New Zealand's Top Beef And Lamb Chefs Announced

Beef + Lamb New Zealand has announced four chefs who will be their 2020 Ambassador Chefs to act as leaders driving innovation and creativity using New Zealand beef and lamb within the foodservice sector.

The four chefs are:

• Phil Clark, Phil’s Kitchen, Auckland

• Jack Crosti, Number 5, Auckland

• Tejas Nikam, Vices & Virtues, Christchurch

• Norka Mella Munoz, Mangapapa Hotel, Havelock North

Auckland-based chef, Phil Clark says it’s an honour to be chosen as an Ambassador Chef.  “Growing up in New Zealand and watching New Zealand’s top chefs become Beef + Lamb Ambassadors, it’s almost a rite of passage to follow in the path of some of these greats.  You only have to look at some of the previous chefs to see the calibre of names I am joining,” says Clark.  “It’s extremely exciting for Phil’s Kitchen to get to this point.”

Beef + Lamb New Zealand has been highlighting the wealth of talented chefs in New Zealand for close to quarter of a century.  To date they have showcased the skills, craft and creativity of over 80 Ambassador Chefs. These have included some of the best-known faces of Aotearoa’s food scene including; Peter Gordon, The Sugar Club; Rex Morgan, Boulcott Street Bistro; Kate Fay, Cibo; Shaun Clouston, Logan Brown; Mat McLean, Palate; and Darren Wright, Chillingworth Road to name but a few, earning the reputation as New Zealand’s most sort after culinary job club.

Lisa Moloney, Food Service Manager at Beef + Lamb New Zealand, has been overseeing the Ambassador Chef programme for over a decade and was quick to highlight the calibre of entries this year.

“We were delighted with the high level of creativity and enthusiasm from chefs around the country who sent in applications. Not only were chefs putting together well thought out beef and lamb dishes with interesting flavour combinations, but the level of execution was very high,” says Moloney.  “With such a high standard, it was a tough decision whittling it down to four chefs.”

“Ultimately, we were looking for chefs to be the voices of Beef + Lamb New Zealand in the hospitality space who can inspire other chefs and help to shape our country’s food story. We looked for chefs who were plating up beef and lamb as the hero and who had the inspiration and knowledge to create a story behind their dish.”

To be eligible to enter, chefs needed to submit their most creative, tasty and visually appealing beef and lamb dishes on their menu.  Applicants were shortlisted by a Beef + Lamb Advisory Panel with the finalists having their beef and lamb dishes anonymously assessed in their restaurants by culinary-trained experts late last year.

To celebrate the announcement, the newly named 2020 Ambassador Chefs came together in Auckland last week to cook up their best beef and lamb dishes at the beautiful UnserHaus showroom in Parnell.  With the four chefs all coming from a range of different global backgrounds and training, each ambassador was able to demonstrate how they uniquely combined their heritage with New Zealand produce to create their dishes.  

Chef and owner of Auckland-based restaurant, Number 5, Jack Crosti – who showcased his beef Wagyu dish using hanger steak, coffee, carrots, cavolo nero and leek ash – grew up in Italy with the aromas of roast dinners and coffee wafting from his family kitchen.

“I wanted to take the memory of these flavours and aromas and create the same sensation for my customers to enjoy,” says Jack.  “Using New Zealand Wagyu was the perfect vehicle to take on these flavours and create the sensory experience from my childhood for my customers.”

With sustainability top of mind for many chefs, Hawkes Bay Chef, Norka Mella Munoz was quick to point out how much she loves using locally raised beef and lamb. Minimising waste and telling the paddock-to-plate story to her customers are all part of her philosophy as head chef at Mangapapa Hotel in Havelock North.

Norka grew up in Chile and has been living in New Zealand for over 15 years.  She says lamb is a very important part of her cooking having spent some of her career working in Patagonia where she learnt how to butcher and cook lamb. 

“I love how versatile lamb is and being a chef in the Hawkes Bay means I have some of the best lamb in the world right on my doorstep. I love the challenge of creating new ways to serve it and utilising as many cuts as possible to minimise waste,“ says Norka, who demonstrated this in her dish – ‘Lamb Three Ways’ - using loin, belly and sweetbread.  Matched with the earthy flavours of home grown Mangapapa beetroot and creamy polenta, Norka also added in smoky flavours as a nod to her heritage by cooking the lamb belly over charcoal. 

Combining international flavours with New Zealand produce is something Christchurch-based chef, Tejas Nikam has learned from one of New Zealand’s top chefs, Peter Gordon.  It would be safe to say that the pivotal moment in Tejas’ career was being part of the opening crew of The Sugar Club in 2013. 

“Working with Peter Gordon has shaped my career and helped me to get where I am today,” says Tejas.  “To follow in his footsteps and be named as a Beef + Lamb Ambassador Chef is one of the highlights of my career.”

As well as being the voices of Beef + Lamb New Zealand in the foodservice space, each chef will have the opportunity to show off their skill and creativity to their customers when each chef hosts an Ambassador Series degustation in their own restaurant.

To find out more about the 2020 Beef + Lamb Ambassador Chefs and the Ambassador Series visit: thechefskitchen.co.nz