Marae Cooking Competition Starting Soon on Maori Television

Tuesday July 2, 2013

Marae Cooking Competition Starting Soon on Maori Television

Marae teams from across New Zealand turn up the heat in the country’s newest competitive cooking show, MARAE KAI MASTERS, which premieres Thursday, August 1 at 7.30pm on Maori Television.

Presented by Te Kohe Tuhaka and Nevak Rogers, the competitive cooking show follows eight teams – representing marae from Te Ngaere Bay in the North to Kaikoura in the South – as they battle it out in a series of culinary challenges.

Nevak Rogers, who is also the show’s associate producer, says the standard of food produced throughout the series was “phenomenal”.

She says MARAE KAI MASTERS manages to capture the bustling atmosphere of a typical wharekai (marae kitchen) as well as the irreverent and witty humour of the characters involved.

“We’ve been blown away by the grace and humility that the marae teams have brought to the series.

“There’s a lot of aroha and whanaungatanga between the teams and I can guarantee there won’t be a dry eye in the house when this series goes to air.”

Each episode of MARAE KAI MASTERS has a guest judge, including Brenton Low (2012 winner of Cuisine Magazine’s Best Chef Award), Nadia Lim and Cameron Petley of Masterchef fame and Pip Wylie from Auckland’s Ripe Delicatessen.

Under the judges’ watchful eyes, teams get down to business at Te Mahurehure Marae in Auckland’s Point Chevalier, where they compete under pressure to fillet fish, make a hangi with a twist and recreate a gnocchi and octopus dish created by the head chef of Auckland’s Toto Italian Restaurant.

The winning team will go home with prizes worth more than $40,000 for their marae, including a Moffat oven worth $9500, Mighty Light stackable chairs worth $16,000, a jumbo multi kai cooker, a year’s supply of kaimoana from Aotearoa Fisheries, $5000 in vouchers from Southern Hospitality and $5000 cash.

Tune in to Maori Television on Thursday, August 1 at 7.30pm to watch some of the country’s best marae cooks sweat in the kitchen as they go head-to-head to take out top place in MARAE KAI MASTERS.

The eight teams vying to become the MARAE KAI MASTERS are:

Te Ngaere Marae, Ngapuhi, Northland

Whiti te Ra Marae, Ngati Whatua, Kaipara

Waipapa Marae, Ngati Hikairo, Kawhia

Huria Marae, Ngati Ranginui, Tauranga

Kutarere Marae, Whakatohea, Opotiki

Tu Teao Marae, Ngati Awa, Te Teko

Pukemokimoki Marae, Ngati Kahungunu, Napier

Maungamanu Marae, Ngai Tahu, Kaikoura

Episodic information

Episode 1 – August 1 Heat 1 Tu Teao v Whiti Te Ra

Episode 2 – August 2 at 9.30 pm Background Profiles*

Episode 3 – August 8 Mangamaunu v Huria

Episode 4 – August 15 Te Ngaere v Waipapa

Episode 5 – August 22 Kutarere v Pukemokimoki

Episode 6 – August 29 Semi Final 1

Episode 7 – September 5 Semi Final 2

Episode 8 – September 8 (90 minute special Grand Final show)

*This is a special episode that introduces all the teams at their home marae, screening Friday, August 2 at 9.30pm.

ENDS

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