Magic happened when Pacific and New Zealand chefs came together recently in the kitchen, in Ocean of Flavours: One Ocean, Many Flavours.
Eight chefs from Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, New Caledonia, Vanuatu/Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea were invited to take part in the two-day event, presented by Pacific Trade Invest New Zealand (PTINZ), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and Pacific Cooperation Broadcasting Limited (PCBL), and facilitated by New Zealand Chef Peter Gordon ONZM, at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) School of Hospitality and Tourism.
The event got underway with 17 renowned New Zealand chefs, including Nadia Lim, Michael Meredith, Kris Chand and Patrick Ikinofo among others, who joined the Pacific cohort for a high-energy culinary collaboration, creating dishes together while learning about each other’s methods, techniques and treatment of Pacific ingredients.
Day two saw the Pacific cohort spent the day engaging and cooking with food writers, influencers and stakeholders, before preparing a feast for 150 guests at a function attended by members of the Pacific diplomatic corps from the Pacific chefs’ homelands, stakeholders and foodies.
The Pacific chefs also enjoyed a field trip to meet the owners of Clevedon Buffalo Ltd, The Wild Fermentary, Bracu Estate and Healthy n Fresh hydroponic grower in the Bombay area on the last day of their visit to Aotearoa.
A privilege to host Pacific peers
For top New Zealand Chef, Peter Gordon (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tahu, Clan Gordon), the experience of working alongside the Pacific chefs for this event has been a privilege.
“I have had the best job of facilitating Ocean of Flavours and collaborating with our eight Pacific chefs, 17 chefs from New Zealand and our local media,” Chef Peter says.
“Our hope was for everyone to be inspired at the collab workshop events – for the Pacific chefs to learn from our local chefs, but also for the Pacific chefs to showcase what they do in their own kitchens back home, highlighting what the Blue Pacific has to offer.
“It is important more than ever to support our whanau from the Pacific, so for me, this collaboration has been inspirational and truly enjoyable.
“All the chefs bring a unique perspective to the food and have different ways of dealing with Pacific kai.”
For the dinner Chef Israel Gapi made Tolai Chicken Aigir, a traditional dish from Papua New Guinea, using extremely hot rocks placed in a pot with the raw ingredients, and while he used a slightly different technique from his home village, there are versions of this style of cooking throughout the region, Chef Peter adds.
“Then we had Chef Denzel Sumsum, who made Banana Tiramisu, putting a twist on this classic Italian dish, by a man who comes from Vanuatu and lives in the Solomon Islands.
“The dishes have been amazing, with some of the chefs using techniques I haven’t seen before and new ingredients, such as pitpit (a type of wild sugarcane blossom used for its unique texture).”
Benefits are tenfold
Chef Peter says the benefits to hosting Ocean of Flavours are huge, and its impact will likely be felt in hospitality and tourism industries, the general economy and the communities who service hospitality or grow and harvest local produce.
“This event will have an impact on the philosophy around food, which goes back to the Pacific…it is lovely to see the elevation of Pacific cuisine and the use of local flavours and ingredients.”
The Pacific has an abundance of fresh produce, and it is important for both the health of the people and the economy to find ways of becoming more self-sustainable, Chef Peter adds.
“It has been a real privilege to be in this role as facilitator and showcase Pacific kai to New Zealand chefs, producers and media…I feel humbled to do this.”
Exceeding expectations
For the host partners, Ocean of Flavours has exceeded all expectations, and it has fuelled an appetite in the region for more collaborations and projects focused on the great connector, food.
Trade Commissioner for PTINZ Glynis Miller says seeing the exchange knowledge between the Pacific and New Zealand chefs, and their treatment of the unique Pacific ingredients on offer such as Blue Crystal Prawns from New Caledonia, Solomons Gold chocolate, Bula Coffee, Fiji Fire Hot Sauce and Borabora Seasalt, was a beautiful thing to watch.
“While our producers in the Pacific may be small in scale, their ambition and quality are anything but, as demonstrated by the enthusiastic response from the chefs at the Ocean of Flavours event,” Glynis says.
“The idea is that these chefs share and exchange knowledge but also take their learnings (and some delicious new ingredients) away with them, while promoting Pacific goods, and boosting the economy behind the products.”
For Director of MFAT’s Pacific Connections Felicity Bollen, the highlight of the event was welcoming members of the Pacific diplomatic corps from Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia, PNG and Solomon Islands to Tuesday’s dinner and seeing them connect with chefs from their respective countries, and their immense pride as they tasted the dishes from around the region.
“This collaboration is truly unique, and it just goes to show the magic that can happen when the Pacific comes together as one,” Felicity says.
“It really highlights the diversity of the region, but also our similarities and our connectedness, thanks to Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa.”
And for PCBL Chief Executive Officer Natasha Meleisea, the event was a celebration of Pacific storytelling.
“For Pacific communities, kai anchors us to our Pacific identity, and serves as a link to our homelands and cultures…each of our Pacific chefs have a unique and wonderful story to tell about the meaning of food to them personally and their cultures,” Natasha says.
“As an organisation who promotes story sovereignty, it is exciting to hear our Pacific chefs sharing their stories with us, and gaining awareness of the region and all it has to offer, beyond the coral reef.”
Fa’afetai tele lava to all those who took part in Ocean of Flavours.
Pacific chefs
- Israel Gapi – head chef at Coral Seas Hotels (PNG)
- Denzel Sumsum – owner of Valin Kaba (Solomon Islands/Ni Vanuatu)
- Ashim Singh – executive chef at Hilton Fiji Resort (Fiji)
- Tracy Powell – hospitality consultant (Fiji)
- Alphonse Ishice Kocé – chef at K2 Gastronomie Locale (Kanak – New Caledonia)
- Lynda Song – chef at Hotel Koulnoué Village (New Caledonia)
- Su’a Aukusitino Suifaatau – executive chef, culinary educator, hospitality leader (Samoa)
- Soane Fakatava – head chef at Seaview Restaurant (Tonga).
New Zealand chefs
- Alfie Ingham – chef co-owner Agnes restaurant
- Bertrand Jang – pastry chef, formerly Sweet and Me
- Bill Cosgrave – freelance chef, butcher, OFPA judge
- Des Harris – NZICC executive chef
- Dinesh PM – executive chef Fantail and Turtle
- Karena Bird and Kasey Te Awa-Bird – freelance chefs, former MasterChef winners
- Kia Kanuta – freelance chef, currently on Kia Eats The World
- Kris Chand – chef owner WAR restaurant Parnell
- Makoto Tokuyama – chef owner Cocoro restaurant
- Michael Meredith – chef and owner Mr Morris, Metita
- Nadia Lim – former MasterChef winner, My Food Bag, farmer
- Nancye Pirini – former Exec chef Pullman Hotel, now at Urban Gourmet caterers
- Patrick Ikinofo – SkyCity executive chef
- Russell Le Comte – SkyCity Head of Pastry
- Sunita Patel – freelance chef and OFPA judge
- Uelese (Wallace) Mua – executive chef Trivet