Series synopsis
Taste of Art is a food television series that premiered on TVNZ+ on February 18, 2026. It stars Vaughan Mabee and Melissa Leong.
Taste of Art is a bold new culinary reality competition where ten of Aotearoa’s most talented chefs go head-to-head in a high-stakes battle of creativity and skill. Over seven gripping episodes, the chefs are challenged to push the boundaries of food as art, crafting unexpected, visually stunning, and deeply personal dishes under pressure.
Premise
Taste of Art is a bold new culinary reality competition where ten of Aotearoa’s most talented chefs go head-to-head in a high-stakes battle of creativity and skill. Over seven gripping episodes, the chefs are challenged to push the boundaries of food as art, crafting unexpected, visually stunning, and deeply personal dishes under pressure.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Vaughan Mabee as Judge
- Melissa Leong as Judge
Episodes
This series spans 1 season with 7 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 7 | February 18, 2026 | April 1, 2026 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Taste of Art is something the world has never seen before. Handpicked teams of the most awarded chefs in New Zealand to battle it out to create Art worthy dishes that taste out of this world. |
February 18, 2026 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Its the Luma Enchanted Challenge where teams must create dishes that express New Zealands myths and landscapes. The winning team will be safe from the next elimination challenge. |
February 25, 2026 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 In the first elimination challenge, it's a chocolates lovers dream as teams face off in a Whittakers chocolate challenge. |
March 4, 2026 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | TVNZ+ |
|---|---|
| First aired | February 18, 2026 |
| Last aired | March 12, 2026 |
| Status | continue |