Paul Limacher, Chef de Cuisine at Chameleon Restaurant, Wellington, winner of the Premier Master of Fine Cuisine Award at the Silver Fern Farms Premier selection Awards with Judging coordinator Kerry Tyack
Chameleon Restaurant, Wellington has taken out the title of Premier Master of Fine Cuisine at the fourth annual Silver Fern Farms Premier Selection Awards, held at The Cloud in downtown Auckland, ahead of 73 entrants from Pahia to Winton.
Chameleon also won awards for Best Beef Dish and Best Metropolitan restaurant.
Paul Limacher, Chef de Cuisine at the Chameleon Restaurant InterContinental Hotel Wellington, impressed judges with his dish: Silver Fern Farms beef tenderloin, mushroom ragout, roast Parmesan gnocchi, button onion & asparagus. Judging coordinator Kerry Tyack described Limacher’s dish as ‘consistent and faultless’.
“Elegant and visually appealing it was clear every detail had been considered and attended to – plenty of rich, savoury aromas, a perfectly cooked tenderloin and a combination of complementary textures that allowed the meat reign supreme,” said Tyack.
2017 Silver Fern Farms Premier Selection Awards winners include:
- Daniel Hill, Head Chef at Pitches Café and Restaurant, Ophir : Runner-up to Premier Master of Fine Cuisine and also won Best Regional Restaurant. Daniel also won this award in the 2015 Awards.
- Geoff, Ngan, Head Chef Shed 5, Wellington for Best Lamb Dish
- Greg Piner, Group Chef, Vault 21, Dunedin for Best Venison Dish
Tyack said it had been another exciting year in the ongoing development of the Silver Fern Farms Premier Selection Awards. “Each year there are improvements, refinements, innovations and discoveries. The judges were delighted to see chefs opting for less conventional cuts, using Asian ingredients to deliver dishes that reflect Kiwis growing fascination with that region of the world and opting to take up the less is more mantra.
“We also noted that chefs had taken on board feedback from previous years about letting the meat remain the focus of the dish and ensuring the chosen cooking techniques brought out the textural qualities of the Silver Fern Farms products. Overall the standard was very high with another collection of exceptional culinary creations.”
Diners can experience the finalist and winning dishes until the end of this month.
