Brought up on a farm outside Hamilton in New Zealand, Josh Emett discovered cooking and his love of food at a young age. A typical active farm boy found him always hungry and was encouraged to cook something rather than complain.

As he approached the end of his schooling he had decided he did not want a nine to five office career and decided to follow his passion for food. He trained at Waikato Polytechnic in Hamilton and spent 18 months at Cin Cin on Quay in Auckland, in the early 90s this was the jewel in the city’s food scene.

Like so many New Zealanders, Josh had a yearning to see the world and in 1994 he headed overseas. He spent 2 years in London and specifically a year working at Coast restaurant in Mayfair with Steven Terry. His next move took him to Australia where he worked under Donovan Cooke for three years at est est est, which at the time was one of Melbourne’s most highly regarded restaurants.

In 1999, Josh left Melbourne and headed back to Europe, this time for the south of France to work as a chef on luxury yachts and save money and make it possible to get back to London. Once back in London he headed to the kitchen of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea and asked Gordon Ramsay for a job. At the time this was considered one of the most ferocious kitchens in London. He joined Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea as Senior Chef de Partie and quickly worked his way up the ranks in the kitchen.  Restaurant Gordon Ramsay was awarded three Michelin stars, making it the only three-star restaurant in London. This further fueled Josh’s drive for perfection and success.

In 2001, Josh was selected to be included in the team to launch the critically acclaimed Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's with good friend and colleague Mark Sargeant. The opening was a huge success and based on that 18 months later Josh was ask to be Head Chef alongside Chef Patron Marcus Wareing to reopen The Savoy Grill following the much talked about refurbishment. In January 2004, Josh and Marcus’s efforts were rewarded when The Savoy Grill won a Michelin star, its first in more than 100 years of operation.

In late 2006, Josh moved to New York to oversee Gordon Ramsay at The London NYC and later opened Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood. Within 10 months, Gordon Ramsay at The London NYC was awarded two Michelin stars and later Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood one Michelin star. Josh received exceptional reviews for his cooking in both the American and British press. Additionally Josh was also named New York Rising Star Chef in 2008, appeared in Hell’s Kitchen USA as a guest judge and appeared in Food Network’s new show “Chopped” which he won hand’s down against 3 other NYC chefs.

In 2010 Josh moved to Melbourne to open Gordon Ramsay’s first two restaurants in Australia  – maze and maze Grill along with the entire food and beverage operation in Crown’s newest hotel and the largest hotel in Australia, Crown Metropol. Josh appeared on MasterChef Australia as celebrity chef and later in the year as guest judge on MasterChef New Zealand. These appearances caught the producer’s eye and soon after he was offered to join Masterchef New Zealand as full time judge for the second series. The second series totally exceeded rating expectations.

In May 2012 Josh opened his first New Zealand restaurant Rata in Queenstown with business partner and highly regarded restaurateur, Fleur Caulton. Rata showcases Emett’s impeccable cooking skills and his love of slow cooked dishes, robust flavours and elegant, well-balanced, inspired cuisine. A relaxed eating-house with a neighbourhood feel, Rata offers incredible service and delicious food.