Award Winning Chefs Serve up for Taste of Auckland

Press Release
Tuesday September 11, 2012

Award Winning Chefs Serve up for Taste of Auckland

Taste of Auckland has announced its first star-studded line up of chefs who will wow taste buds this November at Victoria Park’s ultimate culinary festival.

Bringing the best of fine dining into a vibrant, festival atmosphere each of the chefs at this year’s Taste of Auckland event will be going to extreme lengths to ensure that their dishes are both innovative and of the highest quality.

The line-up of talented chefs heats up with Des Harris from Clooney, which took this year’s best fine-dining gong from Metro magazine. Head Chef Des Harris revels in the subtlety of his food, presenting delicate flavours in the most exquisite combinations, and promises to bring Taste of Auckland guests a feast of gastronomic delight.

Depot Eatery & Oyster Bar, considered by Metro magazine to be the best little eatery in the country will be at the festival lead by Head Chef Kyle Street and celebrity chef Al Brown, who promise to bring something special to their selection of dishes.

Adding a little bit of spice to the mix is the dynamic kitchen pairing of Anton Leyland and Juan Balsani from Kermadec Fine. Head Chef Leyland is known for his unique take on Pacific and Asian flavour parings, while Head Pastry Chef Balsani is inspired greatly by his Buenos Aires roots.

With these two talented chefs working together in the Kermadec Fine, Taste of Auckland kitchen, you can bet that their impressive dishes will complement and contrast with each other beautifully.

Masterchef Simon Gault from Euro, a Metro Award Winning Restaurant also joins the famous foodie event. Known for producing culinary molecular magic, Simon Gault is a master in the theatre of food preparation so prepare to be dazzled by Euro’s innovative menu.

From Waiheke Island comes Poderi Crisci the latest creation from chef and talented restaurateur Antonio Crisci. The stunning vineyard restaurant will bring a true taste of fresh, seasonal al Fresco dining to the festival.

Finally, known to many as Auckland’s best Italian restaurant, Toto’s restaurant will be represented at Taste of Auckland by owner/ Head Chef Sergio Maglione. The passionate Italian is inspired by the south of Italy, and the stunning Almafi Coast. His unique and modern Italian dishes will certainly be a culinary highlight at this year’s event.

Now in its fourth year, Taste of Auckland has captured the imagination of the nation’s foodies with an ever-growing legion of fans making it an annual pilgrimage to sample from the best food and drink experiences in the city.

Part of a global series of events, Taste of Auckland is a gastronomic paradise with a stunning lineup of the best restaurants and artisan food exhibitors from right around the country – all waiting to be matched with some of the best beverages in New Zealand.

Each of the four days is divided into sessions - a deliciously long, lazy lunch from 12pm to 4pm, followed up by a tasty, vibrant dinner session from 5.30pm to 9.30pm. And each session boasts an elegant side serving of singers, bands and DJs to keep toes tapping throughout the event.

With many sessions sure to sell out, Taste of Auckland fans are urged to get in quick to secure limited Earlybird tickets, which will provide entry and $40 worth of crowns for just $55 - a saving of $15.

VIP Tickets are also now available, including entry to Taste of Auckland, a glass of bubbles on arrival, exclusive entry into the VIP area, $30 worth of crowns and festival guide for the price of $95 per ticket. All tickets are now available through www.tasteofauckland.co.nz with more chefs to announced shortly!

Taste of Auckland:
Thursday 15 – Sunday 18 November, 2012
Victoria Park, Auckland
www.tasteofauckland.co.nz

For more information please contact:
PR Representative, Paul Blomfield; Ph: (021) 970 871, paul@paulblomfield.com
Robert Elliott, Brand Events & Festivals; Ph: (021) 6777 39, RobEliott@befestivals.co.nz

About Taste Festivals
Taste Festivals are unique events where the host city’s most acclaimed restaurants and chefs gather in a stunning venue to present their signature dishes to thousands of ‘foodie’ visitors. Taste Festivals set the benchmark for food and drinks worldwide with many Taste Festivals being hosted around the world including Amsterdam, Birmingham, Cape Town, Dubai, Dublin, Edinburgh, Jo'burg, London, Melbourne, Milan, Sydney and Auckland. At each event, thousands of visitors enjoy signature dishes from the world’s finest restaurants, purchase top quality food and drink from our exhibitors and meet the most loved celebrity chefs.

Taste Festivals truly is ‘the world’s greatest restaurant festival’. www.tastefestivals.com

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