With a plate of coconut pavlova in one hand and a glass of bubbly in the other, MasterChef New Zealand 2014 winners Kasey and Karena Bird are completely carefree as they make their way across the golden sand of Maketu’s Newdicks Beach.
Giggling as they try to hold out their homemade pav so the Weekly‘s photographer can snap a picture, they still can’t believe someone wants to take photos of their food, or that anyone’s even interested in what have become their hectic, incredibly exciting lives.
“Yup, this is what we do every day, guys!” Karena yells out to no-one in particular as she proffers her dessert for the camera. “We pose with pavlova on the beach in ball dresses. This is our life now!”
It’s not, of course. But for the down-to-earth, self-deprecating sisters, who won the hearts of the nation when they walked away with the MasterChef title in May, life now involves visits to top restaurants, meeting famous chefs, writing and publishing their own cookbook, and, of course, making incredible, glorious food.
Karena and Kasey (in dark blue) have never missed a Christmas in their hometown.
But one thing that resolutely has not changed for Karena (26) and Kasey (24) is Christmas.
It’s their favourite time of year, a day when the entire extended Bird family gathers at the family homestead overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and eats.
The girls have never missed a Christmas in the tiny Bay of Plenty town, and they certainly don’t intend to now – but they’re a bit miffed they haven’t been given any more responsibilities in the kitchen department.
“We haven’t been promoted at all!” laughs Kasey.
“I’m glad, though,” says Karena. “We all have our jobs. Kasey’s in charge of dessert, and my dad and I always do the butterflied lamb leg… and overcook it. I cook it perfectly every other day of the year, but at Christmas, it’s always over. But I hope I overcook it again – it’ll mean I haven’t changed!”
The holiday season will be a welcome break for the pair, who admit to being exhausted after a challenging six months.
“Our family are massive Christmas fans – it’s a huge deal for us,” affirms Kasey.
“It’s all about family. Without exception, everyone comes back to Maketu, no matter where they are in the world.”
Karena and Kasey will return to Newdicks Beach for their traditional Boxing Day celebrations.
Besides Karena’s annual lamb disaster, there are many traditions the group of around 20 aunties, uncles, cousins and siblings uphold – including the venue, their clifftop family home.
“It’s the one constant we’ve always had,” explains Karena. “We’ve all moved around Maketu and lived in different houses, but that’s the one house we’ve always had. Our grandparents built it years ago, and at one time or another, we’ve all lived there.”
She adds, “Only one person has ever fallen down the cliff, and he was fine. It was after a few beers, I think!”
The day itself starts with Champagne and homemade croissants, followed by gifts.
“Someone always has to buy presents that make everyone else cry,” says Kasey. “We take turns doing it. One year, Mum found our grandma’s handwritten recipe book, and had it scanned and bound for everyone. Another year, we were all given an art print of the famous Maketu fish and chip shop.”
Karena knows what she’s getting Kasey this year – “a voucher for this cookbook I’ve written!” she jokes – but Kasey has no idea what to buy Karena.
“Damn it, now I have to get her something,” she grumbles.
Also, someone is nominated to be Santa, which is the highest honour, Kasey says.
“It’s actually the worst job,” Karena says thoughtfully. “There are a lot of us, and it’s hard to get the present distribution right. People are like, ‘You haven’t given me a present but you’ve given so-and-so two!’ It’s a lot of pressure.”
Birds of a feather: The girls say they’ve found the perfect balance in their new career together.
Following present opening, everyone returns to their own homes to prepare their dishes for the family lunch, and then, finally, the feast begins.
“The menu never changes,” Karena says. “There’s always some sort of seafood – fish and crayfish, whichever the neighbours catch and drop off to us. Mum does her ham, I do the lamb, the aunties do the salads and Kasey does dessert.
“What are you making this year?” she asks her sister.
“I dunno, a pavlova and then maybe some sort of cake?”
“You’re doing two desserts?” Karena asks, shaking her head. “Here we are, banging on about how we haven’t changed, and you’re going all fancy with two desserts!”
After a feast that could feed two armies, the adults take a nap while the kids play with their new toys, and then settle in to watch Christmas movies.
“But I have a feeling this year will be reruns of MasterChef, so the aunties from overseas can see it,” grins Karena.
A Boxing Day picnic at Newdicks Beach follows, with cricket, swimming and plenty of leftovers.
“I’m actually really excited about Boxing Day,” enthuses Kasey. “It’s the first in years I’m not working. I used to work in retail, so it was our busiest day of the year. Last Boxing Day, we had already won the show, but I was still working.”
“She’s standing there folding clothes and thinking, ‘I’ve just won MasterChef, what am I doing?'” laughs Karena.
While they’re still the same girls the country adores, there’s no denying 2014 has completely transformed Kasey and Karena, and not just their careers.
This year has seen the girls’ confidence and self-belief skyrocket.
Along with the fact they wake up every morning “so incredibly happy” that they get to cook for a living, this year has seen the girls’ confidence and self-belief skyrocket, as they navigate their new lives in the public eye.
“It’s such a good feeling, to be exactly who you are and not care if people don’t like it,” says Kasey. “That’s probably been the biggest thing I’ve taken out of this year.” But they admit to one regret along the way.
“We weren’t prepared for what happened after the show,” admits Karena. “We got a bit overwhelmed. We didn’t know how to deal with all the people emailing us, and we’d both reply, or no-one would because we thought the other one did.”
“It was frantic,” nods Kasey. “But now, we’ve figured out how we work together and our different roles. I handle all of our events and appearances, and Karena handled the cookbook, which is due out in April.”
Something else they’ve had to deal with is the fact that eating is now their life – and with that, comes consequences.
Karena even admits she’s had to put herself on a diet.
“When you have meetings, people take you out, and they take you to nice places, which is awesome. So you’re not going to order a salad, are you? You’re not going to learn much from a salad. So you get an entrée, main and dessert!”
When the girls are in a new place, they’ll try as many foods as possible to learn from, but when they get back to Maketu, it’s time to ease off, they say – until Mum makes a roast or they have a hankering for some fish and chips.
“You can’t win!” laughs Kasey, screwing up her nose.
“But that’s what keeps us grounded, coming back to Maketu. One minute, we’re in Auckland at Peter Gordon’s restaurant The Sugar Club, and the next, we’re back here eating a pie. It’s perfect.”
People the length and breadth of the country keep asking when the girls will move on from Maketu – the short answer, they say, is never.
“We’re really lucky to live here,” Karena says. “I love coming back after being away for weeks. Although we have had to take our address out of the phone book, because people keep hunting for our house, which is strange and flattering at the same time.”
As they head home from the beach, hiking up their glamorous dresses over pieces of driftwood, and downing the last of the Champagne, the sisters can’t help but giggle.
“Look at all this cool stuff we get to do! Look at our lives,” laughs Kasey. “The other day, we were at a hotel and they gave us a free bottle of bubbly, which was so nice of them, but we had to be at a photoshoot. I said to Karena, ‘Hurry up and drink your Champagne because we have a shoot in 20 minutes!’
“And I was like, ‘I can’t believe you just said that sentence to me. It’s mental.’ So, really, for us, every day is like Christmas! How lucky are we?”
Karena and Kasey’s Christmas tips:
Don’t use fresh egg whites when making a pavlova. Older egg whites are better, as the pavlova doesn’t weep.
Get everyone involved by getting them to bring their signature dish to Christmas lunch or dinner. It’s fun and takes pressure off the host.
Brown craft paper makes great gift wrap, is inexpensive and can be dressed up with cute bows and ribbons.
Use leftover ham in a quiche – great to whip up for a quick lunch or an easy post-Christmas dinner.
Bake a little something extra, such as cookies. If unexpected guests arrive over the holiday period, you can pack up some of your home baking in cute gift bags as a Christmas treat for them and their family.
Our dad always taught us to use a spreadsheet when buying presents. Write the names of your family members, with your budget for each person every year. It’s also great to see what you’ve bought each Christmas, so you know if you’ve given Martin a shirt three years in a row!
