For immediate release: October 4, 2011

CPIT tutors’ creative cooking for charity

Tantalising aromas are emerging from CPIT’s School of Hospitality kitchen this week as tutors experiment with bite-sized delicacies for this year’s Supper Club @ Home, a fundraiser for children’s charity Ronald McDonald House. The event, held this Friday, is an exciting opportunity for staff to get their creative juices flowing and work together outside of their teaching roles.

Dennis Taylor, Manager of Culinary Programmes at CPIT, is passionate about showing Canterbury what tutors at the polytechnic can do. “We will go in with our gloves off and no holds barred,” he said. Tutors plan to push the envelope and prepare a degustation menu which shows off the flavours of Canterbury in a series of taster courses. “We want to offer foods people may not normally order and have diners leave thinking ‘wow’,” Taylor said. The dishes will be crafted from local produce with options including duck, salmon, rabbit, and even ostrich meat.

This year Supper Club brings a new opportunity for chefs. Traditionally held in restaurants around Christchurch, organisers were compelled to think outside the square after February’s earthquake closed much of the CBD and chefs will instead go to homes around Canterbury to prepare a meal for eight. “We will have the rare opportunity to interact closely with our guests as chefs,” Taylor said.

The School of Hospitality will send two teams of three chefs, one representing CPIT and the other representing the Crowne Plaza Hotel of which tutor Tony Smith was Executive Chef until it was forced to close in February. CPIT has close ties to industry with many tutors and students having worked in the Crowne Plaza. “We wanted to offer our support in what has been a challenging year for hospitality while benefiting a good cause,” Taylor said.

Although many tutors have been involved with Supper Club in the past, it is the first year that a full CPIT team will participate. They do not know where they will be cooking or who their diners will be until all is revealed at a pre-dinner cocktail function at Christchurch Casino. Tony is hoping for diners with adventurous taste buds and a big open kitchen. “Cooking has an element of theatre to it and with three chefs in one space things are sure to get interesting for our diners,” he said.

ENDS

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