has taken on new shape. He’s stepped back just enough to let others step forward. He’s building a team that shares his values and creating space for growth without compromising quality.
His role as a Beef + Lamb NZ Ambassador has taken him to national stages, where he’s plated up Southland lamb for hundreds, including at the Red Meat Sector Gala Dinner. This connection to farmers, to producers, to the land, and to the people who walk through the door each night is everything.
The awards are a nice moment, and a well-earned one. But Cam’s probably already thinking about the next service. Checking the jus. Fine-tuning a new dish. Making sure it’s all just right before it goes out.
