Tauranga chef Simon Green has sliced, diced and sauteed his way to the top of New Zealand's premier vegetable competition.
Mr Green works as executive chef at Trinity Wharf and has now won the dinner category of the New Zealand Vegetarian Dish Challenge 2015, with his dish of confit baby potato, cauliflower mousse with autumn baby vegetables.
The competition attracted more than 200 entries.
While the dish looks simple on the plate it has a lot of components so it takes time to prepare but it is great to have an award winning dish on the menu that really showcases the potential of vegetables.
Mr Green said: "There are a number of competitions that focus on meat and fish so it is wonderful to have the opportunity to get creative with vegetables. After having entered for the last three years I am thrilled to finally win.
"While the dish looks simple on the plate it has a lot of components so it takes time to prepare but it is great to have an award winning dish on the menu that really showcases the potential of vegetables," Mr Green said.
"This competition is not only a great personal achievement but it serves as a benchmark for me and my team and helps younger cooks to realise what they can achieve outside of the constraints a working kitchen can have."
Mr Green has been cooking for 29 years. His interest in food began at an early age with a mother who was a chef and grandparents who owned a restaurant.
"I used to spend a lot of time in my grandparents' restaurant kitchen and enjoyed watching everyone so I suppose it was only natural that I would one day decide to follow in my mother's footsteps."
Judge Geoff Scott who is chef and owner of one of New Zealand's leading restaurants, Vinnies, based in Auckland.
"It is wonderful to see the potato as the hero of this dish with a humble delicate cauliflower mousse alongside. Very well constructed and balanced with textural crunch, spice and depth of flavour. A superb dish made with simple everyday vegetables,'' Mr Scott said.