Young chef in vege finals

Napier Girls' High School student Sarah Stoney is a finalist in the 2011 Great New Zealand Vegetable Dish competition, now in its fourth year.

She earned a top spot with her inventive culinary creation - cauliflower rice and lime confetti salad.

"Sarah's recipe caught the eyes of the judges due to its uniqueness and successful combination of flavours and ingredients," food consultant and judge Pip Duncan said.

Ms Stoney's teacher, Sarah Shand, submitted her dish to the national competition, aimed at secondary school students from years 11 to 13.

Each school was invited to enter up to five recipes developed by students, all of which had to include cauliflower and fresh New Zealand grown vegetables.

The dishes were judged by leading food and hospitality industry professionals: HSI schools manager Mark Dronjak, Ms Duncan, SkyCity director of kitchens Mark Wylie and chef/owner of Two Fifteen restaurant in Auckland, Jeremy Schmid.

Run by the Hospitality Standards Institute (HSI) and vegetables.co.nz the competition aims to foster healthy cooking principals in young chefs.

"With so many fast food options on offer today it is vital that we continue to nurture the cooking skills of young people," Ms Duncan said. The competition aimed to make young chefs passionate about being in the kitchen, he said.

A full list of finalists is available at www.vegetables.co.nz and the top three place winners will be announced next month.