The Global Chefs Challenge New Zealand

At the recent 32nd World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) Congress held in Auckland, New Zealand. WACS President Fredinand Metz unveiled the WACS Global Chefs Challenge. The world’s first culinary competition to find the Worlds Best Individual Chef.

This year, all worldwide chef member associations of WACS will hold local competitions to find their best representative to then go on to their regions Continental Final in 2007. The winner of each Continental Final will then go on to the Grand Final to be held as part of the 33rd WACS Congress in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in May 2008.

The New Zealand Chefs Association (NZCA) will lead the way with their National Final being held as part of their 49th Annual Conference from July 7th – 9th in New Plymouth. Seven chefs, one for each region of the NZCA have been selected to represent their region of New Zealand. At the conclusion of the NZ heat, the two highest placed chefs will then go through to the Pacific Region Final, being held in Christchurch in 2007.

The New Zealand Cook Off will take place on Saturday 8th July and is being held at The Practical Education Institute in New Plymouth. The seven regional representatives who will go head to head in a live hot cook off are:

Auckland – Marc Soper, Partington’s Signature Restaurant at The Langham Hotel

Central –  Michael Place, Sileni Estate Vineyard and Restaurant

Bay of Plenty – Chris Bell, the Millennium Hotel Rotorua

Taranaki – Simon Houghton, Okurukuru Café, bar and function center

Wellington – Scott Campbell, WelTec

Canterbury – Darren Wright, Harbour 71 Akaroa

OtagoSouthland – Jason Dell, Blanket Bay Glenorchy

The judges for the New Zealand ‘Heat’ of Global Chefs Challenge are:

WACS Culinary Committee Overseer – Graham Hawkes

Chief Judge – Neil MacInnes – Program Coordinator at CPIT and Coach of the New Zealand Culinary Team.

Kitchen Judge – Grant Jackson – Vice President NZCA and ChefOwner of the Boardwalk Seafood Restaurant, Queenstown

Kitchen Judge – Pip Duncan – Nutritionist and Hygiene Consultant to the New Zealand Food Service industry.

Tasting Judge – Robert Haddock – Branch Ambassador, Auckland NZCA

Tasting Judge – Anita Sarginson – Salon Director, Wellington Culinary Fare and Wellington Branch President.

Food and Wine Matching Judge. Michael Jemison, Macvine International.

The 2007 Pacific Region Final will be a Tri-nations affair, with representatives from Australia and Fiji flying in to compete against their Kiwi counterparts to see who will then go through to the World Grand Final in 2008.

The competition format is a ‘Mystery Box’ cook-off. Each competitor will have three and half hours to produce a three course meal for 6 persons from a box of mystery ingredients that they will only have access too half hour prior to the start of the cook-off. They must also recommend a suitable wine match to their main course.

More info here