Robert was the
star of the television show Real Pasifik, made by Zoomslide Productions, which screened
in New Zealand during 2013.
He has
subsequently published Mea’ai Samoa: Recipes and Stories From the
Heart of Polynesia.. Both books were published by Random House New Zealand and are
universally regarded as showcases for Pacific regional cuisine, for sustainable
tourism, and for the important role of local growers in island economies.
‘We are so
proud to be Robert’s publisher,’ says Random House New Zealand publishing
director Nicola Legat. ‘Robert is on a mission to lift the profile of locally
grown food in the Pacific and Me’a Kai made a major statement about that.
Zoomslide made an amazing job of taking the message of the book and turning it
into powerful television that set an agenda. We are delighted for them and for
Robert that this has been acknowledged in the Gourmand award.’
The five chefs
in this category included the famous Australian chef Peter Kuravita and Oprah
Winfrey’s chef Art Smith, as well as New Zealander Nadia Lim. Her two successful cookbooks have also been published by Random
House. ‘We are just delighted that Nadia came runner-up to Robert,’ says Nicola
Legat. ‘ Nadia also has a mission—to show us that healthy nutritious food can
also be delicious and fun to cook.’
Both Robert and
Nadia were present in Beijing to accept their awards.
Footnote:
- from Nadia Lim's Facebook page this great photo:
In Beijing for the 'Best in the World' Gourmand cookbook awards with cookbook legends Robert Oliver and Julie Biuso, who both came first in their categories (congratulations!), and I came second. Go us Kiwi's!
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