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A Taste of New Zealand in the UAE

Published: Wed 12 Feb 2014 12:58 PM
A Taste of New Zealand in the UAE
New Zealand is to showcase the best of its food produce in the UAE with the second annual Taste New Zealand competition for professional chefs.
Organised by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), the competition aims to raise awareness of the diversity and quality of New Zealand food and drink products available in the UAE among participating chefs as well as buyers, food service and retail industry leaders.
The annual competition is part of a drive to reinforce trade ties with the UAE food and drink sector. The winner will receive a trip to New Zealand to experience first-hand the country’s food, lifestyle, culture and tourism.
Taste New Zealand is open to all professional chefs based in the UAE, and challenges them to create imaginative dishes that showcase New Zealand produce at its best. The competition will culminate in a cook-off on Saturday, 26 April in front of a judging panel of some of the best known names in UAE food circles who will judge the chefs on their ability to turn New Zealand ingredients into exciting cuisine that makes an impact.
“Our inaugural Taste New Zealand competition last year was a huge success, giving chefs the opportunity to experiment and get creative with the wide variety of ingredients that New Zealand offers,” said Steve Jones, New Zealand Trade Commissioner and Consul-General.
“We hope the 2014 competition will be even bigger. This year, finalists will be given a range of New Zealand ingredients to develop one plate in one hour, truly testing their creativity and ability show off New Zealand ingredients, and really wow the judges.”
New Zealand has a strong trade relationship with the UAE, particularly in the food sector, which accounted for 87 percent of the value of the top 20 exports from New Zealand to the UAE in 2013. Events like Taste New Zealand mark the growing presence of New Zealand companies across the UAE’s professional food sector.
The UAE is New Zealand’s 16th biggest export market. Last year exports rose 7.4% to $656 million.
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