Shrewd Choice for Poland Cook It Raw

New Zealand chef Ben Shewry is one of a selection of the “world’s finest chefs” to recall their experience of a Cook it Raw event for a recent Observer article. Shewry, who owns Attica restaurant in Melbourne, attended Cook it Raw in Japan and Poland. “Poland … was like going home to New Zealand. For my dish, I looked to my own heritage: a Maori tradition of cooking called the hangi. So we recreated this in Poland with two baby wild boars. When it came time to serve the dish, we played the Ramones song ‘Pet Sematary’ and people were dancing on the tables, going nuts. Everyone was laughing and I was like: ‘Man, we’ve done this in the right country!’” Cook it Raw is a gathering of avant garde chefs who come together to create unique dining experiences that explore and question social, cultural and environmental issues. The event is chronicled in a book, Cook it Raw, which features Shewry.