NZ's Best Red Meat Chefs: Premier Selection Awards

NEW ZEALAND’S BEST RED MEAT CHEFS

Silver Fern Farms Premier Selection Awards 2016 Winners Announced

EMBARGOED UNTIL 8pm WEDNESDAY 8 FEBRUARY

8 February 2017

Chameleon Restaurant, Wellington has taken out the title of Premier Master of Fine Cuisine at the annual Silver Fern Farms Premier Selection Awards, held in Auckland.

The restaurant also won awards for Best Beef Dish and Best Metropolitan restaurant.

Chef de Cuisine at the Chameleon Restaurant InterContinental Wellington, Paul Limacher, impressed judges with his dish: Silver Fern Farms beef tenderloin, mushroom ragout, roast Parmesan gnocchi, button onion & asparagus. Judging coordinator Kerry Tyack described Limacher’s dish as ‘consistent and faultless’.

“Elegant and visually appealing it was clear every detail had been considered and

attended to - plenty of rich, savoury aromas, a perfectly cooked tenderloin and a combination of complementary textures that allowed the meat reign supreme,” said Tyack.

Other Silver Fern Farms Premier Selection Awards winners are:

• Daniel Hill, head chef at Pitches Café and Restaurant, Ophir is runner-up to Premier Master of Fine Cuisine and also won Best Regional Restaurant. Daniel won this award in the 2015 Awards.

• Geoff, Ngan, head chef Shed 5, Wellington for Best Lamb Dish

• Greg Piner, group chef, Vault 21, Dunedin for Best Venison Dish

Tyack said, “ This has been another exciting year in the ongoing development of the Silver Fern Farms Premier Selection Awards. Each year there are improvements, refinements, innovations and discoveries. The judges were delighted to see chefs opting for less conventional cuts, using Asian ingredients to deliver dishes that reflect Kiwis growing fascination with that region of the world and opting to take up the less is more mantra. We also noted that chefs had taken on board feedback from previous years about letting the meat remain the focus of the dish and ensuring the chosen cooking techniques brought out the textural qualities of the Silver Fern Farms products. Overall the standard was very high with another collection of exceptional culinary creations.”

Silver Fern Farms general manager marketing, Sharon Angus, says she was excited to see how chefs continued to innovate with our lamb, beef and venison this year. They have inspired our imagination with their creativity – ensuring the meat is the hero, but subtly enhancing with bursts of flavor through fresh herbs and spices. Generally, we see food trends beginning in foodservice, and then they filter down to home cooks. The finalist’s entries will certainly inspire New Zealand’s imaginative home cooks.

“Consumers are becoming more adventurous in their food choices – looking for unique flavors and taste sensations. “

The Silver Fern Farms Premier Selection Awards, now in their fourth year, celebrate the artistry and creativity of New Zealand’s top red meat chefs by inviting them to create an original dish using a Silver Fern Farms cut of lamb, beef or venison.

Seventy-three entrants from Paihia to Winton were narrowed down to twelve finalists, who were re-judged by Kerry Tyack and Tony Adcock, both well-respected critics in the food and beverage industry and experienced judges in national food competitions.

Diners can experience the finalist and winning dishes until the end of February 2017.

ENDS:

Additional information:

The winners and their dishes are:

Premier Master of Fine Cuisine, Best Beef, Best Metropolitan Restaurant

Chef de Cuisine: Paul Limacher

Chameleon Restaurant, InterContinental Wellington

Dish: Silver Fern Farms beef tenderloin, mushroom ragout, roast Parmesan gnocchi, button onion & asparagus.

Runner-Up Premier Master of Fine Cuisine and Best Regional Restaurant

Daniel Hill, Head Chef,

Pitches Café and Restaurant, Pitches Store, Ophir, Central Otago

Dish: Eye of the Mist – Silver Fern Farms Reserve eye fillet, beef cheeks, bone marrow.

Best Lamb

Geoff Ngan, Head Chef

Shed 5 Restaurant and Bar, Wellington

Dish: Cumin gremolata Silver Fern Farms lamb fillet, lamb neck & swede pithivier, honey & mint carrot, broad beans, chèvre croquette, braising liquor.

Best Venison

Greg Piner, Group Chef

Vault 21, Dunedin, Otago

Dish: Cured Silver Fern Farms venison short loin, trio of mushroom, pickled shiitake, cep puree, tempura needle mushrooms, compressed radish, ponzu, black truffle salt, pea tendrils & crispy shallots.

Additional finalists and their dishes are:

Archive Bar & Bistro, Mudbrick, Waiheke Island

Head Chef: Logan Coath

Dish: Slow cooked Silver Fern Farms beef short rib with celeriac & fennel remoulade, radish and garden herbs.

Molten Wine Bar, Mt Eden, Auckland

Head Chef: Alex Aitken

Dish: Wood fire-grilled Silver Fern Farms rolled lamb belly salad of pea, broad bean, goats cheese with anchovy butter.

White + Wong’s, Auckland City

Head Chef: Tu Fearn

Dish: Silver Fern Farms master stock braised beef cheek, eggplant miso & burnt butter puree, wok fried mushrooms with chilli & black vinegar, choi sum & crispy tripe.

Palate Restaurant, Hamilton

Head Chef/owner: Mat McLean

Dish: Silver Fern Farms short rib, grilled tongue, smoked potato & liquorice.

Salt On The Waterfront at the Waterfront Hotel, New Plymouth

Sous Chef: Richard Ponder

Dish: Silver Fern Farms beef two ways, tartare & crispy rib braised with beetroot pickles, gel, rice cracker & wasabi snow.

Amayjen – The Restaurant, Feilding

Head Chef: Andrew May

Dish: Silver Fern Farms venison tenderloin encased in a truffle & trumpet mousse, with beetroot, Silver Fern Farms Shank risotto cake, cranberry gel, celeriac remoulade, fondant pot, shallot, kale, seasonal vegetables & a port wine & beetroot jus.

Hopgood’s Restaurant, Nelson

Head Chef: Aaron Ballantyne

Dish: Silver Fern Farms lamb double cutlet & slow cooked shoulder with artichokes, asparagus, salted grapes & capers.

Bistro Gentil, Wanaka

Head Chef: Mario Rodrigues

Dish: Steak and Onions – Silver Fern Farms Reserve eye fillet, onion caramel, tempura shallots, smoked shallot puree, red onion relish, herb oil & black garlic jus.

Close Contenders:

Auckland: Harbourside Ocean Bar Grill, Head Chef - Thomas Barta

Cambridge: Alpino Cucina, Head Chef- Noel Cimadon

Tauranga: Trinity Wharf, Head Chef -Stuart Perry

Hawkes Bay: Mister D, Head Chef- David Griffiths

Palmerston North: Nero, Head Chef – Scott Kennedy

Wellington: Pravda, Head Chef - Johannes van Kekem

: Café Polo, Head Chef – Adrian Green

Marlborough: Saint Clair Vineyard Kitchen, Head Chef- Keith Gregory

Judging panel:

Kerry Tyack is judging coordinator of the Premier Selection Awards for a third year. Kerry has worked as an independent writer, critic and educator in the New Zealand food and drinks industry for a number of years. He is head judge of the Cuisine Good Food Awards, a judge for the NZ Beef & Lamb Awards and head judge for the NZ Café Awards.

Tony Adcock is one of this country’s most experienced restaurateurs. He was made a member of the NZ Restaurant Association Hall of Fame in 1996. (This award is reserved for those who have made an extensive and on-going commitment to New Zealand’s hospitality industry.) Tony is a regular judge of the Cuisine Good Food Awards and has been on the panel for the Silver Fern Farms Premier Selection Awards since 2014. Through his association with the NZ Restaurant Association, he mentors restaurants within the hospitality industry on all aspects of running a successful business.

For more information and the full list of finalists in the Silver Fern Farms Premier Selection Awards (including dish photos and chef bios) please go to a dedicated hub for the awards at:

http://www.silverfernfarms.com/our-restaurant-range/premier-selection-awards-2016/

© Scoop Media