COOKING FOR A CAUSE IN DUNEDIN

Dunedin was the location for a special fundraiser which had our two Beef + Lamb Young Chef finalists Ashley and Lyall very excited! Instead of going head-to-head in competition mode as they had earlier in the year, this time they were working together to create mouth-watering food for a cause close to the hearts of many chefs.

The Master & Apprentice dinner was a Dine Dunedin event with the aim to create a collaboration of local chefs and rescued produce from KiwiHarvest so that Dunedin foodies could experience how rescued food can be used to create mouth-watering dishes.  Most importantly it was a night to raise funds and awareness for KiwiHarvest and the amazing job they do.

KiwiHarvest is a national food rescue organisation who rescue good nutritious food, diverting it from landfill and redistributing it into the community to those in need.  Dunedin branch manager Susie Townshend says that food insecurity was highlighted recently when Covid-19 hit New Zealand. 

“It really brought home just how many in the community are in need of good nutritious food.  Not only that, but any food rescued and diverted from landfill is a win for the environment.”

Susie says having local chefs cooking at an event like this helps to continue the conversation of what KiwiHarvest are trying to achieve in the community.  With the young chefs in particular having grown up in a generation who are more aware of sustainability they are great at finding innovative ways of reducing food waste in their kitchens.

Dine Dunedin organiser, Nicola McConnell was delighted to be able to bring these four very talented chefs together for the event.  Nicola says Dunedin is a city where you can get all the food you need from within and around the city – from the local market gardens to the freshest seafood and top-quality beef and lamb grown right on the doorstep.  Dunedin on a plate is all those things put together and every chef and café has their own way of presenting it which is really exciting.

“It’s a fantastic combination when you have amazing produce and a talented bunch of chefs – you know it will culminate in an outstanding dinner.

For the chefs themselves it provided a wonderful opportunity to get involved with a local charity and showcase something that is second nature to them in their own kitchens – reducing food waste.  The teams clearly enjoyed being able to showcase the great work KiwiHarvest do by what was served on the plates.

Team beef was Greg Piner and Ashley Knudsen from No 7 Balmac who created a delicious dish with subtle Asian flavours - braised short rib with flame grilled beef fillet with a shitake butter, edamame, kohlrabi coriander finished with a sticky jus.

They used rescued ingredients such as tomatoes, onions and carrots which they used to make stocks and sauces which are such an important part of getting that deep rich flavour profiles onto the plate.

Team lamb was Michael Coughlin, brand ambassador for Provenance Lamb and Lyall Minhinnick from Fleurs Place in Moeraki.  Together they created a rolled lamb saddle with preserved lemon, tomato kasundi, honey roasted carrots, grains and a side of rescued broccoli topped with a pangritata.

Michael says their rescued ingredients were the carrots, lemons, broccoli and bread for the pangritata along with some tomatoes which Lyall had created into a rich spicy kasundi which was the perfect companion to the lamb.

Dessert was next level with a lemon posset topped with rescued pears from team Michael and Lyall and a smooth rich chocolate tart from team Greg and Ashley.

 Both Ashley and Lyall said it was amazing to be cooking together again and getting creative with rescued ingredients and promoting ways to reduce food waste.  They agreed it was a much more relaxing cook this time with them both working towards the same goal and showcasing KiwiHarvest as the winners on the night!