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May 2010

The Knives are Out – New Zealand and Australia to Battle for Trans Tasman

Press Release on behalf of The New Zealand Chefs Association 13th Jan 2010.

Fine Food New Zealand (FFNZ) will be the place to be from June 13th – 15th when teams of young professional chefs from the New Zealand Chefs Association (NZCA) and Australian Culinary Federation (ACF) square off against each other in the caldron of the culinary arena as they vie for the inaugural NZCA Junior Gourmet Pacific Challenge Cup at The NZCA Gourmet Pacific Challenge,(GPC) to see which side of the Tasman can lay claim to culinary supremacy.
 
Over two days of intense competition 4 teams of young professional chefs will compete in a variety of culinary cooking competitions earning points for their teams as they seek not only culinary glory, but to uphold their national pride.
Sunday June 13th will see individual team members compete in individual competitions, preparing dishes of NZ King Salmon, NZ Beef & Lamb accompanied with appropriate garnishes of NZ Vegetables and mouth watering desserts.
 
Monday 14th June will see the competitors compete in their teams as they reproduce their individual dishes as part of a 5 course gourmet meal under the watchful scrutiny of a panel of international judges from the World Association of Chefs Societies. (WACS)
 
The Gourmet Pacific Challenge Event Director, Mr Murray Dick states “The key elements behind the Pacific region’s vibrant & dynamic food and beverage industry are the people who have committed their time, effort and dedication to ensuring only the highest standards are achieved”.
“Symbolising the pinnacle of excellence young professional chefs from Australia & New Zealand will gather to compete with their peers; the NZCA Gourmet Pacific Challenge will celebrate with these young culinary talents for their superb culinary skills and also their current & future contributions to the F&B sector of our respective countries”.
On Tuesday 15th June, the big boys come out to play when the Australian and New Zealand International Culinary Teams go head to head for the first time ever in “The Battle for the Tasman”
Both teams have enjoyed numerous successes on the   international culinary competition circuit and on June 15th they will be putting their reputations and national pride on the line when for the first time ever in New Zealand an international team’s event will take place at FFNZ. Each team will have five hours to prepare, cook and then serve a 4 course lunch for 70 people, again under the watchful scrutiny of the international panel of judges.
New Zealand Team Business Manager Gary Miller says, “it is fantastic to have this opportunity, to not only square off against Australia, but to be able to share with the rest of New Zealand the thrill and excitement that is an international teams event. For the past 8 years the NZCT has travelled the world clocking up numerous awards, accolades and Gold medals and now we get the opportunity to try to achieve in our own back yard.”
Australian Culianary Federation Team Manager, Patrick O’Brien says of the event, “A great opportunity for both New Zealand and Australia to come together to share and demonstrate their passions and skills of the culinary arts. “There is a great ‘Friendly’ rivalry between both squads as we’ve watched each other over the years, and now we are in a position to cook-off against each other in Auckland in June, it’s going to be fierce and we look forward to it.”
Ends
 
 
For further details on the Gourmet Pacific Challenge contact
Murray Dick
NZCA Events Co-ordinator
021-777-774
Email: kukboi@xtra.co.nz
 
Gary Miller
NZCT Business Manager
0275-918-777
Email: nzculinaryteam@hotmail.com
 
For details on Fine Food New Zealand contact:
 
Dona White
North Port Events
09-376-4603
Email: dona@nthport.co.nz
 
About Fine Food New Zealand
 
It's a meeting of the finest food minds: New Zealand's first international food, drink and equipment exhibition is set to unite and revitalise the food and food service industry.
 
Fine Food New Zealand combines the organisational talents of this country's premier food exhibition, The Food Show, with Australia's biggest and most prestigious food trade show, Fine Food Australia.
 
Set for a spectacular Auckland launch next June, Fine Food New Zealand will be the most important event of the year for food and food service professionals.
 
The three-day international food, drink and equipment showcase is already attracting support from many influential organisations and exhibitors. Among them are the New Zealand Chefs Association and the Baking Industry Association, (BIANZ).
 
Fine Food New Zealand is a timely trade event that fully recognises and addresses the needs of the entire industry. It is custom-designed to deliver a full trade experience that injects the vitality of The Food Show, with the proven trade driven success of Fine Food Australia, says Dona White. Dona - chief executive of North Port Events says she's ecstatic with the shape Fine Food New Zealand is taking, and the response it's getting from both support organisations and exhibitors. "When we first began collaborating with Diversified Exhibitions about bringing Fine Food to New Zealand, our hunch was that the time was right and the market was ready. But it's exceeded all of our projections already and we've been absolutely blown away with the enthusiasm and support for the Show in such a short time."
 
The exhibitor list is already filling fast, with a strong and diverse group of New Zealand and international businesses committed to taking part. Included are Waitaki Bacon, Southern Hospitality, River Farm Wines, Devonport Chocolates, Henergy Eggs, ANZCO Meats, Brookfarm, Altura Coffee, House of Knives, BIDVest and many more.

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