Natasha and Adrienne Whitewood are hosting a Maori food and fashion fusion event.
Two Rotorua sisters are fusing together their talents to help people celebrate on Mother's Day.
Sisters Natasha Whitewood, who was a My Kitchen Rules New Zealand - Season Three contestant and Adrienne Whitewood, one of New Zealand's top fashion designers and chief executive of Ahu Boutique, wanted to do something to honour and celebrate mothers.
"It's about fusing my passion of food with my sister's passion of fashion and incorporating Ahu Boutique as well," Natasha said.
"We're just two sisters brought up in Rotorua who have come together. We both have reputations in our field and we're both very passionate about local business, it's pretty exciting."
The pair came up with the idea of a degustation menu which incorporates both of their talents.
The 24 tickets sold out in under an hour, with some people coming from Taupō and Hamilton for the event.
"I guess, especially when you're passionate about something you don't know whether or not other people are going to be interested in it," Natasha said.
"Our biggest critic is always ourselves, and it's a vulnerable space to put ourselves into."
When the guests arrive on Sunday their own mum will be among them, but she won't be sitting down for dinner.
Natasha, (left), and Adrienne Whitewood are hosting a Maori food and fashion fusion event this Mother's Day. Photo/Ben Fraser
"We wanted her to just sit there and enjoy it, but because she's my mother she actually wanted to help," Natasha said.
"We've got a really strong foundation with whānau."
Natasha is in charge of the food and she said some of the dishes could come across as plain but it was her twist on them that made it different.
"The dishes are inspired by Māori culture, family favourites, travel and friends, fusing them all, with a twist.
"These are dishes I remember since I was a kid."
One of the dishes will be a fish head soup.
"My nan taught me how to cook and my sister how to sew, she's like another mother to us.
"She used to have her old school cooker and a big metal pot that she'd cook her fish head soup in, she would slurp the eyeballs out. We use to think that was gross as kids."
For her interpretation Natasha isn't actually cooking eyeballs, just a herb fish ball.
"The dish is inspired heavily by my nan, my culture and a recent trip to Thailand."
Adrienne will be the fashion portion of the evening and she said her sister had been inspired by the prints in Ahu Boutique and was incorporating that into her food.
The sisters usually work together in the store where Natasha is the business manager.
"I'm happy to support Tash, she's just up and coming and any way I can support her I will."
Adrienne said she wasn't surprised the tickets had sold out so quickly.
"People are after experiences and this one's a little bit different, there hasn't been anything like this here."
