Ōra King at
StarChefs Congress
2019
Its 10am on October 27, 2019. Sales Manager David Smith is laying out the last few brochures at the Ōra King booth at the annual Star Chefs Congress, a meeting of top chefs from across the country.
Behind him, Chef Jeremy Hansen is unpacking his prepped ingredients for the first round samples that will be offered out – tiny individual bamboo trays of Ōra King salmon with wild persimmons, smoked chestnuts and yuzu. In a few minutes the doors will open to the Brooklyn Expo Center and over the following 4 days 1,800 chefs, caterers, food writers and media will pass through.
Eight chefs will include Ōra King in samples, workshops and cooking demonstrations. Over in the Workshop area Chef Diego Oka will be showcasing Ōra King in his Next Gen Peruvian session – a salmon tartare with salsa huancaina and beet causa that is colourful and visually stunning on a molded clear glass plate. In another session, chefs learn to slay a rotating menu, paired with a selection of Chilean wines. Included is an unusual but much-Instagrammed ensemble features garlic ice cream, Ōra King salmon and charcoal oil.
It’s an exhausting but thrilling three days jam-packed with food, wine and food dialogue.
While the Chefs Congress gives us a chance to showcase Ōra King to a wide ranging audience of people who may never have experienced the unique farmed salmon before, it is also a chance for peers to meet, industry professionals to share ideas and discuss food trends, techniques, industry challenges and most importantly, for people to get reinvigorated and return to their kitchens with a revitalized vision of what could be.