Culinary Arts and Gastronomy Winter Series
| Date: | Friday 9 Aug, 9am - Friday 16 Aug, 10pm |
|---|---|
| Location: | Various locations across AUT's City Campus Auckland New Zealand |
| Cost: | Free and paid events |
Join us once again as we celebrate all things food this August. Curated by AUT’s School of Hospitality and Tourism in collaboration with Pacific Food Lab - Aotearoa, the AUT Culinary Arts and Gastronomy Winter Series programme for 2024 brings together a mix of academics and industry in an eclectic range of events all designed to stimulate discussion, explore tastes and highlight the potential of food. The series is open for all to enjoy and held right in the heart of the city on AUT’s City Campus.
Friday 9 August
NZ Chefs Association Pastry Chef of the Year 2024
9am–12pm, WH Building, Level 3 Kitchen. This is a free event for spectators.
Love MasterChef? Then come watch the real thing as some of New Zealand's leading pastry chefs battle for the right to be named Pastry Chef of the Year for 2024. This live culinary competition kicks off at 9am, with the first item presented at 11am and the second item presented before 12pm! Drop in at any time to watch the action.
Poetry of Mead: Scandinavian Tales of mjød with Mamakan
3pm– 5pm, WH Building. $50 per person.
Part art installation, part workshop, all mythical and magical, Danish botanical artist Mamakan Oustrup Laureijs invites you to experience Nordic-style food and drink with New Zealand native plants.
Drawing deep from her Scandinavian roots and using the native harvest from her forest farm, Velskov, as a canvas, this hands-on sensory workshop will bring to life the land, season, art, cuisine, and nature. Explore the taste and mythology of the drink they call the ‘nectar of the gods’ and even produce some to take home yourself!
Growing Together: How Urban Agriculture Can Strengthen Our Communities (fundraising movie screening for Kelmarna Community Farm)
5.30pm – 8pm, WG Building, WG126. $15, $30 and $45 per person tickets.
Live in the city and want access to high quality, locally grown food? Join us for a movie night to learn more about the positive impacts of urban community farming.
Food for the Rest of Us is an award-winning documentary examining how getting back to the land is tied to other movements such as Black Lives Matter, Idle No More and Times Up. Food for the Rest of Us presents 4 stories of people living life on their own terms, serving as leaders and role models who are lending their voice to the underdog and leading a revolution to a better world, from the ground up!
There is a growing desire worldwide, and especially in Aotearoa, for urban agriculture initiatives. This screening is an opportunity for you to learn all about how these initiatives can better our relationship with food and the people who grow it. Light refreshments courtesy of Hancocks Wines and bites made from Kelmarna Garden produce will be served following the screening, and the Kelmarna team will be present to chat further about the important mahi they do for our whānau.
All proceeds go towards Kelmarna Community Farm - a stalwart of Auckland's urban agricultural movement for 40 years. The garden supports a resilient, healthy food chain through regenerative, organic agriculture practices and community outreach.
Monday 12 August
Pacific Food Lab New Caledonia: A Taste of Sustainability in the Pacific
11am–12pm, WH Building, Room WH415. Free event.
What will it take to put Pacific food culture front and centre of the culinary world in a way that respects and celebrates its rich vibrancy, history, and diversity?
Part discussion, part tasting demonstration, 100% enlightening and entertaining, this collaborative session with the Pacific Food Lab New Caledonia will provide nutrition for the body and thought for the mind. Enjoy a taste of three beautiful Pacific-inspired dishes as Chef Gaby Levionnois shares his vision for a united, sustainable Pacific food system – one built on equity, resilience, and respect.
Tuesday 13 August
Slow Food Auckland Marketplace
10am–2pm, WG Building, Sir Paul Reeves Atrium. Free event.
To celebrate urban food production, we have teamed up with Slow Food Auckland for our inaugural Winter Series market day. Come meet the producers, hear their stories, taste their products, and find out how you can get involved. Complete the Marketplace Passport and enter to win the Marketplace Hamper with offerings from our artisan vendors.
Local, sustainable, and artisanal, and direct from the producer to you - this is a chance to see the future of food in action.
A Delicious and Healthy Taste of Thailand
1.30pm–3pm, WH Building, Room WH415. Free event.
Embark on a culinary journey to Thailand in this traditional cooking demonstration!
Delight in the vibrant flavours and aromatic spices of authentic Thai cuisine as Chef Urai Srirat guides you through the art of crafting classic dishes. From the zesty tang of Hor Mok, the visual delight of Chor Muang, and the exotic sweetness of Tago, immerse yourself in the rich culture and culinary heritage of Thailand right here at AUT.
Whether you're a seasoned cook or a culinary novice, this free and open-to-all culinary masterclass promises to be both educational and delicious. Join us as we learn the secrets to creating these beloved dishes and indulge in the unique taste of Thailand!
This event has been made possible thanks to the support of the Royal Thai Embassy.
Halfway Down Dominion Rd: Experiencing Auckland’s Food Suburbs
5.30pm–7.30pm, WH Building, Four Seasons Restaurant. $40 per person.
In the forty years since the economic reforms of the fourth Labour Government, New Zealand’s social, cultural, and economic change has been nothing short of seismic. Auckland, in particular, has been transformed into one of the world’s most superdiverse cities. One of the most visible expressions of this change is the culturally diverse ethnoscapes seen within the food offered along Auckland’s Dominion Rd.
Join Professor Tracy Berno and Culinary Lecturers John Kelleher and Rob Richardson for this multisensory food experience as they set out to highlight how food can convey a sense of time and place, and importantly, how cultural food diversity can help support inclusivity.
Wednesday 14 August
All Things Chocolate: From Its History, to the Bean, the Farmer, and the Tasting
1.30pm–3pm, WH Building, Room WH415. $15 per person.
Meet Cacao Ambassador, Oonagh Browne, as she takes us on a tour of all things chocolate.
Part cocoa whisperer, all master chocolatier, Oonagh has had a love affair with chocolate for over 10 years. Today, her focus is on helping promote sustainable and fair cocoa production for growers and communities within the Pacific region.
So, whether you are a connoisseur or simply a chocolate enthusiast, come savour the sweetness and deepen your appreciation for the most beloved treat on earth.
Vines & Flavours: A Journey Through Old World and New World Wines & Cuisine
5.30–7.30pm, WH Building, Four Seasons Restaurant. $50 per person.
Who does it better - old world or new world? Are traditionalists just yesterday's hipsters, or do these new upstarts need putting in their place? It is time to put them in the ring and find out!
Join us as we travel an offbeat journey through vineyards old and new and put old school v new school wines to the food matching test. Led by wine lecturer Mario Basnayake, you will enjoy some fantastic examples of the world's greatest wine varietals and put your tasting to the test as you decide which food and wine match will win each round.
Thursday 15 August
Savor & Indulge: Exploring the Intersection of Food and Pleasure
3pm–4.30pm, WH Building, Four Seasons Restaurant. $45 per person.
Epicureans believe that life should be lived in a way that derives the greatest amount of pleasure possible - and it is hard not to agree! As one of life's two fundamental impulses, humans have always sought to elevate the status of food, to raise it beyond mere nourishment and embrace its connections to art, sex, symbolism, and pleasure.
In this interactive Winter Series event, we will explore our desire for the culinary satiation of body and mind. We will share some of the food world’s most indulgent and symbolic treats while delving into the science and gastrophysics behind our most primal pleasure: eating.
Along the way, you can enjoy the amazing work of our culinary arts students in what might just be the most indulgent high tea you'll ever experience!
Friday 16 August
Winter Series Pacific Food Lab Aotearoa Gala Dinner
6pm–10pm, WG Building, Sir Paul Reeves Atrium. $85 per person.
Our showcase Winter Series event. Join AUT’s School of Hospitality & Tourism as we partner with Pacific Food Lab - Aotearoa to celebrate Tāmaki Makaurau’s food connection to the South Pacific. With a menu created by leading Pacific-inspired chefs working alongside our culinary students and live performances, this will be a dinner not to be missed. Net proceeds from the dinner will go towards helping our students access food-related research and study opportunities within the Pacific.
With dishes from the legendary Peter Gordon and Homeland, the ever-inspiring Henry Onesemo of Tala, guest Chef Gabriel Levionnois of New Caledonia and more!
Keep an eye out - we will be confirming our menu soon!
What's on throughout?
With a Grain of Salt: Exploring the Flavour and Functionality of Sodium
Monday 12 August – Friday 16 August
12pm–1pm each day
WH Building, Room WH306
$15 per person per session
Essential to life on Earth but also found as far away as Mars, salt is so ubiquitous that we tend to overlook its importance. Whether as a form of currency, stain remover, or explosive, Senior Lecturers Suzanne Bliss and Michael Choi will tell a story of salt that is both fascinating and enlightening. Each day's session covers a different aspect of salt’s culinary use:
- Monday
Salt Preservation & Portuguese Wine - Tuesday
Salt, Sake and Sauces - Wednesday
Salted Caramel and Pink Gin - Thursday
Modified Salts & Margaritas - Friday
Dancing peanuts: Beer & Salty Bar Snacks
Along the way, you will make and taste something a little salty to enjoy!
Pacific Food Lab Aotearoa Gastronomy Pop-Up Shop
Monday 12 August – Friday 16 August
10pm–2pm
WH Building, Piko2Go Food store
Celebrating local food producers and artisan crafts persons, our pop-up Gastronomy Shop will be the place to go to satisfy all your culinary shopping impulses!
Open every day of the Winter Series, the shop will be packed with cookbooks, preserves, fresh produce, cheese, charcuterie, and culinary knickknacks.
Diploma of Patisserie 1st Year Showcase
Tuesday, Wednesdays & Thursdays throughout August
10am–1pm
WH Building, Piko Cafe
Each August, our first-year patisserie students take over Piko Cafe and are let loose to show their stuff! Pies, savouries, cakes, and sweets are all handmade each morning, fresh from the oven to you! Come for morning tea and a coffee or pick up some treats for home - but come early as things sell out fast!
