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OPEN HOUSE NEWS

Sydney dubbed Australia’s premier ‘night time city’ N

ew restaurants and cafés are leading the growth of “after-dark” businesses in Sydney, according to research that confirms the city as Australia’s dining capital and the largest contributor to a national night-time economy worth $92 billion a year.

The first comparison of Australia’s night-time economy shows the City of Sydney area had almost 4400 businesses in the core food, drink and entertainment sectors in 2011, employing nearly 17,000 people and generating $2.76 billion in sales revenue.

All three sectors expanded in 2009-11, despite economic uncertainty, with food leading the charge with 12 per cent growth in the number of businesses, says the report, prepared for the National Local Government Drug and Alcohol Advisory Committee.

According to the Australian Night Time Economy report more than 10 per cent of Sydney businesses are part of the night-time economy. Between 2009-11 there were 336 new night-time food businesses adding to a total of 3066, entertainment businesses grew by 38 to 874 and drink businesses – helped by small bars – grew by 24 to 441.

The research coincide with news that the City plans to extend its trial of food trucks until March 2014 to give all of the participating trucks a full year of operation, so the program and feedback from the community can be fully evaluated. A preliminary survey at food truck locations found that 98 per cent of people surveyed support the initiative.

Suzie Matthews, the City’s manager, business precincts, Late Night Economy and Safe City, said the research indicated the food trucks were a positive addition to Sydney's nightlife.

“More than a third of people using food trucks are eating out when they would otherwise have been eating at home and the benefits from that flow on to other business, like shops and small bars,” Matthews said.

“This is about generating new activity in the city, not taking away from existing food businesses. The food truck operators have invested large amounts to get their businesses rolling and they pay fixed costs like wages and rent for a place to store and prepare food just like any other food business.”

Editor’s word

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he film and television industries have their annual awards season, with the Oscars, BAFTAs, SAGs, AACTAs and more handed out within the space of couple of months. And, while the red carpet turn-out isn’t quite so glamorous, so does the world’s restaurant industry, with chefs eagerly waiting to hear if they’ve earned a coveted star, hat or place on one of an increasing number of influential lists.

April 29 saw the announcement of the 2013 S. Pellegrino & Acqua Panna World’s 50 Best Restaurants list (page 4), with all the excitement associated with it. But is winning a restaurant award all it’s cracked up to be? Several international chefs including Oliver Douet and Ron Blaauw have handed back their Michelin stars because they created too much expectation, while Greg Doyle renounced his third hat in the SMH Good Food Guide to reposition his restaurant.

CONTENTS

Photo courtesy: The City of Sydney.

To find out the pros and cons, we’ve ask a couple of hatted chefs about their own experience with the awards system (page 14).

Ylla Wright Managing Editor @ohfoodservice

Industry news......................................... 04

Awards................................................... 14

Cover story – Maggi Premium

Beef........................................................ 16

Sauce Mixes........................................ 06

Q&A – Henrietta Morgan...................... 08

Beef.

Pizza and Italian..................................... 20 Cocoa..................................................... 24

Profile – Daniel Brown.......................... 10

Ingredient watch – chestnuts.................. 26

Origins of sweet potato.......................... 12

Cooking the books................................. 27

Consultant chef...................................... 12

Products................................................. 28

Sustainability......................................... 13

Culinary clippings.................................. 30

16

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, June 2013 3

NEWS

New ‘world’s best restaurant’ announced Spain’s El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, headed by brothers Joan, Jordi and Josep Roca, has taken out the number one spot in the hotly anticipated 2013 S. Pellegrino & Acqua Panna World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, knocking Denmark’s Noma into second place after three years in the top spot.

El Celler has been number two on the list for the last two years.

The Roca brothers’ restaurant has gained global acclaim for its combination of Catalan dishes and cutting-edge techniques. The trio say the restaurant’s philosophy is one of “emotional cuisine”, with different ingredients chosen to take diners back to childhood memories and a specific place in their past.

Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Spain, and Eleven Madison Park in New York rounded out the top five.

Watch the video in the Open House iPad app.

Attica pips Quay in Top 50 Melbourne’s Attica restaurant has been heralded as Australasia’s best restaurant in the 2013 S. Pellegrino & Acqua Panna World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, coming in at 21st place overall. The restaurant, headed up by chef Ben Shewry (pictured below), also took home the Highest New Entry award.

According to the award organisers, Shewry has carved himself a reputation for “respecting nature and the environment, and working carefully with ingredients to demonstrate their pure flavour and texture”.

Peter Gilmore’s Sydney restaurant Quay, which previously held the number one spot in Australasia, came in at 48th (down from 29th position in 2012). The restaurant appears on the list for the fifth consecutive year.

Australian-born chef David Thompson’s Nahm in Bangkok climbed 18 places to number 32, while fellow Aussie Brett Graham took out 13th place for his London restaurant The Ledbury, up one place from last year.

Latin America’s time to shine Latin America’s best restaurants will be recognised for the first time this year, at an awards ceremony to be held on September 4, 2013, in Lima, Peru.

The Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, sponsored by Cusquena, will recognise the region’s gastronomic diversity and quality, in line with growing global awareness and culinary trends.

“This launch champions the significant development and growth of the gastronomic industry across Latin America and provides diners across the globe with local insight and recommendations into this diverse and developing culinary region,” said spokesperson William Drew.

Mackay bacon sizzlin’ hot Australia’s best bacon has been announced at an event at 4Fourteen restaurant in Sydney to kick off Australian Bacon Week, which ran from May 15-19.

This year’s overall prize for Australia’s best bacon went to Steve Chapman (pictured, above right) from Slade Point Meat Specialists in Mackay, Queensland, who also won the best full rasher bacon award. Chapman earned a record score of 293 out of 300, with the judges describing Chapman’s bacon as being “perfectly presented, displaying a great smokey colour, excellent aroma, with a wood smoke flavour, very good lean to fat ratio resulting in minimal shrinkage”.

Mark Stapleton from Stapletons Meats in Gymea, NSW, took out the number one spot for the nation’s best short cut bacon, with the judges saying it was “excellent looking bacon with a fantastic aroma, minimal shrinkage with a well

balanced flavour and aftertaste.”

Australian Bacon Week is an initiative to highlight the pink square PorkMark label, which lets people know they’re buying 100 per cent pure home grown Australian bacon.

‘Eat more bugs’ says UN Insects such as beetles, caterpillars and grasshoppers could be used to supplement diets around the world as an environmentally friendly food source, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

With about one million known species, insects account for more than half of all living organisms classified so far on the planet. It is estimated that insects form part of the traditional diets of at least two billion people.

Globally, the most consumed insects are: beetles (31 per cent); caterpillars (18 per cent); bees, wasps and ants (14 per cent); and grasshoppers, locusts and crickets (13 per cent). Many insects are rich in protein and good fats and high in calcium, iron and zinc. Beef has an iron content of 6mg per 100g of dry weight, while the iron content of

Want more industry news?

For even more industry news, in-depth reports and new product information, or to sign up for Open House weekly email newsletter, visit www.openhousemagazine.net. You can also follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@ohfoodservice). Or download the free Open House iPad app, packed with additional, exclusive content and updated monthly, from the iTunes app store.

4 Open House, June 2013 www.openhousemagazine.net

locusts varies between 8 and 20mg per 100g of dry weight, depending on the species and the kind of food they themselves consume.

are increasingly concerned about the sustainability and provenance of their seafood choices,” he said.

Because they are cold-blooded, insects don’t use energy from feed to maintain body temperature.

According to FAO figures, insects use just 2kg of feed to produce 1kg of insect meat, while cattle, at the other end of the spectrum, require 8kg of feed to produce 1kg of beef.

Fairtrade products booming in Australia

In addition, insects produce a fraction of emissions such as methane, ammonia, climatewarming greenhouse gases and manure, all of which contaminate the environment. In fact, insects can be used to break down waste, assisting in the composting processes that deliver nutrients back to the soil while also diminishing foul odours.

A report released by the FAO suggested that the food industry could help in “raising the status of insects” by putting them on restaurant menus.

Coffs Harbour restaurants in the spotlight Ten restaurants and fast food outlets at Coffs Harbour in New South Wales and surrounding areas, including Sawtell, are facing investigation for underpayment of wages to staff, after recent spot-audits by the Fair Work Ombudsman.

Acting Fair Work Ombudsman Michael Campbell said Chinese and Indian restaurants were a particular focus of the audits based on the information received and the enquiries conducted so far indicated the community’s concerns were well founded.

“What we’ve found is preliminary evidence of workers being underpaid, particularly through the use of flat hourly rates for all hours worked, which appear not to cover minimum entitlements for all hours worked, including on weekends and public holidays,” he said.

“The Fair Work Ombudsman has a strong focus on vulnerable workers, which includes young people and foreign workers such as students and working holidaymakers who may not be aware of their workplace rights and entitlements.”

Japanese scallop fishery earns MSC certification The Hokkaido Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Association’s scallop fishery has been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) global standard for sustainable and well-managed fisheries, meaning they are now eligible to bear the blue MSC ecolabel.

The fishery produces the largest scallop harvest in the world, with the cooperative responsible for producing one third of all scallops fished off Hokkaido in Japan.

Australians spent more than $191 million on Fairtrade Certified products in 2012, with chocolate and coffee leading the way, according to new figures released by Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand.

“On average, Fairtrade’s annual growth over the past five years has been above 50 per cent,” said Fairtrade ANZ operations manager Craig Chester.

“This growth means Fairtrade is reaching the kind of scale which can challenge corporate thinking and eventually change the structure of trade.

“Our research indicates that when purchasing everyday products like cocoa and coffee, consumers are opting for Fairtrade to reward companies who ensure the world’s poorest farmers get a decent price for their products.”

Perry and Brahimi take the Crown

Fairtrade is a certification program that ensures farmers receive a fair price for their goods plus additional investment toward community improvements such as schools, hospitals and farming practices.

Crown Melbourne has signed up chef/ restaurateurs Neil Perry (pictured above) and Guillaume Brahimi to serve as Culinary Directors for the integrated resort for next three years.

Companies including Chocolatier, Toby’s Estate, Belaroma, Nerada and Grinders offer Fairtrade Certified products.

In the newly formed role, Perry and Brahimi will combine their expertise and culinary greatness to influence all menus across Crown Hotels, events and conferencing, as well as overseeing restaurants such as Rockpool Bar and Grill, Bistro Guillaume, Rosetta, Spice Temple and Silks.

DineSmart raises the bar Last year’s DineSmart fundraising event, organised by StreetSmart Australia in the lead up to Christmas, raised $361,471 for community homelessness projects.

The 10th year the fundraiser has been run, 180 restaurants took part, with diners asked to add a $2 donation to their bill. The total raised was up from up from $352,328 in 2011.

Melbourne restaurant fined for underpayment The former managers of a Melbourne restaurant have been fined $35,100 for underpaying a foreign worker employed as a cook.

The fines were imposed in the Federal Circuit Court in Melbourne after a Chinese national employed as a cook at the Hongyun Chinese Restaurant on Bourke Street, in the Melbourne CBD, was underpaid $14,927 between June, 2010 and May, 2011.

Fair Work Ombudsman group manager Michael Campbell says the Court’s decision sends a message that underpaying foreign workers is a particularly serious matter.

Rupert Howes, MSC chief executive, congratulated the group on their efforts to become sustainable.

“Foreign workers can be vulnerable if they are not fully aware of their rights or are reluctant to complain,” he said.

“I have no doubt that this tremendous achievement will generate a lot of interest from both the domestic and international markets that

“We do not hesitate to take the necessary compliance action when we find cases of foreign workers being blatantly underpaid.

Perry and Brahimi will also work with the company to support training and mentoring of the culinary team working across all Crown Melbourne venues, around 510 employees. The pair will also provide guidance in all culinary appointments, personally train and develop Crown’s apprentices, and mentor and coach Crown’s leading chefs in all premium outlets.

“With over 1.5 million meals served each year, across Crown Melbourne’s 14 premium restaurants and extensive events and conferencing space, the Culinary Directors’ expertise will be an invaluable resource for the Crown Food & Beverage team,” said Crown Chairman James Packer.

Underpayments of foreign workers in Australia will not be tolerated.”

The employee, who is now a permanent resident, generally worked seven-days a week, working between 30 and 55 hours. He was paid a flat rate of $11.50 for all hours worked, but was entitled to receive more than $15 an hour for normal work and more than $20 an hour for some weekend, overtime and public holiday work.

Superannuation and annual leave entitlements were also underpaid.

According to Judge Heather Riley, “it is incumbent upon employers to make all necessary enquiries to ascertain their employees’ proper entitlements and pay their employees at the proper rates”. OH

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, June 2013 5

cover story

Savour the flavour Nestlé Professional has opened the door to a new era in sauce solutions, with the launch of its new range of Maggi Premium Sauce Mixes.

T

wo “must-have” sauces that regularly appear on menus – mushroom and peppercorn – can now be made in as little as five minutes, delivering a rich flavour and taste that will enhance a host of dishes.

Packed with mushroom slices, the Maggi Premium Mushroom Sauce Mix has an intense full-bodied flavour balanced with hints of white wine that is ideally suited to steak, chicken and fish dishes.

Each pouch of Maggi Premium Sauce Mix makes up to 2 litres of sauce, at a cost of approximately 45 cents per 75ml serve. Chefs also make further savings in the areas of labour costs and buying raw ingredients to create a sauce from scratch. When made up, the sauces are bain-marie stable for up to four hours and can be reheated and frozen.

Consistency is vital for any foodservice operator, and with Maggi Premium Sauce Mixes the

The Maggi Premium Peppercorn Sauce Mix incorporates a blend of red, white, black and green peppercorns in a flavoured meat-base to deliver a taste and aroma that will give the perfect finishing touch to steak and chicken dishes.

Chefs can also add their own unique twist to the sauces, by introducing cream or other ingredients into the mix.

6 Open House, June 2013 www.openhousemagazine.net

simplicity of preparation – just add hot water and whisk – means that junior and temporary chefs can easily prepare them, freeing senior staff for more complex tasks. There is no measuring needed with the easy to use bags eliminating accidental food cost blow outs and allowing greater budget control.

Take the stress out of preparing two must-have sauces that feature on so many modern menus with Maggi’s new range of Premium Sauce Mixes. OH

Q&A

Top shelf Sourcing new and innovative foodservice products from around the globe is all in a day’s work for Henrietta Morgan from The Good Grub Hub. Q: How did you get into importing gourmet food products?

A: I have held senior marketing positions in various industries but come from a foodie family and was always interested in food. When the marketing manager position came up at Prahran Market in Melbourne, arguably Australia’s best fresh food market, I jumped at the chance. After three years of learning about ingredients I wanted to find more interesting products from around the world and bring them to Australian chefs.

Q: Where do you find the products?

A: I follow food trends around the world and find them online most of the time. I’m also always asking chefs for tips on any hot new products they have heard about that aren’t currently here. Trade shows are only as good as the companies that attend and I want to leave no stone unturned in my quest for great products.

Q: What was the first product range you imported?

A: The first product range I imported was a range of affordable fish roes from the US, Collins Caviar. Caviar has been unfashionable for 20 years or so but is roaring back onto world menus. I have a range of natural

and infused roes from two fish – the Golden Whitefish and Bowfin. The Collins Caviar brand is very well respected in the US and was even on the menu at the very famous Charlie Trotters. The Bowfin is naturally black (so no dye is left on food) and is causing a stir in Russia as it’s so inexpensive compared to Sturgeon roe but tastes very very good for its price. I was the first person to work out a way to get them through Australian quarantine, so I felt like I’d won a battle before I even started.

Q: The Golden Whitefish Caviar is quite unusual in that it holds its form in sauces. What are some of the ways chefs are using it?

A: It’s very versatile as it is way less “fishy” than Salmon roe and has a smaller, firmer berry (which still has that delightful “pop”) that stands up to gentle handling. Because of these properties you can incorporate it into dishes and flavour pair with it very successfully. Some uses are buerre blanc sauces, caviar vinaigrettes (fab with a bit of wasabi paste added), caviar butters, dips, cream cheeses, mousses – it’s amazing what you can do with this product. Breezes at Crown Casino used the natural roe in a “Port Macquarie Atlantic salmon, baby pea puree, golden whitefish caviar and lemon myrtle foam”. The Lobster Cave in Beaumaris uses the truffle infused roe on Pacific oysters “Neptune” – with blue swimmer crab and truffle caviar mayonnaise.

Q: Tell us more about the infused roes. How do they work?

A: Because the Golden Whitefish is not overtly fishy it lends itself very successfully to infusion, allowing you to add flavour to mouthfuls rather than just salty fish roe. Collins Caviar is one of only two companies that have worked out the way to do it. There are five infused flavours

8 Open House, June 2013 www.openhousemagazine.net

which all have their uses and are all delicious. The smoked roe goes very well with avocado, citron (lemon) is great with fruit like honeydew melon sorbet, truffled is great on seared scallops, pepper is great on something like carrot soup, tarragon cream and a crouton of spicy caviar, and mango infused goes really well in Asian dishes such as Chinese beef salad. They all work really well in mayonnaise too so even a fisherman’s basket in a pub can be jazzed up really economically.

Q: You’ve been targeting the foodservice market primarily.

What’s the response been to the caviars from chefs?”

A: The response has been great! The caviars have been served on the menus of many of Melbourne’s top restaurants including Grossi Florentinos, Circa and Taxi Dining Room and are just beginning to be seen in restaurants in NSW, WA and QLD. Q: What are some of the other products you’ve discovered?

A: I try to import new food products that have never been seen before in Australia but are also very useable.

I look for high quality products that I can not only offer at a reasonable price so they are accessible to all foodservice clients but also have “high perceived value” to their customers. Currently, I have a fantastic range of compound butters from the US (truffle, chili lime, Tuscan herb and porcini sage) which make it easy for chefs to add flavour to dishes and have consistency across meals; Angel Tears, transparent molecular gastronomy balls from Japan with real 22k gold suspended in them; Potato Bites that can be

used as canape bases, upmarket mini hash browns, bar snacks or on children’s menus; Obulato papers (made famous at El Bulli); and a range of the most amazing dried edible flowers from Japan (including real four leaf clovers) that you can bake with and put in ice.

Q: What’s your latest discovery and how would chefs use that?

A: Japan is famous for their Cherry Blossom Festival and I’m importing a range of products made from the actual cherry blossoms. I have cherry blossom syrup, whole sugared blossoms on the stem, and a special confectioner’s mix, ready to make cherry blossom ice cream with or mix with Chantilly cream.

Q: Are there any products that you don’t import into Australia that you would love to get your hands on?

A: Yes I would love to import Tonburi which is a Japanese delicacy from the Akita Prefecture.

They turn the seeds from the Bassia scoparia bush into what is known as “land (vegetarian) caviar”, but sadly quarantine won’t let it into the country without treatment and that would ruin it.

Q: Overall, how innovative are the products available to foodservice in Australia?

A: The feedback I am getting from chefs is that they are tired of reps turning up with the same “variations on a theme”. They have been thrilled to be offered something different, at a good price, which wows their customers.

I think there is a real need for innovative products and I’m the girl to find them. OH

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Profile

Embracing difference Catering to special dietary requirements is becoming increasingly more complicated, but for chef Daniel Brown from Sydney’s The Spice Cellar, it’s all part of the fun, writes Ylla Wright.

“Anything you put in water, especially with rice and corn flours, is always going to have a gluggy texture,” he says. “With gluten-free pasta it’s a matter of undercooking it. A lot of people cook the pasta and take it off the heat, but it still keeps cooking until it goes mushy and gross.”

However, there are plenty of other options available.

“I’ve been doing it for so long that whenever I look at a recipe, I think ‘how can I make that glutenfree’,” he says. “If you’re constantly playing with it you build up a repertoire in your brain.”

“I had the recipe for the zucchini fritters and it called for flour. Who needs flour when it’s so heavy? Instead I used ground almonds, added half almond meal and half corn flour, to make it gluten-free.

“Roast pumpkin seeds are another option. Blitz them and they make this beautiful, tasty, toasted powder that’s like flour. I use that in my oven baked mushroom, pecan and brown rice mini barrels. The barrels are served with pecan brittle.

I always tell people to make sure they crunch the brittle to get all the different textures. People forget to get the sound of food in their heads.”

F

ormer chef Anthony Bourdain, the author of Kitchen Confidential and presenter of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, once famously said that “vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans ... are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit”, but for Daniel Brown, chef at Sydney’s The Spice Cellar, they’re some of his favourite customers.

Hailing from Northern Canada, Brown credits a stint at socially-aware vegetarian restaurant Rebar on Vancouver Island for his passion for cooking vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free food.

“Being there, I also got into the habit of using separate frying pans, making sure I’m not frying in the same oil, and just being conscious of the needs of vegans and vegetarian,” he says. “Not just taking the piss in the kitchen and going yeah, whatever. I think it’s really important.”

An unabashed carnivore who says he loves “my meat and my cold beer”, Brown is able to offer vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free versions of everything on The Spice Cellar’s tapas-style menu.

“If you’re prepared for it, it’s really easy,” he says.

“And people really appreciate it.

“I had a vegan guy at the Rum Diaries [where Brown used to work] who came into the kitchen and he was crying. It was the first time he’d sat down with his friends for a meal and no one took the piss out of him. No one even knew they were eating vegan food.

“If people let me know they’re coming I’ll usually do a couple of vegan or vegetarian specials so they have more options. We had a group of vegan reviewers in last week and they had a five-course menu.”

While many restaurants still flounder with vegetarian menu options, falling back on stalwarts like mushroom risotto and grilled vegetable stacks (great for a restaurant’s bottom line but not so great for diners faced with them as their only option week after week), Brown says there’s no reason for vegetarian food to be boring or bland.

“You can make amazing meat-free stocks and reductions to give things flavour,” he says. “I do blue cheese jalepeno stuffed dates, wrap a ribbon of zucchini around them and grill them. They look beautiful and taste beautiful.”

With many of the dishes on The Spice Cellar’s menu it’s simply a case of swapping elements out.

“I do these little chorizo bruschetta, which is a crouton with romesco sauce, Persian fetta, almonds and balsamic, but I can swap the bread out to make it gluten-free. Or if a customer wants that vegetarian, I can use grilled zucchini instead of the chorizo.”

Overall Brown says his food is “eclectic and fun”, regardless of whether it’s suitable for those with specific dietary requirements or not.

“I like that playfulness,” he says. OH

Brown puts the increase in demand for glutenfree options down to an increase in awareness that eating too many wheat-based foods isn’t the healthiest option.

“I think eating all that bread has just caught up with people,” he says. “A lot of times when you get people who are bloated or the guys who have the beer belly, it’s an allergy to something – wheat or gluten. It’s not that they’re trying to be ‘trendy’; a lot of people are realising it’s not healthy to eat that way.”

While many options such as gluten-free pasta are problematic to cook, others such as gluten-free breads have improved vastly.

10 Open House, June 2013 www.openhousemagazine.net

View recipe in the Open House iPad app.

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origins of...

Sweet potato Sweet potato has been a food staple since it was first domesticated in Central America thousands of years ago, writes Megan Kessler.

them back to Spain around 1500.

By the middle of the 16th century several kinds of sweet potatoes were available there, including red, purple and white varieties.

From Spain, the vegetable was introduced to England where it was embraced and incorporated into any dish that called for potato.

However as they did not grow well in the cold climate they were an expensive food item.

V

ersatile sweet potatoes were first domesticated in Central America 5000 years ago, but they most likely originated in South America, where remnants of the vegetable dating back to 750BC were found in Peru.

Particularly well suited to the warm, tropical climates of South and Central America they soon became a staple

food, which they still are to this day.

Sweet potatoes reached Europe after explorer Christopher Columbus found them in the West Indies in the 14th century. He discovered hundreds of varieties that had been cultivated by the pre-Inca and Inca people for thousands of years, taking

Beware of the boat people After the Howard government substantially slowed the number of boats entering our waters, the Gillard government has all but turned it into the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. Even though I at times wonder when, if ever, the boats will stop and the threat of bio security will again return to an acceptable level, I do have to shake my head at the recent events in WA when I believe a boat load of unexpected visitors got close enough to a beach to place food orders at the kiosk and borrow some 52-plus suntan lotion.

There is another, almost far greater, concern to be considered here however. I have travelled considerably in the Pacific working with our neighbours in Fiji, Tahiti and the Cook Islands, and I’ve noticed a worrying tactic being practiced under the guise of community assistance. The Cook

In 1597 sweet potatoes were mentioned by English botanist and herbalist John Gerard in a book about plants. He wrote that sweet potatoes were eaten roasted and infused with wine, boiled with prunes or roasted with oil, salt and vinegar. Gerard also mentioned the health benefits of sweet potatoes, writing that they strengthened and nourished the body as well as acting as an aphrodisiac. William Shakespeare also mentioned that the vegetable had an aphrodisiac effect in his 1602 play The Merry Wives of Windsor.

The belief that sweet potato was an aphrodisiac might account for why it was such a popular food amongst

Consultant chef

Islands has a new police station and court house; Vanuatu has received construction help; and the Tahiti independent running for office is getting considerable support to remove the French from power, according to local business people.

And strangely enough this assistance all seems to becoming from the same source, the Chinese. Now, as all seasoned international reporters continue to inform us of the wonderful record China has in regards to human rights, I did wonder why the Pacific was getting so much attention and considerable funding for projects.

In all cases I have found the common denominator: fishing licences. Local waters have been opened up and in they’ve come, netting anything that has enough spine to swim or crawl.

12 Open House, June 2013 www.openhousemagazine.net

Glenn Austin

www.austinwright.com.au The size of the local catch, if caught in Australia or New Zealand, would see you spending time in the big house with soap on a rope to keep you pure, but there it is open slather, with the blessing of the local mayors, chiefs or whoever is actually in power.

As is the norm for me I could not just let things slide. I started to

the wealthy. It is believed that King Henry VIII ate large amounts of sweet potato and particularly enjoyed spiced sweet potato pie, a mixture of mashed sweet potato milk, nutmeg, eggs, sugar and other spices.

Sweet potato pie was also made in America, where it has become a staple dish for modern Thanksgiving celebrations, however the Americans added marshmallow to the mix with a recipe dating back to the 1920s suggesting covering the pie in a layer of marshmallows and baking until brown and melted.

In America, sweet potatoes are often referred to as “yams”, a name which originates from African slaves who called them “nyami” (a vegetable similar to the sweet potato originating in Africa). This was shortened to “yam”.

Genuine yams tend to be paler, not as sweet and contain more starch than sweet potatoes; however they are used the same way in most dishes.

There is a record of yams arriving in Sydney in the early 20th century; it is likely that they reached Australia before sweet potatoes did. Sweet potatoes arrived relatively recently in the 1970s. Today, Queensland is a large producer of the vegetable, supplying the rest of Australia with three main varieties including white-fleshed and orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. OH

enquire in three countries why it was not possible to empower the locals to catch fish, to have a community run filleting operation, to put a sustainable fishing program in place as we have here in Australia and New Zealand, or if you want a best practice program, to sell the fish to the visitors bearing gifts, but this was met with severe reprimanding and even one threat. Not wanting to accept the offering of becoming crab pot bait I decided to slow down but on a serious note, what do you really think the Pacific Ocean will end up providing when it is being raped of all and sundry?

Guys, be proud of Australia and New Zealand for at least taking a stand on sustainability because the problem that is fast looming will make the French testing of nuclear products look insignificant next to the long term damage that is happening to our waterways and the fish that live in them. If you don’t believe me ask any local commercial fisherman.

Sustainability

Red, white and organic Organic wine is a growing industry that is finding its niche in bars and restaurants across Australia. Megan Kessler discovers the benefits of choosing organic and biodynamic wine.

O

rganic produce has become increasingly popular with the Australian public in recent years and many chefs and restaurateurs are responding by using organic produce wherever they can, including on wine lists.

Unlike conventional wine, organic wine is produced without the use of any artificial fertilisers, pesticides, fungicides or herbicides, from grapes grown in accordance to organic farming laws.

Taking the process a step further is biodynamics, a farming method developed in 1924 by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, which is not only organic but also aims to connect the earth and plants with forces of the sun, moon and constellations. Biodynamics ensures that only living things nourish the soil by using beneficial bacteria and fungi to protect the vines from insects and disease, creating a self-sustainable cycle.

Both systems have their own certification processes in place, ensuring the integrity of the farming methods used.

Representative of the restaurants serving organic wine is Bloodwood Restaurant and Bar in Sydney. The venue as a whole is as sustainable as possible, from the kitchen fit-out to the food and beverages served.

Consultant sommelier Gabrielle Webster, from Mistress of the Vine, said that the choice to use organic and biodynamic wines at Bloodwood (where she previously worked as sommelier) was in line with the owners’ overall beliefs about the importance of sustainability.

“As time went on I become more and more passionate about the process and beliefs of organic and biodynamic farming,” she says. “I feel that the vine should be treated with love and respect and not fed chemicals or anything nasty which can often be associated with conventional grape growing.”

The wines have proved popular with customers at Bloodwood, with Webster saying there is a lot of interest in these types of wines.

“I feel people are more aware of what they eat and more so than ever what they drink,” she says.

“People are always asking questions about the thinking behind biodynamics which is exciting.”

Although customers are showing interest in organic and biodynamic wine when it’s available, there are many more foodservice businesses that have not yet caught on to the growing interest.

Australian wine journalist Max Allen believes that more restaurants should be stocking these wines as they are an extension of many of the recent trends we are seeing in foodservice.

“Farmers markets and organic and sustainable are real buzz words around the foodservice industry,” he says. “However, there still seems to be a disconnect between people who go out of their way to buy free range or artisan-produced food that don’t take the same thinking through to wine.

“You can go to a lot of top restaurants that make a big thing about sourcing the meat that they serve from small producers, aging it and ensuring that the animal is treated well. You see the name of the farm or provenance of the food on the menu and yet when you open the wine list it’s full of conventional wines.”

A growth industry “The real growth in conversion to organic and biodynamic is relatively recent,” adds Allen.

“Well known producers like Cullen and Paxtons have all converted in the last 10 years or so but it is still a niche in Australia.”

Australia’s oldest certified organic vineyard is Botobolar in Mudgee, New South Wales, which has produced organic wine since 1971, including

their most popular wines, a preservative free Shiraz and low preservative Chardonnay.

However most organic and biodynamic vineyards in Australia have, like biodynamic producer Krinklewood, located in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, been certified more recently.

Whereas 10 years ago there were only around 20 to 30 certified growers, there are now around 150 certified organic wine producers in Australia.

Krinklewood’s owner Rod Windrim says the decision to switch to biodynamic farming (the vineyard was certified in 2007) was an easy one.

“It’s better for the environment, better for the people that live and work on the farm, and it gives us a better quality wine that is ultimately better for the people to drink it,” he says.

With their wines stocked in a number of bars and restaurants including Elton Brasserie in Mudgee and Sassafras Creek in Kurrajong, Botobolar’s Trina Karstrom believes it is important that the foodservice industry support the organic wine industry.

“Chefs should support organic vineyards because they are supporting sustainable agriculture and doing the right thing by the land,” she says.

Support from chefs, restaurants and bars will in turn increase demand from consumers, according to Karstrom, as if foodservice have these options on offer then consumers are more likely to take an interest in drinking organic wine.

The taste alone might be enough to convince people to start choosing organic varieties, according to Allen, who believes that there is a difference in taste and flavour when it comes to organic wines.

“I have no doubt that organically-grown, chemical free, biodynamic wines taste better,” he says.

“The wines are more distinctive and that fits in with what everyone is talking about in food, such as provenance and things tasting of where they are from. I think organic and biodynamic [farming] can help translate the distinctive flavour from the soil to the glass.” OH

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, June 2013 13

awards

If the hat fits In an environment where fine dining restaurants are finding it harder to turn a profit, are restaurant awards a poisoned chalice, asks Sheridan Randall.

A

which not only raises the bar in terms of the overall offering but can also be a barrier for prospective customers who may feel it is beyond their pocket. Having been a half point away from being awarded “two hats” three times, Sheppard is ambivalent at the prospect of actually moving up a level.

fter three years at the top Danish restaurant Noma was knocked into second place by Spanish restaurant El Celler de Can Roca in Girona in the recently released World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. Being ranked the second best restaurant in the world is no small achievement, yet somehow it seemed as if René Redzepi’s Copenhagen-based restaurant had lost its place among the restaurant gods and become merely mortal – such is the weight of expectation that this accolade brings. Yet the same year Noma lost the No. 1 spot it was awarded a second Michelin star.

Clearly the art of judging fine food is a fickle business.

Here in Australia we have a few “best restaurant” lists of our own, such as the established Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide awards, with their “chef’s hats” coveted by many in the restaurant sector. But with the number of fine dining casualties mounting, the prestige of being “hatted” may come at a cost.

“We would be happy to get two hats obviously but it’s not something that drives us onwards,” he says.

“Sure my ego would like it but I don’t know whether long term it would be a good thing, as once expectation goes up, costs go up. If I am just going to stick on one then that’s probably going to be better.”

Muse Restaurant’s Troy Rhoades-Brown.

“There is an association with accolades to money which causes people to make assumptions,” says Peter Sheppard, owner and head chef at Wollongong-based Caveau, in New South Wales, which has been awarded one “hat” for the last eight years in a row.

Being the first Wollongong restaurant to be “hatted” put Caveau on the map, but as Sheppard says, “in the one hat bracket we are fairly safe but two hats in Wollongong would be scary as people would assume it was big bucks, and possibly it would be.”

Customer expectation is all the greater the more accolades won,

Troy Rhoades-Brown is only 28-years-old but as the owner and head chef of Muse Restaurant in New South Wales' Hunter Valley region he has already notched up a swag of accolades, being awarded “one hat” three years in a row, as well as being named Restaurant & Catering’s Best Regional Restaurant of the Year in 2010. The less formal Muse Kitchen has also this year snagged its first “hat”.

“Getting a hat is not what you aim for but it is very rewarding,” Rhoades-Brown says.

“Opening a fine dining business in this climate, you start out aiming

Caveau's cured kingfish, smoked potato jelly, horseradish cream and crisp potato skins.

14 Open House, June 2013 www.openhousemagazine.net

Watch the video in the Open House iPad app.

Confit rabbit rillette from Caveau.

to survive and get over the first few hurdles. The restaurant game itself is so competitive let alone having the added pressure of having a hat.”

For a regional restaurant in particular awards serve as a great way to get noticed, he says, describing it as a marketing tool.

“Being a regional restaurant our pool of customers are in so many different areas it’s really hard to target where we should do advertising,” he says.

“Winning awards consistently over the years shows that you are a quality dining experience and that definitely helps put you on the map.”

Muse Restaurant scored 15.5 points in the SMH Good Food Guide awards, putting it just shy of “two hats”, which “we were absolutely elated about because we were moving forward and saw progress”, he says.

“It was a fantastic review and excellent for the team to know that we work day in day out to achieve something. Number one is to make the customer happy but it’s always good to get a pat on the back by people in the industry.

*Source: Nielsen Grocery Scantrack value sales and value share %. MAT 25/12/2011

“Everyone who is in this game is competitive and wants to move

forward.”

Describing his team as “young and hungry”, he says that they are always looking to “push boundaries”. However, he is also conscious of putting the cart before the horse, and losing sight of the allimportant customer.

With the possibility of a second “hat”, Rhoades-Brown is cautious about the dangers of getting what you wish for.

“Some people put their prices up when they get to two hats, not to make money necessarily, but to implement things that will create consistency at that level,” he says.

Sheppard also sees the danger of chasing awards for the sake of them.

“If you're chasing something it’s very hard to know what is going to get you that accolade, if that’s what you are after,” Sheppard says. “If you are trying to second guess what someone else is going to like you are just going to tie yourself up in knots.”

Having achieved one “hat” for so many years in a row, there is also the question of what it takes to get to the next level.

“It’s odd because we have had one hat for so long now, but I feel we are so much better than when we started out eight years ago,” he says.

“I’ve never asked what we need to do to get another hat, whether it is spreading the tables further apart or getting new plates or the colour of the light fittings, it’s just going to be irritating rather than encouraging me to do anything.”

No matter who is doing the judging the fact remains that food is essentially a subjective experience, with the restaurants and the critics treading “a really grey line” between who is actually dictating what direction the evolution of food takes, says Sheppard.

“There can be a bit of a conflict especially with food media as they seem to lose track that as journalists their job is to report what’s happening and not actually dictate the passage that’s it going to take,” he says.

Rhoades-Brown says it always comes back down to what’s best for the business.

“If two hats is best for the business then I would love two hats,” he says.

“We set ourselves a benchmark of

where we want to be, what we want to offer our customers and what steps we take to over deliver to those customers every time. We want to ‘wow’ them every time regardless of whether we have one hat, two hats or none.”

Muse Restaurant has “the capacity to earn that second hat and retain it” due to the infrastructure already in place, such as staffing levels, but he says that for the time being he is “comfortable” with where the restaurant stands.

“If we were to get two hats and not be able to over deliver like we can now that would detrimental to the business,” he says.

“It’s important to stay humble with your cooking. You do see a lot of young chefs serving food that might be more for themselves than for the customer.” OH

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www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, June 2013 15 8/04/13 11:05 AM

Beef

Red hot favourite The Meat Standards Australia program has taken the guesswork out of buying Australian beef and lamb, guaranteeing quality and consistency for chefs, discovers Ylla Wright.

I

t wasn’t so long ago that ordering a steak was like a lucky dip – sometimes you won a prize worth having; other times it wasn’t worth the money you’d spent entering. A cut you’d enjoyed one week could be tough and stringy the next, with even premium cuts often proving disappointing in the pan. With quality and consistency proving an issue for chefs and consumers alike, it’s little wonder that by the late 1990s beef consumption in Australia was in decline, with producers at a loss to explain why or work out how to fix the problem.

Enter industry body Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), which embarked on a massive program of more than 600,000 taste tests to identify what was satisfactory to consumers in terms of factors such as tenderness, juiciness and flavour, and a step-by-

step analysis of the supply chain from producer to plate to find out what was causing the problems with Aussie beef.

“A lot of the issues were around toughness so we needed to identify, what actually impacts the toughness of meat in the production of beef,” says Claire Tindale, marketing manager foodservice for the MLA. “We had to go right back on farm and look at what practices were being using that would affect toughness.”

One of the key factors affecting the tenderness of beef, according to Tindale, is a build up a lactic acid.

“You will often hear that a happy animal is a tasty animal and that is very much the case,” she says.

“Lactic acid builds up when an animal is stressed, whether that’s because it doesn’t have adequate

16 Open House, June 2013 www.openhousemagazine.net

food, is in fear of something, perhaps wild dogs, or if they’re introduced to a whole new group of cattle, which can stress them out. We needed to make sure that what was happening on farm wasn’t stressing them. Not using cattle dogs for instance, or cattle prods, as that is very stressful. When they’re travelling to be processed at an abattoir, they also shouldn’t be on trucks for too long.

“All these things had to be adopted by farmers that were interested in changing their practices, and the transport companies needed to make sure that they were doing the right thing and not extending the length of time between farm and abattoir.”

Once at the abattoir, MLA’s research and development team looked at issues surrounding chilling the carcases. Chill the carcasses too fast

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Customer satisfaction starts at the centre of the plate with the quality of the beef you serve.

As the world’s leading eating quality program for red meat, MSA takes the guesswork out of buying and serving beef by delivering excellence in eating quality to ensure your customers enjoy tender, juicy beef every time.

If MSA graded beef is the missing ingredient on your menu, contact your wholesaler or Meat & Livestock Australia for a list of stockists today.

T: 1800 111 672

E: msaenquiries@mla.com.au

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The symbol of excellence in eating quality

the steak was bad, research has shown that people won’t go back there based on that bad steak.

“We’re trying to explain to wholesalers the benefit to them of understanding MSA and being able to offer chefs peace of mind.”

With the wholesalers support, MLA plans to educate chefs who may not know about the program, or have forgotten about it.

and the muscles will tighten up; too slowly and rigour mortis won’t set in properly.

“There was some infrastructure that needed to be set up within the abattoir to ensure they were getting the plane of decline and the plateau correct, and to manage that,” says Tindale. “It was a whole new way of setting up a supply chain.”

The research, and resulting suggestions for changes throughout the supply chain, would form the basis of the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) program, developed in 1999 to improve the eating quality and consistency of Australian meat, and take “the guesswork out of buying and cooking Australian beef”. A similar standard for lamb would be developed several years later, after complaints about quality, particularly in loin cuts.

The accreditation program requires producers to meet strict criteria to ensure their product meets consumer expectations for tenderness, juiciness and flavour, with MSA graded meat labelled with MSA branding, a 3-, 4- or 5-star grading that identifies the eating quality of the specific cut of meat, and recommended cooking method. MSA certified graders collate information provided from the producer, supervise processing standards and assess each carcase on a number of attributes known to influence eating quality. For beef these include meat colour, marbling, fat depth, carcase weight, maturity and ultimate pH level.

“The great thing about chefs is they’re not afraid to ask questions and they want to know what impacts quality, because it’s their food on the plate that goes out to a customer and they can’t afford to jeopardise their reputation,” says Tindale.

“Whether someone goes out and buys MSA meat or non-MSA meat, the fact that they now know more than they did before about what they should be asking about meat quality means that they’re better off.”

Foodservice operators who do choose MSA meat also have the option of promoting that fact on their menus or other restaurant collateral. With almost 50 per cent of consumers aware of the MSA program and able to recognise the MSA symbol, according to recent MLA research, it will showcase their commitment to using quality ingredients to customers.

While the MLA recognises that not everyone will choose to use the MSA symbol on menus they want chefs to know that it is an option that’s available to them.

“We fully understand that if someone has an amazing brand that they like to buy that happens to be underpinned by MSA, it’s a lovely story to be able to talk about Darling Downs or the Northern Rivers region – consumers really enjoy reading about provenance – the breed of the beef or how many days it’s been on feed,” says Tindale. “Those stories are really important to promote as points of difference, however there’s certainly no harm in having a one liner that says ‘all of our beef is graded under the MSA system, a mark of quality’.

While the changes took some time to implement, and not every producer has chosen to down the MSA route, there are now around two million MSA graded cattle being produced a year, meaning that the quality of Australian beef available has improved dramatically. There are currently more than 70 brands of MSA beef available, supplied by nearly 30,000 producers nationally and distributed by more than 300 wholesalers.

“MSA is not a brand, it’s a mark of quality. It’s like when a restaurant has ‘three hats’. When people see the symbol of those three hats, people think this is a high quality restaurant. We want chefs to see the value of potentially using it on their menus.”

With the system now firmly entrenched, MLA has recently stepped up its campaign to raise awareness of the program and its benefits, amongst foodservice, butchers and consumers.

“When I first came to Australia around 15 years ago it was very difficult to get meat that was of a consistent standard,” he says. “It wasn’t aged enough; wasn’t handled properly; wasn’t packaged properly. It was a real battle. Once I started using the MSA products I realised that the meat was always going to be of a high quality; was always going to be consistent.

“It’s really important that MLA works with the people that sell MSA graded beef so our first point of call was the wholesalers, particularly to foodservice and to retail butchers, making sure they were aware what MSA was and they felt comfortable about the benefits of it to their customers,” says Tindale.

“Particularly in foodservice we know that a customer will judge an outfit by the ‘centre of plate’, which in a lot of cases is a red meat product. If they go somewhere and have a bad eating experience with a steak, they’ll write off the whole place; it doesn’t matter what else there is, if

Michael Lambie, director of The Smith in Prahran in Melbourne, was an early convert to using MSA graded beef.

“At the end of the day the customers are the ones that make it all happen for us, and if we’re not servicing the customers properly, we’re not going to be able to survive as a business.”

Tony Hart, executive chef of the InterContinental Adelaide, has gone one step further, with the hotel becoming an approved MSA supplier, and using the MSA logo on menus.

“We’ve always used MSA graded meat but we’ve

18 Open House, June 2013 www.openhousemagazine.net

only been accredited for the last six months,” he says. “We wanted to put a guarantee to the customer on the menu, and it was also a way of partnering with our supplier to ensure that the quality that we were guaranteeing on the menu really was the quality we were delivering. There is quite a lot of involved, but we throw the onus back on the supplier.

“Does our customer know exactly what we’re talking about when they open that menu?

Probably not. Are we able to talk to them from a quality point of view? Yes we are. Are we able to guarantee that what we say on the menu and what we’re delivering is quality? Yes we can.

“Within our restaurant we use an MSA grade 4, which is really good eating quality, minimum 28-day aged product. The specifications will also let you know how much marbling the animal has, the eating quality, how tender it’s going to be.

If there’s ever an issue with any of the meat it’s completely traceable, so you can literally go back from the plate to the farm.”

Chef Jacob Nicholson from Circa in Melbourne has been using MSA graded beef since he started working at Circa in 2006.

With diners at the one-hat restaurant expecting exceptional food, Nicholson says that by using MSA graded meat he’s “halfway there with exceeding guest’s expectations”.

“I can’t afford for my guests to eat something that I cannot guarantee is top quality,” he says. “I need to trust my suppliers are delivering at their end by using the MSA grading to ensure my guests are getting an amazing piece of meat. After all, the best chef in the world can’t make a badly raised and handled steak taste great.

“It’s a comforting feeling knowing how much care and effort goes into raising the cattle, and it adds a sense of pride when you’re cooking the meat for restaurant service, which I’m sure the customers can taste”.

While Tindale acknowledges that there a “marginal price difference” between MSA graded and non-MSA graded meat, thanks to the additional processes in the supply chain, she says it’s “a small price to pay”.

“If you want to compete in a highly competitive market, particularly with steak, you want to make sure that it’s going to deliver,” she says. “It’s probably worth putting a little bit of extra money into that side of it, because that’s what you’re going to be judged on.” OH

pizza & italian

Less is more Italian cuisine is a global favourite, but with so many foreign influences threatening to dilute its strong heritage many chefs and manufacturers in Australia are now looking to return to more traditional methods of preparation, writes Sheridan Randall.

P

izza is the humblest of foods that has taken the world by storm. For centuries pizza has been associated with the Italian port city of Naples.

Cheap to make and requiring few ingredients, pizza was a staple of the city’s poor by the 18th century,

A local pizzaiolo in Naples is said to have made the first Margherita in 1889, adding mozzarella to the tomatoes and basil to give the pizza the colours of the Italian flag – red, white and green, which he reportedly named after a visiting Italian queen. Pizza was also served on ships sailing from the Port of Naples, which is where Marinara got its name.

interchangeable ingredients you fancy. Want an Aussie pizza? Throw on some fried eggs and bacon. For a Hawaiian pizza, just add pineapple – currently the most popular pizza in Australia, accounting for 15 per cent of all sales.

For Naples-born Luigi Esposito, a third-generation pizzaioli who opened Sydney’s Via Napoli Pizzeria on his arrival in Australia, there is only one pizza worth making – the Neapolitan-style. His first impression of the pizza offering in Australia wasn’t overwhelming, with too many operators

Now pizza comes in all shades of the global rainbow – a chimera made up of any

making the fundamental mistake of letting the customer choose what they wanted on their pizza. They had in his words, “bastardised the tradition of the Neapolitan pizza”.

much softer,” he says. “You must use San Marzano tomatoes, which grow next to Naples and are nice and sweet. You must also use buffalo mozzarella and olive oil.”

For Esposito tradition is everything.

The type of flour used, the resting period, the temperature of the ovens, even the type of tomato used all integral to the final product and must in no way be tampered with.

The sourdough base, which is hand kneaded, is rested for a minimum of 24 hours to allow the gluten and yeast to become “more acidic”.

Imported buffalo mozzarella and fior di latte mozzarella for the topping, some olive oil and then bake in a wood fired oven at 485°C for between 60 to 90 seconds.

“We prefer to use Italian flour as it has less gluten, which makes it

The faster baking time keeps the juices in and the dough soft – unlike the Roman counterpart which is baked for longer at 250°C, producing a thinner, crispier base.

“The Neapolitan style must be nice and juicy with soft dough – that’s the difference,” he says.

Esposito is all for keeping his customers happy, “but within the limits of the tradition”.

“I wanted to do it the traditional way, even though the cost of the ingredients is more expensive but the flavour is there,” he says. “Until you can taste what you eat, that's what dictates what topping we use.

We don’t put 10 or 20 ingredients on top of the pizza because you can’t taste anything anymore. If I use top quality tomatoes I must let you taste

20 Open House, June 2013 www.openhousemagazine.net

Simon Best - Winner of the Fonterra Global Pizza Challenge 2010, 2012.

Perfect pizza cheese as used by the Best

For many years Perfect Italiano has been regarded as the “pizzamaker’s choice in cheese”, due to its superior stretch and browning properties.

Developed specifically for professional pizza makers, Perfect Italiano’s two types of Pizza Cheese are made according to the traditional Italian Mozzarella method with each providing great coverage when melted, even blistering and minimal oiling off.

Back to back winner of the Fonterra Global Pizza Challenge, Simon Best says “Perfect Italiano Mozzarella delivers the consistency, performance and flavour I’ve always looked for in a pizza cheese.”

So if you’re in the business of making pizza and want to win more customers and more repeat business, make the switch to Perfect Italiano.

For more info visit www.clubperfect.com.au

the quality we use. Simplicity and quality is the key.”

Being a native of Naples it is no wonder Esposito takes his tradition so seriously; the whole city does.

So seriously that the city passed a law in 2004 that specified what constitutes a real Neapolitan pizza.

They even have a pizza police.

The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) is a non-profit organisation of pizza-makers that dictates, certifies and polices the rules of authentic Neapolitan pizza-making. They dictate what ingredients to use, what temperature to bake at and when to consume it – immediately. There is no such thing as take-away Neapolitan pizza.

The good news is you don’t have to be born in Naples to make them.

Etica Ethical Pizzeria e Mozzarella Bar in Gilles St recently became Adelaide’s first Naples-accredited

pizzeria and is now part of a small but growing stable of AVPNaccredited pizzerias in Australia.

Hailing from legal backgrounds, owners Federico and Melissa Pisanelli opened the restaurant a year ago with a dual intention – serving the authentic Neapolitanstyle pizza they both fell for during their time spent studying and working in Italy and promoting the ethical treatment of animals.

Despite making their pizzas in the traditional Neapolitan way “from day one”, Etica was better known as a “cause” driven restaurant rather than for the quality of its pizza. For Federico Pisanelli, the two went hand in hand.

“Everything we use is the best of the best, so it does help our cause in terms of promoting animal welfare and meeting the requirements of making

a Neapolitan pizza,” he says.

Pisanelli approached the AVPN late last year and after a swift process that involved a visit by members of the association, the pizzeria was accredited in March this year.

“The AVPN was very helpful, and the process was a lot easier that we thought it was going to be,” he says. “To be certified you don’t necessarily have to use organic products but they said they were pleased that we were.

“We get our fruit from two farms that practice organically, and all the fruit and vegetables we use are seasonal, except the basil, which goes on a pizza year round.

“We are generally portrayed as either laid back hippies or a traditional pizzeria, but never as the two. For us one wouldn’t work without the other.”

Not so ‘fasta’ pasta Pizza is not the only Italian staple that is seeing a resurgence in traditional methods of manufacture, with pasta makers in Australia also looking to the past to create their product.

Pasta Italia is an award-winning manufacturer of fresh pasta based in Sydney. Co-owner Deni Rapattoni describes himself as a “bit of a traditionalist”, saying the integrity of the manufacturing process is vital and produces pasta that doesn’t need too much embellishment.

“The thing to remember is you are buying a pasta dish and not a sauce dish,” Rapattoni says. “You also don’t need a lot of sauce because our pasta does have flavour.”

Using only 100 per cent Australian durum semolina, eggs and water, Pasta Italia produces a range of 10 different varieties of fresh, extruded pasta, including Ligurian-style trofie.

The pasta has a mottled texture that captures the sauce, with Rapattoni saying that “it’s purely in our technique of making it” that makes the difference.

Via Napoli’s Luigi Esposito.

22 Open House, June 2013 www.openhousemagazine.net

“Because we extrude our pasta through the bronze head, you get a totally different outcome,” he says.

“One advantage is you don’t need to dust it with flour like a lot of the other products on the market because it doesn’t stick. When you go to cook the pasta the water stays clean and doesn’t get a heavy concentration of flour residue, which makes the water starchy and affects the end result over time,

especially in foodservice where they are constantly putting pasta into boiling water over a lunch service.”

Based in the South Australia’s Clare Valley, Pangkarra is a family owned and operated business that uses traditional stone-milled wholegrain durum flour to produce its range of wholegrain pasta.

“Basically 100 years ago all of the towns in Italy would mill their grain on the stone mill in the village and make their bread and pasta with it,” says Katherine Maitland, marketing manager at Pangkarra.

Stone-milling crushes the wheat in a similar action to a pestle and mortar, while the post-industrial method of producing flour on a roller mill essentially divides the grain and slices off the outer layers.

“Wholegrain is essentially the whole wheat crushed meaning it has the wheat germ, bran, husk and endosperm crushed into finer particles,” Maitland says. The end result is pasta that has “a really nutty, earthy flavour”.

“We just kind of stumbled across it,” she says. “We wanted to do some

ordinary bread wheat, so when you chuck the pasta in a pot of boiling water it has a good durability so you can pick it up and it doesn’t fall apart,” she says.

“Egg is used to hold the pasta together, but if you have a high protein durum wheat that has that ability to hold together then you don’t need egg. It also means vegans can have our pasta as well as those allergic to dairy products.”

Unlike much of the mass produced pasta which is dried in a couple of hours using heaters, Pangkarra’s pasta is dried naturally for up to three days, which allows “the natural qualities of the grain to come through”.

“A lot of chefs love the fact that our pasta has a texture and a flavour,” she says. trials and we ended up really liking the flavour and then we investigated all of the health benefits and thought this is really a niche market.

“There are a lot of people who are gluten sensitive, not intolerant, and they find they don’t have a reaction to our pasta. We have done quite a

few consumer shows and they have said that ‘this is the only pasta they can eat and not feel bloated’. The reason is that it has that wheat germ and the vitamin B which converts carbohydrates into energy. When you have white refined flour you take out all those things your body

Beef ragout with Pangkarra fettuccine

needs to digest the food.”

Pangkarra only uses durum wheat and water for their pasta, and extrudes it through a bronze die.

“Durum is a very high protein wheat so it holds together a lot stronger and better than say an

“If you really want to show it off you just add parsley, olive oil, garlic, mushrooms and just a pinch of truffle salt. As Australians we chuck everything on our pizzas and pasta dishes, and that not what it is really is about. It’s about the pasta being the meal and the sauce is the side dish.” OH

Made in the USA

Serves 4

375g Pangkarra wholegrain fettuccine 1tbs olive oil 250g bacon rashers chopped 2 carrots, chopped 2 celery sticks, chopped 1 brown onion, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, crushed 1.8kg-piece beef, cut into 8cm pieces 2 x 800g cans diced tomatoes 375ml red wine 3 dried bay leaves 2 large sprigs rosemary Salt and pepper to taste Shredded parmesan, to serve

Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add bacon, carrot, celery, onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. Stir in the beef, tomato, wine, bay leaves and rosemary. Season according to taste. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally for 2 hours or until the beef is tender. Cook pasta according to packet directions, drain well.

Combine the ragout with pasta.

Serve with shredded parmesan.

See more recipes in the Open House iPad app.

Australian Import Agents: VGM International Ph: 02 9997 3420 • Fax: 02 9997 1795 www.dexter1818.com • sales@vgmimports.com.au www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, June 2013 23

Chocolate

Callebaut and the chocolate tour When 45 Australian pastry chefs, chocolatiers, bakers and other industry professionals jetted off to Ghana in April to see how cocoa is grown, harvested and processed, it was the trip of a lifetime, writes Ylla Wright.

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hen F. Mayer Imports, which distributes premium chocolate brand Callebaut, announced last year that they would host a group of around 40 industry professionals on an all-expenses five-day tour to Ghana to experience all aspects of cocoa production from growing, harvesting, fermenting and drying the cocoa beans to turning the beans

into chocolate, it became the “golden ticket” everybody wanted.

With thousands of chefs, pastry chefs, chocolatiers and bakers keen to be part of the exclusive tour, participants were selected by a variety of means, including showpiece competitions and a live draw at the Fine Foods Australia

Gray Willis and Sam Mayer from F. Mayer Imports present Kukurantumi School staff with a $7000 donation.

expo in Melbourne in September last year. Others offered to pay their own way to join the once-in-a-lifetime, behind-the-scenes tour.

Kicking off in Accra in Ghana on April 2, the group visited not only a cross-section of cocoa plantations, storage facilities and factories, but also Kakum National Park, historic

fishing port Elmina and Cape Coast Castle, before flying home.

For baker Mathew Thorpe, who joined the tour after winning the National Bakeskills competition, seeing the growing, farming and processing of the cocoa beans was the highlight of the trip.

“My appreciation for chocolate has increased now that I have seen the farmer and his family,” he says. “It is insightful to realise that behind the impressive Callebaut factories in Europe and exceptional processing factory of Barry Callebaut in Ghana, the farmer picks the cocoa pods off the tree with a machete and cuts open and scoops out the beans by hand to harvest. He then ferments and dries the beans, all at the mercy of the weather and environment.

“The cocoa farmer is an artisan the same as a sourdough bread baker.

The baker uses natural yeasts and bacteria to ferment wheat for bread; the cocoa farmer using natural yeasts and bacteria to ferment cocoa beans for chocolate. Artisan chocolatiers hand craft their finished chocolate pieces, perhaps not realising the hands of the farmer have also crafted their product.”

To get an insider’s view of the tour, Open House asked Gary Willis, F. Mayer Imports’ national sales and marketing manager – chocolate division, to share with us his diary of the trip:

24 Open House, June 2013 www.openhousemagazine.net

Day one After a long flight our contingent of 45 Australian chocolatiers, pastry chefs and industry professionals finally arrived at Kotoka International Airport in Accra. Following a brief welcome at the hotel, the group headed for the pool for a very competitive game of water volleyball (although some people preferred to sleep by the pool instead). This was followed by a buffet dinner and early night in readiness for early start.

Day two Meeting at 7am for an early departure, the group was split into two groups, “Forestaro” and “Trinitario”, and loaded onto buses with guides who kept us entertained with many wonderful facts about Ghana and cocoa during the drive.

We visited a small four acre (1.6 hectares) plantation (800,000 of Ghana’s 850,000 plantations average about four acres) as well as one of the largest plantations, Abraham Plantation (12.1 hectares), where we met the farmer, his two wives and 10 children.

During these visits we saw the whole cocoa growing process, starting with the blossoms and flowering buds on the cocoa trees, to the cocoa pods on the trees and the harvesting. It was fascinating seeing cocoa pods on the trees, growing anywhere on the trunk at any angle, and in a variety of colours including green, yellow and purple. Here we also viewed fermentation and drying of cocoa beans, however as the harvest was over it was only presented to us on a very small scale.

A highlight was the chance to taste a fresh cocoa pod and to appreciate its sweet and specific notes, while standing in the middle of nature, surrounded by cocoa trees.

We also visited the buying centre where the cocoa beans are delivered by the farmers. This warehouse, partially dedicated to organic cocoa, is where quality control procedures take place before the beans are dispatched for export.

Next stop was a visit to the Kukurantumi School, one of many schools serving the cocoa growing regions and financially supported by Barry Callebaut, to meet with local children and donate $7000 to the school to facilitate better learning.

The final stop of the day was the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), a division of the Ghana Cocoa Board. This centre is at the forefront of international cocoa research for developing sustainable, cost effective, socially and environmentally acceptable technologies which will enable stakeholders to realise ongoing success and secure future of the cocoa industry.

Day three Thursday starts with a visit to the quality control division of Cocobod in Tema. It is at Cocobod that testing is carried out to make sure all cocoa beans intended for export meet or exceed international standards.

The International Cocoa Standards require cocoa of merchantable quality to be fermented, thoroughly dried, free from smoky beans, free from abnormal or foreign odour, and free from any evidence of adulteration. It must be reasonably free from living insects, broken beans and fragments, and pieces must be seasonably uniform in size.

This is also the final storage place of all cocoa beans before they’re exported; the facility holds up to 300,000 tons of cocoa beans.

Next stop is a visit to the Barry Callebaut Factory in Accra, one of three factories in West Africa.

The factory was built in 2001 and supplies cocoa liquor to many chocolate and food manufacturers all over the world.

Here we saw a presentation on where this factory is positioned in the Barry Callebaut group as well as viewed the process of transforming raw cocoa beans to finished cocoa liquor, including the roasting and grinding of the beans.

Day four Another early start as we set off on a three hour drive from Accra to visit Kakum National Park, a 375 square kilometre national park in the Central Region of Ghana, one of Ghana’s very few and most popular tourist sites. The entire area is covered with tropical rainforest.

Kakum National Park also has a long series of hanging bridges in the forest canopy known as the “Canopy Walkway”. At 40m high, the Canopy Walkway passes over seven bridges and pivot points and runs for 330m.

After a delicious lunch at a seaside resort, we made a brief stop at Elmina Castle and fishing port Elmina. The port used to be a major centre for holding slaves; from here some 30,000 per year would be shipped to the New World. Originally a Portuguese colony, Elmina was later taken over by the Dutch, and then the British in 1872.

Next up was a guided tour of the Cape Coast Castle. The castle was initially built for the trade in timber and gold; however it was later used in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Here we learnt of the horrific slave trade that lasted for almost 200 years, something that made an impact on all of us and was a vivid reminder of the inhumanity of mankind.

After a day of viewing coastal villages and wonderful sights

(including cocoa pod coffins for sale in the markets) along the highway, we settled in for a three and a half hour game of “dodgem bus” as the bus sped its way back to a late arrival at our hotel.

The group enjoyed a buffet dinner at the hotel for our last evening together. And being Aussies, many of the group kicked on until the early hours!

Day five With the group flying out this afternoon, we spent our last few hours in Ghana enjoying a city tour of Accra which included stops at The Centre for National Arts and Culture, Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, The Independence Arch and Black Star Square, Accra’s ceremonial grounds, before heading to the airport at 2pm for our flight home. OH

Scenes from the group's visit to Ghana.

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, June 2013 25

Ingredient watch

Feeling nutty

In season now, versatile chestnuts lend themselves to all sorts of sweet and savoury dishes that will have customers going nuts for more.

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hile most people think of chestnuts as a winter treat, especially when roasted over an open fire, here in Australia the season is in full swing right now. Harvested in autumn, the season runs from March to July, with this year’s crop having a particularly intense, sweet flavour, according to Jane Casey from industry body Chestnuts Australia.

Australian frozen peeled chestnuts, chestnut puree, with meal and flour are also available all year round.

Industry ambassador Stefano Manfredi, chef/owner of Osteria Balla Manfredi at The Star and Manfredi at Bells restaurant at Killcare, believes chestnuts are an underutilised ingredient in Australia.

“Many Australians aren’t familiar with chestnuts, despite the fact that we produce 15,000 tonnes of them a year,” he says. “I grew up eating chestnuts, and despite what some people think they’re incredibly versatile and simple to prepare.

“The simplest way to eat chestnuts is as a delicious snack. Just make a small incision on the flat side of the chestnut to prevent bursting.

Roast in the oven, on the barbeque or under a grill, and then peel while still warm.”

Although chestnuts are typically eaten in savoury dishes, Manfredi says they are “a fantastic all-round ingredient”.

“They are delicious sliced into salads or boiled as an alternative to pasta or potatoes,” he says. “You can even puree boiled or roasted chestnuts to stir into soups to add thickness. Chestnut puree also lends itself beautifully to desserts like tiramisu, tortes and cakes.

“The texture of a cooked chestnut is like that of a baked potato, soft and crumbly. The taste is unique and nutty but subtle, which is why they work so well for both sweet and savoury dishes.”

Chestnuts are cholesterol free and relatively low in kilojoules compared to many other nuts. They are an excellent source of vitamin C, folate, and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron and potassium. Chestnut flour and meal are gluten-free, making them suitable for people with coeliac disease.

26 Open House, June 2013 www.openhousemagazine.net

See more recipes in the Open House iPad app.

Hearty chicken with chestnuts and mushrooms Serves 8

250g fresh chestnuts (or 200g frozen peeled chestnuts) 8 dried shiitake mushrooms 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil 3cm-long piece of ginger, peeled and cut into thin slices 1 onion, peeled, cut in half and then cut into ¼cm wedges 8 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on 8 chicken drumsticks, bone in, skin on 5 tbs dark soy sauce 125ml dry sherry 1 tbs caster sugar 2 pinches salt 1 whole star anise ½ tsp cracked pepper 250ml water Score chestnuts by cutting a shallow cross on the flat side with the tip of a sharp knife and place in boiling water for 5 minutes till tender. Peel as soon as they’re cool enough to handle. They’ll peel better when still warm. Make sure both skin and fine inner pellicle are removed.

Cut chestnuts in half and reserve.

Place dried mushrooms in a bowl of hot water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain, remove stem, cut each mushroom in half and reserve.

Heat a large, heavy pot and add oil.

When it begins to smoke add ginger and onion. Stir for 15 seconds and then add chicken thighs and drumsticks. Keep turning chicken until skin is golden making sure onions and ginger doesn’t burn.

Add soy sauce, half the sherry, sugar and salt. Stir well so the soy has completely coloured the chicken. Add the star anise, pepper and the water and stir well.

Turn down to a simmer and place a lid on the pot. Keep simmering for 15 minutes occasionally turning the chicken. Add the remaining sherry, the chestnuts and the mushrooms.

Mix in, cover and simmer gently for another 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes then serve with steamed rice.

Recipe by Stefano Manfredi. OH

cooking the Books

What’s on shelf this month?

The Karen Martini Collection by Karen Martini (Lantern, $49.99) Co-owner of Mr Wolf in Melbourne’s St Kilda, chef Karen Martini has a resume packed with high-profile restaurant roles however it’s her simple, accessible cooking style that has made her such a favourite on television shows including Better Homes and Gardens and My Kitchen Rules, and as food editor of the Epicure lift-out from The Age. With a food philosophy that emphasises fresh produce and big flavours, Martini takes her inspirations from sources as diverse as her Tunisian grandmother, a Russian lady who sold her mushrooms she’d picked herself, and fellow chefs Stephanie Alexander and Kylie Kwong.

At My Table edited by Amanda Bilson and Janni Kyritsis (Allen & Unwin, $39.99) Just in time for National Diabetes Week next month comes the release of

At My Table, a book of accessible yet sophisticated recipes suitable for people with diabetes. The brainchild of Amanda Bilson, wife of chef Tony Bilson, and chef Janni Kyritsis, who both have diabetes themselves, the pair approached 60 of Australia’s most celebrated chefs to contribute, attracting recipes from the likes of Luke Mangan, Tetsuya WQakuda and Guillaume Brahimi. All the recipes include nutritional information and have been reviewed by The Diabetes Centre at St Vincent’s Hospital, making it a valuable resource for anyone seeking inspiration to feed customers watching their weight, blood glucose levels or cholesterol.

food that’s inspired the art. This unusual cookbook combines 120 original recipes

by Australian bloggers (and sisters) Jessica, Georgia and Maxine Thompson, along with the works of 66 artists they reached out to reimagine the recipes.

A recipe for homemade baked beans is accompanied by a pop art portrait of a

Simped’s

The Bookery Cook: Art to Eat

by Jessica, Georgia and Maxine Thompson (Murdoch Books, $39.99) Great dishes are often compared to works of art, but in this book it’s the

SPECIALIST MANUFACTURERS AND SUPPLIERS SINCE 1969 All product processed and packed under externally audited HACCP criteria

• Frozen Berries, Tropical & Deciduous Fruits

Wholefood Baking by Jude Blereau (Murdoch Books, $45) Wholefood is one of those buzzwords at the moment, implying wholesomeness and integrity. If it also conjures up images of powdered bran and alfalfa sprouts, that’s because you haven’t come across this collection of highly satisfying and often indulgent baking recipes yet.

While recipes use whole and semi-refined flours and sugar, with many also gluten-, nut- and dairy-free, one thing that isn’t missing is flavour. Overall, this book is ideal for those looking to cater for customers with allergies or intolerances, or for hints on how to create your own healthier versions of favourite recipes.

cannellini bean in a top hat; a dessert platter is accompanied by a paper collage of a woman’s head bursting with fruit; a recipe for dolmades is accompanied by a delicate watercolour of a vine leaf. If it sounds whimsical, that’s because it is, but it’s also a visual feast that won’t fail to satisfy. OH

• Fruit Purees Another innovative product from Simped Foods

• Fruit Mixes (incl. Fruit Salad) • Fruit Fillings • Salads and prepared Fruit and Vegetables (NSW only) • Frozen Specialty Vegetables including Asparagus, Okra, Snow Peas • Fruit Concentrates

IQF Sliced Leeks Leeks are a truly versatile vegetable.

They work wonderfully in a wide variety of recipes such as pies, casseroles, omelettes and frittatas, risottos, quiches, pasta sauces and soups.

The widest range available with processing facilities to value add your business

www.simpedfoods.com.au

NSW: (02) 9521 5384 VIC: Victorian Food Brokers (03) 9576 4231 SA/NT: Blackwood Agencies, Tel/Fax (08) 8177 1263 QLD: Foodchoice Pty Ltd (07) 3862 7388 WA: Harley Sales & Marketing, Tel 0418 946 875; Fax (08) 9444 9778 www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, June 2013 27

products

Maggi adds to soup range T

wo of the top selling soup mixes from the Maggi Classic range, Thick Vegetable, and Pea and Ham, are now available gluten-free; the new additions makes 13 gluten-free flavours to choose from.

The hearty soups are ideal for the winter months as an entree or lunch option, catering to those customers who suffer from gluten intolerance.

Maggi soups are made with the best quality gluten-free ingredients, with strict procedures to ensure no cross contamination with ingredients containing gluten.

The soups particularly suit businesses that are looking for a healthy catering option, as they are low in fat, sodium reduced and contain no MSG. They are quick and easy to prepare, and suitable for bain-maries. ● www.maggi-professional.com

Charge it up The Discgo Charger is a new mobile phone charging system for restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes that will set your venue apart. The system charges mobile phones wherever they are, so customers can sit back and relax whilst their phones charge.

The Discgo Charger can charge phones by 1 per cent per minute (the same as charging a phone from a wall socket), and can charge up to six phones at a time. They come with a variety of different cables

to suit various mobile phones and have an in-built security system to prevent theft.

Packages can be customised to suit individual outlets and are available for a small monthly fee.

Heavy duty washers Electrolux Professional has introduced a new line of washers and dryers specifically for the hospitality industry.

The Line 5000 series is made with the newest technology to deliver the most efficient and cost effective laundry solutions. Designed for hotels, restaurants and catering facilities, the range delivers noticeably better quality linen for lower running costs.

Head of marketing for Electrolux Professional, Esther Staskiewicz, said “this new generation of built-tolast equipment will not only provide best linen quality and control but will make work life easier and deliver savings over time”.

The washers and dryers are durable for handling large amounts of washing and are built to last longer.

They use less water and energy for wash and dry cycles, making them both friendly on the environment and economical. ● www.electrolux.com/professional

Good for you glaze Spiral Foods have added an Organic Balsamic Glaze to their range of oils and vinegars, ideal for using in a variety of dishes by foodservice professionals.

The glaze is made by reducing pressed grapes into a thick syrup which is aged in wooden barrels for a minimum of 12 years. The result is a rich, thick consistency and natural sweet and sour flavour with hints of wood from the cask.

The distinctive flavour of the balsamic glaze makes it ideal for serving on its own or as a base for sauces, marinades and salad dressings. It can even be used in

28 Open House, June 2013 www.openhousemagazine.net

desserts as it teams well with stone fruits, berries, figs, ricotta, ice cream and mascarpone.

The Organic Balsamic Glaze contains no added sugars or flavours. ● www.spiralfoods.com.au

Bites win big Tucker’s Natural has recently launched new bite-sized versions of two gourmet cracker varieties which won medals at this year’s Sydney Royal Easter Show. The Caramelised Onion flavour won a silver medal while the Rosemary and Rock Salt won bronze.

The two flavours are the most popular in the Tucker’s Natural Gourmet Bites range and are now available to foodservice in a smaller snack version. They are ideal for serving with dips, appetisers or as part of an antipasto platter.

For a healthier snack option that doesn’t compromise on taste, there is the Wholemeal

Just mix the pre-mixed ingredients with wet ingredients then cut, shape, pipe or roll and bake for a quality dessert that tastes just like the old family recipes.

Bites range. The range includes Supergrain, and Garlic and Onion flavours, which were both awarded bronze medals at the show. ● www.tuckersnatural.com.au

The Kitchen Angel mixes are made with natural ingredients and are preservative, gluten and dairy free.

They are suitable for chefs of all levels and let you add your own creative touch with different shapes and additional ingredients. ● www.kitchenangel.com.au OH

Lumps no more Say goodbye to lumps and hello to smooth, creamy mash with the Masha, a new device that makes it easy for cooks to get perfect mashed potato every time.

Varietal” for the limited release oil Ultra-Premium Hojiblanca and Picual. Cobram Estate Premiere and Cobram Estate Classic also received gold medals.

Cobram Estate competed against 700 other olive oil brands from around the world including Spain, Italy and California and winning these titles highlights that Australia produces some of the best olive oil in the world.

Founder of Cobram Estate, Rob McGavin, said “after several challenging seasons, in 2013 our groves in northern Victoria enjoyed perfect sunny days and cool nights during the growing season that enabled the ideal development of The Masha has been developed

by Prep who have combined their experience in design and engineering to create the perfect tool for mashing. The tool uses a motor to gently squeeze the potato through the outer mesh at low speed. There is no blade so there is never a chance of over-processing and ending up with glue-like mash.

The Masha can be used on other vegetables such as pumpkin and avocado, or even to rub butter into flour for cakes and baking. It has a safe non-slip hand grip, is easy to operate and provides a consistently creamy texture every time. ● www.prepstore.com.au

Aussie oil awarded Australia’s most awarded extra virgin olive oil, Cobram Estate, has triumphed at the 2013 New York International Olive Oil Competition. The oil received two Best in Class trophies and four gold medals for its entries.

our olives”.

“Winning four gold medals, including two Best in Class, out of four entries in such a competitive event is exciting proof of the outstanding quality and freshness of our oils,” he said. ● www.cobramestate.com.au

Get mixing Kitchen Angel is a new range of baking mixes that allow chefs to create their own biscuits and desserts. The mixes were developed by restaurateur Mario Cali who wants others to be able to recreate the traditional nut-based Italian biscuits made in his family patisseries in the south of Italy.

Shine bright Candle maker Queen B and sustainable designer Joost Bakker have teamed up to create a range of environmentally friendly candles perfect for adding atmosphere to your venue.

The Jam Jar Tealight candles are made from 100 per cent pure Australian beeswax that sit in reusable glass jam jars with a cotton wick. The glass jars allow the flame to be seen until it gets to the bottom and goes out. To reuse, simply put in a refill. Jars can also be washed in a dishwater prior to reuse.

The tealight candles are made to burn for a long time and without smoking so diners are not bothered whilst they eat. ● www.queenb.com.au

The trophies included Best in Class in the “Medium Single Varietal” category and in the “Robust Single www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, June 2013 29

CULINARY CLIPPINGS

Calling all members T

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Peter Wright Australian Culinary Federation (ACF)

o bolster the development of our great culinary organisation, the Australian Culinary Federation (ACF) is officially launching a new national membership campaign.

This initiative is calling on all current members to take this article and show it to colleagues and associates and add another one or two new culinary federation members. This offer is also open to TAFE colleges and training organisations who can become associate members and suppliers who can become corporate members. The ACF needs the strength of new members to continue the growth and development required to maintain our national membership program, as each member has national entitlement.

The ACF is strongly aligned with the World Association of Chefs

(WACS) and is a strong supporter of the Pacific Rim and surrounding countries. Membership provides you with the opportunity to become involved in all culinary activities in Australia and invites you to participate in all WACS and Pacific activities. The journey begins by registering at www.austculinary.com.au, downloading the membership form and making a small donation.

A membership pack will be then sent to you including a member’s certificate, badges and a monthly copy of Open House magazine.

As a member you are eligible for discounts on all ACF events including master classes, judging seminars and our certified chef program. In addition you are invited to attend international chef conferences – the next WACS conference will be held in Norway next year and will see over 3000

Q: What inspired you to be a chef?

chefs participating. So don’t hesitate, get online and get involved.

The Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award has attracted record entries this year, particularly NSW with an unprecedented number of entries.

This is a true reflection on the great work that Nestlé continues to do for Australian chefs and also the effort of the new ACF ACT/NSW and Regions chapter to again involve our culinary community. This show of support sends a strong message that the ACF is on the road to success and the future will be better than ever.

Peter Wright National President Australian Culinary Federation peter@austinwright.com.au www.austculinary.com.au

would be The Mighty Boosh, Hot Rod, immature toilet humour and innuendo, funny shaped vegetables, lame dad jokes and, of course, my own jokes.

A: It was a natural progression for me, I’ve always had a career doing something I have a passion for, whether its engineering, cycling or art.

Cooking has brought all the knowledge from previous careers together and made me realise that I want to be in this industry for the rest of my working life. It was my wife that gave me the push to do an apprenticeship, and I’m eternally grateful for her support throughout my career.

Q: Who inspires you the most?

Q: What was the first meal you cooked and at what age?

Q: What do you eat at home?

A: My family.

Q: What is your favourite restaurant?

A: Again, so hard to narrow it down to just one. Pho Hoang and BunBun Bakery in Springvale, Circa, Le Chateaubriand in Paris, the list goes on.

A: Anything my wife cooks for the family or pork/chicken with rice and kimchi.

A: Mussels in burnt pine needles on the “beach” in England when I was six or seven.

Q: What would you tell the youth of today to encourage them to join our industry?

Q: What is your favourite ingredient?

A: Hard to narrow it down to one!

Probably pork.

Q: What is your worst cooking disaster?

A: Probably the time my blender, full of hot olive milk stuff exploded over another contestant’s stove top and work bench, as well as mine, during a competition in front of a small crowd. Good times.

Q: If you could invite four people

Chef’s profile Colin Wilson, head chef at Sebastian’s Food & Wine in Melbourne.

over for dinner who would they be?

could provide mood lighting).

A: Sat Bains, Banksy, Noel Fielding and Cormac McCarthey.....(Beyonce could serve food and Nikola Tessler

Q: What makes you laugh?

30 Open House, June 2013 www.openhousemagazine.net

A: So many things make me laugh, it keeps me sane. A few things

A: Just go for it. Work hard and choose your place of work very carefully. Don’t be afraid to work in a top class kitchen and check out as many different kitchens as you can even if you don’t get paid for it, but make sure you are loyal. Be passionate about everything you do and above all, enjoy what you do, you have to wake up and want to do it all over again every day.

The young ones Young chefs are being urged to take up the call and start a Young Chefs’ Club Chapter in their state.

As a junior member of any ACF Chapter, young chefs (under 25) are automatically a member of the Australian Young Chefs’ Club. Run by young chefs for young chefs, each chapter is run under the guidance of the senior committee in each chapter and using that state’s constitution.

Australian Young Chefs’ Club Victoria Chapter (YCCV) has proposed activities and benefits for the year ahead and beyond including:

• Young Chefs’ Gourmet dining – using the ACF Victoria Chapter senior members network to organise a discounted meal at leading restaurants and a have a chat with the chef.

• One major charity event to be run by the juniors with the guidance of the senior committee – in Victoria this will be the Pink Breakfast for breast cancer research on International Chefs Day. • Master classes run by the senior committee with the young chefs in mind.

YCCV has drawn up a list of activities including food styling and food photography work shop at the William Angliss Institute (WAI) on May 4; salmon milking in the Yarra Valley in May; artisan and wood fired breads workshop at WAI with James Stone on June 13; hands-on aspic workshop with Leslie Chan from Holmesglen TAFE on June 15; sous vide cooking with Dale Prentice from Sous Vide Australia in August; YCCV team supported to compete at Fine Foods Sydney in September; Pink Breakfast on International Chefs Day on October 20, and an end of year camp with senior committee members, industry chefs and TAFE teachers in November.

Donations needed for the Pacific Since 2004, Glenn Austin, World Association of Cooks Societies (WACS) continental director Pacific Rim, has been working with chefs across the Pacific to cultivate like-minded bodies to assist, educate and improve culinary standards within their borders. During this time the Australian Culinary Federation has assisted and supported Glenn’s push, with the region going from two members to seven participating countries and six full members. Currently the ACF has donated resources to Vanuatu, Fiji, outreach schools in NSW, and the Cook Islands. This is a tremendous effort from ACF sponsors and members but more is needed.

The ACF is calling on its members, sponsors and supporters for donations of chef jackets, aprons, chef pants, culinary books and educational literature for the developing WACS Pacific Rim chefs associations in Guam, Fiji, Vanuatu and Cook Islands. Glenn has already sourced sponsorship to transport all donations from Melbourne to the islands.

Donations can be sent to the ACF head office at 24/41-49 Norcal Road, Nunawading, Victoria 3131.

OPEN HOUSE FOODSERVICE is proud to be a diamond sponsor of the ACF. Steve McFarlane (left) and Dale Lyman.

Thanked for thinking pink The Australian Culinary Federation Victorian Chapter president, Steve McFarlane, and vice president, Dale Lyman, were recently presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Austin Hospital and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer & Wellness Centre for the efforts of many in raising just under $5000 from last year’s Pink Breakfast at

the Queen Victoria Market.

This was the result of a fantastic effort from ACF Victorian members, as well as William Angliss Institute, The Gordon Institute, Victoria University, Box Hill Institute and Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE, along with many loyal sponsors – The Queen Victoria Market, KitchenAid,

Custom Culinary, Flavour Makers, Bidvest, Transplumb, The Italian Cultural Network Australia, Regal King Salmon, University Food Group, Farm Pride Foods, Fonterra Foodservice, Flowerdale Sprout Farm, Sabi Foods, Meat and Livestock Association and Victorinox.

If you are planning to come to Melbourne in 2013, make sure you pencil in Sunday, October 20 (International Chefs Day) to help support this fantastic cause. OH

PUBLISHER Alexandra Yeomans MANAGING EDITOR Ylla Wright Journalist Sheridan Randall Sales & Marketing Manager Jo Robinson Regional Account Manager Leah Jensen

Official organ for the Australian Culinary Federation; Association of Professional Chefs and Cooks of NSW; Professional Chefs and Cooks Association of Queensland Inc.; Academie Culinaire de France; College of Catering Studies and Hotel Administration, Ryde, NSW; Les Toques Blanches, NSW Branch; Australasian Guild of Professional Cooks Ltd. Subscriptions: 1 yr $99; 2 yrs $174; 3 yrs $261 (incl. GST and surface mail).

ISSN 0312-5998

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For information on ACF, visit www.austculinary.com.au, or contact the ACF National Office via acfnationaloffice@austculinary.com.au or (03) 9816 9859.

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