Match Making with Cuisine
Cuisine is proud to sponsor the Artisan Award category, honouring producers who are committed to preserving the integrity of the highest-quality ingredients. In this independent feature, Cuisine's Fiona Smith explores the winner and finalists of the 2024 New Zealand Food Awards' Artisan Award, showcasing how these exceptional ingredients can transform fine dining into an accessible and inspiring experience.
WINNER - GOOD CHOW NZ
NEW ZEALAND WAGYU BEEF SAUCE WITH SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS
When Jenny Zo Yang of Good Chow NZ was preparing to talk to Cuisine, her husband Franky said, “Jenny, promise you’re not going to cry.” With only the slightest catch in her voice she explains why being selected as a finalist is such a big deal for them. “This award carries so much weight. What got me most excited is that it’s not just about taste. It’s about commitment, quality, sustainability, social responsibility – all those qualities that a good New Zealand company is supposed to have. That’s the validation that this award carries. That’s why this award means so much to us.”
Good Chow NZ began in 2014 with just two products – pāua XO sauce and aromatic chilli oil – and has steadily built a range of products with the aim of adding value to the best-quality New Zealand ingredients, giving them a better opportunity to be enjoyed by the rest of the world.
One of Good Chow’s earlier products was a New Zealand wagyu sauce, a what’s-for-dinner problem solver that ticked all the boxes for convenience, flavour and versatility. But, with a kick from pepper and chilli, it wasn’t for everyone, so Jenny set about creating a version with all the flavour but not the spicy heat.
That’s when she discovered that shiitake mushrooms had an extraordinary affinity with wagyu beef, giving texture and umami flavour while allowing the full flavour of the locally raised grass-fed wagyu to shine. Tweaking batch after batch to refine the elements, finally she had the complex aromatic profile nailed. But it had to get the approval of the strictest taste tester: her mum, who tastes all the products.
And if more validation were needed, in June 2024 Simon Peacock, head chef at Government House, used Good Chow products prominently in a state banquet hosted by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to honour Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Six of the dishes served had Jenny and Franky’s influence, such as their pork lard chilli paste spread on rēwana bread and beef cheeks braised in Good Chow truffle soy sauce. Jenny says, “What a wonderful fusion. This is a country of immigrants. Every one comes here with a little piece of their heritage, but often it’s nothing you could show to the world. This was a chance for us to say, ‘This is the Asian part of New Zealand. We’ve created our own version of the flavours from home, and they are all the more enriching for that.’” goodchownz.com TRACY WHITMEY
Cuisine is pleased to sponsor the Artisan Award category of the New Zealand Food Awards. Each year we’re immensely proud of the quality of these artisan products and the diversity of the top-class food made in our beautiful country.
WINNER - GOOD CHOW NZ
NEW ZEALAND WAGYU BEEF SAUCE WITH SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS
A brilliant blend of beef mince from New Zealand’s special grass-fed wagyu cattle, shiitake mushrooms and fermented soybean paste, this is a ready-to-eat easy meal answer in a jar. See our recipe for Wagyu beef sauce with shiitake, fried eggplant & noodles. $20 for 200g. Our judges also liked the Good Chow New Zealand Truffle Soy Sauce. goodchownz.com
FINALISTS
PICKLED
YELLOW TREES
Yellow trees? Look closely at these crunchy whole florets of pickled cauliflower and you’ll see why. Unlike anything else available in New Zealand, this vibrantly coloured pickle combines cauliflower florets with white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic, onion, curry powder, lemon juice, spices and salt. Try the Cheesed Pickles, too, which our judges also loved. $13.95 for 450g jar. pickled.co.nz
GOOD GUISE
QUESO FRESCO
Soft, fresh and tangy, queso fresco is a crumbly cheese hugely popular in Mexico and South America, yet not previously made in New Zealand. To make sure its queso fresco hit the mark, the team gathered a group of Colombian, Chilean and Brazilian tasters then they tested and tweaked until they got that ‘taste of home’. Our judges were also impressed by Good Guise paneer. $9.99 for 500g. goodguise.co.nz
REMARKABLE CREAM
CREAM LIQUEUR CHOCOLATE SAUCE
A uniquely adult dessert sauce (it has a 16% ABV, so keep it away from the kids), this is one decadent drizzle. Its rich, intense chocolate flavour comes from fresh New Zealand cream, New Zealand vodka and West African cocoa, but the rest remains a secret, with hints of an untold locally grown ingredient giving a distinctive character. It’s a killer trickled on an espresso martini. $29 for 300ml. remarkablecream.nz
A LADY BUTCHER
SALAMI DI BIRRA: IPA SALAMI
Hannah Miller, aka A Lady Butcher, uses old- world methods to turn premium New Zealand ingredients into new-world charcuterie. Here New Zealand free-range pork is marinated in the fruity flavours of Behemoth Brewing’s Something Hazy IPA, creating a unique-to-New-Zealand fermented and dried salami that is a tangy testament to traditional methods of making charcuterie. $15.99 for 120g. aladybutcher.co.nz
AKAROA SALMON
MĀNUKA HOT SMOKED SALMON
Sophisticated new packaging of this premium smoked salmon references the company’s new iwi ownership, with a pātiki design inspired by both Ngāti Porou and Ōnuku Runanga (the mana moana or traditional guardians of Akaroa Harbour). King salmon from the pristine, cold seawater of Akaroa Harbour are smoked over mānuka for a juicy smoked salmon that’s ready to eat. $20 for 180g. akaroasalmon.co.nz
PEPLER’S
DRUNK DORIS PRESERVE
There’s no doubt that pink gin is having a moment, the flavour coming from ripe plums steeping in gin and spices for six months. But what happens once the pink gin is drained and bottled? Lucky for us, Pepler’s rescue the soaked plums (which would otherwise be thrown away) and transforms them into a rich, boozy preserve with the very essence of Central Otago’s finest Black Doris fruit. $11.95 for 240g jar. peplers.co.nz
TARTAN SARI
RECHARD MASALA CURRY PASTE & MARINADE
The recipe for this taste bomb has travelled from Goa to Kenya, via Scotland and London before finally ending up in Dunedin. With a spice rating of 2 out of 5 this vegan curry paste/marinade has a gentle, warming flavour that won’t blow your tastebuds, but if you like to spice things up a bit, just use a little more. $17 for 200g. tartansari.co.nz
YUM + LAKE HĀWEA STATION
HĀWEA HONEYCOMB GRANOLA
Two chefs from Yum + Lake Hāwea Station got together to make ‘the taste of New Zealand’, producing caramelised nutty clusters of granola with true Aotearoa provenance. That means 100% of the ingredients are grown in New Zealand including Lake Hāwea Station’s artisanal honey and bee pollen, Otago-grown oats, sweet Nelson gala apples and a touch of Marlborough sea salt. $21 for 500g. yumnz.co.nz
ALLMITE GOLD
ALLMITE GOLD THREE SEED
A new addition to the Allmite Gold range of yeast spreads – we’re already fans of the mild chilli spread which was a previous finalist – this is a super-umami blend of tahini, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar and turmeric, enriched with nutrient-packed black sesame seeds for a hint of smokiness, sunflower seeds for texture and ground linseed that adds a delicious earthiness. $11.99 for 250g. allmitegold.co.nz
BEAR GELATO
HORCHATA
Inspired by the traditional Mexican drink, this unique vegan sorbet features toasted rice, almonds and a hint of cinnamon in a scoop that is smooth, creamy and wonderfully refreshing. Made in small batches by makers trained in Italy, other Bear Gelato special flavours might include gochujang caramel, masala chai or salted Sicilian pistachio. $14 for 474ml. beargelato.co.nz
FELIZ WHOLEFOODS
VUTTER ‘AVO SPREADABLE’
Vutter Original was a finalist in the 2022 awards and now here’s a delicious spreadable variety perfect for your toast or sandwiches. A blend of cold-pressed avocado oil and coconut oil gives a super-tasty spread with all the taste and texture of dairy butter, but no seed oils, no artificial preservatives, flavouring, colours, no palm oil and no ‘bad’ cholesterol. $8.50 for a 250g tub. felizwholefoods.co.nz
