Marlborough Magazine December/January Edition | Page 46

DEGUSTATION 47 Culinary Chefs v Local Home Cooks A clash in the kitchen not to be missed Knives have been drawn and wits are being sharpened ahead of a Masterchef-style challenge between celebrity chefs and home cooks at the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival 2019. The high pressure cook off between amateur and professional is just one of an exciting lineup of events at the New World Culinary Pavilion at Marlborough Wine and Food Festival 2019, on February 9. As well as amazing Marlborough wines, festival goers can expect cooking demonstrations featuring locally produced ingredients by some of New Zealand’s most loved chefs, some great banter between TV personalities and delicious food samples. Wine Marlborough event manager Georgie Leach says the New World Culinary Pavilion is an important part of the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival, which is the longest running wine festival in the country. “Good food and good wine go together hand-in-hand and we are so lucky in Marlborough to have world-class examples of both at our fingertips,” Georgie says. “The cooking demonstrations are always hugely popular, and pitting the professionals against some passionate home cooks promises to be exciting, entertaining and a lot of fun for our audience as well as the contenders.” The Marlborough Wine and Food Festival organising committee called for entries from home cooks in October, and chose the two successful candidates in December. While the two home cooks have a chance to work on their cooking game before February 9, they will have no idea who they are up against or what they will be cooking with until a few minutes before showdown. On the day, each home cook will be paired with a professional chef and given 45 minutes to create a dish using the same ingredients from a mystery box featuring local, seasonal produce. Meals will be scored by a judge and the audience, and the overall winner will receive a trophy and the coveted title of Marlborough Wine and Food Festival New World Culinary Chef of the Year. There are also tickets to the 2020 festival up for grabs and some generous New World and dinner vouchers. “It’s a great concept, a great opportunity to highlight and celebrate some of New Zealand’s home-cooking talent and hero some of Marlborough’s amazing food and wine producers,” Georgie says. “We try to keep innovating and changing things up to keep it exciting and interesting and hopefully give people something to think about after the day is over.” Popular television and radio cooking personality Annabelle White will be sharing tips and recipes in a number of cooking demonstrations that will run throughout the day at the New World Culinary Pavilion. Dynamic television personality Mike Puru and celebrity chef Mark Southon who appear together on the TV3 television lifestyle show The Café, will be both be MCing on the day. And of course Mark will be showcasing his skills in a cooking demonstration or two of his own. Chef demonstrations will be based around some beautiful Marlborough produce including New Zealand King Salmon, Kono and Origin South Lamb - ingredients all sought after by chefs around the world. As well as world class Marlborough wine, festival goers will also have an opportunity to taste test some of the delicious produce being used by the chefs. The cooking demonstrations are always well attended, so be sure to arrive early to secure a seat. The full festival programme, including the schedule of cooking demonstrations and the amateur vs celebrity cook-offs is available online www.wine-marlborough-festival.co.nz from Monday December 3. Be sure to run your eye over it and make a note of the sessions you wish to attend - it’s easy to get caught up with all the amazing wines to taste, delicious food to eat and live entertainment on stage. Pro tip: set some alarms or calendar alerts on your phone to ensure you get to your sessions on time and avoid missing out on the day. More celebrity chefs, bands and exciting competitions and giveaways are yet to be announced, so keep up to date with all fresh news from the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival on Facebook: @marlboroughwinefestival, Instagram: @marlboroughfest and Twitter: @ MarlboroughFest. More festival information and tickets are available on the festival website: www. wine-marlborough-festival.co.nz. This event sells out most years, so be quick to avoid disappointment! Great Food, Great Wines and Great Friends Come Together at Herzog’s Estate! This spring experience sumptuous, market-fresh dishes in Herzog’s stylish and relaxed Bistro. Enjoy dining in the beautiful gardens by day or indulge in our Gourmet Restaurant by night. For all you wine enthusiasts, discover one of New Zealand’s largest International wine lists! We love our community and are thrilled to be sponsor of the 2019 Marlborough Wine & Food Festival Culinary Pavilion OPEN HOURS: Mon - Sun 7.00am - 10.00pm 4 Freswick Street, Blenheim | P: (03) 520 9030 |www.newworld.co.nz HERZOG’S BISTRO IS OPEN FOR LUNCH & DINNER 7 DAYS A WEEK - LUNCH: 12pm - 2.30pm DINNER: 6pm - late CELLAR DOOR FROM MONDAY TO FRIDAY: 9am - 5pm SATURDAY & SUNDAY: 11am - 4pm OUR GOURMET RESTAURANT IS OPEN FROM 7PM WEDNESDAY TO SUNDAY Hans Herzog Estate | 81 Jeffries Road | Blenheim | 03 572 8770 | [email protected] | www.herzog.co.nz