BEEF + LAMB AMBASSADOR CHEFS PAIR UP AT PITA PIT

There has been a lot going on behind the scenes at Pita Pit recently.  A tasty collaboration of meaty proportions to be exact!  Beef + Lamb Ambassador Chefs, Jack Crosti and Tejas Nikam both jumped at the chance to collaborate with Pita Pit and work alongside Beef + Lamb Iron Maiden, Lisa Carrington to create two new menu items for Pita Pit’s new campaign - Lisa’s Pick’s Menu. With this kind of pairing you can bet your taste buds that something incredible is going to be created, and that’s exactly what happened!

Italian born Jack, is executive chef and owner of Number 5 Restaurant in Auckland.  He says it was an honour to be involved in this collaboration and a chance to apply his creative skills to create something fresh and new for Pita Pit.  Jack says he has the utmost respect for Kiwi farmers producing sustainable world class meat and like our farmers, Pita Pit is also committed to quality and flavour, so it was an easy choice to jump into this amazing collaboration.

Jack’s final dish of a smoked chipotle steak pita and salad bowl features perfectly cooked steak with a touch of chipotle spice and fresh salad.  Jack says he was inspired by the Texas style of cooking smoky brisket over a grill and he knew Lisa liked her steak a little bit smoky, so this combination went down a treat with her.

Jack says it has been a really enjoyable process playing around with flavours and ideas to create something new for Pita Pit and getting to work with such a great athlete as Lisa has been a highlight.

Waikato Chef, Tejas Nikam is originally from India.  He grew up watching his dad cook which inspired him to follow a career path as a chef.  His culinary journey eventually led him to New Zealand, where he learned from the ‘King of Fusion’ himself, Peter Gordon, when he spent three years working at The Sugar Club.

It was here that Tejas really came to appreciate the incredible produce which New Zealand grows and how well it pairs with international flavours.  He wanted his dish to reflect what he had learned during his time working with Peter Gordon and set out to create a showcase of fusion with an exotic blend of North African spices with New Zealand lamb, fresh veggies, dukkah, feta, crunchy almonds and a creamy yoghurt dressing. 

Tejas says New Zealand lamb with its mild flavour is the perfect vehicle to carry the spicy flavours of Harissa to create a nice balance.  This proved to be a winning combination for Lisa Carrington who couldn’t wait to include it on her Lisa’s Pick’s Menu.

Tejas says the opportunity to work alongside his fellow Ambassador, Jack, and Lisa Carrington and the team at Pita Pit was a great experience.   His favourite part was being on set and filming with Lisa.  He says being in the kitchen creating new dishes is the easy part, being on set filming was something way out of his comfort zone.  However, Tejas said it turned out to be a lot of fun working with Lisa and the crew made him feel right at home in front of the cameras!

So what are you waiting for? Get along to your local Pita Pit or order online here and try for yourself the delicious two new Lisa’s Pick’s menu items.  Available from now until 15 September.