Cook Off Ambassador

Mike Van de Elzen

A Cook Off favourite, Mike is returning and this year we have bestowed on him the new role of Cook Off Ambassador. 

Mike is a world renowned chef having cooked in high end restaurants in London, Ireland and in Aotearoa New Zealand including Bluebird, Bank & Molten. 

For the past ten years, Mike and his wife have grown and reared their own food to provide for their cooking school in Muriwai ‘Good from Scratch’. 

Mike can also be seen on his top rating TV show ‘Eat Well for Less’.

Stefania Palermo

Stefania Palermo has been working in hospitality for over 20 years, and has brought her passion for food from Sardinia, Italy to Auckland, via top restaurants in Europe, London and Melbourne.    In Auckland she has worked at Amano, Spiga and Onslow.

Stefania is currently the head chef at Kingi restaurant, where they showcase locally sourced and sustainably caught seafood.  You will see some of her culinary heritage on the Kingi menu.

Des Harris

Des Harris is widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s most prominent and personable chefs who has a stellar 34 year career in the hospitality industry.

He began his career in Wellington at Logan Brown Restaurant under Al Brown, then went on to lead kitchens in some of the top restaurants including the Martinborough Hotel, Clooney Restaurant and Tantalus Estate.  

Des currently works as a consultant and events caterer.  He also specialises in offering personal dining experiences, bringing great food to clients' homes for a more relaxed and intimate setting.

See more about Des here.