Chefs, restaurant service, bar and hospitality professionals are encouraged to sharpen their knives and shake out their aprons for this year’s 2016 New Zealand Hospitality Championships.
Entries are now open for the four-day NZChefs National Salon, that will run from Thursday 28th July to Sunday 31st July at the Logan Campbell Centre, ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane.
Not only will there be the classic NZ Beef Open but also competitions like Canapés, Celebration Cakes and Petit Fours all the way to the Classic Cocktail event and the Barista Smackdown.
The Dilmah High Tea event is back again this year giving both chefs and restaurant service staff the opportunity to take home the title as well as the popular Curry Cup.
This year, NZChefs have also brought back the classic hospitality events of bed making, table setting and gueridon service (an eighties phenomenon, dishes are cooked tableside and served flaming to the guests).
“The National Salon is a fantastic opportunity for chefs, both current and trainee, and hospitality staff to practice their skills,” said NZChefs President Graham Hawkes.
“It also provides an opportunity for competitors to network with their peers and other industry members, while potentially adding an award or title to their CV’s.”
Along with individual competition awards, prizes on offer at the National Salon include a trip to Sydney for the winners of the Secondary School College Challenge, a trip to Sri Lanka to attend the Dilmah School of Tea for the winners of the High Tea event, plus a Moffat digital electric convection oven for the Chef of the Year. Additional prizes include kitchen equipment and product from event sponsors.
The International feature competition for 2016 is the Gourmet Pacific Challenge. Visitors to the National Salon will be able to view teams of chefs from New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands competing for this Pacific Rim title, plus watch the NZ Culinary Olympic Team as they prepare for the World Championships in Germany later this year.
For more details about the competition, class descriptions, the event brochure and the official entry form, visit the ‘Competitions’ page on the NZChefs website www.nzchefs.org.nz.
NZChefs National Salon
Logan Campbell Centre, ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane
Thursday 28 July – Sunday 31 July
