Invercargill man Conner Thwaites is still in a daze after having cooked for My Kitchen Rules stars and international chefs Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge at Ziff’s Cafe and Bar in Invercargill last week.
He thought his boss was having him on when he got the call that the famous chefs had turned up at his workplace for dinner.
The 24-year-old head chef said it had been a dream moment and a fantastic opportunity to cook for the two people he had looked up to since he was a child.
"I grew up my whole life ... since the age of 10, watching them on TV.
"And from a very young age I always thought to myself how cool would it be to actually be able to cook for them one day," Mr Thwaites said.
He almost missed the chance of meeting his childhood heroes as it was his day off.
The surprise call from his boss to cook for "some famous chefs" prompted him to rush down to the eatery.
He reined in his nerves and served up medium-rare steaks for the duo, with chicken and truffle dishes for their crew.
Putting the meals together was "nerve-racking" at first but putting his "heart" into the dishes helped make the moment an unforgettable experience.
Having received compliments from the two men, who said his steak was "beautiful", topped off the evening.
Mr Thwaites told the MKR celebrity chefs it was pleasure and an honour to have cooked for them.
"I told them that I grew up with my mum watching them on TV ... and always thought of them as down-to-earth guys that I always aspired to be like," Mr Thwaites said.
He was proud his workplace was chosen as one of the eateries to "showcase Southland’s excellent food and hospitality" to his idols.
Feildel and Fassnidge were in Southland filming for another television show, Off The Grid.
