Chef Ben Bayly is heading back to screens this weekend to show off some of Bay of Plenty's growers, in episode four of the second season of A New Zealand food story.

The episode will air Saturday, June 4 at 4.30pm on TVNZ 1, with a replay on Sunday, June 5 on DUKE.

The series showcases the acclaimed Auckland chef travelling the country once again, unearthing fascinating stories behind some of New Zealand's finest produce.

The first season of A New Zealand Food Story was filmed as Bayly sought inspiration for the menu at his then-new venture, New Zealand cuisine restaurant, Ahi. After years of cooking French and Italian cuisine, Bayly wondered why he wasn't creating New Zealand food – and asked what was New Zealand food anyway?

The show picked up some international acclaim, screening on National Geographic Asia and Middle East with over 600 million subscribers.

This time around, A New Zealand Food Story 2, screening now on TVNZ 1, DUKE and TVNZ OnDemand sees Bayly meeting more of the people behind all the delicious dishes at the now 18-month-old, award winning restaurant.

These Bay of Plenty growers will be showcased in the upcoming episode:

The Avocado – Athenree Orchard

Ben eats an avocado a day, He loves them and more importantly, loves cooking with them. We meet Kevin Evans, wife Anne-Marie and daughter Rochelle from NZ Avocado. We learn the lifecycle of the avocado – taking 12 months to harvest the fruit. Ben goes high into the trees to pick some avocado. We hear how nutritious this superfood is, (containing 19 different minerals and vitamins) and Ben makes an avocado salsa.

The Truffle - Te Puke

In 2007 Maureen & Colin Binns planted 212 oak and hazelnut trees inoculated with the world-famous black truffle fungi. Now in 202,1 along with their trusted ruffle hunting dog ‘Jed Clampet' they have one of the most successful truffle orchards in New Zealand, Te Puke Truffles.

The Vanilla bean - Tauranga

The pod of this precious orchid is the sacred spice of the pastry chef. Woody, musky and fruity flavours of vanilla bring to life many dishes in the Ahi kitchen. Heilala in Tauranga has been voted the world's best vanilla, we visit to learn the history, the processing, and the importance of this ingredient.

Macadamia story

Bay of Plenty is renowned for its fertile soils and horticultural prowess, but few orchards are as special as that belonging to Wyn and Chris Daniell from Harbourside Macadamias in Katikati. The macadamia is an amazing nut and super food, originally from Queensland, Australia. The Bay of Plenty has such a unique terroir for productivity, some of the most phenomenal free draining volcanic soil meeting sub-tropical climate meeting rainfall.