It's known as the hottest kitchen competition in the southern hemisphere for a reason, and it certainly lived up to its reputation this year. More than 600 fierce competitors from around the country battled it out over three days at the New Zealand Culinary Fare.
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he annual event was held at Manukau's Vodafone Events Centre for the first time at the end of August, with secondary school students, hospitality students and industry professionals taking part in a range of competitions designed to test talent and technical skills. For competitors it is a high pressure decision to compete at these events but the hospitality industry reaps untold benefits when the individuals who work in it challenge themselves to push their own skill levels and passion to greater heights. The NZ Culinary Fare has been a launching pad for many future hospitality stars and winning a class in this competition is an impressive addition to anybody’s CV. Auckland chef, William Mordido won the prestigious title of NZ Chef of the Year at this year’s event and Restaurant Association Apprentice Tai Trong Nguyen from Waipuna Function Centre took out 2014 Commis Chef of the Year. Other major award winners included Anita Su Jung Chung from Pullman Auckland who won NZ Pastry Chef of the Year and Xiangying Zan from NZ Management Academies who was awarded the New Zealand Training Food & Beverage Person of the Year 2014. The Cornell Education Group were also overjoyed to win the sought after Training Excellence Award and Kerikeri High School took out the Secondary School Excellence Award for the second consecutive year. The Restaurant Association looks forward to 2015 developing new innovations in 2015 to ensure its continued support.
FOR FULL NZ CULINARY FARE RESULTS GO TO WWW.RESTAURANTNZ.CO.NZ
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF THE FOLLOWING MAJOR TITLES AT THE 2014 NZ CULINARY New Zealand Chef of the Year 2014 (Sponsored by Moffat Ltd and Southern Hospitality) WILLIAM MORDIDO, Chikos Restaurant & Cafe New Zealand Pastry Chef of the Year 2014 (Sponsored by SKYCITY) ANITA SU JUNG CHUNG, Pullman Auckland New Zealand Commis Chef of the Year 2014 (Sponsored by The New Zealand Chefs Association) TAI TRONG NGUYEN, Waipuna Hotel, Auckland New Zealand Training Food & Beverage Person of the Year 2014
(Sponsored by Restaurant & Catering News) XIANGYING ZAN, NZ Management Academies, Auckland Training Excellence Award 2014 (Sponsored by Gilmours) THE CORNELL EDUCATION GROUP, Auckland Secondary Schools Excellence Award 2014 (Sponsored by ServiceIQ) KERIKERI HIGH SCHOOL, Kerikeri Toque d’Or 2014 (Organised by Nestle Professional in association with Vegetables.co.nz, NZ Chefs Association, Beef & Lamb NZ, Akaroa Salmon and The House of Knives) OTAGO POLYTECHNIC (CROMWELL CAMPUS) Training Team of the Year 2014 (Sponsored by City & Guilds) WESTERN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AT TARANAKI New Zealand Bartender of the Year 2014 (Sponsored by De Kuyper) MICHAEL WOOD, Pullman Auckland The Service IQ Cookery Modern Apprentice of the Year 2014 (Organised by Service IQ) NIKOLAS HAN, Pacific International Hotel Management School, New Plymouth
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Goodman Fielder congratulate all those who participated in the 2014 New Zealand Culinary Fare. Our company produces, markets and delivers iconic brands including MeadowFresh, Vogel's, Nature's Fresh, Kiwi, Hellers and Olivani and we understand the importance of quality and hard work. The hospitality industry is an important industry for New Zealand. Goodman Fielder alone has 4,000 foodservice customers throughout the country and we enjoyed cheering many of you on. We understand that a successful business is not possible without long term, loyal customers and we thank you for your support.
Moffat are again pleased to support this years NZ Culinary Fare and congratulates all of the competitors. We would also like to congratulate the Restaurant Association for taking the bold step in taking the competition to a new venue. I am confident that next years competition will be even better. It is rewarding to see so many competitors challenging for the medals as competitions like this help our industry to continue to innovate and grow. Moffat too continues to grow in all our markets and as our new factory is nearly completed we are looking forward to moving in December. It is also heartening to have so many industry friends comment on how pleased they are that Moffat are continuing to produce it’s extensive range of foodservice equipment in Christchurch. We at Moffat would also like to offer many thanks to all our customers for their continued support of Moffat .
Southern Hospitality was pleased to once again be one of the major equipment sponsors of the New Zealand Culinary Fare in 2014. It is a much anticipated and enjoyed event and is integral to Southern Hospitality’s on going support of our industries youth. We wish all competitors the very best for their futures and believe the learning experience provided by the Culinary Fare will be a positive force in your futures.
SECOND TIME LUCKY
TARANAKI TRAINEES
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ALSO COME OUT TOP
Nickolas Han, an apprentice chef from Pacific International Hotel Management School in New Plymouth, won 2014 ServiceIQ Cookery Apprentice of the Year at the New Zealand Culinary Fare.
Students from the Taranaki region also took out the City and Guilds Training Team of the Year award.
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Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois says the standard was higher than ever, with contestants in this competition required to present a hot entre, main and dessert and complete a theory test. ies
Nickolas completed his challenge with five minutes to spare, “so I knew I was on the right track!”
A chef from a West Auckland restaurant has taken away top honours at the largest hot-kitchen competition in the southern hemisphere—the 22nd New Zealand Culinary Fare. William Mordido from Chikos Restaurant in Henderson has been named New Zealand Chef of the Year.
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Thai kumara and coconut soup with kumara crisp and fresh coriander Smoked bacon & prawn tortellini with red pepper coulis Spinach & beetroot stuffed chicken roulade with balsamic glaze and truffle oil sitting on a courgette fritter Indian spiced lamb noisette with pudina chutney on puri Apple & rhubarb risotto with salted mint toffee shard
WEST AUCKLAND CHEF BEATS COMPETITION
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He poured in long hours preparing for the big day, spending an extra five hours, on top of his eight-hour work shift, perfecting his creations. Nickolas’s winning recipes, all prepared in two hours 30 minutes, were:
As part of the competition the teams were required to make an entrée which featured a New Zealand Dutchstyle cheese, with mains built around venison and potato or kumara. Desserts included two products from Barkers.
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Han graduated with a degree in applied microbiology, but preferred the hospitality industry after a stint at an Italian restaurant while living in South Korea. Nickolas says that this experience started him on his path to becoming a chef. “It was a lifechanging moment and from this point in time I knew what I wanted to be. The best things about the apprenticeship are that I can learn on the job, get trained, get qualified and get paid for it. I love my job due to the fact cooking has no boundary.”
WITT (Western Institute of Technology) students Lucy Sandifer, Andy Desai and Violet Foster achieved Silver in the kitchen and Gold in the front of house to come out on top. They beat seven other teams, including a team from the Cook Island Tertiary Training Institute who did their country proud when they earned a trio of medals to take home.
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This is New Zealand’s toughest competition for apprentice chefs and as the winner, Nickolas will travel to the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival next year.
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THESE ARE THE BUSINESSES THAT SUPPORT OUR EVENT…
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