Award winning professional chef, Peter Blakeway, has almost twenty years’ experience in the hospitality industry, ten years spent running the Good Hotel Guide’s Hotel of the Year, Kilcamb Lodge, in the Scottish Highlands.  It was here that Peter was also awarded Two AA Rosettes for fine cuisine and the AA Courtesy & Care Award for high levels of customer care both in 1993 and 2000 – the only hotel in the UK to be given this award twice!  Peter was also runner-up for the prestigious Restaurant of the Year Award twice.

Peter has gained experience at the five-star Claridges Hotel in London, as well as Michelin-starred Gidleigh Park in Devon and Michelin-starred Airds Hotel, Port Appin, Scotland, with a stint in the USA at the five-star, 1000 room Boca Raton Resort & Club.

Peter and Anne emigrated from the UK to New Zealand with their young family in 2004 and opened the Deli on Devonport in May 2005.  Peter is enjoying the challenge of combining new ingredients with traditional European-influenced dishes.  A love of travel and desire to experience new cultures can also be found in Peter’s cooking, creating an eclectic mix of recipes and menus. The next logical step was the development of the Plenti Cookschool where real “foodies” of all ages and gender can learn anything from the basics of cooking, right through to how to produce a gourmet meal at their own dinner parties.

“I see a huge opportunity to enthuse people with a love of growing, preparing, cooking and eating real food.  And living in the Bay of Plenty, we have no excuse!” says Peter.  “The Bay has access to an amazing range of high quality fresh produce and raw materials.  There is a strong sense of integrity, a love of the land and great pride in craftsmanship.  Yet Kiwis here also embrace foods from other countries and cultures – they are not trapped by tradition.  So what better place to start?  As a family, we feel that we have arrived in the middle of a ‘food revolution’ and it is great to be part of the adventure!”

While continuing to build his Deli, Catering & Cookschool business, Peter is also working on some fascinating TV projects with both New Zealand and UK production companies.  Recent filming work includes Robson Green’s ‘Extreme Fishing’ programme, for the UK’s Channel 5 and also as a guest chef/presenter on Sky TV Food Channel’s ‘New Zealand on a Plate’ series, due to be screened in June 2009.

Peter has also been guest presenter and MC at events, including the Tauranga Home Show in 2007, 2008 and 2009 as well as doing demonstrations for clients including KPMG, Zespri, Waipuna Hospice and at the Maketu Seafood Festival.