Rising culinary star, Southland’s own Sam Kissell, displayed his burgeoning talent last Thursday, winning the South Island regional final of the Nestle Golden Chefs’ Hat competition, held at Ara Institute of Canterbury in Christchurch.
Mr Kissell, who has recently completed NZ Diploma in Cookery (Advanced) Level 5 at Southern Institute of Technology (SIT), has just had a week like no other. After completing the final assessment for his diploma last Tuesday, he flew to Christchurch on Wednesday and competed on Thursday, 26th June, taking out the top award in the Nestle Golden Chefs’ Hat regional final. On Saturday, he flew to Australia to take up a new job as a Chef on the team at Bullo River Station, a resort-style hotel in the northwestern corner of the Northern Territory. Hectic is an understatement, but he was very excited. “There’s a lot to be excited about; there’s a lot going on,” he said.
SIT Programme Manager for Hospitality and Cookery, Glenn Stridiron was thrilled with the news. “I was over the moon, when I found out,” he said. Mr Stridiron stated the win for the young chef was a great result and proved his commitment, passion and enthusiasm to his profession.
Mr Stridiron said Mr Kissell’s win was fantastic for SIT’s School of Hospitality as well, highlighting the consistent quality of training, and the support provided for those students wanting to push themselves in the competitions arena. “From my perspective, being able to guide and mentor Sam along the way has been amazing.” Mr Stridiron acknowledged local Te Anau Chef, Cam Davies, of The Fat Duck, who came to SIT for the final practice session and shared his competition expertise with Mr Kissell.
Mr Kissell competed for the first time in the 2024 competition with fellow SIT student Yari Mowatt, having just completed his first SIT programme, the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 4); he won a bronze medal, and a new award for ‘Most Innovative Use of Coffee’. “I wanted to push myself further out of my comfort zone and see what I could do,” he said, explaining his motivation. He’d noticed how far he’d come this year, in comparison to his first endeavour. “I definitely could see how much I’d improved, and I knew what to expect.”
Mr Kissell’s winning dishes were a seared beef rump, coriander and broccoli puree, honey-glazed Brussels sprouts and broccoli florets, horopito and cumin croquette, red wine jus, chimichurri and pickled carrot ribbons, followed by his dessert of shortbread, lemon and white chocolate cremeux, poached rhubarb, oat and ginger crumb, and candied lemon zest, which really won the judges over. In their feedback, they told Mr Kissell it was the dessert that had secured his win. “They really liked … the dessert and the way the flavours went together.”
After such a huge week it was difficult to name just one highlight, however, Mr Kissell thought winning the competition right at the end of his diploma was the icing on the cake. He recognised the place of mentors in his journey, Glenn Stridiron had been a big support, and he appreciated Cam Davies with his valuable competition knowledge. “Cam gave me really good advice and feedback, which really helped.”
Mr Davies spent about three hours at the final practice at SIT’s training kitchens, where he observed Mr Kissell then gave feedback. “Organisational things, cleaning tips and tricks, refining flavours of the final dish,” all contributed to having a successful event, Mr Davies said. “And it’s important to give a lot of reinforcement on all the good things Sam’s already currently doing. He has come a long way himself. It was cool to be a part of his final practice.” Mr Davies relished the opportunity to give back to up-and-coming chefs; it was a win for everyone involved. “I’m Impressed with Sam… I’m pleased for the region, for Southland, I’m pleased for SIT, and all the people who’ve put time into him.”
As South Island winner, Mr Kissell will now go on to represent New Zealand at the Sydney competition in September. He would have a few weeks to settle into his job at Bullo River Station before the competition ingredients list would be sent out and then he would start planning his dishes for September. It’s ‘watch this space’ for more good things to come from the talented Mr Kissell.