Nicholas James Kearney 2013 – 2017

Nic was raised in Oamaru and Dunedin and was inspired to cook from a young age by his Mum and his Nana a Home Economics Teacher. This inspiration grew into a passion and eventually became his career path.

Nic’s family moved from Oamaru where he had spent his early years to Dunedin. He was a successful student at King’s High School – in his final year he achieved a Merit Award in English and Business Studies. On leaving King’s he planned to go to university but he decided to take a year out and earn some money. He got a job in the bakery at a local supermarket and then at the end of the year got a job at St Clair restaurant, Salt, washing dishes. He enjoyed working so much in these jobs that he took a Chef’s Course at the Otago Polytechnic. He got accepted to the Level 4 Cooking Course first, so he took that as a sign and enrolled. A job as a Commis Chef at Salt followed. After a year and a half at Salt, Nic moved on to a Chef de partie position at Titi, a five-course degustation restaurant in Dunedin. Here he learnt classical French cookery techniques. Nic credits Hannes Bareiter and his Sous Chef Nico Parry for really igniting his love of cooking and especially the art of fine dining.

After two years at Titi, the need to keep challenging himself saw him move from Dunedin to Auckland and take up a new opportunity to work at Onslow by Josh Emett. He saw this as a great opportunity to work and soak up as much as he could from Head Chef Glen File and Josh Emett. The past 10 months has been quite a journey for Nic, who started out in the larder section preparing salads and cold fish courses and has since moved into the pastry section due to his experience at Titi.

He has been amazed by the experiences he has had catering functions for premium consumer brands such as Prada and Aston Martin as well as then Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.

When a fellow chef suggested he enter the Beef and Lamb Young Ambassador Chef competition—which aims to provide an opportunity for young chefs to showcase their talents, elevate their profiles in the industry and inspire excellence in their kitchens—he thought back to watching the previous competition. The competition requires young chefs to submit their best main-course beef and lamb dishes, using both prime and secondary cuts of beef and lamb.

Nic made the finals along with two other chefs and was invited to Peter Gordon’s Homeland in Auckland for a live cook-off. With 90 minutes on the clock, the chefs had to cook their two dishes. He selected to cook stuffed lamb saddle with kawakawa, parsnip and lamb neck beignet, and steak and mushroom pie with sirloin and bone marrow butter.

The lamb dish was inspired by his Nana’s Sunday roast and included a nod to his new home in its use of kawakawa, an ingredient he had heard of but had never seen grow until he moved to Auckland. The beef was inspired by Kiwis, especially those in Otago and Southland, the love of a good pie and his experience making them at his first job in the bakery at New World.

His time at Titi secured him a sponsor in Greenstone Creek for his beef and he trimmed the fat and sinew from both meats in front of the judges during the cook.

Judging the competition were four senior Ambassador Chefs; MacLean Fraser, a competition judge said “What left a lasting impression on the judging panel was how well Nic showcased his exceptional culinary skills. From the way he handled the beef and lamb products he chose to work with—right through to his methodical approach in executing his dishes with a keen eye for detail. And of course, both his dishes were absolutely delicious."

The judges were unanimous in their decision to pick Nic as the winner.