NZ Hospitality Championships Returns To Trust Arena 2022

This year we see the return of the NZ Hospitality Championships at Henderson’s Trust Arena . An opportunity for the future of New Zealand Hospitality to come head-to-head in a variety of culinary battles, discover new skills and inspire the chefs of tomorrow. Southern Hospitality believes in future-proofing the industry and once again is able to sponsor the setup of the well-equipped competition kitchens providing the perfect backdrop for this covid-delayed annual event.

The kitchens sponsored by Southern Hospitality and Moffat  include:

• Simply Stainless Modular Benches
• Skope Fridges and Freezers
• Friginox Blast Chillers
• Blue Seal Ranges

Competitors will be working hard to win esteemed titles such as ‘NZ Chef of the Year’, ‘NZ Barista of the Year’, ‘Cocktail Champion of the Year’ and ‘Training Establishment of the Year’. NZ Hospitality Championships is the perfect place to watch up-and-coming talent. We encourage you to get along to support the rising stars of Kiwi hospo.

Below are some of the firm favourites both for spectators and competitors:

Restaurant of the Year Category- Scheduled for Tuesday 20^th September at 12.30pm

The competitors must incorporate local suppliers from their region into each of the courses. The challenge includes a bread platter, 6 x Entrées, 6 x Mains, 6 x Desserts and 3 x alcoholic/non-alcoholic drinks to match appropriate courses. The team can include 2 chefs and 1 FOH superstar. And judging includes everything from top notch food to uniforms and health and hygiene regulations.

The Emerging Chef Category- Scheduled for Tuesday 20^th September 10.00am

Criteria for this individual event is that the competitor is no older than 27 years of age. What an amazing opportunity for building confidence in our youth! This year the chefs will be cooking with Akaroa Salmon and NZ Beef Cheeks accompanied by NZ grown vegetables or salad and a starch.

As part of the entry form, entrants must provide a paragraph answering the following question: What does the cookery profession mean to me and how would I encourage other young people to consider cookery as a career?

All competition details and entries can be found on the registration form

There are many other Open competitions from Latte Art to Bed Making, for more information on the numerous events, check out the details here 

Entries close at 5pm on 15^th September and all Entry Information can be found here 

This year the NZ Hospitality Championships will be part of the wider Hospitality Summit ’22, Te Tihi o Manaakitanga ’22 presented by The Restaurant Association and NZChefs. This is a hybrid multi-day event for the hospitality industry to not only network and connect but to innovate, showcase and compete. For more information on the 3 day event running from 18-20 September, created to focus on strengthening the sector and for a more sustainable hospitality workforce- see https://www.hospitalitysummit.co.nz/.

We look forward to seeing you all there and are particularly excited about the Hospo Hui, which will have quickfire panels, in-depth discussions and bring the best of the industry together to discuss the challenges and innovation facing the hospitality industry in New Zealand.