New
Zealand Master Class Showcases ZESPRI™
Kiwifruit
Recently,
New Zealand cuisine took center stage
at the Culinary Institute of America.
About 150 future chefs at the prestigious
Hyde Park, NY campus attended a New Zealand
food and beverage master class featuring
ZESPRI™ GREEN and GOLD Kiwifruit.
The two-evening class called, “New
Thinking, New Zealand,” brought
together the flavors for which the South
Pacific country is renowned. Experts on
kiwifruit, venison, shellfish, apples
and wine shared key culinary information,
while New Zealand chefs Grant Jackson
and Graham Brown prepared signature dishes.
For ZESPRI it was an opportunity to expose
students who may become the culinary trendsetters
of tomorrow to the benefits of cooking
with kiwifruit. “We wanted to illustrate
the excitement that kiwifruit lends to
a wide range of dishes and promote the
use of the less-familiar gold kiwifruit
in culinary creations,” said Karen
Brux, general manager for ZESPRI in North
America.
“We have chefs to thank for helping
introduce kiwifruit in the 1970s and 80s,”
she said. “Now, we’re ready
for the next phase. Kiwifruit adds flavor
and beautiful color to all kinds of recipes.
It belongs at the center of the plate
– not on the edge as a garnish or
the topping of a dessert.”
Brux said that only about one third of
the students were aware of the tropical-sweet
gold kiwifruit variety, indicating a considerable
opportunity for growth of gold sales in
the foodservice sector. Chefs can cook
with gold kiwifruit from New Zealand June
through October, and California-grown
gold fruit in the late fall and early
winter.
Students compared and contrasted the green
and gold varieties on their own and also
watched them being transformed into such
delectable dishes as a salsa served alongside
green-shelled mussels; a tartlet with
lemon honey, saffron sabayon and meringue,
and guacamole with seared chili calamari.
The Culinary Institute of America event
was among the many tactics ZESPRI has
employed in recent years to broaden the
profile of green and gold kiwifruit among
culinary experts.
“We’ve hosted events for chefs
in key markets, reached out to food media,
and developed informational materials
for foodservice distributors and restaurants,”
Brux said. “It’s been gratifying
to see how well chefs respond, especially
to the gold variety.”
Photos are available upon request.
Related Web site:
www.zesprikiwi.com
For more information please contact:
Karin Gardner, communications manager
Jill Dahlstrom, communications associate
karga@oppy.com
|jilda@oppy.com
PH: (206) 284-1705 | FX: (206) 284-0203
The Oppenheimer Group, Communications
180 Nickerson St., Suite 211
Seattle, WA 98109
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