Now Western Southland executive chef Cameron Davies is "proud and humbled" to make the cut for the second time as a Beef + Lamb ambassador chef.
The co-owner of The Fat Duck restaurant in Te Anau said New Zealand beef and lamb held prime real estate on his menu.
"My philosophy is, simple is beautiful. You need to start with good ingredients and add the finishing touches and techniques to make them shine and tell their story on the plate," he said.
He was also an ambassador chef for 2022-23 and having another opportunity to support the farming community was pretty special, he said.
The inspiration for his culinary creations came from sourcing quality local ingredients, handling them with care, and using excellent techniques to create a simple but delicious plate of food, he said.
He began cooking at the age of 10, inspired by his grandmother’s passion for food.
While studying at the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology, he secured a job at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
His CV also includes working at Harvey Nichols in London and as a head chef on a private yacht cooking for A-list diners including Beyonce and Jay Z, Paris Hilton, Bono and Rihanna.
He moved back to New Zealand and bought The Fat Duck in 2015.
Wanting to create a visually appealing dish with "the wow factor" for the semifinal, he rolled and stuffed a lamb saddle with spinach and rolled it in a hazelnut dukka.
He added a sweetbread and lamb loin bon bon with fresh herbs and wrapped the bon bon in potato strings and then deep-fried it.
To reflect the flavours of a summer barbecue, the dish was paired with a smoky kumara puree and char-grilled broccolini.
The finishing touch was aa goat cheese cannelloni and a black garlic jus.
To be considered for an ambassador role, chefs submitted an application featuring their most creative, tasty and visually appealing beef and lamb dishes.
Applicants were shortlisted with the help of a Beef + Lamb New Zealand advisory panel and the finalists’ dishes were anonymously assessed in their restaurants earlier this year by culinary-trained experts.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand foodservice manager Lisa Moloney said these chefs would help shine a light on the New Zealand food story with inspiration, innovation and elevation of New Zealand grass fed beef and lamb at the heart.
"We see the role of the ambassador chefs to lead the way in celebrating New Zealand producers and their produce by telling the paddock to plate story through their menus."
