24 October 2016

OLYMPIC MEDALS FOR NEW ZEALAND CULINARY TEAM

The joy of winning Bronze at the Culinary Olympics clearly shows as our team of Steve Le Corre, Mark Sycamore, John Kelleher, Darren Wright, Richard Hingston and Corey Hume celebrate in Erfurt.

Their exhibition Cold Table was a thing of wonder. An array of New Zealand fine food from canapes to festive three course dinner menus were intricately created and presented with a clean and clear theme that truly captured the spirit of our beautiful country.

The team had hardly slept for four nights as they prepared their entry during the night in a tiny hotel kitchen more than an hour's drive from Erfurt. They were up against other national teams who are paid professionals, who had armies of assistants and many of whom came from countries that were a matter of a few hours away by van.

The last time NZ competed was 1988 and they did the major sponsor Anchor Food Professionals and the many other generous suppliers and sponsors proud as newbies to the competition. I am not sure the jury truly grasped the subtleties and brilliance of a uniquely representative NEW ZEALAND display that showcased our food with classy, stylish stories. But the buzz created around the table and the positivity of the crowd won us many new fans.

Go New Zealand! Bringing home Bronze.