'Dish' judge says Bay's delish

LAWRENCE GULLERY
Victoria Wells isn't from Hawke's Bay, so when it comes to describing the region's culinary delights she lets her taste buds do the talking.
"It's all about the fresh flavours that come out and the warmth of the sunshine. It's about a sense of heat and freshness, it's about trying to get bring these flavours out," she said.
The editor of food magazine, dish, was one of three mystery judges who selected five finalists from 17 contestants and then three category winners at the end of the six-week Hawke's Bay Signature Dish competition, run by Food Hawke's Bay.
Ms Wells was the only judge revealed to those at the Signature Dish awards on Monday night at the Hawke's Bay Opera House as organisers kept the identity of the other two judges a secret.
She was full of praise for the 17 restaurants and their chefs which submitted their best dishes for the promotion - she was also full of food, particularly lamb - after sampling the five finalists signature dishes over the weekend.
Participants were asked to create a signature dish using Hawke's Bay food and match it with a regional Bay wine. Ms Wells had the task of judging how well restaurants used local produce, food and wine, and how well the signature dishes reflected Hawke's Bay.
It might appear to be a tough job for someone from Auckland but Ms Wells said her perception of Hawke's Bay matched the thoughts of the two local mystery judges.
"Another part of my job was to see the way each restaurant promoted its signature dish and the competition, and how well the staff could provide information on it.
"Some staff were really enthusiastic about it, from front of house staff to kitchen staff," she said.
Ms Wells said the signature dish initiative was a first in her books and said Hawke's Bay had not yet realised its potential as a culinary tourist destination.
"Other regions have food competitions but this is the first where the big part of the initiative was to reflect the region in the (signature) dish. That was the interesting part: The chefs were given a set of instructions they had to work with," she said.
The message for Aucklanders will be simple when she heads home today.
"There are some really exciting things happening here in Hawke's Bay. It's always been a well known wine region but there are some fabulous foods coming out here now."