Having worked in South African and European Michelin-starred restaurants and luxury hotels, Gideon moved to New Zealand in 2013 to take up a role with the iconic Huka Lodge. In December of that year, he joined Simon Wright and Creaghan Malloy-Wright of the French Café and was soon appointed Head Chef. After five years at the French Café, Michael Dearth offered Gideon the role of Head Chef at the newly opened Baduzzi. Under Gideon’s stewardship, the restaurant was bestowed Two Hats at the Cuisine Good Food Awards in 2019.

Gideon joined Tantalus Estate on Waiheke Island in December 2020. The restaurant’s signature ‘Trust the Chef’ degustation menu is ever-changing and draws inspiration from the 20-acre Estate grounds (that include vineyards, olive groves, macadamia trees and beehives), along with the Waiheke surroundings and selected small producers from around Aotearoa.

Under his tenure as Executive Chef, Gideon has helped the already popular vineyard destination restaurant continue its rise to become one of the most sought-after dining experiences on Waiheke Island.

Tantalus Estate Restaurant was awarded One Hat at the Cuisine Good Food Awards in 2022 and Best Destination Restaurant at the 2022 Metro Magazine’s Restaurant of the Year Awards. That same year the restaurant was a finalist in the Best Restaurant Award category at the New Zealand Hospitality Awards 2022 and was featured in Metro Magazine’s Top 50 Restaurants of the Year – Auckland. As a very desirable location for weddings, Tantalus Estate won the LUXLife Global Wedding Awards: Best Wedding Venue – Auckland Region 2020-20221. The restaurant consistently receives exceptional dining reviews on the global review website, TripAdvisor (2020-2022 Top 10% Restaurants Worldwide, 2020 Traveller’s Choice Top 10% Attractions Worldwide).