Facing the judges – and their fellow contestants – in the My Kitchen Rules New Zealand instant restaurant rounds was hard enough.
But now, as we move into the Kitchen HQ phase of the competition, the pairs are about to encounter the ultimate challenge – the tasting panel. Comprised of four of New Zealand’s top chefs, MasterChef New Zealand winner Nadia Lim, MasterChef US contestant Grace Ramirez, international award-winning chef Robert Oliver and restaurateur Sean Connolly, the MKR contestants face blind-taste tests to see if their food stacks up to the panel’s high standards. The Weekly sat down to put their impeccable taste to the test.
An obvious question, but what are your favourite foods?
Grace: Peruvian seafood –chupe de camarones (shrimp chowder), choros a la chalaca (steamed mussels with salsa), ceviche de pescado (Latin-American marinated raw fish) – my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Nadia: One of my favourite dishes is kokoda (marinated raw fish with lime, chillies, coriander and coconut). It reminds me of summer beach holidays and fishing.
Robert: My mother’s lamb curry. It’s what I was brought up on, so that’s comforting to me.
Sean: Roast chicken, every day. I don’t think there is anything better than eating off the bone – the moisture, the texture!
MasterChef New Zealand winner Nadia Lim and MasterChef US contestant Grace Ramirez.
What’s on-trend in food?
Grace: Latin food and flavours and it’s so exciting to see the world finally craving them.
Nadia: Raw food, vegan food, nose-to-tail eating, ethnic cuisines such as South Indian, South American and Korean.
Sean: Food has become more approachable now. I think it doesn’t have to be a high-end special night [to cook something special], it’s something you can do on a weekly or daily basis.
Is there a meal or dish you’d hate to have served to you during MKR?
Grace: I thought I liked everything until we got served lamb that was so rare it looked alive. That was inedible.
Nadia: Tripe or brains. I can still remember the awful smell of tripe boiling away in a pot when I was a kid, and it has put me off for life!
Robert: There’s nothing I hate, but there are some things I don’t like, which is funny because my whole background is filled with fermented sea cucumber guts and sea water. But the thing I can’t stand is really ordinary – cooked carrots! They make me gag.
Sean: I don’t like stewed fruit – my mum used to give me rhubarb and gooseberries – but I eat it on the show out of respect to the contestants.
Describe yourself as a pantry a pantry staple or staples.
Grace: Lime, coriander, chilli and sea salt.
Nadia: Lemon grass.
Robert: Fresh bay leaf.
Sean: Star anise.
Celebrity chef selfie time with Nadia, Robert, Grace and Sean.
Describe your fellow tasting panel judges in three words.
Grace: Professional, passionate and awesome, amazing human beings. Oh, wait! That was six words…
Nadia: Fun, talented and always hungry!
Robert: Outrageous, which I don’t think people will see on camera, passionate and knowledgeable. We have a lot of fun together.
Sean: Gentle, kind and funny.
What’s your favourite item of clothing?
Grace: My Christian Louboutin shoes go well with everything. Just owning them feels like a dream and so grown up.
Nadia: My turquoise merino and possum woolly scarf. It’s soft, warm and in my favourite colour.
Robert: I like to wear Mandarin shirts with Nehru collars.
Sean: Chef’s jackets and woolly jumpers for winter.
What’s the worst outfit you’ve ever worn?
Grace: Let’s just say I’m not a princess/fairy dress kind of girl.
Nadia: One of the most uncomfortable items of clothing I’ve ever worn was a lacy dress for a photo shoot. It was made for someone with absolutely no hips and a bra size about three times the size of mine. I had to sit in the most awkward poses wearing it and almost put my back out!
Robert: I actually hate white chef’s jackets. I never wear them. No-one’s ever seen me in one – I look terrible.
What would you bring to a dinner party?
Grace: I like to bring fresh lime juice, chilli, salt, triple sec and tequila. I’m the girl who loves to make margaritas – I don’t get involved in the kitchen because I want the host to shine. I just make the party a bit more fun.
Robert: Flowers or a pot plant.
Sean: I’m a wine kind of guy, especially Champagne.
What’s your pet peeve?
Grace: Racism.
Nadia: I can’t stand having long or polished nails – it just doesn’t feel right in the kitchen, so I cut them every few days until they’re short and stumpy.
Robert: Going to the gym.
Sean: Bad service.
What’s the best quality a person could have?
Grace: I think a good and honest heart.
Nadia: Being able to see the bigger picture. Don’t sweat the small stuff because in the end, family, friends and being at peace with what you have is the key to a good life.
Sean: Generosity.
Robert: Kindness.
