Aomarere Named NZ Chef of the Year 2024

Jul 26, 2024

Nestlé Professional was proud to be a sponsor of the recent NZ Chef of the Year competition where Chef Jacob Aomarere dazzled the judges with his menu and was ultimately named winner of the prestigious event.

In a duathlon-style competition, Aomarere who works at the Strong Room in Feilding achieved the highest aggregate score across both events. To be eligible for the Chef of the Year title, competitors had to achieve a minimum standard of silver medal.

The first of the two events required competitors to prepare and serve a three-course menu within 2hr 15min under Worldchefs’ competition guidelines. The menu had to be suitable for serving in an upmarket restaurant.

The second event was a mystery box challenge, where the competing chefs were able to demonstrate their flair and style under pressure by creating a main course for four within one hour.

As the overall winner of the event, Aomarere received a Moffat E23D3 oven and SK23 stand filled with sponsors’ products, a Gilmours $400 voucher and a Southern Hospitality $500 voucher.

Take a look at the following recipe from Aomarere’s menu where he puts a Nestlé Professional product to great use.

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Recipe
By Jacob Aomarere-Poole

Anchovy Crumb Roast Lamb with Lamb and Potato Blanquette and Tomato Compote

Weight         Ingredients

55ml             Olive oil

4g                 Onion ash

120g             Butter

10g               Salt

10 ea            Anchovy fillets

2 ea              Star anise

140g             Chunky bread crumb

1 ea              Cinnamon stick

20g               Flat leaf parsley

4 ea              carrots

1 ea              Lemon

1 ea              Whole lamb leg

12 ea            Cherry tomatoes

2 ea              2 egg yolks

125ml           Red wine

15ml             Cream

100ml           Red wine vinegar

10g               Vegetable booster

80g               White sugar

4 ea              Large agria potatoes

100g             BUITONI Sugo al Pomodoro (Tomato coulis)

2ea               White onions

4 ea              Bay leaves

60g               Plain flour

 

Method:

- Peel carrots, onions and potatoes.
- Roughly chop 2 carrots and onions, dice potatoes and remaining carrots into 2cm cubes and set aside in water.
- In a pressure cooker add rough chop carrots, onions, 2 bay leaves, juice of 1 lemon, 5g salt, vegetable booster and lower half of lamb leg diced at 4cm cubes.
- Cover with water and pressure cook for 35 minutes, add potatoes and carrots and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Strain and reserve liquid, keeping lamb and potatoes together and discard carrots keeping onions.
- In a pan add 60g butter till melted then add flour to form a roux and cook out for 1 minute. Add lamb cooking liquid and thicken. To finish, mix cream and yolks and temper into liquid and mix with reserved lamb and potatoes.
In a pot add red wine, red wine vinegar, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, star anise and reserved onions from lamb and reduce by half.
- Add tomato coulis, sugar and 2g of salt. Blister cherry tomatoes in a pan over high heat then add tomato mixture and glaze tomatoes for 30 seconds.
- Trim and prep upper half into a roasting cut. Puree 20ml olive oil and 3 anchovies together with 2g of salt and rub over lamb. Pan seer lightly and roast at 180c till internal temp reaches 55c, cover and rest for 20 minutes.
- For anchovy crumb in a pan melt butter, add bread crumb, fine dice anchovy and zest of 1 lemon, cook till golden then fold in chopped parsley.

 

Our heartiest congratulations to Chef Jacob Aomarere on the win!