A group of Rotorua students have proven their culinary finesse, making it to the semifinals in a national student cooking competition.
John Paul College students Fisher Wang, 15, Josh France-Meeuws, 15, Madeline Snell, 15, and Ella Campbell, 15, were one of the teams to be shortlisted for the Maggi Pop Up Kitchen Showdown.
Designed to inspire young Kiwis in the kitchen, contestants are challenged to create a healthy and nutritious meal for the whole family for less than $20 in under 30 minutes.
The Rotorua team created a beef stirfry dish inspired by a recipe they saw on a cooking show.
"We wanted to make something cost efficient and family-friendly that was quick and easy to cook, while still being delicious," Madeline said.
"The whole experience has been really cool, we've had lots of fun together and it's a good chance to be creative and try heaps of different dishes."
All four students were shocked when they found out they had made it to the semifinals.
"We had no idea until we walked into the class and saw the camera crews all set up, it was such a surprise," Ella said.
"I knew something was up though because the night before, my mum was acting really suspicious so I figured something was happening," Josh said.
Fisher said there were challenges along the way but as the team worked together, they were able to create a dish they were all proud of.
Teams are judged on creativity, teamwork, originality, suitability and the nutritious nature of the recipe. Judges select six semi-finalists who are then narrowed down to three after a
second cook-off.
John Paul College food and nutrition teacher Brendan Davis said the students were eager to get involved.
"I asked my students who wanted to do the competition and straight away their hands flew up. We ended up entering eight teams and had dishes ranging from butter chicken to
nachos and spring rolls.
"This group were absolutely blown away when they found out they had made it to the semifinals."
The three finalists will be flown to Christchurch to compete in the grand finale, which will feature on a special episode of the Adam & Eve show.
Winners will receive $5000 for their school and $250 each.