Tasty business Kiwi food tempts world chefs
The importance of food provenance has been the making of a new Kiwi firm. Jonathan Carson reports.
ANelson-based company is sharing the stories and flavours of New Zealand’s finest produce with the world’s best chefs.
Matthew Hewitt launched Provodore two years ago with a goal to see the highest-quality New Zealand products featured on the menus of Michelin star restaurants.
The company held its first Chef’s Table event in Singapore last month, introducing some of Asia’s most esteemed chefs to salmon, mussels, beer, and wine produced in New Zealand.
Working as a marketing manager for international seafood companies for 20 years, Hewitt identified a disconnect between New Zealand producers and world class chefs.
Through the Chef’s Table events, Hewitt said he was not only introducing new flavours to the world, but also telling the stories behind them.
He said it was crucial Chef’s Table was not a sales event. He encouraged producers to send farmers, brewers or growers to the events, rather than marketing executives.
‘‘The chefs don’t want to talk to a marketing executive. They want to talk to the guy who’s up at 7am in freezing cold water out in his boat. He knows how the oyster’s grown. He knows the particulars.
‘‘I encourage the producers I represent to send someone with a bit of dirt on their fingers, rather than dents from a keyboard.’’
Hewitt said 25 chefs attended the first Chef’s Table event, including several from Asia’s top 50 restaurants.
Ora King Salmon, live greenshell mussels and New Zealand Scampi were prepared by a Michelin star chef and matched with Alan Scott wines and Moa beer.
In recent years, chefs have placed more emphasis on understanding the origins of the produce they work with.
‘‘You find a lot of restaurants overseas are moving away from having a la carte style menus. Some chefs are having a more ‘trust the chef’ type menu.
‘‘The chef spends more time in the actual restaurant talking to the customer, saying what he has brought to the table that night. So you find that they want to know what it is.
‘‘Everything they produce they want to have some connection with.’’
The first shipment of products arrived in Singapore last week.
Hewitt said he worked under contract for each of the producers.
‘‘That’s what’s attractive to the producer, to get all these doors opened for them.’’
Hewitt said he was looking to represent a wide range of artisan producers across New Zealand.
Provodore has its next Chef’s Table event in Bangkok in February, with similar events planned for Singapore and Hong Kong to follow.