Student chef Antonio Bande promotes his tempting food items

EIT’s trainee chefs showcased the bounty of Hawke’s Bay at the School of Hospitality’s second annual Locavore at Scholars.

Aimed at connecting food producers and consumers in the same geographic area, the locavore movement began in San Francisco and quickly spread world-wide.

For the EIT exercise, New Zealand Diploma in Cookery (Advanced) students sourced fresh, sustainable, organic local produce and added value by curing, fermenting, smoking and preserving and then selling the food items to staff, students and others on campus.

Chef tutor Mark Caves says the students learnt about urban foraging, sourcing fruit and vegetables from friends and relations and accepting donations from members of staff.

“They also visited the sustainable farm Tuki Tuki Goats, Orcona Chillies, Telegraph Hill olivery and Te Koha organic orchard and dined at St George’s Winery where chefs use produce from the restaurant’s garden in their dishes.”

Locavore buyers purchased salami, pastrami, chorizo, sausages, preserved fruit, jams, pickles, chutneys, relishes, cured and smoked salmon, kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage) and much more.

“This exercise was about seeing food products through all the stages,” says Mark, “from sourcing ingredients, cooking, marketing, selling and communicating with customers – they’re all essential skills for the modern chef.”