Kitchen Takeover
The Bird sisters are back with a sell-out pop-up event in which they take inspiration from their travels and weave together food and culture, writes Sarah Tuck.
It has been seven years since Kasey and Karena Bird first arrived on our television screens, entertaining and delighting us with their culinary know-how on Masterchef New Zealand. Since triumphantly winning that season they haven’t stood still, producing their first cookbook, For The Love Of…, then travelling extensively while filming two seasons of their cooking series, Karena and Kasey’s Kitchen Diplomacy. Returning to their hometown of Maketū, on the Bay of Plenty coast, the sisters met London-born Stacey Jones, the brains behind Tauranga’s Kitchen Takeover Pop-up event series. They recently joined forces with her to create an exciting sell-out collaboration, Kitchen Takeover: Taiao – Food of the Gods. In early April, I was fortunate enough to spend time in Tauranga, catching up with Kasey, Karena and Stacey, enjoying a fabulous feast at a space in Tauranga central business district. I sat down with the sisters before the event to ask them a few questions about what led them to be involved and how they found their inspiration. They visited more than 50 countries while filming Karena and Kasey’s Kitchen Diplomacy, and I was interested to know how travel had influenced them and of their favourite locations and food experiences. Karena explained that her memories and food cravings change every week, but she was currently thinking about Japan and the authentic sushi, teriyaki and yakitori she had eaten there. She had been so impressed by the fact that no matter which door you opened at one of the myriad alleyway establishments, the food was universally outstanding. Even in the tiniest spots, where you’d be getting up close and personal with your fellow diners, everyone was impeccably polite. Kasey recalled a particular highlight while in the mountains of Peru, where she felt deeply connected to the food and culture. During their visit, locals prepared them an ‘everyday’ meal of potatoes cooked in the earth – hāngi-style – using dung from donkeys. The fire was started as the potatoes were harvested, they were then cooked and served with cheese made from local goat’s milk and a foraged herb ‘salsa verde’. Both sisters felt the locations, people and food combined together to make the experiences more memorable. Back from their travels, Kasey and Karena found themselves in Maketū, where they crossed paths with Stacey Jones of Kitchen Takeover. A great connector of growers, producers and tourism operators, Stacey’s aim is to promote the Bay of Plenty’s food identity. Kasey and Karena jumped at the opportunity to be involved in Stacey’s Kitchen Takeover pop-up, which allowed them to concentrate on the food while Stacey skillfully managed promotion, location and logistics. Influenced by their travels, where they experienced food and culture as one, Kasey and Karena have become story-tellers too. In the Kitchen Takeover: Taiao – Food of the Gods, each course was based on a different Māori atua (god or spirit). Kasey explained that their belief system acknowledges a different deity who looks after each realm – the atua of the ocean is Tangaroa, the atua of the forest is Tāne-mahuta, then there is the Earth Mother, the Sky Father and so on – and each of the dishes honoured a different atua. Keen to head along to the dinner, I arrived on time to find a queue of excited diners outside. I was greeted by the effervescent Stacey, who is an old-hand at creating events that put an extra sizzle into the local dining scene. Locals and visitors alike have embraced the Kitchen Takeover concept, each of which is based around a theme, and presented at a location that remains secret until the address is texted to diners a few hours before the event. Stacey doesn’t just create pop-up restaurants, she curates events filled with suspense, drama and delight. For Taiao – Food of the Gods, the space was transformed into a New Zealand bush setting with plants and ferns evoking the outdoors. Each dish was announced by the beating of drums and an explanatory recording by Kasey and Karena, leading us through the menu as we celebrated Māori heritage through food. We began
with Smoked Eel with Creamed Watercress, Charcoal and Potato, evocatively inspired by Rūaumoko, atua of volcanoes and earthquakes. The dishes were theatrically presented with glass cloches removed to release ‘smoke’ as the food was revealed. Next was the utterly delicious Kōura (freshwater crayfish) with Kewpie Mayo, Karengo Beurre Blanc and Brioche, celebrating Tangaroa. Rongomātāne, atua of cultivated food and peace, was represented with a clever Kūmara Brulée with White Miso, Mānuka Honey and Pūhā Verde. The degustation continued with tender Smoked Duck with Stuffing and a Balsamic Cherry Jus as a tribute to Tāne Mahuta, and then a refreshing Kawakawa Apple Mint Iced ‘Lollipop’ of Tāwhirimātea, atua of the winds, clouds, rain, hail, snow and storms. In a beautiful tribute to Papatūānuku, Earth Mother, the meal concluded with a family recipe for Steamed Pudding with Earl Grey Custard and Horopito Berries. Each dish was presented with an optional drink match, and as most had enjoyed the selection of wine and cocktails throughout, the room was abuzz with chatter. It was a treat to savour a meal that had been so carefully created with such meaningful explanations behind each dish, and no surprise that several guests had returned to the event for a second experience. Never one to rest on her laurels, Stacey’s next foodie adventure on offer is a day of truffle celebration at Te Puke Truffle Farm in Paengaroa – complete with trufflehunting, tastings and treats. The truffle days run on Fridays and weekends from Friday 21st May through to Sunday 18th July. What next for the busy, self-confessed truffle-loving Bird sisters? They are hard at work on a new cookbook in te reo Māori (which they recently took a year off to study full-time), due out late 2021/early 2022, and a collection of dinners celebrating Matariki. When I spoke to them, they weren’t anticipating a weekend off in the following six months!