"It's all about bringing gourmet to fast food, and if you choose the best quality ingredients it's possible to share the experience from The Grill to the field," he said.
"I love cooking at high class restaurants, but it's also good to get down and dirty and cook a really good burger which is constructed of the best ingredients."
Mr Gordon, who also heads The Sugar Club in Auckland and two London restaurants, told the Herald he would be serving his Spanish-style tapas to racegoers, including slow-cooked lamb cutlets, cassava chips and churros.
"I am excited for Bellota to be involved," he said. "People always deserve to enjoy good food and Auckland Cup Week has become a real fixture of the summer calendar.
"We're excited to add our real Spanish fare to the party atmosphere."
The addition of the gourmet fare to the events was the latest example of a shift in New Zealand's food culture, said celebrity chef Nadia Lim.
"People like the idea of seeing things a bit more gourmet and more special," she said.
"The food culture that, typically, before you would have had to go to a restaurant to experience because Kiwis are used to cooking meat and three veg, has changed.
"Now there are so many ways people are exposed to learning about these new ways of cooking and types of ingredients."
Enjoying finer food at an event like the races was a good fit, she said.
"When people go to the races they dress up and it's a special event so it makes sense that now they would quite like the food to be special."
Be a Derby Day winner
The Herald is giving away a prize pack for Derby Day at Ellerslie Racecourse on Saturday.
Up for grabs is a Natalie Chan headpiece valued at up to $300, four Fashion Village tickets valued at $236, and a gift pack of Schwarzkopf Professional hair products. Email your name, address and phone number to competitions@nzherald.co.nz to enter. The winner must collect their prize from 46 Albert St, Auckland before 5pm on Friday.
