A café near Rotorua has reigned supreme for the second time in three years after taking home the crown for the Great NZ Toastie Takeover 2024.
Okere Falls Store, Cafe & Craft Beer Garden head chef Rich Johns beat 169 other entries from across the country with his toastie 'Figgy in the Middle'.
The toasted sandwich featured an innovative combination of dill pickle cheesecake whip, Swiss cheese, sliced figs, Vandy's streaky bacon, toasted walnuts, rocket, McClure's pickles, blue cheese, and generous lashings of chilli honey — all sandwiched between spelt sourdough from local bakers Pantry D'or and topped with copious amounts of grated parmesan.
The 30-strong team of judges described the winning entry as "a generous portion of creatively concocted deliciousness" and a "one-way ticket to taste-ville".
"There were a lot of flavours and textures at play here, but they popped and pulled together to create a sensational eat," head judge Kerry Tyack said.
"The ingredients worked harmoniously, the subtle cooking of the bacon key as it remained the hero with the cheeses in support. The chilli honey was used judiciously and the rocket provided the freshness to keep the toastie lifted and interesting until the end.
"But it was the inclusion of the figs that was the real kicker, elevating the toastie into the gourmet category and a conversation point worthy of a multi-time competition entrant and former winner."
Tyack said Johns' creation "has not only surpassed himself but has elevated and transformed the humble toasted sandwich into something wonderous, full of exotic flavours and tempting textures".
"We applaud the work of Rich and the team at Okere Falls Store who have given us such a generous portion of creatively concocted deliciousness."
It's the former wedding photographer's second win of the hotly contested title, and the third year in a row the Rikki Berger trophy's called the Bay of Plenty home. Last year's trophy was taken home by chef Brooke Moore at Mount Maunganui's Freeport with Cleaver & Co.
Johns, who has no formal qualifications as a chef, was inspired by his son on a family holiday to Italy for his creation.
"My son, who had only really eaten one kind of cheese, took to all the cheeses and cheese boards that we were eating — fresh, aged, blue cheese, you name it. And I thought if he likes all these flavours, then our customers — and the judges — might too."
The idea, he said, was to "create a cheeseboard in a toastie".
"Starting with the pickle cheesecake mix which had a lot of savoury elements going on, we added in a bit of fruit (the figs), cheese (crumbled blue cheese, Swiss cheese, parmesan), the honey, the pickles. The bacon was added at the last minute as we wondered if we might alienate customers who loved our previous two entries which were both brisket."
Johns described his win as "humbling" and "mind-blowing".
"It hasn't really sunken in yet, but it's great to know that people are loving what we do and that what we are doing is working."
The chef said the café has sold more than 1000 'Figgy in the Middle' toasties so far, and he expects that number will surge once word of the win gets out.
"It sounds crazy but we sold more than 10,000 toasties last time we won [in 2022]. We still get people asking for it, even now."
While 'Figgy in the Middle' won the judges' hearts, another Rotorua store also received top marks, with Caper's Café & Store taking home the People's Choice Award for their 'Brotha 'Mmmm' toastie.
The toasted sandwich featured a clever combination of hoisin glazed pork belly with sweet chilli and garlic; McClure's Sweet & Spicy Pickles; crispy fried shallots; mozzarella; tasty cheese; spring onion, red onion, and miso mayonnaise on garlic buttered Turkish sesame bread.
Tyack praised the quality of this year's entries, saying the judges were "mightily impressed with the imagination, the skill and, in some cases, the bravery of the cooks and chefs who entered this year".
"Not everything worked but every single one of them deserved to be tried and enjoyed. There is still room to do better particularly with bread choices and getting the layering just right. But by crikey, we can't wait to see what magical spells our toastie wizards come up with next year."
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