It was a big day for the chefs competing at the fourth edition of the Australasian Tapas Competition. The event on Monday (August 22) at Ignite Colleges in Wiri saw contestants being judged by renowned names like Masterchef Sanjeev Kapoor, World Tapas competition organiser Angel Moreton and New Zealand celebrity chefs Simon Gault, Ken o Connel, Sam Brotherston and Karl Heinrich.
The contest had chefs from around the country battle it out for the top place. The day's winner was Amber Heaton, who flew in from Australia. It may be noted that Amber will represent Australia at the 6th World Tapas competition, which is supported by city hall of Valladolid, in an all-expenses paid trip to Spain in November.
Speaking to Indian Weekender, she said, "I feel honoured to have been able to win this contest. I worked hard, and it is always great to see your hard work paying off. I look forward to making Australia proud in Spain.”
The runner-up of the event was Yee Tuk. He would be representing NZ in Spain. Interestingly, this is for the first time that two winners will be competing in Spain since they both represent two different countries.
While the award for the most innovative Tapas went to Norka, Veenal Reddy won the best concept Tapas.
The event was graced by dignitaries Honorary Consul of India Bhav Dhillon and Ms Ana Lucia Vich Gadella, Counsellor (Trade and Economic) of the Embassy of Spain in NZ. It was sponsored by HTT, Nestle and Southern Hospitality.
Masterchef Sanjeev Kapoor, who travelled from India to judge this contest, was all praise for the contestants. "I had judged many culinary contests, but this one was certainly one of the toughest to judge. I was surprised to see the talent and imagination showcased by the participants. It is great to see New Zealand on the world culinary platter and young chefs making a difference,” he said.
The competition’s organiser and NZ Chefs Auckland Vice-President Jasbir Kaur couldn’t contain her excitement. “It is so amazing to have the competition up and running after a year due to the pandemic. I am amazed at the talent we have witnessed today at our premises of Ignite Colleges. I firmly believe that these competitions provide chefs with the opportunity to exercise their creative skills and prove their competitive edge," said Kaur, who has competed in the 2017 world Tapas competition in Valladolid and has been a judge at the 2018 Spanish World Tapas competition.
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