73 chefs sharpened their knives – 10 made the cut.

The inaugural Silver Fern Farms Premier Selection Award finalists have been found, and now the heat turns up in the kitchen to find out who will be crowned the “Premier master of fine cuisine”.

Over the past eight weeks judging coordinator Kerry Tyack and 40 judges visited over 70 restaurants nationwide tasting all dishes to find the 10 finalists.

Tyack says, "the Silver Fern Farms Premier Selection Award is set to become the benchmark indicator of how to prepare and cook the finest red meat dishes in the country.”

“The standard has been exceptionally high with chefs demonstrating great skill and innovation when it comes to treating high quality Silver Fern Farms cuts with care and creativity.”

Silver Fern Farms General Manager of Marketing, Sharon Angus says the dishes are an exemplary showcase of how to use quality red meat cuts.

“It has been great to see how excited these chefs get when they’re working with ingredients of unmatched quality, allowing them to create extraordinary taste experiences. I think we’ve opened a door on passion here.”

Due to the culinary calibre of entries the judges extended the number of chefs for the final round of judging from 8 to 10. Tyack says it was an easy decision.

“It’s been hard to separate the 73 in the field. It’s a move that acknowledges the extremely high standard of dishes presented.”  

The full list of finalists is as follows:

Adam Rickett, Pravda Café, Wellington  
Seared Silver Fern Farms Reserve beef tataki with white soy ponzu, pickled evoke and toasted grains.

Alex Strobach, O’Connell Street Bistro, Auckland.         
Silver Fern Farms Cervena venison loin, crème fraiche spatzle, sautéed rainbow chard, mushrooms & green peppercorn jus.

Andrew Clarke, Victoria Street Bistro, Hamilton                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         SILERE alpine origin merino rump with honey braised spare rib, macadamia dukkah, black lentil dhal, swede, carrot purée and spring greens.
Craig Hendry, Gantleys, Arthur’s Point, Central Otago                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Braised Silver Fern Farms Hereford beef rib and beef fillet, blue cheese beignet, pan jus and seasonal vegetables. 
Greg Piner, Pier 24, Dunedin
Chargrilled Silver Fern Farms Cervena venison loin, green peppercorn and sage pesto rub, black pudding, leek and smoked cheddar cake, orange glazed beetroot, madeira jus.
Mat McLean, Palate, Hamilton. 
Silver Fern Farms Reserve eye fillet and slow cooked short rib, smoked kumara, shitaki salad, baby turnip, soy chilli butter.

Robert Richardson, Molten restaurant, Auckland.
Slow-roasted SILERE alpine origin merino rump with eggplant purée, peas dressed with a mixture of mint, basil, parsley and lemon, fior di latte & white anchovy.

Shaun Clouston, Logan Brown, Wellington.
Silver Fern Farms Reserve beef rump cooked medium rare ,with slowly braised short rib marinated in pear juice and soy. Served with grilled barley cake and Korean inspired flavours.

Scott Corbett, Pepper Tree,  Coromandel  
Silver Fern Farms venison cutlet served medium rare with blackberry & tamarillo jelly, venison liver paté, almond crusted kumara, walnuts, witlof salad, syrah jus.

Sebastian Koburg, Saggio di Vino, Christchurch
Grilled roasted SILERE alpine origin merino French rack with sweet and sour kumara, braised chicory and sage jus.  

“We know the judges had a very tough, but tasty job finding ten very deserving finalists.” says Sharon Angus.

The winner will be announced at a gala event in Auckland on February 11, 2014 where they will earn the title of “Premier master of fine cuisine”.

For diners wanting to get a taste of these awards, all of the finalist’s dishes will be available in their respective restaurants until the end of January.

ENDS

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