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Kerry Tyack looks nicely relaxed as he enjoys dinner on a Friday night and a pint at the Angus Rd Eatery, Mystery Creek. You wouldn’t believe he was the chief judge of Monteith’s Wild Food Challenge. He carefully examines the food before he eats it. He tucks into rabbit and hare bacon from the pork cheek, baby leeks and carrot purée, methodically tasting the main ingredients one by one, then combining them on his fork, eating them alongside the beer match the Monteith’s Barrel Aged Porter. Tyack claims the beer was served at the correct temperature of 8 degrees Celsius. But, it is not cold enough to be able to taste the flavour. The beer is thought to be quite good. While there are sweet components, the beer’s bitterness is able to cut through the sweetness. Since its beginning, Tyack has managed the Monteith’s Wild Food Challenge. This competition pairs 17 year-old beer with food. The competition attracted an impressive 123 entries from across the nation. The competition is now reduced to 12 finalists including Hamilton’s Angus Rd Eatery and 4 burner gas grills Victoria Street Bistro. As relaxed as he might appear at the moment, Tyack is fully aware of the fact that he’s working. Alan Brown, a professional chef at Auckland University of Technology, will judge Tyack’s competition during the finals. A team of experts used score sheets and guidelines to judge the first round. Each dish was awarded 100 percent . Judges were asked to explain the reasons for deducting points. Finals are open to all, Tyack and Brown know this, which is why judges need to justify their decision to deduct points. Today, the team has examined lunch at Plateau Restaurant in Taupo, then driven towards Angus Rd, on the outskirts of Hamilton. It’s a very early start with the hare and rabbit. The sous-vide wild-meat fillet is then followed by the Victoria Street Bistro’s menu with celeriac cream and sea chicory and Monteith’s Double Hopped IPA. Tyack isn’t likely to eat everything on his plates however he’ll have an idea of the quality of each of the Hamilton finalists. He’ll have completed seven assignments before he returns home to Auckland. Tyack has created a brand new standard for the assignments he’s evaluated so far. Tonight’s dishes will either beat or surpass that benchmark. The benchmark is very high. There are two dishes that are very similar to, or better than the others. This contest is all about the food and beer match. After that, Tyack and Brown are looking at whether all the elements promised on the menu actually happen, the technical competency of the cooking and serving temperature of the food and the beverage as well as the presentation and nature of the dish and also the innovation behind the dish. Its food-friendly is another key factor. He asks himself basic questions, such as are the ingredients available Are the ingredients in equilibrium or out of balance? Sometimes it is because there are too many ingredients and it is not enough to bring the whole thing together. The puree of carrots at Angus Rd does this, and the celeriac cream available at VSB. Tyack is an ex- Waikato boy born in Te Awamutu, has lived in Morrinsville and Thames who was taught cooking as a child. He has extensive experience in food assessment. A food writer, critic and hospitality journalist, and long involved in the Monteith’s Challenge as well as the chief judge for other competitions in the restaurant industry like the Cuisine NZ Good Food Awards, Silver Fern Farms Premier Selection Awards, and Cafe of the Year. In 2017, he ate out 171 times, mostly as a result of duty, covering everything from high-end dining establishments to rural cafes that specialize in baking at home. While a university student, he would work shifts in cafes and bars. He was the first judge of the Cervena plates contest in the 1990s. It took him a while to learn to trust his taste buds. One of the most important qualifications for being a food judge is clearly to enjoy food and be competent at cooking yourself. Tyack enjoys the simplicity of his kitchen, and often tries to recreate the taste of a restaurant. Tyack talks with Brown throughout the evening’s judging. They love the use of rabbits and hares in the restaurant at Angus Rd. They also appreciate the quality of the food, well-chosen vegetables, as well as the visual appeal. They love the bitterness of Double Hopped IPA which Victoria Street Bistro serves. Many chefs attempt to offset the bitterness by neutralizing it. They haven’t done this at VSB. It’s smart and well judged, as is the chef’s imaginative tasty and flavorful version of surf-and- turf. The flaws in both restaurants are discussed in a closed-door discussion. What is Hamilton’s Hamilton dish compare with the judges’ criteria so far? Tyack smiles and tells us, «I’m going to not give you the answer.»