Hundred Foot Journey – FijiTime

Fiji has yet to join the world of Michelin star or hat-awarded restaurants but the influence of the international executive chefs upon Fiji’s young chefs may soon change the perception of Fiji as just a nice place to visit. A culinary renaissance has been underway for several years, with chefs cleverly bridging traditional cooking methods and ancestral flavours with modern haute cuisine; and it is food tourism that is benefiting. The Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards is about as close to a Michelin star as any Fijian restaurant and its chef can currently aspire to. Likened to the Oscars of the Pacific, the annual Tourism Fiji awards recognise the best and most inspiring tourist experiences in the industry. It covers accommodation, adventure, cultural tours and of course, its dining experiences. The honours list of Fiji’s top restaurants include nearly all the luxury resort brands such as the Sofitel, Sheraton, Outrigger, Intercontinental, Hilton and many other four star properties including the back to back 2013 and 2014 winner, my signature restaurant, 1808, on Castaway Island. This story, of the first Chinese to arrive at the height of the tribal internecine wars, inspired a food philosophy that combines ancestral Fijian cooking methods of fire and flame with the unmistakable flavours of Asia. But in 2015, a young Fijian Indian chef and his French mentor, took their guests on a culinary food safari of the Pacific Harbour region, visiting agricultural and aquaculture farms, markets and villages; and earlier this year won the country’s top culinary accolade for “Best Dining Experience”. Nanuku Auberge Resort Fiji, one of the most opulent properties on the main island of Viti Levu, proved that not all of the best dining experiences are in Denarau or the remote island resorts. At the helm of Nanuku’s culinary brigade is one of the hottest young chefs right now in Fiji. I’ve followed 29-year-old Pranil Prasad’s career for the past seven years and his pedigree is unlike any of his peers, having trained with four different expatriate chefs at the five-star Likuliku Lagoon Resort. This local chef cannot only cook, but years of training at a luxury brand have taught him the culinary art of story, palate and composition. The influences of his earlier mentors include Lee Acreman (now Taste Fiji), Brett Kryskow, Shane Watson (Likuliku), and Ihaka Peri (Vunabaka), shine through his personalized dishes.