Whipping Up The Best Show Yet - HospitalityNZ Signs Another International Headline Act

HospitalityNZ is set to sizzle with the latest announcement that another renowned international industry expert, Lawrence Nadeau, will be bringing his expertise to THE event on the 2009 hospitality calendar.

Lawrence Nadeau, Maître d’ of The French Laundry will be joining his distinguished colleague, pastry chef Claire Clark, down under for HospitalityNZ which runs from 23rd – 25th August at Auckland’s ASB Showground’s.

Nadeau has been working alongside Thomas Keller at The French Laundry for 15 years and has helped set the impeccable standards the restaurant is recognised for. With over 25 years in restaurant service, Lawrence will be sharing his expertise and some of the secrets behind his success with those lucky enough to attend the Telecom Masterclasses.

Irene Smith, organiser of HospitalityNZ is thrilled with the stellar line up for the show.

“It is a great honour to have Claire attending and to now have Lawrence joining is a real coup - you can imagine the buzz this year’s event is generating!” she says.

“It’s a great chance for our industry to learn from the best and improve on the already high calibre of service found in New Zealand restaurants” Smith continued.

Industry insiders will also have the chance to experience first hand, Claire’s amazing desserts as organisers have just confirmed that she will be creating her renowned fare at the glamorous, annual ‘Feast by Famous Chefs’ awards evening.

Helen Emler, Events and Sponsorship Manager for the Restaurant Association of New Zealand said, “To be able to put on a dinner for 400 guests with someone of Claire’s calibre is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and we are delighted to announce Claire’s involvement with Feast,” She says.

“With everyone’s favourite dancing judge, Alison Leonard MC’ing for the evening, entrees being provided by Geoff Scott, and Giann Ordonio, and Chef of the Year, Ken O’Connell creating the main dish, food lovers will have to be in fast if they want to attend,” Helen adds.

Tickets for Feast are available from the Restaurant Association of New Zealand for NZ$180 including GST.

Building on the success of last years event, HospitalityNZ 2009 will showcase the crème de la crème of the hospitality industry, with five great events all in the one show.

“Every year we aim to extend and enhance the show to ensure visitors really do leave the event satisfied and inspired and we have just confirmed a new feature to HospitalityNZ called the ‘Fish and Game Kitchen’,” says Smith.

In partnership with New Zealand Fish and Game, HospitalityNZ’s newest feature is aimed at promoting the use of game and game birds in restaurants.

“The Fish and Game kitchen aims to educate and encourage chefs to be more adventurous with their menus. Professionals will be demonstrating not only how to cook birds like pheasant, duck and even pukeko, but also how to produce the best out of gaming meats” explains Smith.

HospitalityNZ has been running for 13 years in conjunction with the Restaurant Association. During this time the organisers have established a thorough understanding of what the hospitality trade want and are constantly trying to exceed their expectations. The line up for 2009 is just another example of this.

HospitalityNZ encompasses five main events over the course of three days including:

• Foodservice (previously known as The Hospitality Show) is the industry’s premier trade show which showcases everything restaurant and café owners, caterers and other foodservice providers need to know. This provides a great opportunity for customers and suppliers to liaise and keep up with what’s happening in the industry.

• Wine (previously known as Wine New Zealand) draws in the top winemakers and those in the Wine industry, and will this year move to showcase not only the top wines from all over New Zealand, but will also include the finest international wines.

• Telecom Masterclasses (previously known as the Telecom Seminars) including three Masterclasses by Claire Clark, and three with Lawrence Nadeau will take place over the 3 days of the show. Industry insiders and experts will give a selection of topical seminars that will appeal to all those in the industry.

• Coffee & Beverage deals with all aspects of the trade. From packaging to training, this event will cover all aspects of coffee, liquor, and liquid beverages. With a range of exhibitors, demonstrations and workshops, there is never a dull moment during this event.

• The Culinary Fare is probably the most popular event during HospitalityNZ where there are over 65 competitions that revolve around key skills involved in the hospitality industry. These competitions are open to the public where the country’s best chefs, waiters, baristas, sommeliers and restaurants battle it out to win national titles and acclaim.

HospitalityNZ will be held from the 23rd -25th August at the ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Auckland.

For further information about session times, ticket bookings and to register for Hospitality NZ go to www.hospitalitynz.co.nz

Dates: 23rd – 25th August 2009
Time: 10.00am to 5.00pm Sunday,
11.00am – 5.00pm Monday
10.00am – 5.00pm Tuesday
Place: ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Auckland
Cost: Foodservice – Trade Only – Proof of your trade identity may be required. Entry is free if you pre register on www.hospitalitynz.co.nz. Alternatively entry is NZ$20 at the door on the day. Children under 16 years of age will not be permitted at the Hospitality Show.

Wine entry NZ$20 per day Trade Only

Culinary Fare entry is free it is a public event