I had decided I wouldn't go to the Auckland Food Show this year. The exhibitors are always the same with nothing new or exciting to offer and they never have interesting chefs on Preview Day. Preview Day is the first day of the show, tickets are more expensive and the numbers limited. It is less crowded than the other days. Although this Preview Day felt like there were too many people.
Then I heard Tetsuya would be appearing at the Preview Day. So there I was on the day, lined up with all the other Tetsuya fans waiting for the gates to open. He was scheduled to present at 2.30 in the afternoon. Marina and I made plans to meet in the theatre at 10.30AM to watch the Bill Grainger presentation. I arrived a few minutes early and sat in an empty row at the back waiting for the current show to finish. Sitting in the empty row in front of me was a man looking remarkably like Tetsuya. Yep it was Tets himself. Here was my chance to chat with the great chef. I'm sure I babbled like a starstruck teenager as I told him how much I admired him and how I'd enjoyed dining in his restaurant. Then I grabbed someone and had them take a photo of me and Tetsuya. I don't look so good in it so it's one I'll only share with family.
Along with all the other hundreds of Tetsuya fans I arrived early to get a front row seat. We all sat through the preceding wine presentation and 5 minutes before Tetsuya was due to begin, the compere announced the two front rows were reserved for the management and staff of Electrolux, the sponsors of the theatre, and would we please all move. I looked at the people either side of me. One guy, an apprentice chef, said "I've driven three hours to be here for this and I have to drive three hours home after". The guy on the other side said "I've been sitting in this seat for two hours and there is no way I'm moving". Not one person in the two front rows moved and the Electrolux staff sat elsewhere.
I haven't quite come to terms with my new point and shoot camera and I'm not happy with any photos I took on the day. I did want to share one of Tetsuya's dishes - these are the New Zealand Scampi tails. 
