"Working there, I had a lot of monotonous food preparation to do, but the good thing is that I've never forgotten how. Boning meat, chickens and fish was part of everyday life, as was cutting and cooking numerous vegetables.
"Making and crumbing 20 kilos of croquette potatoes was so boring and took hours. I had to set myself time challenges to remain interested or throw some in the rubbish bin if no one was watching."
The new show will see five local restaurants battling it out for $100,000 and the bragging rights to say their restaurant rules.
The eateries are from Nelson, Katikati, Lyttleton, Auckland and Waiouru. Each team of two — the chef and front of house manager — will take turns cooking for the four other teams and the judges in the hope of making an impression in the competition and taking home the win.
Fassnidge, who owns two leading restaurantsd across the ditch, said they found some truly great food — but also lots of ego, some jaw-dropping comments and some good rivalries.
"Each restaurant offered something different, depending on where they are, so we went to see if they deliver on what they've promised," he said.
Tabron loved working with such a seasoned professional like Fassnidge and together they travelled across the country to judge the restaurants, all of which were nominated by locals for the competition earlier this year.
The show premieres on September 30. As well as the restaurant talent and promised drama, Spy will be watching the chemistry between Tabron and Fassnidge — we reckon the TV duo could turn Auckland up a notch with a combined eatery.
