PLATE OF ORIGIN

We announce the winners of this annual competition

FOUR YEARS! How did that happen? Little did we know that what we thought would be a little restaurant competition called ‘Plate of Origin’ hosted in the Manawatu would grow into an event that now stretches across two weeks in March and has participating restaurants selling out of their competition dish due to popular demand. We’ve even heard news of enthusiastic punters plotting progressive dinners throughout the region to sample more than one Plate of Origin dish in one night. Thanks to the Kiwi ingenuity of the team at CEDA in association with Cuisine, eight local restaurants are partnered with eight renowned restaurants from around the country. Each partnership creates one main dish, highlighting two stellar ingredients to represent their partner restaurant’s region and Manawatu-whanganui.

This year, along with co-judge Mark Smith (chef-lecturer at Universal College of Learning, Palmerston North), Cuisine editor Kelli Brett wanted to ensure that the winning dish not only reflected the hero ingredients but the core of the local restaurant and its loyal customer base. Two plates of food outshone all others because of the delicious pairing of ingredients and techniques and because of the magnificent representation of the true essence of the restaurant. And so we have reached a draw. Four restaurants, four chefs, two very different, but equally spectacular plates.

And the 2019 Plate of Origin winners are… Congratulations to both teams. Find more information about Plate of Origin 2019 at plateoforigin.co.nz