Matches made for Plate of Origin
Manawatu’s Plate of Origin has returned to turn up the heat in kitchens across the country.
The annual Plate of Origin competition event sets up 10 pairs of chefs, one from a Manawatu restaurant and one from another region, to work together to create a main course featuring ‘‘hero ingredients’’ from each region.
An event at Wharerata on Monday evening matched the 10 competing Manawatu restaurants with another region from across the country. They now have a month to find a restaurant from that area to collaborate with to create a dish for judging next year.
The restaurants and their allocated regions are; Table 188 Waikato, Nero - Wellington, Amayjen - Marlborough, The Fat Farmer - Hawke’s Bay, La Patio Nelson-tasman, Aberdeen - Otago, Jimmy Cooks Kiwi Kitchen - Canterbury, Rendezvous - Taranaki, Bethany’s - Bay of Plenty, Nosh Auckland.
The dishes will be on sale in Manawatu restaurants from March 14-18, as part of New Zealand Agri Investment Week. The competition will be judged by Cuisine Magazine editor Kelli Brett and UCOL chef tutor Mark Smith.
Wharerata will also host a showcase evening on March 16, to highlight the best produce from Manawatu and Whanganui.
This year’s winning duo was Palmerston North restaurant Aberdeen, and Auckland’s The Grove, who created a dish featuring seared duck breast, a peach crepinette, golden kumara, roasted shallot, peach puree and finished with duck jus.
Runner up was the pairing of Amayjen, from Feilding, with Nelson-tasman restaurant Hopgood’s, who matched Tasman Bay snapper and heritage tomatoes.