Robert Oliver Wins Cookbook Of The Year

10th Mar 2011

New Zealand-born chef Robert Oliver won the title of Best Cookbook last week in Paris. His book Me'a Kai features the cuisine of six South Pacific island nations, Tonga, Tahiti, Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu, and Cook Islands. Oliver's win also marks the first time a New Zealand chef has taken the top spot at the awards. Oliver said: "People didn't realize how good their own food was. So, I wrote a book to change all that. I wanted to excite local chefs with their own ingredients. The project became a whole lot more." Oliver is hoping to replicate the recipe of his success from St. Lucia, where he helped wean the island off imported goods from 70 percent down to 20 percent and generate $2 million for the local economy. His next big project is to wean the resort island of Samoa off imported ingredients. He's already secured the commitment of 17 resorts, which represents half the island nation's economy. He said: "I want this book to help the Pacific Islands rediscover their own culture and use that as a platform for their own economic sustainability,".

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