A taste of New Zealand in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - Cebuanos can now have a taste of New Zealand with the holding of the "Experience New Zealand" festival. The event, which kicked off with a press launch last February 15 and will run until February 20 at the Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu, showcases the best of New Zealand food and beverage, as well as what's in store for visitors to New Zealand.

New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines Andrew Matheson opened the festival along with Alan Koziarski, Regional Director of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and Radisson Blu General Manager Grant Gaskin, who is also from New Zealand.

The group Nga Hau e Wha, which means Four Winds, opened the launch with a sampling of a Maori cultural presentation.

"We are promoting New Zealand because we have a good story to tell about food and beverage and New Zealand is a beautiful place to visit," said Ambassador Matheson.

Among the world class products that New Zealanders are very proud of are their dairy products, meat (lamb and beef), fruits and vegetables, and their wines, which, according to Gaskin, have a distinct taste.

Koziarski shared that New Zealand food is pure, clean, safe, tasty and sustainably produced. "People want to be sure that the food they eat is safe and clean and New Zealand has made sure we meet these standards through traceability certificates. This is mainly because we export 80 percent of the food we have and we want to meet the standards of the countries where we export our products," he said, adding that with traceability certificates, you will know, for example, where a particular slice of lamb or beef came from and the approximate time when the sheep or the cow was born.

One of the activities for the festival is a cooking demonstration for local chefs on how to prepare New Zealand dishes with no less than celebrity chef Simon Gault of Masterchef New Zealand. Chef Gault worked together with Radisson Blu's own Chef Ofir Yudilevich to create the menu for the festival, as well as the delectable food presented to the media during the launch.

You, too, can experience New Zealand at Radisson Blu's Feria, which will feature a week-long buffet set-up with New Zealand inspired menu, using ingredients that have been flown in from New Zealand. Wine connoisseurs can also sample the world-renowned New Zealand wine at the Radisson's The Lobby. (FREEMAN)