The dish: Golden glow for olive-oil producers

Te Arai Olive Estate blew'em away in LA.

More awards, this time for our olive-oil producers. Mangawhai's Te Arai Olive Estate won four gold awards at the Los Angeles County Fair, including best in show for an international medium intensity oil and New Zealand best in class.

Other winners were Wairarapa's Ruakokoputuna and Marlborough's Serendipity (two golds each), Nelson's Oriwa, Mahana and Moutere Grove (one gold each) and Waiheke's Kennedy Point (one silver).

World-class effort

Luciano Marcolino is among the world's best coffee-makers. The Christchurch barista was seventh in the World Barista Champions, held in Switzerland last week. Marcolino, and the 38 other competitors, had to create four espressos, cappuccinos and signature beverages in 15 minutes. They were judged on all aspects of coffee-making including set-up, efficiency, aromatic profile and technique.

Last year, Marcolino was National Barista of the Year in New Zealand. The search to find this year's best barista begins next month with regional competitions in Auckland, Napier, Wellington and Christchurch. from June to August. The winner will represent New Zealand at the world championships in Tokyo next year.

Best in show

Peter Gordon and Donna Hay are among the lineup of celebrity chefs appearing at the Auckland Food Show. They will give cooking demonstrations at the four-day event from August 4 to 6. Annabel Langbein, Ray McVinnie and Ruth Pretty are will be among the local chefs.

Cup of cocktails

Soccer, rugby and netball are often the first things that come to mind when you think World Cup. But now it's the turn of bartenders. Forty-two bartenders representing 18 countries will line up for the 42 Below Cocktail World Cup in Queenstown in September, making their magic cocktail mixes on an ice bar.

During the seven-day event the bartenders will also make cocktails while bungy jumping, dangling out of a helicopter and shooting down the Shotover River in a jetboat.

The final at Earnslaw Park on September 16 is open to the public. Six places in the event are reserved for New Zealand bartenders to take on the best from Asia, America and Europe.

"I'm looking for a front six as formidable as the ABs for this year's event," says 42 Below's Geoff Ross.