Greg Piner's passion for cooking was ignited in his parent's kitchen on the West Coast when he was just ten years old.

While they were out, and Piner was left to his own devices, he would spend his time cooking imaginative dinners for the family.

"I started cooking them dinners, and they would get home and just be blown away."

As Piner got older and his skills in the kitchen progressed, he worked as a cook on his parent's fishing boats.

Despite the shortage of ingredients and the basic facilities, Piners' cooking made an impression on the crew.

"All the guys that worked on the boats loved what I cooked, and they couldn't believe I was cooking that stuff out at sea.

"They couldn't believe what I was producing."

Having found his passion, Piner went on to study cooking at Tai Poutini Polytechnic in Greymouth.

While studying, Piner entered a cooking competition in Auckland and won Junior Seafood Chef of the Year at just seventeen years old.

Piners' career as one of New Zealand's top chefs was set in motion.

His resume includes executive chef positions in some of New Zealand's best restaurants, working in top restaurants overseas, and a string of awards and brand partnerships, including his current role with Silver Fern Farms.

"One of the biggest highlights of my career was becoming the Ora King brand ambassador, which was quite cool.

"And the other highlight was going to Melbourne and winning the Asia Pacific Challenge with my teammates."

These days, Piner has dialled back his time in the kitchen for a more family-friendly work-life balance.

In addition to his partnership role with Silver Fern Farms, Piner works as executive chef at Marbecks in Dunedin.

"It's a café restaurant and food store, a bit like a gourmet supermarket.

"It's really cool because I get to focus on family life as well now, where I go and create new dishes and work with the guys, and then I can be home or be able to do school pick-ups and drop-offs.

"Family is my priority.

"I have these two amazing jobs where I can work days, spend time with my family, and then go away and do events and be creative. It's perfect.

"So my life has changed a bit in that respect."

Partnering with Silver Fern farms was a natural fit for Piner, who believes New Zealand beef, lamb and venison are some of the best in the world.

"The environment definitely has a massive effect on the quality of the meat, and obviously the way the animal is treated."

Piner says he has spent time visiting farms and meeting farmers and is always impressed by the level of care stock receive.

"I can hand on my heart say those farmers put in some hard yards for those animals.

"It's our job as a Chef to represent all their hard work, to put that on a plate and be proud.

"I'm proud to represent those farmers, and it's a privilege to use such an amazing product."

by Claire Inkson