Two Small Fish, Tay Street Beach Café and Mount Bistro outshone some very strong competition to take honours in the Food Bay of Plenty ‘Plenty of Flavour' culinary contest.
The results for the inaugural event were announced Monday night at an awards ceremony held at Creative Tauranga, attended by over 80 of the Bay's top restaurateurs and local food and beverage producers.

'Plenty of Flavour' ambassador Peter Blakeway.

Competition ambassador and Deli on Devonport owner Peter Blakeway says people want to know where their food is coming from, and this competition has raised the profile of the quality food and beverages produced in the Bay.
'We are lucky enough to have some amazing restaurants and world class chefs here as well.
'Their contribution to the local economy cannot be underestimated, as well as confirming the Bay's excellent reputation for providing a variety of unique dining experiences using fresh produce,” says Peter.
He says the competition has stimulated the enthusiasm of all involved in the local food and beverage industry and developed some inspired collaborations between the restaurants and producers.
'The response from the community has also been fantastic, with people in restaurants across the region keen to sample the competition dish,” says Peter.
The ‘Plenty of Flavour' competition ran for six weeks during September and October.
Twelve of the Bay's best known restaurants created dishes inspired by local ingredients to highlight the capability that exists in the food and beverage sector.
Three categories were judged in the competition and included fine dining meals over $25 and casual dining meals under $25, which were both judged by an independent and anonymous judging panel.
The consumer's choice category was run in association with MoreFM, whereby members of the public voted via text for their favourite local dish.
Two Small Fish won the Fine Dining category, Tay Street Beach Café won the Casual Dining category and the Consumer's Choice category went to Mount Bistro.
Visit www.plentyflavour.co.nz for more information.