Twelve Kiwi and Vietnamese culinary students have showcased the finest produce and techniques from both countries at a fusion cooking competition in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City.
Three mixed teams created their own fusion menu, served to 150 guests at the five-star Caravelle Hotel.
For Ella Ritson-Jones from Invercargill, it was her first time in Vietnam and the chance of a lifetime for a cooking enthusiast. The 19-year-old is enrolled in the Diploma in Professional Chef Practice at Southland Institute of Technology.
Ella admitted before the event that she doesn't like spicy hot food -- and hasn't even tried a chilli pepper before.
But that didn't deter her, the teenager crafting an Asian desert, a fusion take on the Kiwi classic pavlova, filled with delicate flavours including spun sugar, strawberry sherbet, lemongrass syrup and fresh fruit.
When the two-hour contest came to a close, Ella and her team were voted the winners by the specially invited guests.
She later admitted that she just might have to try some spicy Vietnamese food during her stay.
Newshub.
