The North Island is house to the nation’s tastiest toasted sandwich as soon as once more, with Mount Maunganui’s Freeport with Cleaver & Co taking prime honours within the Nice NZ Toastie Takeover 2023.
Proficient younger chef Brooke Moore has received the hotly contested title – and snagged bragging rights for the North Island for the second time solely within the competitors’s historical past – together with her spectacular creation Surf, Turf & Smoke, Monsieur!
A standout for competitors judges, Freeport’s successful toastie featured housemade smoked lamb pastrami, smoked prawns, mozzarella, smoked cheddar sauce and McClure’s Candy & Spicy Pickles, sandwiched between locally-made BreadHead miso tahini sourdough and served with smoked aioli and pickle juice gel.
The win will come as no shock to locals. A favorite with Mount Maunganui residents and Bay guests alike, Freeport with Cleaver & Co and house owners Aaron Hodson and Tim McLaren have been serving up mouthwatering creations from their Bayfair base for 4 years now.
Twenty years of age and born and bred in Taupo, Moore joined the Freeport group simply seven months in the past after roles at Taupo’s The Touchdown and Baked with Love. As senior chef de partie at Freeport, she runs the BBQ part.
Whereas having no formal {qualifications}, Moore describes herself as being “obsessive about meals” from a really younger age, working in hospitality from the age of 14 and in cooking roles straight out of faculty from age 18. Moore’s twin sister Olivia additionally works in meals styling and pictures.
Thrilled to have taken out the highest prize, Moore says she relished the problem of developing with Freeport’s first ever Toastie Takeover entry.
“I attempted to make it as related as potential to the Bay space, with the whole lot made by us inhouse, aside from the scrumptious sourdough which is a favorite from our associates at native bakers BreadHead.
“The idea of surf and turf is supposed to indicate the Tauranga area – the gorgeous coast and the wonderful seafood proper right here on our doorstep, juxtaposed with the sheep grazing on Mount Maunganui.”
A stand-out for the judges was the lamb pastrami, which Moore says was a labour of affection. “For the pastrami, I pickle it within the leftover pickle juice for ten days. The primary batch was spot-on, however after I tried to scale it up utilizing a barely completely different technique it didn’t prove as effectively, so it was again to buckets of lamb pickling within the chiller.”
One other favorite was the pickle juice gel. Says Moore: “I take pleasure in making gels and the pickle juice is a candy and tangy dipper that works effectively with the creamy aioli.”
The competitors’s toastmaster royale, Joe McClure, from Detroit-based McClure’s Pickles, applauded Moore and stated her “distinctive toastie left me wanting extra.”
“The brilliance of Moore’s toastie lies in its nice use of substances and the revolutionary idea of surf and turf inside a area that really exemplifies each. Every chew was a harmonious mix of flavours, with the succulent surf and turf components completely complementing one another. It was a pleasant culinary journey that showcased the creativity and ability of chef Moore.
“One distinctive side – apart from the house-smoked lamb pastrami and smoked prawns – was the facet of pickle juice gel, permitting the diner to personalise their expertise by dosing it at their discretion. This added a pleasant tangy twist to every chew, additional enhancing the general style profile. Consideration to element, total presentation, style and innovation all got here collectively to set this toastie aside.”
The win sees the North Island retain bragging rights to one of the best toasted sandwich within the nation, with final yr’s supreme award going to chef Wealthy Johns of Okere Falls Café in Rotorua. Previous to that, South Island eateries had reigned supreme with Joseph Walker from the Hokitika Sandwich Firm taking the inaugural title in 2019, Romeo Dowling Mitchell from Dunedin’s Hungry Hobos in 2020, and Steve MacDougall from Mollies Bar & Eatery in Blenheim in 2021.
After travelling across the nation to evaluate the finalists’ creations, McClure applauded the “immense expertise and creativity on present inside New Zealand’s culinary scene”.
Together with Freeport with Cleaver & Co’s successful entry, he stated competitors organisers would additionally wish to acknowledge BEERS in Christchurch and Shining Peak Brewing in New Plymouth as deserving of particular point out.
“BEERS crafted a tasty toastie that includes lamb pastrami cured in McClure’s pickle brine. The mix of tender lamb and the tangy brine created a novel and unforgettable flavour expertise.
“Shining Peak Brewery’s The Joestie additionally deserves commendation for its use of smoked eel and the very distinctive McClure’s pickle caviar. “The smoky richness of the eel and the bursts of pickle caviar added a pleasant complexity to the toastie, making it a real gastronomic delight.”
Head choose Kerry Tyack stated the judging group had observed a big leap ahead by way of toastie innovation in 2023.
“It’s clear that across the motu, entrants are taking this comp very critically and that loads of thought has gone into the supply of prime flight toasties.
“Seasoning ranges had been far more constant, the selection of cheese extra thought-about and the significance of monitoring fats content material has been famous.
“The place we really feel there may be nonetheless alternative for fine-tuning is in bread kind and thickness. Some toasties had been too bread heavy and so misplaced factors.
“These entrants that mastered this all-important steadiness delighted the group with terrific toasties filled with finesse, innovation and satisfaction.”
A agency characteristic on the culinary calendar, this yr’s annual Toastie Takeover noticed 185 eateries battle it out for the title of this yr’s prime toastie, with 150,000 toasted sandwiches consumed by the occasion’s conclusion.
Competitors standards required sandwiches to be toasted between two slices of bread and in a position to be eaten by hand. The toasties additionally wanted to include cheese (or a vegan substitute) and McClure’s pickles, with all the opposite substances fully as much as the entrant’s creativeness.
Open to all New Zealand eateries, members got here from as far north as Kororāreka, to as far south as Invercargill, and ranged from sandwich specialists, to high quality eating eating places, breweries and meals vans, with a vegan quick meals chain, a subterranean cocktail bar, Wellington Airport, the Bluebridge Prepare dinner Strait ferry and even a retirement village within the combine.
The 14 finalists chosen for the second spherical of judging included Cazador (Mt Eden), Good Day (Orakei), Lord Kitchener (Sandringham), Okere Falls Retailer & Craft Beer Backyard (Rotorua) (2022 Supreme Winner), Hayes Frequent (Hamilton), Freeport Cleaver & Co (Tauranga), Greatest Burgers (Havelock North), Shining Peak Brewing (New Plymouth), Café Polo (Wellington), Huxleys (Wellington), BEERS Craft Brewery (Christchurch), Sprig & Fern Tavern (Nelson), The Tremendous Lion (Ashburton) and Roasted and Toasted (Lumsden).
Every finalist was once more assessed on presentation, effectiveness of preparation method, eatability, style, innovation and originality, with Joe McClure from McClure’s Pickles and Nick Brown from Prepare dinner & Nelson travelling the nation to pattern the finalists’ creations.
Moore and Freeport with Cleaver & Co will now obtain a bespoke Rikki Berger trophy and a yr’s value of McClure’s Pickles, with the successful toastie remaining on the menu from 11.30 am to shut, seven days every week till early August.
For extra details about the Nice NZ Toastie Takeover, take a look at www.toastietakeover.com. For extra about McClure’s Pickles, see mcclures.com. And for extra about Freeport with Cleaver & Co, go to freeportandcleaver.co.nz. McClure’s Pickles are made within the USA.
