Te Anau restaurant owner and head chef, Cam Davies, recently spent a weekend honing his competition skills at Southern Institute of Technology (SIT); he shared the day with three Cookery students who gained a memorable experience and industry knowledge.
Mr Davies, who owns Te Anau gastro pub, The Fat Duck, gained his place in the 2024 finals of the Global Chefs Challenge when he won the regional finals held in Auckland last June. Run every two years by the influential Worldchefs Congress, it’s one of the top international competitions for chefs.
Renowned chef and Ara Tutor, Mark Sycamore is the New Zealand team Coach for the Global Chefs Challenge. A regular visitor to Southland via the Famous Young Chefs Luncheon and Scott Richardson memorial dinner, he and Mr Davies are the only two kiwi chefs who have ever progressed to the finals in the competition. They will be joined by teammate and rising young chef, Quinn Ojala.
The competition is guided by a detailed 25-page booklet of “stringent” rules. “It’s quite exacting, quite technical,“ Mr Davies said. The team sat down last November and meticulously planned out the training schedule. As the competition edges closer, they deliberately try to recreate a competition environment in their practices, which is very different to normal cooking. Training at SIT was advantageous.
“We selected SIT as we wanted to take the training on the road. Working in different kitchen environments using different equipment is to help put us under pressure ... And SIT are awesome at working with industry...”
Cookery students Tarun Das, Sam Kissell, and Samantha Moore, were kitchenhands for the practice on Sept 7th-8th. “I’m super grateful for their help,” Mr Davies said, noting “they had smiles on their faces the whole weekend. It’s good to see students getting real value out of the learning”.
Mr Kissell, who’s studying the New Zealand Diploma in Cookery (Level 5), said watching the practice run-through was a privilege. Having recently competed successfully in his first culinary competition, he hoped to participate in many more. “It was a really great day – I definitely took a lot away from it. Seeing how they stayed so organised ... ” and how calmly and efficiently the team worked.
“It was a great opportunity to be able to watch and learn from them. How they use ingredients in different ways was really interesting to see ... I think my highlight will be being able to implement some of the tips; it gave me some ideas for my own competition work...”
Tasting the finished dishes was a bonus. “[They’re] such great, thought-out dishes ... I can look back on the different components and use them as inspiration ... in the future,” Mr Kissell said.
Hospitality / Cookery Programme Manager, Glenn Stridiron, stated SIT were highly committed to the industry and the benefits it brought to their students by facilitating such occasions. “Hosting Cam here was fantastic for our students; they got to experience the whole event. And it was a great opportunity to support Cam on his journey.” SIT’s “exceptional facilities” allowed them to host chefs performing to rigorous competition standards, Mr Stridiron added.
Mr Davies valued the chance to cook in front of his home province; a mix of industry people, SIT advisory committee members, staff and local chefs attended the event. He credits his own mentors - chefs who shaped and encouraged him – who helped him to where he is today. “I was incredibly lucky with mentorship,” he said. They were “open books” and generous with their time and talents.
“One of the main reasons I cook is to bring joy. I’m passionate about hospitality; I want to improve the industry while I’m here.” In a highly competitive industry, Mr Davies believed “collaboration and connection is ... key to our success. It’s a rite and obligation to pass the knowledge onto the next generation. Collectively we’re all better when we share and pass our knowledge on.”
Mr Davies departs for Singapore on 20th October with the competition taking place on the 24th-25th. The team would “put in a 14-16 hour shift the day before sourcing ingredients” for the marathon eight-hour cook-off, he said. “The pressure is a privilege. Our goal is to win and make New Zealand proud.”
Much of the information around the food is embargoed until after the challenge; there are requirements to be met, highlighting specific ingredients, however, they had managed to include quality New Zealand produce in the four courses: Southland-grown Davis Down Hazelnuts, NZ green-lipped mussels, seaweed, beetroot, and Lot 8 Olive Oil.
Whilst entire competition dishes wouldn’t make it onto the Fat Duck menu, the ideas, elements of dishes, and techniques used, would filter through. “We hope to run an event next winter for our community so they can feel a part of it and connect,” Mr Davies said. Further plans were being made to showcase the competition dishes in a cooking demonstration for SIT Queenstown.
Mr Davies acknowledged his “hugely supportive” partner, Selina, who holds the fort while he’s competing. “I’m incredibly blessed to have outstanding people around me who allow me to shine, and do something I wanted to have a crack at.”
This would be Mr Davies “last hurrah” in competitions. “It is a young man or woman’s game,” he said. “I’ve made a really conscious effort this time to enjoy it and savour every moment. I know this is a cliché, but it is all about the journey.”