Peter Gordon

Peter Gordon is perhaps New Zealand’s most internationally recognised chef. Born in Wanganui Peter started collecting recipes from the age of four and began cooking not long after. After completing a chef’s apprenticeship in Melbourne in 1985 he travelled throughout South East Asia, India and Nepal for a year before setting up the kitchen at The Sugar Club in Wellington in 1986. Peter moved to London in 1989 and worked at various restaurants until he established his name as executive chef at Mayfair’s Green Street Restaurant then at the Notting Hill and Soho branches of The Sugar Club. Peter opened his current restaurant The Providores and Tapa Room with his partners in August 2001.

www.peter-gordon.net
www.theprovidores.co.uk

Slice of Life 2007

By Peter Gordon - July 2007

Well, the SKYCITY Dining for a Difference fundraising dinner for the New Zealand Leukaemia and Blood Foundation went off without a hitch on June 30 and we raised over $209,000 on the night. It was a brilliant event and many people commented that the room was full of love – which may sound a bit hippy but it’s true. The goodwill was palpable and the chefs produced some of the most stunning food I’ve seen in New Zealand. Kerre Woodham was MC and she kept the room revved up and orderly. Don McGlashan performed beautifully and he and his band The Seven Sisters kept everyone entertained.

The food coming out of the kitchen was varied and you could see tables comparing notes in the lobby with their friends who were sitting on other chef’s tables. Each chef cooked a four course dinner for two tables of ten. Some of the chefs served similar dishes to both their tables whilst some were completely different. As a sampler of what was cooked here’s just one dish from each of the chefs.

Al Brown (Logan Brown - Wellington) Wild Hare fillet with roasted garlic custard and mulled wine jelly.

Christine Manfield (Universal – Sydney) Black pepper fish with pancetta and spiced beetroot.

Geoff Scott (Vinnies – Auckland) Hawke's Bay natural lamb loin, sweet garlic crème, Victoria potatoes and minted green vegetables.

Govind Armstrong (Table 8 – Los Angeles and Miami) Firstlight wagyu striploin with braised leek, wild mushroom tart and potato cream.

Greg Malouf (Mo Mo – Melbourne) Quail bisteeya – sweet spiced Moroccan quail pie, with baby golden beet fattoush of sheep’s feta.

Justin North (Becasse – Sydney) Cannelloni of smoked ocean trout and celeriac with cauliflower veloute, horseradish cream and parsley oil.

Mark and Analiese Gregory (a gorgeous father and daughter team from The Westin – Auckland) Smoked salmon scrambled egg, vodka cream, Oscietra caviar.

Peter Thornley (Bracu – Auckland) Pot-roasted milk fed pigeon, wild mushroom etuvee, caramelised whitloof and goats cheese packages, cinnamon jus.

Philip Johnson (e’cco – Brisbane) New Zealand lobster, celeriac panna cotta, crisp prosciutto, shimeji mushrooms and hazelnuts.

Phillip Kraal (Le Bon Bolli – Christchurch) Oxtail and snail pithivier with poached oysters and fresh asparagus.

Rex Morgan (Citron – Christchurch, Inspire – Queenstown) Twice cooked Waimarino pork belly on corn kernel and barley risotto.

Simon Gault (Euro – Auckland) Long Island Duck on long island citrus sauce with golden raisin couscous and chive pink peppercorn brioche butter.

And lastly my menu. We served two completely different menus – one from dine by Peter Gordon in Auckland and one from The Providores Restaurant in London. dine’s Head Chef Cobus Klopper served Seared blue-legged Taupo prawns on a salad of violet kumara and parmesan with chilli, lime, coriander and basil. My sous chef from London, Marton born and raised Cristian Hossack, cooked Grilled Firstlight Wagyu sirloin on den miso risotto with soy pickled enoki mushrooms.

The photo accompanying this months Slice Of Life is of all but one of the chefs taken on the morning of the dinner – before the chaos and fun began. The missing chef was Peter Thornley who wasn’t able to get to SKYCITY until a bit later on. Not a bad looking bunch I think you’d have to agree – and they were all there to help a charity in their own time. That’s what’s so great about the life of a chef – you can make a difference.

Cheers, Peter