Going wild in Whakatāne
Farmers, artisans, chefs and foodies will come together for one of the region’s biggest and best local food festivals.
This article first appeared in UNO Magazine's Summer Issue. Story by Sue Hoffat. Read the original article here.
This summer is destined to be wild at Ōhope Beach. The Local Wild Food Festival, at Mahy Reserve on February 22, will pull together foodies and foragers, hunters and conservation groups to celebrate the Whakatāne region’s bountiful kai.
Chefs will work their culinary magic alongside the people who hunt and butcher venison or goat, pork, possum and peacock. Festival-goers can expect to sample oysters from nearby Ōhiwa Harbour and locally harvested salt, as well as honey, truffles, gin and olive oil. The ticket price includes plenty of demonstrations, live music and free tastings such as watercress and pork sausage, or shots of honey and kawakawa.
Foraging experts will show their audience how to utilise wild-grown flowers and berries, or fish pulled out of the ocean that laps the waterfront venue. “My top tip is to skip breakfast and arrive hungry,” says event manager Kim Fort.
“But it isn’t just about feasting. During the festival, the reserve becomes a kind of outdoor wānanga, a very beautiful place to learn under those magnificent Pohutukawa trees.”
Eat and learn
Kim says education is a major part of the event, which pulls in about 2600 people and has been running for more than 10 years.
“We’re showing people what’s available in our local rivers and lakes and ocean inlets, and offering them some new skills and hints and recipes to utilise it all.
“We have this incredibly abundant natural environment in the Eastern Bay of Plenty so, for plenty of people, fishing and diving, hunting and growing and gathering is part of our DNA. We’re bringing in the experts to show us different ways to use what we have in our back yard.”
Notable new guests
This year’s line-up includes several new high profile guest demonstrators, including bushman and Keeping it Wild YouTube star Shay Williamson. Shay has promised to demonstrate his method for breaking down a possum, before cooking it in a camp oven for four hours. He will also show people how to find, identify and prepare foraged berries.
Fellow outdoorsman, conservation worker and Gisborne-based author Sam ‘the trap man’ Gibson is a first timer at the festival, too. His plans include taking a small group of attendees foraging for ingredients that will be used in his Saturdaycooking demonstrations.
“The day is about inspiration and information and having plenty of fun,” Kim says. “These guys are hugely knowledgeable and they’re great entertainers as well.”
Beyond the freezer
Tauranga chef and educator James Broad is a festival newcomer with a particular mission in mind. He wants to show hunters they can look beyond the fridge and freezer to keep their catch and share it with whanau.
James will demonstrate traditional meat preservation techniques using salt and discuss the easiest way to make bacon using pork from a teenaged Whakatāne hunter. The chef is an advocate for minimising food waste and will also demonstrate vegetable fermentation methods.
Plenty of food trucks are on hand to sate appetites and all of them will have at least one wild food offering.
Firm favourites
Longstanding festival favourite Hamuera (Joe) McLeod will return with his latest take on Māori kai.
The celebrated Ngāi Tūhoe chef, who hails from Te Urewera, is hugely respected for his ability to combine Māori traditions and knowledge with contemporary methods and natural ingredients. Last year, the New Zealand Chefs Hall of Fame inductee prepared bush salad using native ferns, palms, seed and vines he had foraged en route to the festival.
Local celebrant, foodie and former community foundation trustee Rosemary Sloman will show visitors how to make a salad using foraged greens and flowers.
Both she and Joe will judge one of the main events of the day, a team-based cooking contest.
Mystery ingredients
The popular mystery box challenge pits teams of three or four people against each other, to concoct a dish using Tio Ōhiwa seafood and produce from Fresh Market. This year’s winners will receive a Polynesian Spa package for four people, and Salt Air Surf School lessons.
Paul Patterson, the new owner of Ōhope’s Wharfside Restaurant, is promising to hunt venison and peacock then cook them over an open fire pit. He will also teach the audience how to prepare kūmara mash and cured venison.
Community and environmental groups will promote kiwi conservation, pest control and related activities. Last year, the Department of Conservation stand dished up goat curry and barbequed crickets, to promote sustainability messages.
Great day out
Kim says the event helps to share knowledge and foster a deep connection between people and the land.
“It’s a wonderful platform for aspiring local cooks and food businesses as well as farmers, artisans, chefs and anyone who wants to make sustainable food choices.
“We work really hard to keep ticket prices down and it’s all very family-friendly, very chill in that garden bar alongside of New Zealand’s best beaches. “So hopefully it’s also just a great day out.”
