Kerikeri High School cook their way to success

Kerikeri High School cook their way to success

16 June 2015: Kerikeri High School duo Lewis Noowalla and Stuart Leslie cooked their way to success at the recent Northland regional event of the National Secondary Schools Culinary Challenge.

The students went head to head in a live cook-off on Sunday at NorthTec in Whangarei preparing, cooking and presenting an individually plated entree and main course all within 90 minutes.

Mentored by teacher Simon Hart the pair presented judges with an entree of beetroot and smoked paprika hummus with beetroot crisps; beetroot cured salmon rollmops with french picked melon; and stack of nasturtium, beetroot and orange relish and wasabi creme fraiche, finished with a bull's beet microgreens garnish.

For their main dish they served ricotta stuffed chicken breast with fondant potato, creamed pumpkin puree, streaky bacon, sauteed brussel sprouts and a balsamic glaze garnish.

NSSCC event organiser, and head judge at the event, Glenn Fulcher from City & Guilds says, "Kerikeri High School worked well as a team, both their dishes had been well designed, prepared and plated. With a little refinement they will be a real contender for the National Title at the end of August."

Students were scored across a number of criteria - food preparation, hygiene, presentation, taste and the use of New Zealand grown vegetables and chicken.

Two teams from NorthTec also competed at the Northland event. The next regional event is in Canterbury on Thursday 18 June and the national final will be held on Friday 28 August in Auckland.

ENDS

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