French Cafe executive chef links up with Mercedes-Benz
Prominent Auckland restaurateur Simon Wright is Mercedes Benz NZ’s latest ‘friend of the brand’.
The executive chef and founder of The French Cafe in Auckland, Wright says his love affair with cars started long before his love of food.
Mercedes-Benz NZ general manager Ben Giffin said the German brand was synononymous with high-end lifestyle and sports partnerships in the fields of fashion, golf and Formula One racing.
In addition to receiving local critical acclaim, The French Cafe has been recognised by millions of independent reviewers as TripAdvisor’s No1 Australasian fine dining restaurant in this year’s Traveller’s Choice Awards.
This was the first time Mercedes-Benz had entered into the realm of food in New Zealand, and as a passionate car enthusiast, there was no better fit with the brand than Wright.
“We are truly delighted to align with The French Cafe brand, one which perfectly embodies our own ethos of ‘the best or nothing’.”
Wright’s culinary expertise and knowledge would be shared across a number of exclusive ‘money can’t buy’ Mercedes-Benz customer events, incorporating bespoke menus, outstanding fine dining, and the opportunity to engage with one of New Zealand’s premier chiefs.
Wright said he had always been a huge fan of Mercedes-Benz. Their philosophy, attention to detail and customer focus that appealed.
“Like The French Cafe, Mercedes-Benz is a company that is constantly evolving in the pursuit of excellence and offering a holistic, personalised customer experience.”
The chief currently drives a new Mercedes-AMG C 63 S.
Wright said his car history included several Audis and other vehicles, mostly four-wheel-drives. However, now that he had discovered how balanced and well-handled rear-wheel drive vehicles like the AMG were, he regretted not driving them earlier.
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-Tony Verdon