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

expect the world from us