Rotorua Summer Seafood Festival will show magic of seafood with demonstrations

People will get to experience the magic that can be created using seafood at a local festival's cooking demonstrations, including one by Rotorua's My Kitchen Rules New Zealand - Season Three contestants.

Natasha Whitewood and Hera Te Kurapa will be doing a demonstration at the Rotorua Summer Seafood Festival.

Other demonstrations will include world-renown Kiwi chef Robert Oliver and 2010 New Zealand Masterchef winner Brett McGregor.

The Te Arawa Fisheries event is to be held on the Village Green near the Lakefront on February 3.

Natasha Whitewood says it will be great to be in their own backyard cooking for locals.

She says they will be doing a 20 minute food demonstration.

"What we are excited to be doing is cooking for our own people who supported us on the show and excited to be working with kaimoana."

She says she is also looking forward to cooking with local produce and showing what their specialties are in how they cook.

"For me personally, I like to get quite creative.

"My food ethos is rustic and refined home cooked kai, that's cooked with with aroha and with a twist.

She says her goal for the demonstration is to work with a summer produce that is readily available and easy to cook from your kitchen, so has her fingers crossed she can show mussels with her style of cooking.

Natasha says she is also excited about the calibre of people who will be part of the festival.

"Cooking kai is what we absolutely love. It's a passion of both of ours."

She says that being Maori they were brought up with seafood, and so it is special that there is a festival dedicated to it.

"We would like to thank Rotorua for their support while we were on the show and look forward to seeing them all at the festival."

People can also keep an eye on her Natasha Whitewood public Facebook page where she will hopefully be running a competition to give away some festival tickets.

Hera Te Kurapa says she is looking forward to being a part of the festival.

"Rotorua is my hometown. To see whanau and coming together is what I'm looking forward to."

She says she is passionate about seafood, and it is what she grew up with and specialises in.

She is also looking forward to seeing what others are using and experimenting with - "I can't wait".

Hera says she recently got married she is looking to recreate some of the dishes from their wedding's seafood table.

At the moment she is tossing up doing something different with paua or trying a smoked crayfish.

She says her style is rustic home cooking full of flavour and punch.

Hera says the Summer Seafood Festival is a great event for Rotorua.

She says Rotorua is not well-known for seafood and the festival brings in something exciting and creative for the community and people of Te Arawa.

It allows people to try and taste kaimoana compared to the likes of trout from the local lakes, she says.

The festival will also include entertainment from singer Stan Walker, Auckland covers band Halo, Rotorua's Feels Soul Good, Stella Maris and Jinan Dodd.

DJ Pete is also part of the entertainment line-up.

For more information visit www.seafoodfest.co.nz