Ivan BrenssellPortfolio

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About me

As a boy growing up in the 1940s I was taught to sit in silence and accept whatever food was put on my plate.at about the age of twelve I began to realize that our family food ,whilst plain, was wholesome and farm fresh ,not really too bad at all!!When I joined the Royal New Zealand Navy in Hospitality and Supply, meals were far from plain, always served with lavish garnishes, this was the era of fine dining at it’s best.I became Captain’s Steward on the HMNZ’S Pukaki and served in the Antarctic. This experience led me on to Europe working in Restaurants and Hotels and later establishing a private hotel in West Sussex.Over the years I have experienced a wealth of foods and cultures ,styles and tastes worldwide.Harking back to my upbringing in rural Central Otago my culinary philosophy is coloured by these memories and the presentation of food in a rustic way which describes what it is to be a New Zealander with so much produce to choose from.Fifty years on as a delegate at the 2014 International Food Design Conference, I was encouraged by Design Researcher and Food Design Consultant Francesca Zampollo who

was interested in an old children story I wrote while living in Greece.The story is about a family of ants who build a house of sweets. I used this for one of our sessions on storytelling with food.I was taken with the simplicity of Greek food, presented without fuss.olives.oil.bread from a wood fired oven, and sheep’s cheese, koupanisti. These memories entwined with my rural New Zealand ones influence how I approach food today and are the foundation for my culinary philosophy.

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Southern Clam Bake NZ 1st dish

A marriage of land, sea and cultures woven through food. This dish incorporates Maori

Heritage potatoes (moi-moi) fresh local Puha Southern clams and free range eggs from

Potato point at Purakaunui with Blueskin Bay Kanuka honey glaze over tumbled moi-moi garnished with fresh Puha on a dried kelp

vessel resting on a pine board reflecting on and bringing together man and the sea.

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Innovation My 2nd DishA fusion of cultures, simplicity and tradition, my Hassel back European potato interlayered with Blue Urenika potatoes Maori potatoes baked on rock salt with rosemary and fennel. I present this with a fresh herb tussimussi as a garnish on a scrubbed pine board reflecting carbon neutrality.

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Blue Pearl PieMy 3rd DishI have used Clams and Moi-Moi

and Urenika potatoes from Potato

Point at Purakaunui and Puha,

found in a collective garden on

George Street, Dunedin.

Inspiration for this pie was from

Fleur Sullivan and her love of food

from the land and sea and the use

of local heritage produce

I designed this pie as an entry in

the Bakels supreme pie awards

2014 in the sea food section.

My Culinary Philosophy

My culinary philosophy is one of presenting good

unpretentious food displaying an

appreciation for colour, texture and shape on a plate. My approach to food is embedded in childhood memory, a

mixture of cultural interests from travel experiences and an

interest in healthy eating. I am also interested in the history and use of herbs for health and

taste.