Aussie chef wins tapas competition as staff shortages hit Kiwi competitor

Chefs from New Zealand and Australia battled it out last week for the 2022 Australasian Tapas Competition, back after a two-year hiatus.

The event was held at Ignite Colleges’ state-of-the-arts cookery school in Manukau.

The vice president of the New Zealand Chefs Association and competition organiser, Jasbir Kaur, says the two-year halt made it even more a reason to celebrate the competition this year.

“The effects of Covid are undoubtedly still there but it most definitely is a great feeling to be able to run the competition again.”

With the annual culinary competition being impacted by the pandemic, Kaur says struggling chefs could not participate due to the shortage of staff at their own restaurants.

“This year I had someone pull out last minute because his restaurant was short of staff and like anyone in the hospitality industry knows, we are currently struggling. Such an unfortunate thing to happen but it’s the sacrifice we make.”

Indeed, long-time chef and the owner of traditional Latin American restaurant Besos Latinos, Luis Fernando Cabrera, missed out on this year's competition due to a shortage of kitchen staff.

“I really wanted to be a part of the competition but at the end of the day, my restaurant is my priority.”

Cabrera was left with no choice but to withdraw from the tapas competition for 2022.

“At one point, I only had very few staff in my kitchen, and we all worked very long hours.

“We worked so hard, they ended up resigning, all while the others were still away with Covid. Now it is just me and a kitchenhand.

“What is happening in our sector right now is physically and mentally draining, even more so for restaurant owners.”

Cabrera says the tapas competition is a great event for chefs to come together and share their passion, especially during tough times.

The day’s winner was Australian chef Amber Heaton, who flew in from Australia. Heaton will represent Australia at the World Tapas competition in Spain alongside runner-up, Yee Tuk, who will be representing New Zealand.

This will be the first time two winners from Australasia will be representing their respective countries.