I love a good food festival! Lots have come and gone over the years as financial models, funding, sponsorship and popularity ebb and flow. So, when a new food event comes up, I am usually the first sucker they call as I can’t say no. But a Meatball Festival in Hastings? I was intrigued.

Turns out that Hawke’s Bay is famous for its meatballs. The idea was brought to the region in the 1950s by a Dutch immigrant, Gerard Denijs, who opened a swanky joint, The Hawke’s Bay Farmers Market Tea Rooms, in 1956. His original recipe consists of braised red meat, shredded once cooked then chilled, rolled into a small ball, then crumbed and fried. The result is sort of like what would happen if a meat pie and arancini had a baby. I found it fascinating when I learnt that this OG chef’s legacy lives on in the region, as his recipe is beloved by locals and, of course, regional hospitality operators who all interpret that recipe to this day.

Hasting’s Meatball Festival is in its second year and is the brainchild of Vicky Roebuck of Hastings District Council, a passionate Hawke’s Bay local. Last year, I got roped in at the last minute for the inaugural event. Vicky was closing the main street of the ’Stings and got wind that I was in the region over the same weekend, cooking at a Cuisine Long Lunch at Cape Kidnappers, just down the road. Me, being the sucker in the opening paragraph, of course said yes and quickly rallied some meatballs in the kitchen of Matangi Beef. When this event kicked off, I was blown away that we sold out of balls in just 45 minutes. I absolutely loved how a humble dish had brought a community together and how much locals upported the event.  Finally, a region of New Zealand has a dish that they can make part of their regional identity. I knew we had to capture this moment on A New Zealand Food Story. This thought was cemented when I learned that Vicky’s first event went on to win the Food, Beverage or Lifestyle Event of the Year 2025 at the NZ Events Association Awards.

The Hasting Meatball Festival is made all the more juicy as it is also a competition among the 30 restaurants and chefs that are rolling in for the event. It is voted for live by guests attending and the winner gets their name on the Ball of Fame’ plaque in the local park. We chefs, if you didn’t know already, are a competitive bunch and last year my hastily arranged meatball got wiped out by the great Peter Gordon.

This year I was up against the local three-hatted legend Casey McDonald from Craggy Range, ‘Mr Meatball’ himself aka Michael Dearth from Baduzzi, and Glen File the executive chef at Onslow and Gilt. The friendly rivalry is off the chain, as Glen and I cut our culinary teeth under Michael’s tutelage, and Michael had driven his famous meatball van down from Auckland, so he meant business.

The beautiful regions of New Zealand are where the magic happens for our food production. Hastings is blessed with two essential ingredients: a forward-thinking council and a trailblazing idea. Hanging their festival hats on a dish that makes them famous is genius, and the meatball theme acts as a catalyst to attract out-of-towners to their neck of the woods. Combine this with locals who show up, and you have a unique event with an amazing energy.

As the veteran of two meatball festivals, I am, however, left pondering: Why don’t more regions have their own festival centred around their own local dish? In fact, where are all our famous dishes in New Zealand? Our regions are famous, in my eyes, for the produce, but is this enough? What do people from overseas think of Kiwi cuisine? Other countries have world-famous dishes from their regions that are household names – think beef bourguignon, Peking duck, bolognese sauce, Cornish pasties, Texas barbecue, and even borsch – a beetroot soup – is world famous. How did all that happen and is it time for New Zealand food to grow up and announce our national dishes?

Anyway, back to Hastings. The meatball festival is one of those fun things in life: a quirky weekend away, spending time with friends and family, good wine and food, creating these little moments and memories that live on in life’s conversations – remember that time that we…???