SKYCITY celebrates big win at National Culinary Fare

SKYCITY has congratulated thirteen of its staff who took out various categories at the National Culinary Fare held in Auckland last week. In a spectacular show of skill, SKYCITY chefs triumphed and achieved across nineteen categories including gold medals and winning overall in their respective classes in ‘Hot Main Presented Cold – Training’ and ‘Live Main and Dessert’.

Danny Bucalo, General Manager of Food & Beverage for SKYCITY says: “It’s pleasing to see such a high level of achievement from our staff, especially at a time when New Zealand is soon to be receiving lots of international attention including a focus on the quality and presentation of the food we serve up. We congratulate the winners and thank them for their hard work.”

The National Culinary Fare is an annual event for the industry showcasing the skills and expertise of chefs and waiters in a competition environment. It is the largest competition event in New Zealand with over 1000 entries covering everything from fruit flan making to Chef of the Year titles.

Mark Wylie, Director of Kitchens for SKYCITY, says he is extremely impressed and proud of the work he saw on display: “There was a tremendous level of skill shown by our chefs, clearly honed by hours of training and practice. All who competed are a credit to SKYCITY and are commended for being so committed to their craft. I’d also like to acknowledge the hours of work put in by the senior chefs in supporting their team members to take part.”

With over two hundred chefs on site, servicing as diverse a range of offerings as conventions’ kitchens to fine dining and specialised ethnic cuisine, Mr Wylie believes the training ground and opportunities at SKYCITY offer chefs the opportunity to take their careers down many paths.

A celebration event is being planned for the thirteen winners, in one of the new restaurants being built on Federal Street, The Grill by Sean Connolly. The winners will get to be part of the opening of the restaurant as they are among the first to trial the ‘meaty’ cuisine on offer from Sean.