Contest to win a cool Frizzell fridge heats up

Artist Dick Frizzell shows off one of the Haier fridges he has decorated for charity. Photo / Supplied

Organisers of the celebrity-driven Cooking 4 Change project have been snowed under with applications from charities to win a cool fridge decorated by leading Kiwi artist Dick Frizzell.

Auckland-based Frizzell - co-founder of the best-selling Cooking 4 Change recipe book - has designed a fun wrap for the Haier multi-door fridge.

On Thursday, a panel including Cooking 4 Change ambassadors Erin Simpson and Colin Mathura-Jeffree, sifted through an amazing 253 nominations from charities and community groups looking to win one of the $3000 appliances.

From a shortlist of 30, the celebrities have chosen five finalists - and now it is up to the public to vote for three of those organisations to receive one of the fridges.

"We have been overwhelmed by the number of charities looking to get involved," TV presenter Simpson told the Herald on Sunday. "Whittling the list down to five deserving organisations was a big task."

The five finalists are: Ruakaka Dog Rescue, Community Kete in Porirua, The Incubator in Tauranga, Bellyful from Christchurch and the Kapiti Women's Centre.

"Some groups were nominated four or five times by various people," Simpson said. "The winners will be able to either use the fridge to keep their food fresh or they can auction or sell it and use the money for something else."

Frizzell was inspired to make a fun shopping list to decorate the appliances with after a chat with his youngest grandchild.

I initially thought I would be doing a little beer fridge... but it grew arms and legs.

Dick Frizzell

He said. "But the whole thing grew arms and legs and suddenly I was creating something for a big unit with double doors."

Big Kiwi names such as Sam Neill, Taika Waititi, Valerie Adams and Stan Walker supplied recipes for the Cooking 4 Change book. The celebrities involved enjoyed a recent trip to Thailand and Malaysia to promote it.

Simpson said another two cookbooks are in the pipeline for next year.

"There are plans for a book featuring recipes from a collection of well-known chefs from New Zealand," she said. "We are also doing another celebrity version with all-new people and their mums, who will be revealing their favourite home recipes.

"We planned to get one of the books into the shops this year but the original book is still selling very well and has plenty of legs left in it yet."

To vote for a deserving charity or community group to win a Dick Frizzell fridge, visit Haier.co.nz from today.