Rotorua couple Alia and Shaun Branson first winners of TVNZ1 Cooks On Fire

Rotorua foodie couple Shaun and Alia Branson were announced as the winners of the new TVNZ1 series ‘Cooks On Fire'. Photo / Supplied

Rotorua foodie couple Shaun and Alia Branson are the first winners of the new TVNZ1 series ‘Cooks On Fire’.

Along with the massive trophy and $30,000 prize, the experience, learnings and new friendships are what they really value. They were announced as the show’s inaugural winners last night.

“When we got the opportunity to be on the show, we jumped at it, said yes, and then went to work figuring out how we would make it happen,” Shaun said.

“To now be the winners is unreal.”

Cooks On Fire is a new cooking show with seven teams starting out, and just two teams remaining after 12 BBQ cooking challenges.

“To be one of the first teams on the first series is really special, it’s an experience that bonds us all, and for that I’m grateful,” Alia said.

“For me, this was an opportunity to push outside of my comfort zone and hopefully show that even when things don’t go to plan it can still be amazing, sometimes more amazing than you wished for.”

The couple started grilling with an old Weber kettle that Shaun picked up from a secondhand store about 10 years ago, that led to the family expectation that Sunday dinners would be an experiment from the barbecue.

This then opened the door to competition barbecue, winning a few trophies, hosting events, and now sharing food with others through their new catering business Black Label Barbecue.

Shaun said: “Winning ‘Cooks On Fire’ has given us the confidence to start work on our dream ‘paddock to plate’ style eatery showcasing beautiful food cooked with solid fuel”.

“We also have plans for cooking classes, and finding more ways to help people feel connected with their food.”

The couple watched the finale with family and friends at Brew - Craft Beer Pub, ready to celebrate whatever the outcome.

“Having people coming up to us just to say they’re enjoying the show, or ask questions about the way we’ve cooked something is new and exciting, but the support and love from our family and friends is next level, we are blessed and can’t thank them enough,” Alia said.

The couple will use some of the prize money to take their long overdue honeymoon with a trip to Queenstown before firing into their future business plans.

You can catch up on Cooks On Fire on TVNZ+ and follow Shaun and Alia’s page Black Label Barbecue on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.