14 November 2011

A special dinner held at Oamaru’s historic Pen-y-bryn Lodge last night (November 13) showcasing the Italian cuisine of iconic New Zealand chef Jo Seagar has been judged “a huge success”.

The legendary chef said she was “delighted” with the enthusiastic response she had from Pen-y-bryn diners to her Italian-inspired cuisine, while co-hosts and passionate foodies James Glucksman and James Boussy could not have been happier with the sell-out event.

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"We were so happy to welcome Jo Seagar and her many fans from Oamaru, Christchurch and elsewhere to Pen-y-bryn for a relaxed evening of great food and wine,” said Mr Glucksman.

"Jo's book ‘Italia’ was a real pleasure to work with. During the weeks before the dinner I tried out a large number of recipes for the night’s menu, and couldn’t find one that wasn’t delicious. The only problem was deciding which of the many great recipes to choose!"

Ms Seagar said it was “a delight” to be able to share some of her tips and tricks on how to produce traditional Italian dishes with the two Jameses, their visitors and Oamaru guests.

“I absolutely adore Italian food, the fresh flavours and just how easy it can be to throw together a beautiful feast for family and friends,” she said.

“The food served came together superbly thanks to the divine fresh local produce used on the night, and the stunning wine matches.”

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Ms Seagar said she was also thrilled to have raised $150 through ticket sales for her charity of choice, Otago and South Canterbury Hospices. Jo Seagar has been the proud Patron of Hospice New Zealand since 1999, a voluntary role which takes her to many events throughout the country each year.

As well as the success of the dinner, it also proved a winner for award winning Central Otago winemaker Olssens which notched up good wine sales to guests, the Oamaru Paperplus store which sold out of copies of the ‘Italia’ cookbook, and the lucky overnight guests who enjoyed breakfast with Jo the following morning.

Mr Glucksman said he and James Boussy looked forward to organising many such events in the future.

"Pen-y-bryn is such a great venue for hosting an event like this,” he said.

“In addition to enjoying Jo Seagar's wonderful dishes, guests also had a chance to spend time in this magnificent house and wander our beautiful gardens."

The ‘Italia’ Menu:

Pre-dinner
Frico —Parmesan crisps with fennel and cumin seeds
Crostini with blue cheese and black olive tapenade
Fried crumbed olives
Olssens 2010 Annieburn Riesling

To Start
Country-style white bean soup
Olssens 2009 Chardonnay

Main Course
Pork fillets with grapes, white wine and rosemary
Oven-roasted asparagus with fried capers
Oamaru Jersey Benne potatoes squashed with fresh bay leaves and lemon
Olssens 2009 Slapjack Creek Pinot Noir
Olssens 2011 Pinot Gris

Dessert
Apple and Lemon Torta
Olssens 2010 Desert Gold dessert Riesling

ENDS

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