Whirlwind contest for ex-local chef

This article first appeared in The Westport News, 1 April 2021

Westport-born chef Ashley Knudsen says her recent experience as a finalist for a culinary award was a “whirlwind”.

Knudsen was one of three finalists in the inaugural Beef and Lamb Young Ambassador Chef Awards.

She and two other finalists - Lyall Minhinnick of Moeraki and Sam Heaven of Auckland - travelled to Auckland to compete at Homeland, New Zealand chef Peter Gordon’s new cooking school, last week.

Finalists cooked two dishes, one beef and one lamb, in front of Beef and Lamb ambassador chefs and a television crew. Contestants cooked one at a time.

Ashley Knudsen hard at work in the kitchen

Knudsen was first up. She said nerves were high as she cooked and spoke with the judges. “It was a bit of a whirlwind of emotions on the day… I really enjoyed it.”

The biggest hurdle for the young chef was adapting quickly to cooking with an induction stove.

For her beef dish, she created a nori-wrapped beef fillet, beef cheek tart with smoked bone marrow crumb, sweet potato fondant, wasabi peas and miso mayo.

For her lamb dish, she prepared herb-crusted lamb rack with a lamb belly spring roll, beetroot puree, spiced brussels and medley baby carrots.

As she cooked, the judges stood nearby and asked questions about the dishes. “It was pretty intense… Sometimes you’re so in the moment that you had to take a step back and think about what you had to say.”

She said she was happy with the dishes she plated up.

Ms Knudsen graduated from Ara Institute of Canterbury in 2018 with a level 5 Diploma in Cookery. She then moved to Dunedin where she lives with her partner on a sheep station.

She has worked at No 7 Balmac for two years. She said her coworkers offered a lot of support and were among the many messaging her when the winner was publicly announced last night.

Auckland chef, Mr Heaven, took home the title of Beef and Lamb Young Ambassador, with his unique dishes. Beef and Lamb ambassador chef, Norka Mella Munoz, said all three finalists performed well on the day.