![\"Somethin\u2019](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/TWLN7L4PSBH2LMJH5U3STTAT24.jpg\")
\nSomethin\u2019 Somethin\u2019 took out both the Judge\u2019s Choice and People\u2019s Choice awards with its \u201cSomethin\u2019 Clucky\u201d chicken brioche burger.<\/p>\n
A Mount Maunganui caf\u00e9 made history at this year\u2019s Plates of Plenty Challenge.<\/p>\n
Somethin\u2019 Somethin\u2019 took out the Judge\u2019s Choice and People\u2019s Choice awards with its Somethin\u2019 Clucky chicken brioche burger.<\/p>\n
It marked the first time in the competition\u2019s five-year history that a single dish won both titles, festival organisers said in a media release.<\/p>\n
The annual competition ran from April 1 to May 3 as part of the Flavours of Plenty Festival, and attracted 20 entries.<\/p>\n
Local eateries were invited to craft limited-edition dishes that celebrated the Bay of Plenty\u2019s unique flavours, using supplied mystery-box ingredients.<\/p>\n
Somethin\u2019 Somethin\u2019 owner Nathan Turley said the cafe was \u201cpretty blown away\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had an idea we were in the running for the People\u2019s Choice because we saw the leader board [during the Challenge].\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the Judge\u2019s Choice win was a \u201cpleasant surprise\u201d as that was the award the cafe really wanted to win.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe double\u2019s never been done before, so it\u2019s pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Somethin\u2019 Somethin\u2019 team used five of the challenge box ingredients.<\/p>\n
Their crumbed chicken, chorizo and curd patty was served in a brioche bun with bacon, egg, chilli onion jam, and hot maple and kawakawa spinach mayonnaise.<\/p>\n
\nSomethin\u2019 Somethin\u2019 took out both the Judge\u2019s Choice and People\u2019s Choice awards with its \u201cSomethin\u2019 Clucky\u201d chicken brioche burger.<\/p>\n
Judges praised this year\u2019s burger for its bold flavours and balance, with one describing the dish as \u201ca fantastic experience\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe flavours were vibrant and worked beautifully together. This should be a permanent item on the menu \u2026 a clear winner,” one judge said.<\/p>\n
Talisman Hotel Garden Bar and Bistro received a special distinction award after its Hot\u2019N\u2019Cheeky beer-braised pork cheek dish finished runner-up in both voting categories.<\/p>\n
Judges commended the Katikati eatery for its \u201cmasterful balance of flavours\u201d and highlighted the team\u2019s customer service during the competition.<\/p>\n
Loretta Crawford, Tourism Bay of Plenty head of destination marketing, said the annual challenge was designed to showcase the region\u2019s food and beverage producers and culinary talent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Plates of Plenty Challenge inspires local chefs to get creative, using ingredients and suppliers they may never have worked with before, to produce bespoke dishes during our autumn festival.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crawford said diners appreciated the opportunity to try something new.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis contest fosters vital collaborations and connections between suppliers and local eateries.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2025 challenge box ingredients included avocados from Bay Farms, Mexico Chiapas coffee beans from Excelso, manuka wood smoked olives from Kiwi Artisan, red k\u016bmara from Mauri2Holdings, Sunseeker Pale Ale from Mount Brewing Co, sourdough batard loaf from Mount Sourdough, Manuka Honey Soy & Garlic sauce from Nanric Road, blueberries from Nukuhou North, and Sweet Sesh Hot Honey from Pepper&Me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Mount Maunganui caf\u00e9 made history at this year\u2019s Plates of Plenty Challenge. Somethin\u2019 Somethin\u2019 took out the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":434165,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-434164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=434164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434164\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/434165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=434164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=434164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=434164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}