6 minute read
Cooking Comes from the Heart for SA ‘Chef of the Year’
by Boylen
BY TYLER MAUND
Stirring jam over a wood stove in sweltering outback Australia is a treasured memory for newly awarded AHA|SA Chef of the Year, Anna Kittel.
“My great aunty had a wood stove in Iron Knob, and I used to go over there and make pasties and jam with her,” she said.
“I wouldn’t do anything else, I’ve tried other things but I keep coming back to it, it comes from the heart and it’s in my blood – it’s just what I really love doing.
“I’ve been in hospitality for over 30 years, I spent a little time away when I had children but I went straight back to it – I’ve always had a good support system with my family,” she said.
Anna is the Executive Chef at the Uraidla Hotel in the Adelaide Hills and proudly accepted her award that recognises her skills as a talented chef and a hospitality management professional.
Anna has been at the Uraidla Hotel for the past six years, beginning in 2016, after spending seven years as head chef at The Crafers Hotel.
“I have a really diverse team, which is fantastic, but it is really hard to find people,” she said.
“You can do extraordinary hours for very little reward, the ones that are passionate stay in it, and the ones that aren’t go and do something else.
“The job itself is like riding a rollercoaster, at some places you’re serving 200 meals in two hours, you need a lot of people that can work well together in a team environment, it is emotionally and physically draining at times.”
At the Uraidla Hotel Anna works tirelessly to combat this by helping her staff maintain a work-life balance as well as they can.
“We need a big overhaul in Australia to make it less gruelling. It is a job of creativity and passion and we need to make it easier for chefs.”
She has an exceptional knowledge on all facets of kitchen operations which has seen her excel over many years, this includes stock control, employment, instruction and mentoring of staff, rostering, budgeting, cleaning schedules, health and safety operations, menu creation and customer service.
With over three decades of hospitality management experience, Anna Kittel is a deserving winner of the 2022 AHA|SA ‘Chef of the year’ award.
900 people convened at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Tuesday the 18th of October to celebrate the best of the South Australian hotel industry.
Anna is an adored figure at the Uraidla Hotel, affectionately known as ‘Mum’ in the kitchen by her staff.
She sees her role not only as a leader but also a nurturer for the younger generation that are coming through.
“I just want to nurture and take care of them because they are our future.
“Seeing them do well makes me happy, I get a lot of gratitude when I see them create something.
Director of the Uraidla Hotel, Julie Peter and General Manager, Heath Johansen, with Anna Kittel after accepting the award for Chef of the Year 2022.
“We’ve just started a weekly special with all the chefs, they take their turn each week to do a special. They need to be able to be creative – to make it more rewarding.”
The Uraidla Hotel provides a homely feel for all of its customers, featuring a pub menu that sources local ingredients and is different to your standard fine-dining restaurant.
“You can come to my kitchen and you won’t find any unnecessary processed foods,” she said.
“We pride ourselves on being local.
“I get my fish locally from a man down at the Coorong, I get cheese up the road from Section28 and I buy eggs from Summertown – I try to keep everything as fresh as I can.”
Anna has also been integral to creating and maintaining the Uraidla Hotel’s garden, which is used for much of the food featured on the hotel menu.
“I make marmalade that we sell in the café, I also make bottled sauces as well, the garden has silverbeet, kale and so much more.”
Food trends in the market is another important aspect of running a successful menu and Anna works hard to ensure The Uraidla is constantly evolving.
“I’ve seen a lot of trends come and go during my career, we are going back to that retro model,” she said.
“We are going into more grains, we are also going into vegan, it’s a big challenge and a lot of reading and research.
“I really like Ottolenghi, I get a lot of inspiration from him, as well as going out and having meals here and there and what other menus chefs are doing overseas.
“It’s always changing and you have to grow, things run out of season, you have to be really careful with what you put on, we generally have 2-3 different menus per year.
“Receiving the award was a thrill, I was a bit shocked actually and I still am,” Anna said.
The submission process for the award saw Anna undergo an interview, whilst a letter of recommendation was provided by Director of the Uraidla Hotel, Julie Peter.
General Manager Heath Johansen was also insistent that Anna be nominated.
“I’m not one to go for awards, they put me in last year and again this year, I’m a bit blown away, I’m very lucky to have both of them.”
Finding more people like Anna is proving challenging for the hospitality industry however, with a nation-wide chef shortage making things difficult for businesses.
The demands expected of chefs can steer people away from the industry, such is the taxing nature of the occupation.
Despite the strenuous workload there is plenty of joy to be found in the profession and Anna hopes that young people keep entering the industry.
“If you’re passionate about cooking then you can get a lot of satisfaction,”
“I get a lot of enjoyment out of my customers, telling me that they have enjoyed their meal or looking at a plate and it’s presentation and being proud about that,”
“If you love what you do, then you’re going to stay in what you do.”
