Battle Kitchen: England VS New Zealand

New Zealand’s own Maori Queen of Cooking Anne Thorp will be appearing alongside her British counterpart Mr. Gary Rhodes at Taste of New Zealand, 19th – 22nd October.

Appearing at the opening night of the Festival, Wednesday the 19th October, Anne Thorp and six Michelin Star awarded chef Gary Rhodes will be demonstrating their flare for the culinary arts as part of the Fisher & Paykel Chef’s Kitchen.

The duo met in early 2010 at the renaming on the cruise ship MS Azura in Southampton. Anne was invited to attend the occasion as Ann Sherry’s guest, CEO of Carnival Australia and was introduced as NZ’s Guest Chef for P&O’s upcoming Food and Wine Cruises. Since then Anne and Gary have become great friends.

Anne is very excited to welcome Gary to our shores, as they have a lot of catching up do, “We share a very special friendship, I love his adaptability to basically any style of cooking and Gary respects my approach to using fresh and healthy New Zealand produce in an unadulterated way,” says Thorp.

“On the opening night of Taste of New Zealand, I will be preparing dishes that keep in with my style of cooking – simple, fresh and healthy. I look forward to meeting all the fantastic New Zealand producers at the festival and tasting their wonderful products.”

Anne Thorp came into the food spotlight in New Zealand after her hit series ‘Kai Ora’ aired on Maori Television and the Food Channel. She has released a cookbook under the same name and champions healthy eating and clean living, having survived a cancer scare.

Gary Rhodes is an ambassador for British cuisine, is the author of nearly 20 books and has starred on numerous Television cooking shows including his own popular series Rhodes Across Britain. He has cooked for Princess Diana, the Manchester United Football Club and has restaurants in London, Dubai and in five star hotels around the world. This is Gary’s first time in New Zealand.


As well as appearances from Anne and Gary, The Fisher & Paykel Chefs Kitchen is hosted by Kelly Young and boasts an all star cast line up including our own free range cook Annabel Langbein, Justin North from Becasse (Sydney), Nick Honeyman from Cru at Sale Street, Master Chef’s Nadia Lim, World Kitchen’s Nici Wickes, Master of the Culinary Arts Mark Gregory, Sean Connolly from The Grill, The Wharf’s Justin Rimmer and Jonny Schwass from Restaurant Schwass.

The full line-up can be found at www.tastefestivals.co.nz


Taste of New Zealand:
Wednesday 19 – Saturday 22 October 2011
Victoria Park, Auckland
www.tasteofnewzealand.co.nz

Ticket prices:
Audi VIP experience - $95
Hospitality packages in the Carlton Corporate Marquee
Premium Tickets - $60 (value $70) limited and only available in advance
General Admission - $25 in advance, $30 on the day (if available)
www.tasteofnewzealand.co.nz

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For more information please contact:
Robert Elliott, Brand Events Festivals Limited; Ph: (021) 677 739, RobEliott@befestivals.co.nz
PR Representative, Paul Blomfield; Ph: (021) 970 871, paul@paulblomfield.com

About Taste at the Cloud:
For another Taste experience check out Taste at the Cloud, 41 days of sumptuous morsels showcasing influences from Rural, Urban, Seaside and Winery zones. More information at www.tasteatthecloud.com or contact Mimi Gilmour on 021 666 762

About Brand Events Festivals Ltd
Brand Events Festivals Ltd is a subsidiary of the UK based Brand Events Ltd and are the organisers of Top Gear Live, Taste Festivals and the Restaurant & Bar Show.
More information at www.befestivals.co.nz or contact Robert Eliott on 09 531 5524.