The Bay of Plenty region has trumped the nation in the hotly contested Great NZ Toastie Takeover competition again.

Ōkere Falls has been awarded the 2024 Supreme Winner with its “polarising” entry, and another eatery taking home the People’s Choice Award.

You’ll find the best toasted sandwich in the country 25 minutes out of Rotorua.

For the second time in three years, Ōkere Falls Store has won the supreme award at the Great NZ Toastie Takeover. “We really, really weren’t expecting to win it again,” chef Rich Johns tells the Herald, but it feels “awesome”.

They are blown away by the calibre of entries this year.

“I was like, man, we’re - we’re not going to even get close”.

The competition is a chance to be creative, but they thought their 2024 entry was “too polarising” to have a chance. However, “Figgy In The Middle” ultimately beat 169 other sandwiches from around New Zealand to win the big prize.

Talking the Herald through the winning entry, he explains they started with “incredible” sourdough from Rotorua bakery Pantry D’or; there’s a structurally critical layer of Swiss cheese, which acts as a buffer for all the “wet” ingredients - things like dill-pickle cheesecake whip, sliced figs, rocket, blue cheese and “a drizzle of chili honey, which just makes it all pop”.

And there’s that all-important crunch too, with more McClure’s pickles (a mandatory ingredient), streaky bacon by Vandy’s and toasted walnuts.

“It’s like a cheeseboard in a sandwich,” Johns explains (it goes very nicely with a glass of red wine), saying it was a one-and-done creation whipped up the day before entries closed.

Ōkere Falls Store has won before, breaking the South Island’s winning streak with its 2022 entry, a house-smoked, beer-brined brisket sandwich.

Johns says the lakeside eatery was “overwhelmingly busy” after that; they went from selling around 20 toasties a day to 200, and they had to work around the clock with the smoker running 24 hours a day to have enough brisket to meet demand for the sandwich.

This time they’re more prepared, and while the 2024 entry is much more simple to prep for, “it’s quite a mission to put together because it’s got so many more components”.

Rotorua chef Rich Johns with his 2024 Great New Zealand Toastie Takeover entry "Figgie In The Middle".

Also prepared is Rotorua’s Capers Cafe & Store; another of the region’s establishments to be acknowledged in the competition, winning the 2024′s People’s Choice Award with its “Brotha ‘Mmmm’” toastie

“It was awesome to take out the people’s choice and to have the support of the community,” Philly Angus, Caper’s marketing manager, tells the Herald.

They’re “super-proud” of Zion Te Kowhai, 19, and Jesse Stewart, 17, who created the People’s Choice-winning toastie “Brotha ‘Mmmm’” (named after a viral social media trend).

It started as a challenge from the Capers’ executive chef, who encouraged them to “think about what makes a good toasted sandwich” and would be something their customers would love.

The “Brotha ‘Mmmm’” combines hoisin-glazed pork belly, crispy fried shallots, mozzarella and tasty cheese, spring onion, red onion, with sweet chili and garlic, miso mayonnaise and McClure’s Sweet & Spicy Pickles, all between two slices of toasted garlic-buttered Turkish sesame bread.

Capers Cafe & Store's entry in Rotorua's 2024 Great New Zealand Toastie Takeover: "Brotha ‘Mmmm’".

After a week of it being on the menu it was clear they were on to something special, and Capers was making so many it installed a second sandwich press.

“It has been phenomenal,” she says.

They sold nearly 300 last week, and plan to keep it on the menu “a little bit longer”, especially now it’s won the People’s Choice Award.

“It’s awesome to see everyone coming in, telling us that they voted for us and that they really enjoy the sandwich.”

The two toasties were among the 170 sandwiches entered in this year’s competition.

Rules were firm. Toasties have to be able to be eaten by hand, must have two slices of bread, cheese (or a vegan substitute) and McClure’s Pickles.

Over 30 judges helped whittle the playing field down to 14 finalists.

Alongside Ōkere Falls Store and Capers Cafe & Store, the North Island contingent included Hamilton East’s Hayes Common, Jimmy Coops Lakehouse in Taupō and Palmerston North’s Brew Union. Wellington’s The Tasting Room, Petone’s Small Batch Coffee and The Offering in Greytown were among the finalists too, and Auckland’s Cheese On Toast and Cazador, which made the shortlist for the second year in a row.

South Island finalists were Nelson’s Street Food, Beers Craft Brewery in Christchurch, Queenstown’s Johnny Cream and Arrowtown’s Fergbutcher.

Kerry Tack, the head judge, told media the calibre of entries this year was high.

“Our judges have felt the passion in the toasties they have tried around the motu this year and are mightily impressed with the imagination, the skill and, in some cases, the bravery of the cooks and chefs who entered this year.”

Ōkere’s win means the Great NZ Toastie Takeover Supreme Award will stay in the region for its third year straight; the 2023 winner was Mount Maunganui chef Brooke Moore from Freeport with Cleaver & Co.

“People make an effort to drive out to us, which kind of blows our mind,” he says.

“They’ll drive all the way up to us.”

Whether you’re an out-of-towner wanting to sample the winning toastie or already an Ōkere Falls regular, Johns reveals it will be on the menu until “sometime” in the summer.

-NZ Herald.