Rotorua chef makes jams out of Maori potato and kumara

Millennium Hotel chef Mark Solon, originally from the Philippines, created the line of three jams - Maori potato, kumara and ginger, and kumara and orange - while completing a Diploma in Patisserie and Bakery at Waiariki Institute of Technology.

The course requires students to develop a new product.

Mr Solon said that since arriving in Rotorua he had been so impressed by Maori culture, history and traditions that he wanted to make a new product as a tribute to them.

"I am fascinated by the Maori culture and how Maori people have developed their culture under colonial rule," he said. "I wanted to make a jam from starch, like my mother did with yams in the Philippines, but I wanted to use products common in Maori cuisine."

Mr Solon said he believed the Maori potato and kumara were more than just crops for Maori people.

"Aside from being a source of livelihood, these crops are also used as a medium to express traditional Maori values of manaakitanga [hospitality, giving] and whanaungatanga [kinship, togetherness]. I hope the jams give people another way to practise and share those values," he said.

The jams can be bought for $15 for a set of three by contacting Mark Solon at chefmarksolon@yahoo.co.nz