Ōtautahi Christchurch’s most highly-awarded and recognised chefs descend on High Street this coming Fathers’ Day weekend to reclaim the street for a food festival with a fiery-flavoured twist.
One of Christchurch’s enduring historic and architecturally original streets will host the region’s top chefs at a free-entry food festival on September 2nd. The south-eastern section of High Street in the city’s SALT district will be ‘pedestrianised’ for the day for a Food By Fire event, and with kai on offer from 11am-9pm or until sold out, event organisers are delighted they can provide all-access experiences for Cantabrians that might otherwise be impossible.
“Never has the public been able to witness all these incredible chefs together in one place. Ōtautahi has a burgeoning food scene and we’ve got plenty to shout about so assembling these top-notch creators for one-day-only is super special in itself. Fire On High showcases our fantastic hospitality community here in Ōtautahi, which is so supportive of each other and quite remarkable. Many of these culinary artists’ venues are tiny but mighty and booking tables is difficult, have limited hours or they’re seriously busy; so, the festival is a not-so-exclusive opportunity to experience them all,” says Food By Fire’s Josh Hunter
Smash Palace have recently renovated their indoor area as a warm and dry retreat as well as providing the beer garden for the event, allowing festival goers to bring in their food from any chef and stall.
“We love fires and parties and look forward to welcoming a new crowd to the street. It’s great to see various agencies and local businesses super supportive about closing the street to cars and utilising it for public use in a fresh way. We've been operating on the street for several years now, and it's taken some time for the rebuild to catch up with this part of town, so events like this signal the change, and with the Te Kaha stadium coming too, it will make for a much busier hospo precinct and show the area’s true potential." says Johnny Moore of Smash Palace.
Smash Palace provides liquid refreshment while festival goers can expect everything from a slow-cooked whole hog, Akaroa Salmon, hotdogs, vegan plantation, galbi (Korean short rib) to foraged fare of acorn waffles with BBQ wild boar and apple chimichurri. Fire on High is a great way to explore sights, smells, and tasty creations from 16 of the city's best chefs, alongside pop-ups from some of the surrounding businesses.
The stellar lineup includes the masterminds behind the likes of Butter, Table Bloom, and 5th Street as well as recent Cuisine Awards Two Hat recipients Simon Levy of INATI and Olly le Maite of Black Estate.
Olly le Maite of Waipara's award-winning cellar door Black Estate.What an excellent opportunity to share our creativity and how we cook. For many of us chefs behind the curtain, engaging with the community outside the routine is a fun and refreshing way to do things differently, breathe life into the city, find inspiration and connect
"What an excellent opportunity to share our creativity and how we cook. For many of us chefs behind the curtain, engaging with the community outside the routine is a fun and refreshing way to do things differently, breathe life into the city, find inspiration and connect," says Olly le Maite of Waipara's award-winning cellar door Black Estate.
The first weekend of spring proves the perfect time to reenergise the eastern CBD which rebounded quickly with critical projects like Little High and Box Quarter. Perfect as a Father’s Day activity out and about, make it a weekend for Dad with an incredible array of offerings.
“Ōtautahi Christchurch has exciting projects and activities transforming the city into a great place to live, work and play. Supporting activities like Fire on High, Turn Up The Heat and other Central City initiatives is an incredibly effective way to bring life into the city. This is just one of the ways ChristchurchNZ is working with partners to make great things happen in our central city,” says ChristchurchNZ’s Urban Development General Manager Cath Carter.
