Al Brown Guest Chef Residency Brings Auckland Flavours to Natadola

Natadola, Fiji, Friday, 7 August 2026: InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa is hosting acclaimed New Zealand chef, restaurateur, author and television presenter Al Brown for a guest chef residency from 6 to 9 August 2026, combining a series of dining events for guests with practical training for the resort’s culinary team. 

The residency brings Brown’s relaxed, produce-led approach to dining from Auckland to Natadola. Brown is behind Depot Eatery & Oyster Bar, which is centred on seasonal food and shared plates, and The Federal Delicatessen, his interpretation of a traditional New York Jewish delicatessen.

The programme opened with Depot’s Five Courses by the Sea at Navo Restaurant on 6 and 7 August. The menu features tuna sashimi, Yasawa lobster cake, fish taco, slow-braised beef cheek and lemon panna cotta with tropical fruit and native honey. 

The residency concludes on 9 August with Savoury Plates by Al Brown at Kama Lounge & Bar. Guests can choose from mahi mahi sundowners with preserved lemon mayonnaise, harissa lamb ribs and clam fritter sandos with gribiche. 

Alongside the guest experiences, Brown is working with the resort’s chefs through kitchen-based training and knowledge sharing. The professional development component is intended to expose local culinary talent to new techniques, menu development ideas and approaches to working with regional ingredients, while creating opportunities for the team to exchange knowledge with one of New Zealand’s best-known hospitality figures. 

Brown has built a career across restaurants, publishing, food products and television. His screen work includes four seasons of Hunger for the Wild, followed by Coasters, Get Fresh, Dishing Up Australia and MasterChef. Hunger for the Wild, first broadcast from 2006 to 2008, followed Brown and chef Steve Logan as they sourced ingredients through fishing, hunting and foraging across New Zealand. 

“Al’s residency gives our guests access to a distinctive culinary experience, but its value extends well beyond the dining room,” said Lachlan Walker, Regional General Manager, Fiji and Pacific, IHG Hotels & Resorts. “By working directly with our chefs, Al is sharing experience that can strengthen skills, encourage creativity and support the continued development of Fijian culinary talent. This exchange of knowledge is an important part of how we invest in our people while creating relevant experiences for our guests.” 

“Fiji has a strong sense of place, hospitality and connection to food, which makes it an exciting setting in which to cook,” said Al Brown. “I am looking forward to sharing the style of food we serve at Depot, learning from the resort’s chefs and working together with ingredients and flavours that reflect this part of the Pacific.”

Supporting Facts
    Depot’s Five Courses by the Sea: 6 and 7 August 2026, from 5.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. at Navo Restaurant.
    Five-course menu: FJ$179 per person.
    Savoury Plates by Al Brown: 9 August 2026, from 5.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. at Kama Lounge & Bar.
    À la carte dishes: FJ$42 to FJ$48.
    Brown is associated with Auckland dining venues Depot Eatery & Oyster Bar and The Federal Delicatessen.
    The residency includes professional development and knowledge-sharing sessions for the resort’s culinary team.
 

ENDS 

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Media Contact
[Krishnil Prasad, +679 673 3300 +679 998 2641]
[[email protected]] 
 

Notes to Editors

About FNPF-owned IHG Fiji Hotels

FNPF-owned IHG Fiji Hotels portfolio includes InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa, Grand Pacific Hotel and Holiday Inn Suva.

The award-winning luxury resort is just 55 minutes from Nadi International Airport yet feels remote and secluded. Echoing the layout of a traditional Fijian village, the resort’s rooms and suites are spread out across 35 acres of beachside tropical gardens. 

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