Team Tonga cooks off in Pacific Is food show final tonight [1]
Thursday, October 29, 2020 - 15:30
Team Tonga is in the grand final tonight in Season 2 of the Pacific Island Food Revolution, a televised series promoting healthy Pacific cuisine.
The team of two Tongan cooks, Tuituiohu Mafi and 'Amelia Asi, have competed hard to get to the final. Tonight’s episode will showcase the cook-off with Team Tonga against Team Fiji vying for the coveted title.
It comes after Team Samoa was knocked out.
Tuituiohu Mafi (44) is a catering instructor at Tonga Maritime Institute and President of the Tonga Chefs Association in Nuku'alofa. He has worked across the Pacific in executive chef positions. He returned to Tonga to work in the hospitality industry, which has given him a great insight into how fresh, local Tongan produce can be incorporated into all menus
“I think I have a responsibility to my Tongan people to share with them how I think about food, I do believe that Tongans have to change their mentality about healthy eating. I want to educate them not only have a look at our local produce but portion sizes, cooking healthy and contribute to fighting NCDs.”
‘Amelia Asi from Fanga is employed as a Food & Beverage staff at the Tanoa International Dateline Hotel in Nuku'alofa.
Healthy, fresh and colourful traditional Pacific food is being revived in the Pacific Islands Food Revolution TV cooking show, hosted by celebrity New Zealand chef, Robert Oliver.
Joanna Bourke of Coconew Agency, promoting the series, said the final is screening locally in Tonga on the Digicel TV free-to-air channel, at 7:00pm October 29.