The inaugural Chip Fest has been held in Auckland, with potato growers, suppliers and chip shop owners coming together to celebrate the humble potato. The centrepiece of the event was the announcement of The Chip Group’s People’s Choice Award for 2018, with Masterton takeaway shop Mr Chips taking out the title.
Owners Steve and Monica Fair are no stranger to winning awards – they won the People’s Choice Award last year as well. As a result, the pair were invited to the 2018 Chip Fest as ‘guest chippies’, meaning that attendees had the chance to sample the wares of the best chip purveyors in the country.
“It was wonderful to have the support of the community,” said Steve. “We’d be walking down the street and people would come up to us and say that they’d cast their vote, which was always a good feeling.”
The Fairs have won an Air New Zealand Mystery Weekend, a $500 Bidfood grocery voucher, a pavement sign and framed certificate and aprons, caps and chips. The People’s Choice Award is purely a popularity contest, done by online voting on the Chip Group website. In order to be eligible, at least one staff member must have completed the Chip Group’s free online training in 2018.
Bidfood, Talleys, Mr Chips, McCain’s and J.L. Lennard were all sponsors at Chip Fest, with J.L. Lennard providing the equipment in which the chips and other deep-fried food was cooked. Of particular note was the Fast Fry Elite machine by Quality Fry, which was used to simultaneously cook up to five different products.
The system of filters incorporated by Fast Chef Elite eliminates smoke, greatly reduces odours from frying and allows different foods to be fried in the same oil without mixing their flavours. The air is then extracted at the rear, filtered via a condenser and a large cartridge filter before being discharged into the space. The filtration system is so effective that an independent exhaust hood isn’t required, and means that the space it is in can be ventilated to the minimum standard as required by food safety law. It is powered by a single outlet and can be installed in different locations within HORECA establishments, such as a bar or cafeteria, the office of a hotel, the interior or exterior of a kitchen, mobile businesses, and any point of sale.
The Chip Group was established by Potatoes NZ with the aim of improving the nutritional status of deep-fried chips served by New Zealand foodservice by reducing fat (total and saturated) and salt content. New Zealand is a nation of hot chip lovers, so Potatoes NZ teamed up with the Ministry of Health and the New Zealand Heart Foundation to promote the cooking of deep fried food in as healthy a manner as possible. This includes research, advocacy at government level, free online training and training workshops, presenting results at industry conferences and, of course, running the Best Chip Shop competitions. The Chip Group has been encouraging both industry suppliers and foodservice operators to be more involved – this means The Chip Group is more inclusive and representative of the whole industry.
THANK YOU TO:
BIDFOOD
Bidfood is one of New Zealand’s largest food distributors delivering goods to a number of food service businesses throughout the country. Bidfood is heavily involved in the 2017 Best Chip Shop Competition, as naming sponsor for the Bidfood People’s Choice Award.
J.L. LENNARD
JL Lennard has been involved in the food and hospitality industry since 1879. from soft serve ice cream to fried chicken, J.L. Lennard provides a strong service system including substantial parts and technical support with comprehensive after-sales service to ensure long term satisfaction.
MCCAIN FOODS LTD
McCain Foods Limited, the world’s largest manufacturer of frozen foods with a presence in 160 markets, employing 18,000 people, sourcing raw material from over 3,200 growers and meeting almost one-third of the global demand for French fries.
MR CHIPS
Mr Chips is a leading processor of potatoes in New Zealand and Australia, making over 25,000 tonnes of Premium A Grade frozen and chilled french fries and potato products annually. For more than 30 years, the Mr Chips brand has been a recognisable and popular brand in New Zealand.
POTATOES NZ
Potatoes New Zealand Inc. represents the interests of the whole of New Zealand’s potato industry from growers to processors. New Zealand’s potato industry has more than 200 growers who produce around half a million tonnes of potatoes from just over 10,500 hectares of arable farmland.
TALLEYS GROUP LTD
Talleys is 100 percent New Zealand owned and a significant primary producer of Seafood, Dairy, Meat and other Vegetable products, Talley’s are also a major producer of potato products made from some of the best potatoes in the World, grown in the mineral-rich soils of the Canterbury Plains.
