Eat to the beat | Auckland Lifestyle News | Health, Fashion, Food and Wine in Auckland

Auckland Museum has a hit on it's hands after delivering an exhibition of local and exotic food. Sharu Delilkan samples the wares of one special invitee.

When Jaqueline Maciel was invited to show Kiwis her native Brazilian cuisine at Kai to Pie: Auckland on a Plate she thought it was a pretty good opportunity.

"My aim is to educate the Kiwi palate by cooking treats that no one has ever tried before," says the Greenhithe resident.

The head chef at Savour and Devour restaurant in Grey Lynn, Maciel says her dedication to seeking out good ingredients keeps her passion alive.

Kai to Pie tells Auckland's unique story through food. The show takes visitors on a trip through a four-course meal, basing the experience on four distinct parts - fashion, feast, fuel and future. The Saturday shows tantalise tastebuds with cooking demonstrations, food tastings and cultural performances. In addition to the food a Capoeira dance group led by Luciana Camargo add to the colourful festivities.

Maciel is proud to demonstrate three of her country's traditional dishes, giving each of them her own twist.

For starters, there's her recipe for acaraje tradicional from Bahia. These are savoury deep-fried black-eyed bean dough balls, followed by an Amazon dish, peixe moqueado (white fish marinated in fresh lemon juice, ground white pepper and bay leaves), then sagu which has Japanese and Italian influences (mulled wine-flavoured tapioca pudding topped with meringue) to complete the demonstration.

It's an appetising assembly that comes with some very sensible advice from the cook's mother, who Maciel tells me used to say:

"If you're stressed don't make bread. You have to have passion for what you're making. If not, it won't turn out."

Kai to Pie: Auckland on a Plate, at Auckland War Memorial Museum, Parnell, ends Oct 16. Brazil on a Plate, Aug 28, 10am. Details, see: www.aucklandmuseum.com