MasterChef Māra Kai: Gisborne Intermediate pair Neko and Max rule the kitchen

Gisborne Intermediate’s Enviroschools Māra Kai MasterChef competitors are (from left) Tilly Ovenden, Molly Muir, Isabel Mckenzie, Ella Papworth, Max Gavin and Neko Dalton. Max and Neko were the overall winners. Pictures by Liam Clayton

Gisborne Intermediate School students Neko Dalton and Max Gavin were crowned Māra Kai MasterChef champions after an inter-school cook-off last week.

The Enviroschools Māra Kai MasterChef final runs every year at Gisborne Intermediate after participating schools hold their own competitions before the main event.

“Using at least five ingredients grown in the school garden, the students created a main, dessert and drink,” an Enviroschools spokeswoman said.

“The gardeners also share the journey of growing the produce and keeping the gardens going at their schools.

“This year, three teams from Makaraka, Wainui and Gisborne Intermediate competed and produced many creative dishes.

“Many techniques were used, such as making their own pasta, breads, sorbets and vegetarian burger patties.

The students had to keep to a $25 budget and dishes this year had to be vegetarian, she said.

“The overall winners were Neko Dalton and Max Gavin from Gisborne Intermediate School.

“Using their produce. they created a delicious tofu and egg (from the school’s chickens) creamy Thai curry and a lemon curd sponge roll with strawberries for dessert.

“A special thank you to Amy Spence from Black Fig for judging all the school and inter-school events.

“It’s always such a positive day bringing together students who are passionate about gardening and cooking and building food resilience in our community through the next generation.”