Wellington Prison Inmates Are Serving Gourmet Food Right Now

As part of the annual Wellington on a Plate culinary festival extraordinaire,  six inmates from the Rimutaka Prison are serving gourmet meals to the public.

It's the second year running for Rimutaka Prison to Plate. In its first year, six inmates from the prison kitchen were chosen to train under gourmet chef Martin Bosley on an almost weekly basis. This year Bosley has teamed up with Laurent Loudeac from Hippopotamus Restaurant and Glen Taylor from Zibibbo to train and coach the inmates to produce a three-course menu as well as canapés.

In an open letter posted on the Corrections Department website, one of the prisoners who's been involved with the programme since its inception last year, wrote of his experience "Nobody likes us, nobody trusts us, everybody hates us. That’s the perception I had of the so called outside world and the people who live in it. So it was with amazement and a whole new outlook that I found myself standing in front of 80 customers from the general public giving a closing speech after three successful dinner services held at Rimutaka Prison over three nights."

He also reflected that "After it was all over we were taken back to our cells and the next day it was back to normal in the prison kitchen but for many of us it was an experience of a lifetime and for myself it has given me a real passion for food. I plan on pursuing a cooking career when I finally get released, hopefully in the baking side of things which I really enjoy."

Rimutaka Prison Gate to Plate will be held at the Rimutaka Visitor's Centre and Staff Training College on August 19 and 20.