"Hawke's Bay is really getting itself on the map as a food destination."
This came yesterday from Bistronomy chef James Beck, who was reacting after scooping the Best New Regional Restaurant award - complementing another gong won by fellow Napier chef Jeremy Rameka of Pacifica, who claimed the Best Regional Restaurant crown.
The dual wins in the Cuisine New Zealand Good Food Awards are significant.
When I first rejoined the province 13 years ago the boast used by most chefs during interviews was "we use only seasonal produce". A dollar for every time a chef sent that cliche my way. It was as if that was enough. The implication was if you shopped at the Farmers' Market you could cook-up wonders.
There's been a distinct shift in these cooking quarters. Namely, rather than being a region known just for raw ingredients (and rightly so), we've evolved to give equal attention to rendering the famed ingredients into something special.