Kitchen whiz:

Chef Rex Morgan talks to Sarah Nealon about Kitchen Kura, a show in which he helps people catering for functions.

Tips and tricks on how to cater for a big function.

Cooking for a special occasion can be challenging, particularly when you have limited kitchen skills or aren’t used to feeding a large number of guests.

How many courses should you do? Is a buffet better than a set menu? How do you make your dollar go further if funds are limited? On Maori Television’s Kitchen

Kura, Wellington chef Rex Morgan, 48, lends his expertise to people who have to cater for a specific function whether that’s a 21st birthday bash, a fundraising event, or a celebration for someone turning 50.

“I’d done appearances on MasterChef New Zealand and on

Marae Kai Masters and stuff like that and when I was offered my own show it was quite exciting – quite a challenge,” says Morgan. “It was a bit daunting at first being the host.”

On each Kitchen Kura episode, Morgan meets the person in charge of cooking for a special occasion. Drawing on his culinary experience, he determines if any of the dishes on the person’s chosen menu can be improved or made for less.

The pair then cook one or two dishes together and then later the person is sent away to cater for the function.

“One of the ones I really liked was a girl who did a dinner for the

homeless,” says Morgan. “She had 22 of her family and they were going to cater for 150-200 at a sort of boarding house in Wellington.

“We just went over cost-effective things and how to make things go further and she did two courses.”

Morgan, who is head chef and co-owner of the capital’s Boulcott Street Bistro, has been working in kitchens for 30 years.

He spent nine years designing menus for Air New Zealand’s business class and is an ambassador for New Zealand Beef And Lamb.

In his younger years he worked in France and in Switzerland.

Morgan’s interest in cooking stemmed from his childhood.

“I used to live near Rotorua,” says Morgan. “Both my parents are Maori. My dad had 17 brothers and sisters so we were always at something like a wedding, a funeral or a 21st. I think I was just naturally brought up with that sort of kitchen awareness.”