Kai to Pie – Auckland on a Plate opens

Kai to Pie – Auckland on a Plate opens

Auckland’s extraordinary wealth of people and cultures, its fertile abundance of land, sun and sea will be unveiled, all through the lens of food, in a new exhibition called Kai to Pie: Auckland on a Plate. The exhibition opens tomorrow at Auckland Museum and is free to all visitors.

“Kai to Pie celebrates the remarkable breadth of cultural influences that make up greater Auckland,” said Auckland Museum Interim Director, Sir Don McKinnon. “This exhibition recognises the role food plays within the family, within the community, and the way we have developed.”

The exhibition uses striking design elements and interactive technology to bring stories of Auckland to life. Kai to Pie invites visitors to travel through a ‘four course meal’ based around four elements - Fashion, Feast, Fuel and Future.

Enter Fashion to discover a specially built runway showcasing past and present stars of Auckland’s food culture: from the faithful Edmonds Cook Book to one of the city’s first espresso coffee machines.

In Feast visitors can explore fascinating stories of this city’s most extraordinary gatherings, including the 1844 Remuera feast, which boasted a menu of 9000 sharks and 11,000 baskets of potatoes as part of a display of Maori might. Meanwhile the Ball and Banquet of 1854 saw Auckland’s Albert Barracks converted into an elegant London ballroom by settlers celebrating Queen Victoria’s birthday and the first sitting of the New Zealand parliament.

Inside Fuel watch a film of Aucklanders through the ages putting in the hard graft to harvest and prepare our city’s food from its fertile soil and bountiful harbours.
The Future section of the exhibition uses interactive touch screens to ask questions about what we eat and why. Discover how New Zealand food facts compare to other countries, and peek inside a digital fridge of the future. Kai to Pie is accompanied by a full programme of events. This includes the World on a Plate series, which showcases the incredible array of cuisine – from Maori to Mediterranean – available in Auckland. Every Saturday visit the Museum for cooking demonstrations, food tastings and cultural performances from the Auckland’s 181 ethnic groups.

Keep an eye out for the Trolley Dolly with incredible food to sample and a Family Food Fiesta during the school holidays. There’s also a Coffee Festival, online photo-share and so much more to satisfy your appetite.

Kai to Pie: Auckland on a Plate reveals and revels in what it means to be an Aucklander. Get a taste of Auckland this winter.

ENDS

© Scoop Media