It used to be that you had to take a flight to enjoy an authentic Chinese New Year celebration.

Chopsticks Fusion is hoping to change all that.

The Hamilton eatery is offering a special menu in honour of the ‘Year of the Sheep’, until Tuesday.

Barbecue pork skewers, crispy duck with vegetable salad, Szechuan lamb and chicken cooked in a ‘spicy ring of fire sauce’ are some of the dishes on offer.

The New Year is considered the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. It often involves public celebrations with fireworks and private family feasts.

Chopsticks chef Joseph Gavar said the celebration was also popular at his home in the Philippines.

“In Chinatown, in Manila, most of the Chinese people there and even the businessmen would celebrate,” he said.

“There were dragon dancers and firecrackers and other events from the mainland China. I would watch some of these events when I was young. There would be presentations with all the traditional foods, always some kind of duck, on Ongpin Street.

“I was amazed as a boy to see the costumes and dancers in the street.”

Mr Gavar said he grew up with a love for food, passed down to him from his parents.

They typically cooked traditional Filipino and Spanish dishes like adobo or kare-kare, a Philippine stew.

Mr Gavar started training in culinary college in 1993. In his spare time, he worked at a fast-food chain, until he was hired to work at well-known Chinese restaurant, P F Chang’s in Kuwait.

“I got lots of experience using the wok and learned how to use certain ingredients to bring out the flavour of the natural spices,” he said.

“It was a lot of traditional Chinese cooking. During my first year working there, I discovered my passion for foods and creating new dishes by myself. Even during my vacations I would study at the local culinary school to upgrade my skills.”

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