New Zealand Chefs To Cook Up A Storm.
Press Release on behalf of The New Zealand Culinary Team
For the first time, New Zealand will be represented when the New Zealand Culinary Team compete with more than 600 chefs
from 21 countries in a series of culinary competitions at Food & Hotel Asia 2006 The Culinary Challenge is held in conjunction with the biennial FHA2006, Asia's largest international
food and hospitality event.
The Culinary Challenge comprises four categories of competition. Under the National Challenge, seven national teams from
the Czech Republic, Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and Switzerland will present an ethnic
cuisine representative of their countries in a three-course lunch for 80 diners each.
There will also be a scintillating display table featuring culinary art. The top three national teams will move on to
participate in ‘The Battle for the Lion’ by cooking a three-course meal on the spot for 50 diners each.
Gary Miller, business manager for the New Zealand Culinary Team says, “this particular team was announced in January of
last year and the chefs have spent the past fifteen months experimenting with a vast array of ingredients to create
three ‘award winning’ competition dishes along with their cold display pieces”.
The team has been busy whipping, blending, chopping and stirring up a selection of delicacies to show off the fantastic
talent and culinary ‘vision’ there is in New Zealand.
“The dishes challenge ‘traditional’ cuisine. For example, the team has created their own variation of Salmon and Cream
Cheese, using only the best of ingredients from around New Zealand, such as Akaroa Salmon from the Banks Peninsula and
products from Kapiti Fine Foods” added Miller.
The team consists of Team Captain Jonny Schwass from Christchurch, the Team Sous Chef, Corey Hume from Outrigger Resort
Christchurch and fellow team members, Andrew Brown from The Millennium Hotel Christchurch the Team Pastry Chef Steve Le
Corre from Aoraki Polytech in Timaru, Gina Finlay and Jason Dell from Blanket Bay, Glenorchy, Lisa Fletcher from
Dejeuner in Palmerston North, Ryan Henly from Barcelona Restaurant Christchurch and Marc Soper from Partingtons
Signature Restaurant at the Langham Hotel, Auckland. The Team is coached and trained by Neil MacInnes from CPIT and Andy
Gibb from Christchurch Convention Center.
In preparation for the team’s trip to Singapore, the Kiwi chefs have attended training sessions; carried out cooking
demonstrations at food shows and expos across the country; entered, been nominated for and won national chef
competitions and titles and also attended the WA Oceana Fest in Perth in October of last year to trial some of their
dishes for Singapore, all this, while holding down full time jobs.
Team Captain Jonny Schwass, says “Every little bit helps and the fantastic achievements of the team and individual team
members to date is a promising sign of what lies ahead for the team as a whole at the FHA Culinary Challenge next week.
I am confident we will achieve those goals that we have set for ourselves.”
“For some of us this has been four years of work aiming for this moment to compete on the World Stage against some of
the leading culinary competition teams around today, now we have our chance and it’s a chance we are going to relish.”
The team departs for Singapore from Auckland on Saturday 22nd April. They will be displaying their cold set pieces on
Wednesday 26th and competing in the ‘Live Hot kitchen’ on Thursday 27th April.
The team arrive home at Auckland airport at midday on Sunday 30th April.
ENDS