For the first time in 28 years New Zealand will be represented at the international Culinary Olympics and the team includes two Otago chefs.
Blanket Bay executive chef Corey Hume, of Queenstown, and Bracken Restaurant owner Ken O'Donnell, of Dunedin, are part of a six-member team which will compete in Erfurt, Germany in October 2016, alongside 2000 chefs from 40 countries around the world.
The team launched its endeavour at a function in Auckland for 180 guests featuring five proposed dishes for the ''hot service'' element of the competition and showcasing New Zealand salmon, scallops and venison.
Industry body NZChefs national president Graham Hawkes said before the Olympics, the NZChefs team would cook at a series of dinners around the country, including in Dunedin, as members honed their recipes and teamwork.
''The recipes for these dishes will remain a closely guarded secret until the Olympics, but at least we'll all have the chance to taste them.''
They will also hold workshops for local chefs to inspire them to become involved in culinary competitions.
Team manager Neil Maclnnes said the group was thrilled to be representing New Zealand and excited about the challenge ahead.
''The opportunity to take the journey to the ultimate competition destination does not come around very often.
"Performing under this kind of pressure and at an international level is such an amazing career opportunity for all of us.
"We're also excited about what we can learn from some of the best chefs in the world, who we will be competing against.''
Mr Hawkes said the team chose the dishes through a process of collaboration and they would continue to evolve with each Olympic Feast event.
''We started with a blank plate and then carefully chose an iconic ingredient to be the hero of each dish - for example, the salmon, venison or the cream cheese. We then added components through flavour profiles until all aspects of the dish worked together.''
That process would continue during the next 15 months until all squad members were satisfied they would be presenting a menu that ''leverages the very best of New Zealand cuisine and ingredients'', he said.
Fonterra was sponsoring the competition and its director, Grant Watson, said New Zealand had phenomenal culinary talent and it was ''well and truly time this was showcased to the world'' after not having competed for 28 years.
''The New Zealand culinary world has changed so much over the past 28 years, and so has our cuisine. We now have star chefs and top-rated restaurants which are as good as anywhere on the planet.''
The other team members are Darren Wright of Chillingworth Road (Christchurch), William Mordido of Chiko's (Auckland), Mark Sycamore of Tequila Mockingbird (Christchurch) and Jie Min Aw of AUT School of Hospitality and Tourism (Auckland).
Proposed menu
• Tiger prawn salad wrapped in scallop cannelloni with seared scallop, bacon powder, pickled fennel puree and sauce vierge.
• Akaroa salmon fillet on seaweed and vegetable salad, miso mayonnaise and gion dressing.
• Roasted spiced venison loin set on creamed spinach with venison neck tart, potato bread and butter pudding, carrot and cumin gel, duxelle and glazed baby carrots with pinot noir jus.
• Mushroom and cream cheese pate gruyere espuma and Parmesan biscuit.
• Vanilla parfait with raspberry sorbet encased in sprayed chocolate on hazelnut dacquoise, coconut and popping candy, chocolate crumb, mango jelly, passionfruit curd, whipped chocolate mousse and dark chocolate fondant.
