Chefs from around the country have made it into the final four of the coveted Ōra King Awards, in its most competitive year yet.
The awards, designed to reward diverse and creative chefs working with Ōra King salmon, received a record 63 entries New Zealand-wide.
Judges Geoff Scott and Anna-King Shabab spent the last four weeks visiting 10 semi-finalist restaurants, before whittling the competition down to the final four.
The finalist chefs – Himanshu Shaun Tyagi, Marc Soper, Jinu Abraham, and Ryan Tattersall- hail from Auckland, Featherston, and Wellington respectively.
Their innovative dishes caught the eye of the two judges, with delicacies such as gin cured salmon belly, tomato cured salmon, salmon confit, and brown spiced sugar salmon.
“The judges certainly have a tough job on their hands,” concluded New Zealand King Salmon general marketing manager, Jemma McCowan.
“We are extremely satisfied with the final four - yet finding it tough to predict who will be the overall winner.”
The winning dish will be announced at the annual awards ceremony and celebratory lunch at the Nelson Club, Nelson, October 11th.
