Updated: Will Johnston has taken out The Spatula competition held at Noel Leeming this afternoon.
He scored 46 while his contender, celebrity chef Peter Blakeway scored 36.
The competition will be back next Saturday for the final.
Earlier: Half an hour is all Will Johnston and Peter Blakeway will have to take out Noel Leeming's sponsored cooking contest The Spatula.
The competition kicked off at midday with the two local celebrities going head to head.
The pair will be given half an hour to cook a meal each using the same stove top.
Radio host Will Johnston, from The Hits Bay of Plenty, plans on being simplistic with his meal while local chef Peter Blakeway's dish includes using several pots cooking at the same time.
Mr Johnston's box of mystery ingredients included pork mince, udon noodles, cashews, canned tomatoes, basil and coriander and he plans to make pork meat balls.
"How hard can that be?" he said from the cooking floor.
Mr Johnston said now he was on site of the cooking competition he was 10 per cent more nervous than he was when he left home this morning.
"Which was zero per cent, I realised the pressure is more on Pete than me. He is a professional chef and I am not. So for some reason and I perform well and put the pressure on and make some good food he's really going to have to lift his game. If I am wrong and I am rubbish that is what people are expecting anyway."
Mr Johnston said he had a couple of different goes in his kitchen at home whipping up some new dishes.
"I've got a bit of an inkling of the kind of things we might get. So I guess try and play around with some different combos of veges and meat."
Local celebrity chef Peter Blakeway's box of mystery ingredients included a whole chicken, white beans, truffle oil, white wine and pickled walnuts.
He said was going to try and master chicken boudin, a stuffed chicken breast, and truffled white bean puree in the half hour competition.
Before the competition Mr Blakeway said he was excited but a little nervous.
"Taking on Will at the cooking is ok. Taking on Will as a mouth piece a bit different. Sharing the stove will be exciting."
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