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The countdown is on to the Hastings Meatball Festival with Peter Gordon and Ben Bayly joining a stellar line-up of local legends, top restaurateurs and brilliant bakers.
On Friday, March 14, the Hastings CBD is set to swell with up to 25 vendors, all offering their version of thebeloved Hawke’s Bay meatball.
From Italian pork, to prawn and lemongrass, to the ubiquitous crumbed classic Hastings is famous for, local and visiting chefs are busy testing, tasting and refining their recipes, vying for the people’s choice award and induction into the “Ball of Fame”.
The Hastings Meatball Festival will take place on Friday March 14, in the Hastings CBD with up to 25 vendors, all offering their version of the beloved Hawke’s Bay meatball.
Peter Gordon will enter the competition with his First Light Farms wagyu beef meatballs with kawakawa salsa verde, with help from the students at EIT.
“I am beyond excited to be part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s first-ever meatball festival,” he said.
Peter Gordon is taking part in the Hastings Meatball Festival on March 14 with his First Light Farms wagyu beef meatballs with kawakawa salsa verde.
“I’m also rather excited about the other meatballs on offer. From what I’ve read they are going to be next level.”
Ben Bayly will add a touch of local with his meatball recipe by using Matangi, a local premium paddock-to-plate beef producer and butcher, to create a delicious Angus beef option.
There will be meatballs from more than 20 others, including Craft & Social, Sazio, Decibel, OTT in the City, Bareknuckle BBQ, St. Georges Restaurant, Cellar 495, Common Room, and a vegan “neatball” from Hastings Distillers.
Ben Bayly is taking part in the Hastings Meatball Festival on March 14 utilising his existing relationship with Matangi to make an Angus beef-flavoured meatball.
Hastings District Council marketing, tourism and experience lead Vicky Roebuck said it was “incrediball” to see the concept take off.
“Hastings has always had a reputation for being a bit ballsy. That’s just how we roll, so we thought, let’s celebrate our foodies.”
Roebuck said Hastings introduced the European delicacy of a crumbed bitterbal around 50 years ago and since then it’s always been a “local must-eat”.
She said they had underestimated how popular the Hastings Meatball Festival would be.
Roebuck said talented top chefs would be “stepping up to the grill and using their imaginations to create spicy, sticky, saucy and sweet balls, too”.
Bambina will serve a meatball pizza, the “goofballs” at Fun Buns are rebranding, for one night only, to Fun Balls, and Hastings-born artist Dick Frizzell has also joined the party.
“He has kindly donated his time and talent to design a special range of meatball merchandise just for the Hastings Meatball Festival,” Roebuck said.
The festival is family-friendly, with celebrations kicking off from 5pm and pre-registration for a free ticket is advised.
Meatballs can be purchased at individual stations for between $4 and $10 and there will be a street-bar and lounge, live music, entertainment for kids and adults alike, games and a voting system to decide the best bite of the night.
