Motueka eatery The Smoking Barrel is back in the Monteith’s Wild Food Challenge with a bold new dish, and owner Josiah Smits says the team is hungrier than ever to defend its winning title.
The Smoking Barrel topped the competition last year, winning judges over with its Wild Pitmasters Smoked Platter. They are currently sitting third nationally in the votes, and need to maintain a top-five position to make the finals.
The restaurant is the only entrant from the Nelson–Tasman–Marlborough region this year, taking on more than 60 eateries from throughout Aotearoa in the popular annual event celebrating wild and foraged kai.
Josiah, who is also the restaurant’s head chef, says this year’s wild tasting board, titled Forest to the sea, showcases a wide range of local, wild and foraged New Zealand ingredients and highlights the “incredible wild produce that our region has to offer”.
The tasting board takes diners on a culinary journey from forest to coastline, featuring barbecued smoked wild venison short rib, six varieties of locally foraged wild mushrooms, Douglas fir pine-tip molasses, and wild pork and yellowfoot pāua, alongside whipped kina and kawakawa butter.
The dish is paired with a tropical and citrus-forward Monteith’s Driftin IPA, with the full experience priced at $39, including the beer match, when diners register their vote.
With less than a week left in the competition, the dish is available for tasting until Sunday, 31 May 2026, giving locals and visitors a final opportunity to sample the entry and support the region’s sole contender.
Public voting will determine the top five finalists, who will then progress to a final cook-off in Auckland. A panel of well-known New Zealand judges will select the overall champion.
