The cuisine, traditions and environment of Samoa presented in recipes, photographs and stories by award-winning chef Robert Oliver. In his first book, Me'a Kai, Robert examined Polynesian cuisine from around the Pacific. That book won Best Book in the 2011 Gourmand Cookbook Awards. Now he concentrates on Samoa, where he spent several years while growing up. This book shows the traditional cuisine of Samoa and looks at the provenance of the ingredients through organic farmers and their land. Stories, portraits and the fabulous scenery combine to make another vibrant and colourful book filled with delicious food and show off the heritage of a beautiful island nation. In May 2014, Mea'ai Samoa was named the winner of the Gourmand Award for Best TV Chef Cookbook In The World 2013 - a great honour.

Author Biography

Robert Oliver is a New Zealand-born chef who has spent much of his highly successful career working in leading overseas restaurants. Raised in Fiji and Samoa, he is deeply committed to sustainable food production and tourism in the South Pacific and wants to elevate the appreciation of the Pacific's local cuisines and produce. He has worked as a chef in Fiji, New York City, Miami, Sydney, Las Vegas, the US Virgin Islands, Barbados, Trinidad and more. Robert has developed farm-to-table resorts in the Caribbean, and food programmes feeding homeless people and African immigrants with AIDS in New York City.On his books, Robert collaborates with New Zealand academic Dr Tracy Berno and photographer Shiri Ram. Mea'ai Samoa: Recipes and stories from the heart of Polynesia follows award-winning Me'a Kai: The food and flavours of the South Pacific, which was named the Gourmand Best Cook Book of the World 2010, Gourmand's top prize. Robert is a chef ambassador to Le Cordon Bleu, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, a brand ambassador for food products True Pacific, and a features contributor the Huffington Post (NYC) and New Western Cuisine magazine (Beijing). A television series Real Pasifik, based on his work and the food culture of the South Pacific, will be released worldwide in 2013.See more at www.robertoliveronline.com. Edouard Cointreau, president and founder of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, wrote of Me'a Kai: 'Your book is a breakthrough in linking sustainable food, the economic interests of local agriculture, and tourism services. It is a benchmark for similar efforts in other parts of the world. The book is entertaining, profound and efficient, with all the high quality of Random House New Zealand hard covers. It will be a reference for culinary history culture.'