The winner of the ‘Best Ōra King Dish’ New Zealand has been announced during an official awards ceremony at Nelson’s Suter Art Gallery. Mark McAllister, an Auckland-based private chef, was awarded the coveted 2018 food industry accolade for his dish “Salmon Solstice”, an edible interpretation of an ancient megalithic carved stone from Newgrange, a Neolithic site in Ireland.
Now in its sixth year, this year’s Ōra King Awards received entries from 50 New Zealand chefs, all of whom were challenged by this year’s ‘Inspired by Art’ theme. The chefs were encouraged to take inspiration from a piece of artwork across any medium, then craft an edible masterpiece worthy of the coveted Best Ōra King Dish accolade.
McAllister’s winning dish incorporates Ōra King salmon to represent the ethereal orange, red and yellow hues of the sun on winter solstice – the driving inspiration behind his dish.
Ōra King Awards judge and renowned Kiwi chef Geoff Scott said he was particularly impressed by the care and precision of this year’s New Zealand winning dish, which exuded unique plate appeal.
“Mark’s winning dish ‘Salmon Solstice’ was simply stunning," he said. "His concept has been executed at the very highest level, taking this year’s art theme and delivering this to the plate while clearly showcasing Ōra King salmon as the hero.”
General manager of marketing at New Zealand King Salmon, Jemma McCowan said the surging use of Ōra King amongst some of the most talented chefs in the world has helped grow the brand’s reputation on a global scale.
“Ōra King has strong relationships with chefs who demand high value from any ingredient that stands the test of time in their restaurants. We know that there are already well over 1400 restaurants internationally that serve Ōra King salmon on their menu with at least 350 who have signed up this year, a testament to the quality of this homegrown product that celebrates all that New Zealand has to offer.”
Also announced at the dinner were the winners of the international competitions. Michael Demagistris of Polperro took out the Australian award with his Ora King Cannelloni, while the North American Award went to Jonathan Granada of Otium for a dish inspired by a photo collage of Anthony Bourdain and Paul Bocuse – aptly titled ‘Legacy’. Naoki Nagai of All Day Dining Remone at the Rihga Royal Hotel in Osaka won the Japanese award.
