News

Semi-finalists announced

The top 29 semi-finalists have been announced for the 2010 Monteith’s Beer and Wild Food Challenge.
Traditionally only 20 restaurants make the finals before the number is whittled down to five finalists after personal visits from the Monteith’s judging team led by head judge, Kerry Tyack.
But Monteith’s marketing manager, Russell Browne, says the standard of entries is particularly high this year and several outlets tied with each other, pushing the number to 27 in total. “All semi-finalists in the Monteith’s Beer and Wild Food Challenge will be keeping their wild dish on their menus until Sunday 8th August allowing people to either enjoy it again, or try another finalist restaurant. We’ve had amazing feedback from both consumers and the restaurants competing in the competition so far. Consumers have enjoyed some truly incredible meals up and down the country and the restaurants themselves have really got into the spirit of the competition with many theming their outlet, and their staff.

Search begins for Remarkables’ Peaks

The inaugural Remarkable Awards kick off in Queenstown today celebrating the Hospitality Industry in the Southern Lakes region.
Organised by the Restaurant Association of New Zealand, The Remarkables Awards will follow a successful formula used in other regions around the country.
“The Remarkables are all about honouring the heroes in hospitality by promoting excellence in the industry. It is the chance for hospo colleagues to celebrate together and recognise their own," says Steve Mackenzie, CEO of the Restaurant Association of NZ.

Fine Food NZ a great success

Fine Food NZ, which took place 13-15 June 2010 at the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland, saw a total of 240 exhibitors from around the world serve up the best, latest, and most innovative foodservice, food retail, and hospitality products and services to 5734 trade visitors – 15 per cent more than the expected 5000 visitors.

Getting started

When four Queenstown high school mates decided to have a crack at buying their favourite Otago University student pub, the Captain Cook, the only hospitality experience they had was a “pretty big investment on one side of the bar.”
Text by Sue Fea
It was 2004. Ski racing buddies and students Richard McLeod, James Arnott and David Bulling, were aged just 21 and David’s older brother, Ben Bulling was 25.
The ailing student pub, once a thriving student local, was up for sub-lease by Dominion Breweries. McLeod was almost finished an international business degree and Arnott, once an Olympic ski racing contender, was halfway through an IT degree. The pair had successfully invested in a student flat in Dunedin just before the property boom.
“It was good luck rather than good management, but we ended up with a lot of equity and were looking at buying another flat then the Cook came up and we just fell in love with the idea of owning it,” says McLeod.

Going for gold

Chef Sarah Primrose won four gold medals and a scholarship to work overseas during the Fine Food New Zealand culinary competitions. Fresh from her success, she chats to Veronica Johnston about the joys and challenges of competing at such a top level.

Chef Sarah Primrose can’t wait for her next proper day off.
The blue-eyed beauty hasn’t really had much downtime lately.
She’s been working fulltime as a sous chef at the Pear Tree in Kerikeri while training hard to beat the Australian national junior chef team at last month’s Fine Food NZ.

Fine food and gold medals

The NZ Culinary Team won gold in a trans-Tasman gastronomic showdown at the Fine Food New Zealand exhibition in Auckland last month.
The ‘Battle of the Tasman’ was part of the Gourmet Pacific Challenge featuring the New Zealand Chefs Association senior culinary team against a team of top Australian chefs.
The teams had five hours to prepare and cook a four-course meal for 70 people under heavy scrutiny from the judges.