New Zealand Chefs to cook-off against Aussie’s and Fijians for World Title Tilt

On Saturday 8th July seven chefs from around New Zealand gathered at the Practical Education Institute in New Plymouth to compete in the Neat Meat Company New Zealand Regional final of the WACS Global Chefs Challenge.

Each competitor had to produce a three-course meal for six covers in 3 ½  hours from a mystery box of ingredients that they got to study the afternoon before the competition. They also had to make an appropriate wine match with their main course from a selection of wines that they tasted at a seminar prior to the competition.

After an intense morning of cutting, slicing, dicing, chopping, sauting, frying, poaching, grilling and many more culinary terms and skills being put to use, two chefs emerged ahead of the others. Darren Wright, ChefProprietor of Harbour 71 Restaurant in Akaroa and Scott Campbell, ChefTutor of WelTec in Wellington will now go on to contest the Pacific Regional Final against competitors from Fiji and Australia, being held in Christchurch in July 2007.

Darren started working in the hospitality industry in 1989 washing dishes at the Pier Café Akaroa. Realising that he wanted to pursue a career in hospitality he enrolled at CPIT and gained a Diploma in Hospitality Tourism.

Upon leaving college he went to work for well-known Christchurch chef, Phillip Kraal, who at that time owned Scarborough Fare in Sumner. Darren then went back to CPIT and completed his 752/753 Professional Cookery course.

He then took time out to do his OE, upon his return to New Zealand he was employed at the Christchurch Park Royal (now the Crowne Plaza). During his time here he realised that cooking was what he wanted to do as a career choice.

After 2 ½ years at the Park Royal, Darren and his wife Leanne were afforded the opportunity to open their own restaurant in their hometown of Akaroa.

They have now been successfully operating Harbour 71 Akaroa since 2000 and along the way Darren and the restaurant team have picked up an impressive array of awards.
In 2005 Harbour 71 won the South Island Café of the Year title at the annual CPIT Salon Culinaire, they then went on to receive the Ferndale Outstanding Canterbury Restaurant Award at the Canterbury Hospitality Awards.

Scott started his career as a chef in Scotland, graduating with a diploma in hospitality. From his home in Scotland he went to work in Jersey for 4 years at an exclusive hotel called La Place, starting as a commis, and working his way to chef de partie on sauce. He then went on the first of his OE’s to Australia, working in resorts around North Queensland. After returning to Scotland, he secured a job as Sous Chef at a hunting lodge in the highlands, cooking for the likes of the Prince of Wales and Frank Sinatra to name a few. After two years, he decided to travel again, this time to New Zealand.
 
After spending a miserable month in rainy Auckland, he was attracted to the bright lights of Wellington and started work at the Grain of Salt restaurant in Oriental Bay, where he spent a year as chef tournant. In this time he settled down, got married, became a permanent resident, and moved into the world of ‘out catering’. This was very new to Scott, coming from a hotel/restaurant background. He found it quite rewarding. As time went by, he realised that that he needed a new challenge, and got it, by gaining employment as a chef tutor at Wellington Institute of technology. Six exciting years have now passed, and Scott has recently been promoted to team leader for cookery, another challenge!!

After years of training students for competitions, he decided that this was the year that he would ‘have a crack’, and recently competed at the Wellington Regional Salon in ‘Chef of the Capitol’ which he won, a good omen of things to come.

Both of these chefs will now come under the tutalege of the international award winning New Zealand Culinary Team, whom they will train alongside over the next 12 months as they prepare for the next step in this amazing culinary journey.

Notes for editors:

For further details, photo’s etc… contact
Gary Miller
BusinessMedia Director
New Zealand Chefs Association
027-5386-100
03-371-2437
email [email protected]

The Global Chefs Challenge is a worldwide search, initiated by WACS, The World Association of Chefs Societies to find the World’s Best Chef.

All 72 member countries of WACS have been invited to find their countries ‘Best’ representative to then go on to a Continental cook-off with the winner of this then going on to compete against 6 other Continental Finalists at the 33rd WACS Congress being held in Dubai in May 2008. The winner of the Dubai final will win a significant cash prize, a trophy and be afforded the right to call themselves the Best in the World.

As there are only three member countries in the Pacific Region (Australia, Fiji and New Zealand) it was decided by the organisers for the Continental final that each country would select two representatives to cook off at the Pacific Regional Final, being held in Christchurch in July 2007.

Darren’s winning menu was:

Entrée
Crayfish Medallions, pan seared scallops, pineapple salsa, vanilla beurre blanc

Main Course
Qince and carrot glazed pork loin. Cabbage and fennel braised pork hock stirfry.
Kawakawa, porcini and thyme boudin, marscapone and kumara whip.
Mushroom veloute

Wine Match
La Strad Pinot Noir

Dessert
Macadamia and Date Tart.
Manuka Honey and yoghurt Ice-cream, slow roasted tamarillo

Scott’s Winning menu was:

Entrée
Pate of Crayfish.
Moi-moi and kumara salad, hempseed and fennel vinaigrette

Main Course
Roasted Porcini dusted Prime Porterhouse on a shallot soubise
Kawakawa and leek gnocchi parisienne,
Duo of carrots, cinnamon jus

Wine Match
Bridge Pa 2004 Louis Reserve Syrah

Dessert
Macadamia Nut Frangipane Tart
Pineapple sorbet, cardamon spiced snow eggs, vanilla and lime syrup

Source: nkf-chefs.com