Food that reflects WOMAD
Twenty of New Plymouth’s future chefs took to their benches for the chance to cook with celebrity chef Jax Hamilton yesterday.
Seven high schools entered the TSB Community Trust Cook-Off at Witt for the chance to cook at Womad alongside Hamilton, who said the standard of cooking was getting higher every year.
‘‘Every year I walk around and I think ‘it can’t get any better than this’ and every year it does,’’ the celebrity chef said.
‘‘They all look at each other and they are inspired by each other.
‘‘That for me is what cooking is about – there’s never a time where you’re not being educated.’’
She said children need to know about where food comes from, how to create food and never to waste.
‘‘That’s what I love about food – it’s a gift, it’s love, it’s creative and we can go further and further every time.’’
The team of Nina Devlin, Kate Mackay and Hannah Bray from Ha¯wera High School won the competition with their meal of Moroccan flat bread, Moroccan spiced chicken and orange cake with candied lemon and syrup.
Second was Francis Douglas Memorial College, with Waitara High School third. Event coordinator Martha Desimone agreed that the standard got higher each year.
‘‘Food technology or cooking at high schools has grown,’’ she said.
The students had to cook an entree, main and dessert, using only ingredients on the pantry list. They had 90 minutes from start to serving, and their dishes were judged on a range of criteria including creativity, inventiveness, and taste and presentation.
The New Plymouth Girls’ High School team of Eliana Adams, Kiana Johnson and Heidi Sorensen, all 15, said the competition was a good opportunity.
‘‘It’s a great opportunity to cook in a proper kitchen,’’ Kiana said.
Event director for Womad, Emere Wano, said the event gave the students a taste of what cooking in a real kitchen was like.
‘‘They have to create a dish that reflects the Womad ethos,’’ she said. The winners will cook with Hamilton on the Taste the World stage at Womad at 1pm on
Sunday.
‘‘That’s what I love about food – it’s a gift, it’s love, it’s creative and we can go further and further every time.’’
Jax Hamilton