It is easier to add more to a dish and to make it clever and more complicated. This is often to cover poor produce or bad technique and shows a real immaturity for the craft of cooking.
It is my firm belief that the focus should be on the quality of the raw component of any dish.
As a chef my responsibility is to showcase stellar produce and use a healthy dose of restraint in how we prepare a dish. It is not unlike wine maker’s coaxing subtle flavours from a grape, which has been passed to them from the vineyard. In the kitchen we have a duty to uphold the veracity of the ingredient handed to us by our growers and farmers.
Handled with reverence and genuine understanding a simple dish can speak volumes for the integrity of the restaurant.
Cuisine New Zealand Restaurant of the Year Finalist 2008/2009/2010
