Peter Gordon described the collaboration at Ocean of Flavours: One Ocean, Many Flavours as “fantastic”, after eight visiting Pacific chefs joined 16 New Zealand chefs in Auckland. Hot-rock cooking, banana tiramisu, and ingredients unfamiliar to Gordon were among the highlights of the two-day programme, which culminated in a dinner for 140 guests.
Held at Auckland University of Technology’s School of Hospitality and Tourism, the two-day programme was presented by Pacific Trade Invest New Zealand (PTINZ), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Pacific Cooperation Broadcasting Limited. Peter Gordon facilitated the collaboration, which included New Zealand chefs Nadia Lim, Michael Meredith, Kris Chand, and Patrick Ikinofo.
The visiting chefs represented Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu/Solomon Islands. They worked alongside their New Zealand counterparts on the first day, before cooking with food writers, influencers, and stakeholders and preparing the evening feast on day two.
Among the dishes was Papua New Guinea chef Israel Gapi’s Tolai Chicken Aigir, prepared using hot rocks in a pot. Gordon noted that versions of the dish were made throughout the Pacific, although Gapi adapted the technique from that used in his home village.
Denzel Sumsum, who came from Vanuatu and lived in Solomon Islands, prepared banana tiramisu. Gordon also highlighted pitpit, a type of wild sugarcane grown for its unopened flower shoots, among the ingredients that introduced him to something new.
“All the chefs bring a unique perspective to the food and have different ways of dealing with Pacific kai.”
Products featured included prawns from New Caledonia, Solomons Gold chocolate, Bula Coffee, Fiji Fire Hot Sauce, and Borabora Seasalt.
“While our producers in the Pacific may be small in scale, their ambition and quality are anything but, as demonstrated by the enthusiastic response from the chefs at the Ocean of Flavours event,” said PTINZ Trade Commissioner Glynis Miller.
The visit concluded with trips to Clevedon Buffalo, The Wild Fermentory, Bachu Estate, and Healthy Fresh. Miller said the intention was for chefs to take knowledge and ingredients back to their kitchens, while promoting Pacific goods and supporting the economies behind them.
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