New Zealand Chefs Association Otago and Southland branch president Greg Piner said about 90 association members from across New Zealand were in Dunedin for a biennial conference to ''network, socialise and do masterclasses''.
The 12 ''young chefs'' at the conference accepted a cooking challenge on Saturday.
The chefs were given $700 to buy ingredients at the market and to cook and serve a meal for 80 people at Otago Polytechnic by 1pm.
The young chefs missed the bus travelling from the market to the polytechnic, losing about 30 minutes of cooking time, he said.
''We showed no mercy - and they all got together and got the job done - it was quite amazing and awesome to watch,'' Mr Piner said.
The meals served included a warm lemon pasta with smoked salmon and a curry with roasted coconut.
The young chefs were the future of New Zealand cookery, so the nation was in ''good stead'', Mr Piner said on Saturday.
The conference included a ''food stall mardi gras'' at Otago Polytechnic on Saturday night and a ''dumpling demo'' at Vault 21 yesterday, where Mr Piner revealed how ''different regions of China have different flavour profiles.''
A Braveheart-themed gala dinner at Prohibition Smokehouse concluded the conference and included a haggis ceremony and delegates donning kilts and blue face paint.
