FlyingKiwi
10-31-2002, 10:19 PM
Where were you Cheffie.
NZ Herald press realease.
In the heat
31 October 2002
Firefighters were in their element in the first firehouse cook- off, held during the World Firefighters Games.
KATE FRASER reports.
A cooking contest on October 27 during the World Firefighters Games
attracted 26 male entrants, and one woman, to the inaugural event. Each entrant was supported by cheerleaders and wellwishers, and the three kitchens in Christchurch Polytechnic's Institute of Technology's teaching kitchens were crowded.
Not that busy kitchens were worrying the cooks. These are, after all,
firefighters: used to keeping calm in the midst of turmoil, showing no
emotion when pots don't come to the boil and smoke rises from charred pans.
There were one or two obvious professionals (volunteer firefighters come from all walks of life, cheffing included), but in the main these were people doing what they enjoy: preparing dinner for their fellows. That is not to suggest the cooks were producing amateurish dishes. There was a preference for chicken dishes, a lot of asparagus had been purchased, rice was popular (sometimes served with potatoes as well), bowls of side salads made light of the 5+ servings of fruit and vegetable notion, and there were plenty of standout plates: duck leg on "bread and cheese pudding", nut-encrusted deep-fried lamb shank, fruit-topped pork steaks, chilli beans, pastry-wrapped layers of chicken and vegetables, home-made pastry folded into a meat torte, beautifully cooked lamb racks, plum sauce on chargrilled chicken, vegetable pikelet, and, unforgettably, a dish designed to resemble
a waka (NZ Maori canoe) paddling through a sea of whipped potatoes.
A lot of time and effort was on the line, and tasting and judging all 27meals was a serious and filling task.
And the winners were ...
First place and the gold medal to Captain (retired) Joseph Gauthier, Fort McMurray Firehouse, northern Alberta, Canada; second place to Adam Haywood, Hanmer Springs Volunteer Brigade New Zealand; third place to Terry Scott, Rotorua Fire Station New Zealand.
Captain Gauthier's meal "fit for firefighters" was pork and onion torte encroute, apple sauce, pommes parisiennes, and a medley of fresh vegetables garnished with mint leaves and tomato roses.
NZ Herald press realease.
In the heat
31 October 2002
Firefighters were in their element in the first firehouse cook- off, held during the World Firefighters Games.
KATE FRASER reports.
A cooking contest on October 27 during the World Firefighters Games
attracted 26 male entrants, and one woman, to the inaugural event. Each entrant was supported by cheerleaders and wellwishers, and the three kitchens in Christchurch Polytechnic's Institute of Technology's teaching kitchens were crowded.
Not that busy kitchens were worrying the cooks. These are, after all,
firefighters: used to keeping calm in the midst of turmoil, showing no
emotion when pots don't come to the boil and smoke rises from charred pans.
There were one or two obvious professionals (volunteer firefighters come from all walks of life, cheffing included), but in the main these were people doing what they enjoy: preparing dinner for their fellows. That is not to suggest the cooks were producing amateurish dishes. There was a preference for chicken dishes, a lot of asparagus had been purchased, rice was popular (sometimes served with potatoes as well), bowls of side salads made light of the 5+ servings of fruit and vegetable notion, and there were plenty of standout plates: duck leg on "bread and cheese pudding", nut-encrusted deep-fried lamb shank, fruit-topped pork steaks, chilli beans, pastry-wrapped layers of chicken and vegetables, home-made pastry folded into a meat torte, beautifully cooked lamb racks, plum sauce on chargrilled chicken, vegetable pikelet, and, unforgettably, a dish designed to resemble
a waka (NZ Maori canoe) paddling through a sea of whipped potatoes.
A lot of time and effort was on the line, and tasting and judging all 27meals was a serious and filling task.
And the winners were ...
First place and the gold medal to Captain (retired) Joseph Gauthier, Fort McMurray Firehouse, northern Alberta, Canada; second place to Adam Haywood, Hanmer Springs Volunteer Brigade New Zealand; third place to Terry Scott, Rotorua Fire Station New Zealand.
Captain Gauthier's meal "fit for firefighters" was pork and onion torte encroute, apple sauce, pommes parisiennes, and a medley of fresh vegetables garnished with mint leaves and tomato roses.