Experiences

Culinary 6-week course

Off The Track Restaurant and Licenced Cafe

Hawkes Bay

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2 Mar–6 Apr 2027

Tuesdays, 10:00am to 12:00pm

$330.00 per person

This 6-week course explores the fascinating intersection of geography, tradition, and innovation in the world of food, wine, and gastronomy. Expert culinary professionals will cover topics as diverse as regional cuisines, the science of flavour, historical foodways, and modern culinary techniques. Sessions will be engaging and provide you with a deep understanding of how what we eat defines who we are. Suitable for all.

Be ready to tantalise your taste buds and see gastronomy in an entirely new light.

This course will run for 6 weeks on the following:

Dates:

Tuesday 2nd March, 2027
Tuesday 9th March, 2027
Tuesday 16th March, 2027
Tuesday 23rd March, 2027
Tuesday 30th March, 2027
Tuesday 6th April, 2027

Time & format: The course will start at 10am, with a coffee and tea break followed by a lively facilitated discussion to answer all your curious questions. The course will finish at 12pm each week.

Location: We are delighted to be hosting at Off The Track Restaurant and Licenced Cafe Havelock Road, Havelock North.

About the experts

Christina Tay - Learning Facilitator

Christina is a lifelong learner with a profound passion for exploring diverse cultures and disciplines. Her curiosity has inspired extensive global travel, from teaching English to Buddhist monks in Laos and volunteering at a Thai orphanage to visiting museums across Europe, the UK, and Asia. A highlight of her travels is the Bishop Museum in Hawai'i, which she visits frequently, including during the 2014 World Indigenous Peoples' Conference on Education.

Her academic journey began with law and politics at Waikato University, where she discovered dispute resolution. She subsequently earned a Master’s in Mediation and Conflict Resolution from Strathclyde University, UK. This period included an exchange at the East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai and research in Hong Kong on the ombudsman's role.

Currently a Learning Facilitator for Love Heart Social Learning, Christina also teaches the Restorative Practices microcredential at Victoria University. A fully accredited restorative justice facilitator and assessor, she recently delivered mediation training in Micronesia. Previously, she served as Director of Employee Assistance Resolution Services at Victoria University.

Outside of work, Christina enjoys connecting with loved ones and attending international events, such as the 2025 Restorative Practices conference in Singapore, to continually expand her expertise.

Barry Wong

Barry Wong is a Postgraduate Wine Business lecturer at EIT and a student research supervisor in the BVWSci programme. He holds a PhD in Sensory and Consumer Science from the Auckland University of Technology, where his research explored the sensory and flavour perception of Korean rice wine (makgeolli) using marketing theories and sensory methods.

Recently, he has supervised postgraduate projects on no/low alcohol (NOLO) wines, ethnic cuisine compatibility, organic wine consumption, and Hawke's Bay viticulture trends.

SESSION Abstract: In a world of rules and principles that govern our way of cooking and perceiving food products, understanding consumers’ attitude and behavior is often left forgotten. In this session, I will talk about how consumers are researched within the food industry and how consumer actions and opinions differ from food and wine critics that we see on tv, magazines and online. Lastly, I will show some case studies that either supports or contradict our social norms of the rules of pairing beverages with different ethnic cuisines