A Hobart chef with 22 years experience working in kitchens has been named Australia’s Chef of the Year, with Christian Ryan taking out the top honour at the 2026 Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards.
Ryan, who leads the kitchens at Aløft Restaurant and Restaurant Maria on Hobart’s waterfront, was awarded the national title last night at a ceremony celebrating Gourmet Traveller’s 60th anniversary.
Scholé also took out Tasmania’s Restaurant of the Year title, giving the state two major wins at the national awards.
The awards are determined by a panel of independent reviewers who visit restaurants unannounced and pay their own way, judging the overall dining experience including food, drink, service, ambience and setting.
Ryan is a Hobart-born and bred chef who has spent his entire working life in kitchens.
He started as an apprentice at Hobart institution Da Angelo before earning experience in Melbourne and spending a year at Gordon Ramsay’s Savoy Grill in London.
He returned to Tasmania and opened Aløft, which he has operated with his business partners for the past decade, before opening Restaurant Maria beneath it.
Ryan has previously said he “couldn’t boil water” when he left school early to begin his apprenticeship.
Aløft, which marked its 10th anniversary last November, serves a nine-course tasting menu combining Asian flavours with Tasmanian produce, while Maria takes a Mediterranean-inspired approach to local ingredients.
Ryan also runs Hobart burger restaurant The Standard and cooks for thousands of people at Dark Mofo’s Winter Feast.
He said he was surprised to even be nominated for the award.
“There is no person more surprised by this news than me,” he wrote on social media after the nominations were announced.
“It’s one damn impressive list of people to be nominated with, so regardless of the outcome I’ve already won just being able to have my name and hard work recognised alongside them all.”
Gourmet Traveller editor David Meagher said the awards recognised the people and places shaping Australia’s dining culture.
“This year’s winners reflect the extraordinary depth of talent across the country – from emerging voices reshaping Australian dining to enduring institutions that continue to set the benchmark for hospitality,” he said.
Melbourne restaurant Zareh was named the national Restaurant of the Year, while Scholé took out the Tasmanian title.
Other state winners were Bistro Livi in New South Wales, The Woodshed in Queensland, Esmay in South Australia and De’sendent in Western Australia.
