Open House Food Service August 2014 Issue by Creative Head Media Pty Ltd

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AUGUST 2014

Dairyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s healthy makeover Surviving an online backlash Embracing Asian ingredients

Traditional scoop Bulla Natural Colours and Flavours Ice Cream

CONTENTS

ON THE COVER

20 32

Regulars 04 Editor’s note 06 News 10 In season 12 Origins Soup

Features 8

Owned and operated by the same three families across six generations, Bulla Dairy Foods’ new Bulla Natural Colours and Flavours foodservice ice cream range still has that authentic real ice cream taste that diners love.

Cover story Bulla Natural Colours and Flavours ice cream

Print Post Approved PP231335/00017

15 Sustainability Zambrero gives Plate 4 Plate

AUGUST 2014

16 Asian ingredients A rich tapestry of flavours 20 Dairy An original whole food

Dairy’s healthy makeover Surviving an online backlash Embracing Asian ingredients OH0814.indd 1

13 Q&A Matt Williams, Vino Paradiso 14 Focus on Bayleaf Event Catering 32 Regional snapshot Mornington Peninsula 34 Cooking the books 36 Products 38 Profile Mark Clayton, Nestlé Professional

24 Chocolate A competitive edge

Traditional scoop Bulla Natural Colours and Flavours Ice Cream 14/08/2014 12:47 pm

To ensure you never miss out there are now more ways to enjoy Open House. As well as the monthly magazine, Open House is also available as a free iPad app, which is packed with exclusive extras. The Open House app is available at the iTunes app store.

26 Aged care Caring starts in the kitchen 28 Social media Surviving an online backlash 30 Technology Doing business in cyber space

Subscribe to the OH iPad app

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38 Australian Culinary Federation news www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, August 2014 3

EDITOR’S WORD

At the end of the day Published in Australia by Creative Head Media Pty Ltd

read a media release recently from online business directory TrueLocal which suggested that long waits are the number one customer service complaint. When asked which of six customer service experiences they find the worst, one in four respondents (27 per cent) rated “long waits or being ignored” as their number one gripe. Other options included “getting the run around on the phone” (26 per cent), “rude service” (19 per cent), “hidden costs” (14 per cent) and “incomplete work or a job left in a worse state” (9 per cent), and “being given an apprentice or underqualified person” (4 per cent). While I would have probably chosen “getting the run around on the phone” if I’d been asked the same question (grrrrrr), it did start me thinking about something that jars with me when I dine out – the waiter who disappears when it comes time to pay the bill. This is usually the same waiter who appeared at the table within minutes of the table sitting down to take the order, served and cleared efficiently, and stopped by to ask if everything was OK. So why the disappearing act at the end of the meal? I understand that when it comes to the smooth running of a service, taking orders and serving dishes probably takes precedence over guests getting ready to leave but unfortunately leaving is the last thing your customers will do in your establishment. If it doesn’t go smoothly, it’s also the last thing they’ll remember. Chances are a guest who has to resort to getting their own coat out of the cloakroom probably isn’t going to give you a five star review. On the other hand, a smooth bill payment process, a smile and a friendly farewell will go a long way towards ensuring your guests return another day.

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Ylla Watkins Managing editor

THIS MONTH’S TOP STORY Social media is everyone’s best friend until something goes wrong. The good news is it is possible to recover from an online backlash. To find out more, see page 28.

4 Open House, August 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

Official publication for the Australian Culinary Federation

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Australia’s best wine lists revealed Fourteen Australian restaurant wine lists have been honoured in The World of Fine Wine’s inaugural “World’s Best Wine Lists 2014”, earning the prestigious UK-based wine publication’s top rating of three stars.

‘Restaurant Australia’ chefs announced H

igh profile chefs Peter Gilmore, Ben Shewry and Neil Perry (pictured) will come together to deliver a “best of Australia” menu for Tourism Australia’s “Invite the World to Dinner” event to be held in Tasmania in November. The trio have been given the job of creating Australia’s finest three course menu for the gala event, which will be attended by some of the most influential international food and wine writers, critics, chefs, personalities and celebrities on November 14, at MONA (the Museum of Old and New Art). Invite the World to Dinner is part of Tourism Australia’s new global campaign Restaurant Australia – the latest evolution of the global Tourism Australia campaign, There’s nothing like Australia. The campaign will see exceptional food and wine experiences from around the country playing a starring role in converting the global appetite for Australia as a travel destination into more visits. Tourism Australia managing director, John

O’Sullivan, said Australia’s international VIP dinner guests were in for a treat and would get to taste the full diversity of the country’s culinary offering. “Not only are Ben, Peter and Neil three of our country’s most awarded chefs but we believe that their passion for Australia and Australian food and wine makes them ideally suited to be in charge of putting together a menu for such an illustrious international gathering,” he said. The 80 special guests, invited from Australia’s key international tourism markets, will gather together for the gala event after a four-day culinary journey around Australia, seeing each experiencing the best food and wine experiences around the country. “This dinner is saying to the world here is Australian cuisine, we have amazing produce, diverse cultural influences and through our cooking we bring a certain spirit of openness, adventure and freedom,” said Gilmore, executive chef of Quay Restaurant in Sydney.

6 Open House, August 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

The World of Fine Wine judging panel, which was made up of some of the world’s leading wine critics and masters of wine, assessed more than 4000 wine lists from restaurants from around the world before deciding on the awarding of stars. With only 219 three star ratings awarded in total, Australia has the third most three star wine lists of any country behind the UK and US. Sydney’s three star winning restaurants were Quay, Black By Ezard, Glass Brasserie, Love, Tilly Devine (which also won the Jury Award) and Rockpool Bar & Grill (which also won the Best Champagne and Sparkling/ Best By-the-Glass awards). Melbourne’s three star winners were Vue de monde (pictured), Flower Drum, Masani, Rosetta Ristorante, Rockpool Bar & Grill (which also won the Best Dessert and Fortified Wine List) and Woodland House. They were joined by Rockpool Bar & Grill in Perth, the Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld, Victoria (which also won the Best Overall in Region award), and The Louise & Appellation in the Barossa Valley, South Australia. Vue de monde’s chef-owner Shannon Bennett said securing the three-star rating was “a huge honour”. “Our wine program is a continuously moving, evolving beast that sucks so much knowledge, time and money,” he said. “So it is great to have been recognised for how much work the team puts in.”

NEWS BRIEFS Manu closes Le Grand Cirque

Organic waste to ‘Amaze’ Sydney Northern NSW in the spotlight Esca Bimbadgen Restaurant at Bimbadgen Winery (pictured) has been named Northern NSW’s Restaurant of the Year in this year’s Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence. Other major award winners included Bonville Golf Resort in Bonville which won the Caterer of the Year, Events Caterer and Wedding Caterer categories, and Macauley’s Restaurant in Coffs Harbour which won the Consumer Vote Award. Esca Bimbadgen Restaurant also took home the Restaurant in a Winery award. Restaurant & Catering CEO John Hart congratulated all of the winners, especially those who went home with numerous plates to demonstrate professionalism and excellence in their field. “The winners should be proud that they have excelled in a rigorous system, where nothing goes unnoticed,” he said. The winners will now compete at the National Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence, to be held at Peninsula Docklands on October 27, 2014.

Darling Harbour will launch a world-first experiment in sustainable design later this year, with a three-dimensional garden to be temporarily installed on the Pyrmont Bridge. The “Amaze” project, developed by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and sustainable restaurateur Joost Bakker (Greenhouse Perth), will see more than one tonne of organic waste from local businesses turned into compost to nourish a trellis garden. Starting from August, Darling Harbour restaurants and attractions will recycle their organic waste into compost. “It is the first time in Australia, and possibly the world, that a major tourism precinct has collaborated on a composting program of this scale,” said New South Wales Minister for Planning Pru Goward.. Work on the garden, which will be sown with climbing fruit and vegetable varieties, will start in October. “As the garden blooms, local residents, workers and visitors will be invited to pick the fresh locally grown produce,” she said. “Special event days throughout the following seven months will see Darling Harbour restaurants cook in homage to the culinary pleasures of fresh, clean food.” A final harvest celebration will be held in April 2015.

Industry commits to workplace laws Industry body Restaurant & Catering Australia (RCA) has signed a three-year memorandum of understanding with the Fair Work Ombudsman on behalf of its members aimed at improving compliance with Federal workplace laws across the hospitality sector.

apprise the Ombudsman of any problems faced by the industry that can act as barriers to compliance. The two parties will work together to devise appropriate solutions.

Deputy Fair Work ombudsman (operations) Michael Campbell has welcomed RCA’s commitment to collaboration and exchange of information, saying it is pleasing to see the two parties work together to promote and achieve workplace compliance.

“This agreement highlights RCA’s commitment to making compliance with workplace laws a high priority across the hospitality industry,” Campbell said. “Through this initiative the RCA is acknowledging there are always opportunities for improvement and is actively seeking out those opportunities for its members.”

The Fair Work Ombudsman will provide advice to the RCA about how it can assist its members to meet their workplace obligations as employers, while the RCA has agreed to

As part of the agreement, the Fair Work Ombudsman has appointed a dedicated member of staff to work with RCA representatives. OH

Celebrity chef Manu Feildel has announced the closure of his South Yarra restaurant Le Grand Cirque just four months after opening. The My Kitchen Rules judge reportedly told employees that a lack of diners at the French restaurant was to blame.

Fine Food Australia looks to Japan Japanese influences will be one of the key food trends on display at this year’s Fine Food Australia, to be held in Melbourne from September 15-18. Fine Food Australia is the largest trade event for the food industry in the southern hemisphere. Online registration is free to trade at www.finefoodaustralia.com.au.

FSANZ calls for input on raw milk decision Food Standards Australia New Zealand has released a second call for submissions on a proposal which would include requirements to allow for the safe production of a wider range of raw milk products. The closing date for submissions is August 21, 2014. If approved, the changes are expected to come into effect in early 2015.

Bega Valley joins Scores on Doors Bega Valley Shire Council, along with 30 eligible food businesses in the region, is the latest council in NSW to join the recently refreshed Scores on Doors program, a star rating system based on the outcome of unannounced food hygiene and safety inspections. A new video promoting the program can be found at www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/scoresondoors.

Young foodies tour Tassie The Electrolux Appetite for Excellence national finalists have enjoyed a produce tour of Tasmania, ahead of this month’s announcement of the winners. The all expenses paid week-long tour gave the finalists the opportunity to experience first-hand the passion of the Tasmanian producers responsible for the quality produce and wine enjoyed in some of the best restaurants around the country.

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, August 2014 7

COVER STORY

Traditional scoop Owned and operated by the same three families across six generations, Bulla Dairy Foods combine tradition with innovation with the addition of its new Bulla Natural Colours and Flavours foodservice ice cream range.

ulla Dairy Foods has been producing quality Australian dairy products in country Victoria for over a century and is considered among many in the industry to be the dairy experts. It is Bulla’s emphasis on using premium ingredients such as fresh milk and cream, and a dedication to making dairy products with care, craftsmanship and passion that has seen it become the most award winning dairy brand in the industry. Bulla currently manufactures and markets a range of quality dairy products including cream, ice cream, frozen yogurt, fresh yogurt and cottage cheese. Bulla’s Real Dairy commercial ice cream range was launched earlier this year to great acclaim, and has recently been updated with Bulla’s new logo, which has been designed specifically to reflect its family ownership and heritage in a very modern way. Bulla Natural Colours and Flavours ice cream is made with fresh cream and milk and contains 10 per cent milk fat which provides a deliciously creamy taste and superb quality. Available in 10 litre tubs and 5 litre trays in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry as well as a 5 litre tub in vanilla

8 Open House, August 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

specifically for foodservice operators. Formulated in direct response to changing consumer preferences, the new recipe is gluten free, Halal certified and contains all natural colours and flavours allowing foodservice operators to better meet the demands of those customers with special dietary requirements, so that more people can enjoy the great taste of Bulla ice cream. Bulla Natural Colours and Flavours ice cream's creamy smooth texture and superior taste make it ideal to partner with a range of popular desserts, for making milk shakes, thick shakes and iced coffees, or served on its own. OH

Serving suggestion Part drink, part dessert, Affogato is an Italian favourite. Simply place one scoop of Bulla Vanilla Ice Cream into an individual serving glass and serve on a plate with a shot of freshly brewed strong espresso coffee (approximately 50-75ml) and a shot of hazelnut or coffee flavoured liqueur (30ml), and allow customers to pour over ice cream.

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IN SEASON

Mandarins M

and are free of blemishes and dull spots. Mandarins that are heavy for their size will be juicy, adds Hancock.

andarins are smaller and less acidic than oranges, which make them a great healthy on-the-go snack, but they can also be used in a wide variety of dishes. Imperial mandarins are the most popular variety, as they are easy to peel and have a distinct, sweet flavour.

“Don’t be put off by puffy skins,” he says. “That will mean they are easy to peel.” Mandarins can be stored at room temperature for about four to seven days. However, “like many fruit [they] should be stored in the fridge in a plastic container or bag and brought out as required”.

Mandarins are predominately grown in Queensland and some southern areas, from April through to October. The warm and dry weather conditions before the start of this year’s mandarin season, “meant that the colour development on the outside of the fruit took longer than most seasons which delayed harvest slightly”, according to Nathan Hancock, manager market information and quality of Citrus Australia.

“Keeping them cool extends their shelf life by slowing down their respiration,” says Hancock. Not only are mandarins an excellent source of vitamin C, but they are a good source of fibre, folate and antioxidants. Being low in kilojoules they can be considered good for weight control and blood pressure. OH

When selecting mandarins look for fruit that are deep in colour, have glossy skin,

August

September

• Apples

• Lemons

• Rhubarb

• Banana

• Mandarins

• Silverbeet

• Beetroot • Broccoli • Brussels sprouts • Cabbage • Carrots • Cauliflower • Celeriac • Celery

• Okra • Onions • Oranges – blood, navel • Parsnips • Pomelo • Potatoes

• Spinach • Strawberries • Swede • Sweet potato • Tangelos • Turnips • Witlof

• Pumpkin

• Cumquat • Fennel • Grapefruit • Jerusalem artichokes • Kiwifruit • Kohlrabi • Leeks

10 Open House, August 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

• Apples – Lady Williams

• Beans – broad, green

• Berries – mulberries, strawberries

• Beetroot

• Grapefruit • Lemons • Mandarins – honey murcot • Oranges – blood, navel, Seville • Papaya • Papaw • Pineapples • Pomelo • Rockmelon • Tangelos • Asian greens • Asparagus

• Broccoli • Carrots • Cauliflower • Chillies • Garlic, fresh • Globe artichokes • Lettuce • Mushrooms

• Peas • Potatoes • Shallots • Silverbeet • Spinach • Spring onions

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Be the first to use the Flavour Forecast blends in your menu! For your free sample call McCormick For Chefs Customer Service on 1800 100 750 or for more information visit www.mccormick.com.au/foodservice

ARMORY0612 OH

ORIGINS

natural flavour of many animal parts, and particularly bones, could be extracted. Similarly, boiling made previous inedible plants easily consumable. Tough grains, hard root vegetables, beans, and meat were placed in large pots to make a main dish, and the remaining liquid (often called stew, gruel, broth or porridge) was extracted for other use, such as serving over bread. The word “soup” came from France to describe a concentrated and inexpensive broth, with some sources saying it originate from the word “sope” or “soupe”, which later became “sop” in England. Others believe it came from Germanic root, from the word “sup”, meaning bread soaked in liquid. This reflects the way the dish was served during the Middle Ages.

Soup Whether it’s stick-to-the-ribs hearty, clear and fragrant, or something in between, soup has been a popular meal for generations, writes Anne Esteban.

here are few dishes that transcend cultures as thoroughly as soup. Traditionally soups are divided into two main varieties, clear soups and thick soups, however different cuisines have come up with any number of variations using local ingredients, ranging from Hungarian goulash and Italian minestrone to Malaysian laksa and Japanese miso. While soup recipes have been refined over the years, early soups required nothing more than boiling water, and meat, grains or vegetables, to create a filling and nourishing broth. Early cooks used hot water to heat food in natural containers such as animal hides and watertight baskets made from tree bark or reeds. However, boiling as a cooking technique was not a common practice until

the invention of waterproof containers that could be placed over fire without breaking. Many sources say the origins of soup correlates directly with humans learning how to make waterproof clay containers, dating back to 5000BC. However, there is evidence that clay vessels existed as far back as 20000BC. A Harvard University study by archaeologist Ofer Bar-Yosef and his colleagues reported the discovery of a 20,000 year-old pot in a cave in China. These pots may possibly have been used for boiling soup or alcohol. Boiling is considered an extremely useful cooking technique, as it allows for quicker and complete cooking. The heat energy is transferred to the ingredients once they become fully submerged in the boiling water. As a result, the nutritional value and

12 Open House, August 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

In the Middle Ages when food was scarce, soup became a staple meal eaten three times a day, as it was cheap, filling and easy to make from a few simple ingredients. Street vendors sold the broth, advertising soup as a treatment for physical exhaustion, and it became the primary source of nourishment for many people. During the Renaissance, the preparation of soup began to develop, as seasoning become more readily available. During this time, it became common practice for it to be served before a meal, as the first course. In addition, the invention of the spoon meant that soups were no longer restricted to just liquid based dishes, and become hearty and richer. Food historians believe soup formed the foundation for the first public restaurant. Since ancient times people would offer food to exhausted travellers during their long journeys, most often soup. Most places would designate a specific area for food offerings to the general public, where street vendors would sell wholesome broths and consommés known as “restoratifs”, from which the word “restaurant” derives from. Soups began to evolve with the advances of science and technology. “Pocket soup” became a popular item carried by colonial travellers, as it could easily be reconstituted by mixing it with a little water. In the early 19th century, canned and dehydrated soups began to appear. This development allowed the shelf life of soups to be extended, as some contained additives and preservatives. Canned soup can come in a condensed form or be “ready-to-eat”. The introduction of microwavable bowls increased the market of ready-to-eat soups, allowing for a faster, more convenient way of eating soup. OH

Q&A

We’ll drink to that Vino Paradiso is a new wine, beer, cider and food festival set to launch in Sydney in October. Open House spoke with co-director Matt Williams about what makes it different. Q: What’s your background?

Photo by Dominic Loneragan.

A: I’ve been involved in the hospitality industry for over 25 years, first working my way through university at the famous/infamous Archie’s Night Club in Bondi Junction, and in some of Surry Hills best pubs before taking a break to pursue other passions. I returned to the industry within a joint venture some years later to head up the award winning Crocodile Farm Hotel, and have been at the helm ever since. Over the years our pub has launched a series of medium-large scale music, food and beverage events, but this is probably the biggest that I’ve undertaken, which is why we’ve enlisted marketing and event management company Our Friends Electric to assist in the coordination, planning and management of Vino Paradiso. Q: How did the idea for Vino Paradiso come about? A: I’d love to say that it was over a glass of wine and a bite to eat, but more accurately it was probably over a number of glasses, a few dozen meals and through our travels to various food and wine events all over the world. Both my business partner Keiran and I are passionate about food and wine, but we’d become lethargic with the lack of innovation and excitement within the traditional food and wine events, so we thought “Let’s shake this up a little!” We identified a need for an evolved wine and food festival in Australia that provides a fantastic opportunity to enjoy and engage with some of Australia’s best wine, food, craft beer, cider and spirits producers within a unique journey of discovery, mass appeal entertainment and a truly interactive environment. Q: What makes Vino Paradiso different from other festivals? A: Vino Paradiso is all about bringing the excitement of an outdoor festival indoors, in a fun, interactive, stylish, music and art fuelled context. You’ll be able to enjoy wine, craft beer, cider and spirits at the event, buy bottles to take home and also mingle with Australia’s leading tastemakers through masterclasses, interactive installations such as grape crushing and treasure hunts, feasting the senses with art and music and a plethora of other fun filled food and wine activities. Vino Paradiso is set to deliver an unparalleled experience that showcases the best of Australia’s wine and food scene. Q: Will chefs be able to order wines, beer and cider on the day? A: They sure will. There will be over 100 Australian and international wine, food, craft beer, cider and spirit exhibitors

Vino Paradiso co-directors Keiran Tanner and Matthew Williams.

showcasing, sampling and selling at Vino Paradiso. Q: Has Australia become a nation of wine drinkers?

A: If we’re not there yet, we are certainly on our way, and it’s not just in Australia. Wine consumption around the world has risen steadily over the last few years with increased globalisation and reduced trade barriers, and whilst the rise in consumption has in part been fuelled by the growing demand in China and South East Asia, our palate here at home has certainly expanded as Australian consumers are willing to try new varietals and explore emerging wine regions. Of course, we’ll always have a soft spot for a nice cold beer. Q: What are the key trends in wine in Australia at the moment? A: A generational shift has brought new energy to the wine industry in this country, with some of our nation’s boutique wineries really making their mark with the Australian consumer. There’s been a shift towards lighter, lower alcohol wines, and these tend to match really well with food in our fast-paced wine and dine culture. There’s also been a surge in some really good alternative varietals that tend to be flavoursome without being too heavy on the palate. Q: Has sauvignon blanc had its day? A: In a word “no”. However, there is definitely more competition for the sav blanc winemaker, as it becomes easier for Australians to find a variety of wine that suits their specific tastes. There are some fantastic sauvignon blancs on the market, it’s just that there’s a lot of other great wines out there as well that have become just as readily available. Riesling and chardonnay are going through a renaissance as the stigma of the deep dark “cask past” for these varietals dissipates. Q: Craft beers and cider are both enjoying a resurgence. Is that here to stay? A: Craft Beer and cider are two of the fastest growing beverage categories in the country. Craft Beer alone has grown at 23 per cent and is continuing to increase its market share within the overall beer market. Scores of micro-breweries are appearing and with some fantastic and innovative flavours being conjured growth is set to continue. Cider-makers are also driving the local scene with unique cider varieties making their way into the mainstream marketplace. You could say that there’s been a “taste turf war” taking place, and the recipients are the Australian public who have more to choose from than ever before in the history of food and beverage consumption. OH www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, August 2014 13

FOCUS ON

1 Mobile buffets circulate the room. 2, 4 Bayleaf Catering has partnered with chef Warren Turnbull to offer a Chur Burger bar. 3 The Living Cheese Wall. 2

Interactive innovation With a newly expanded range of innovative catering solutions, Bayleaf Event Catering set out to impress at an exclusive event showcase recently, writes Ylla Watkins.

ne of Sydney’s most prominent caterers, Bayleaf Event Catering, set out to wow around 100 event managers when it showcased its innovative event catering options at an event in Sydney’s Royal Hall of Industries at the Entertainment Quarter earlier this month. The “pop up food market”-style event saw guests treated to an array of food options ranging from oysters and freshly sliced sashimi, to roast tuna tacos and cooked to order Chur Burger sliders, served from interactive food stations. “We want to give you the chance to see how event catering can be different and this is how we do things at Bayleaf,”

Christopher Stubbs, founder of Bayleaf Catering, told guests. “From Warren Turnbull’s exclusive Chur Burger cafe to the living wall, featuring cheeses, wine tasting with Christopher Hayes, and our very unique moving buffets offering a range of cuisines, we want to give you all a dynamic food and beverage experience.” The company has recently expanded its offering for events to include a larger range of interactive “eating houses” and beverage experiences. Along with the Chur Burger bar, these include personalised “cafe menus”, teppanyaki stations, Mexican rotisserie, Penfolds Grange tastings and Vitek Vodka masterclasses.

14 Open House, August 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

“It’s our goal to surpass our own expectations, as well as our clients, with every event,” says Stubbs. “We know event guests want to be engaged and event managers want to present something unique, and we believe these eating houses and liquid experiences complement our existing menus perfectly while achieving those goals.” Bayleaf Catering has previously worked on a number of large, high-profile events, ranging from the Sydney Olympic Games, Big Day Out, Salt Lake City Winter Games and the Cure For Life Foundation Dinner to corporate events for Amazon, BMW and Opera Australia. OH

SUSTAINABILITY

1 Zambrero founder Sam Prince. 2, 4 Children in Nicaragua benefit from the Plate 4 Plate program. 3 A Zambrero restaurant. 1

Food for thought A foodservice success story, Mexican quick service restaurant chain Zambrero is educating the world’s poor one meal at a time, writes Ylla Watkins.

exican quick service restaurant chain Zambrero is a success story by any measure. Since opening its first restaurant in Canberra in 2005, Australia’s fastest growing franchise has grown to 52 restaurants throughout Australia with plans for further expansion nationally. Its first Asian restaurant opened in Bangkok in Thailand late last month, with another five to follow within the next six months, and there are plans to open restaurants in New Zealand, the US, the Middle East, India and China.

venture include the E-magine Foundation, which empowers disadvantaged young people across the globe through good health and quality education, and One Disease at a Time, which is focussed on eliminating scabies in Australia’s Indigenous population.

Founded by 30 year old doctor Dr Sam Prince, who worked in a Mexican restaurant while he was studying for his medical degree, Zambrero’s success is driven by a desire to provide both good food as well as food that does good.

“Initially our restaurant was something that allowed us to do a bit of aid work but now we’ve become a humanitarian organisation that happens to sell Mexican food,” he says.

This manifests in the Plate 4 Plate program which provides a meal for someone in need for every healthy burrito or Mexican salad bowl bought at Zambrero. So far the initiative has provided more than 2.7 million meals to people living in developing nations in Africa, Asia and the Americas through food distribution partner Stop Hunger Now. Other projects funded by Prince’s business

Prince initially had the idea for a restaurant that supported good causes when, as a young aid worker working in a developing nation, he tried his hand at writing a novel. While the novel was never finished, the idea became a core part of the Zambrero business model.

Plate 4 Plate’s meals, made from dehydrated rice/soy meal fortified with 21 essential vitamins and nutrients, are formulated to address health problems caused by malnutrition. They are primarily distributed through school feeding programs, where they act as a powerful incentive for poor parents to send their children to school. With better education the cycle of poverty can begin to be broken by leveraging change in many other areas including education,

maternal health, childhood mortality, gender equality and combating HIV/AIDS. “We believe in the basic human rights of health and education,” says Prince. “By supporting the basic human right of health care, you have a flow-on effect in education, which then has a flow-on effect for pretty much everything else.” The organisation also recently partnered with not-for-profit food rescue organisation Foodbank Northern Territory for deliver 30,000 meals to Indigenous communities. “It seems ludicrous to believe that people are going hungry in Australia, right?” says Prince. “But there is need right here and malnutrition is something we’re dealing with right now.” OH

How did Zambrero come about? “I was studying at university and working at a Mexican restaurant and I fell in love with the food. It became clear to me that Mexican food was under-represented in Australia at the time, but also that it needed to evolve from the fairly stodgy, unhealthy, greasy food that was being served. I had a vision that it could be gourmet, fresh, fast and really tasty. I opened my first store [in Braddon, ACT] and it grew from there.”

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, August 2014 15

ASIAN INGREDIENTS

1 Sky on 57’s Justin Quek. 2-3 Chow Bar & Eating House. 4-6 Cho Cho San.

Finding a balance We have come a long way from the “East meets West” fusion tagline with Asian cuisine now celebrated for its rich tapestry of flavours and cooking techniques that Aussie chefs are embracing with gleeful and unselfconscious abandon, writes Sheridan Randall.

reat Australian produce, a global outlook and a love of strong flavours is seeing all sorts of new Asian-themed venues popping up. One of the latest is Chui Lee Luk’s Chow Bar & Eating House in Sydney’s Surry Hills. Fresh from the closure of her French inspired Claude’s restaurant, Luk has embraced her Chinese heritage and reimagined a Chinese pub, something that may have only existed in her imagination until now. “What I am trying to is create a fantasy of what a Chinese pub should look like,” she says. “It’s what I would like to serve people when they are having a drink. It’s not a very well developed culture of drinking and eating in Chinese culture. Being in a Western context the expectations are different, hence this fantasy.” While Claude’s menu had been increasingly influenced by Asian cuisine as it progressed, Chow Bar & Eating House is a fully fledged exploration of Chinese cuisine, with influences from both Malaysia and Singapore. “I have wanted to explore my Chinese roots for a long time,” she says. “The dishes have an authentic base [but] are an individual interpretation of Chinese flavours. I don’t think I have changed it [the flavours] as Australians have a fairly sophisticated taste as far as 16 Open House, August 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

cuisine is concerned and I expect those that come to have a certain amount of open mindedness about it. It is authentic, in the same way I worked at Claude’s, which was my version of French cuisine. It is the same thing here. It is meant to be a place where Chinese and Westerners should be happy to come to. I do have a number of Chinese patrons come through who are glad about the authentic taste of the dishes. There are hints of things they have already seen which should trigger some emotional response.” Luk dived into her latest venture despite having no formal training in Chinese cuisine, notwithstanding a brief stint working with Kylie Kwong at Rockpool in Darling Harbour. “The research I have done myself and by visiting China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and that sort of thing,” she says. “Chow Bar & Eating House doesn’t have anything necessarily intellectual about it, it is meant to be an easily accessible, easy to understand and tasty experience. The menu is meant to transform from a snack and drink experience to a full scale dining experience.” “Cannon Shot Dumplings” duck and scallion crisp cakes, “Lucky coin” roast pork belly, shiitake and yam bean, and “Xin Chow Bao” DIY

T-Bone steak with onion salad 3

See more recipes in the Open House iPad app.

goat sausage and lettuce wraps, all feature on the playful menu which evokes the mix of colour, noise and smells of Asian street food. The hallmark of a lot of cerebral-based cuisine is that it is subtle and complex, but here I am just trying to find the essence of what I am trying to express in that dish.” she says. “A good example is sweet and sour pork ribs, [with black pepper and pineapple] which lives up to its name. It’s heightened in its flavouring and tastes.” The bar’s comprehensive drinks list, combining a collection of wines, cocktails influenced by Asian flavours and textures, plus some hard to get Chinese beers and spirits, also shaped the menu. “Chinese cuisine when you’re drinking isn’t limited to the common perceptions of being best with Riesling or those sweeter or aromatic wines,” she says. “We think that [alcoholic] drinks have a [similar] reflection of how tea works in the dining experience for the Chinese. We isolate the flavours, scents and the tannic character of tea and use it as a starting point. That’s why we came up with a lot of bio dynamic organically made whites [wines]. For Luk, the main difference between Western and Chinese cuisine is the approach to flavour. “In Chinese cuisine it’s not about a piece of protein that is the main component as it is in Western cooking,” she says. “In French-based cuisine you build from nothing and introduce flavours like onion and garlic and cook it out with butter, vinegar and wine. These base ingredients come together to build up a harmonious flavour. Whereas with Chinese cuisine you use building blocks as flavour [and] have a lot of ready-made flavourings like soy sauces and use them as blocks to build the complexity.” Cho Cho San in Potts Point is another new Sydney eaterie that finds inspiration in Asian cuisine, in this case Japan. The new restaurant is the brainchild of Jonathan Barthelmess (also behind Longrain restaurants) and Sam Christie (the Apollo), and “represents a cross-fertilisation of ideas.” “Jonathan and I have recently spent time in Japan where we were inspired by their rich and multi-layered food and drink culture,” says

Serves 4 (sharing style) Teriyaki glaze 100ml dark soy 100ml sugar 100ml mirin 20ml cooking sake 10g ginger 10g brown onion 20g green shallot 1 white onion, thinly sliced into rings 1 bunch chives, finely sliced ¼ Spanish onion 100ml brown rice vinegar 100ml extra virgin olive oil ½ tsp caster sugar 750g T-bone To make the Teriyaki glaze put dark soy, sugar, mirin, cooking sake, ginger, brown onion, green shallots in a heavy based saucepan and bring to the boil and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Strain and cool. For the onion salad soak the onions ring in cold water for one hour. Then rinse 5 times under running cold water. Remove the excess water by spinning the onion rings in a salad spinner. For the salad dressing microplane the Spanish onion – the consistency should be a fine paste. Add sugar, vinegar, olive oil and whisk until ingredients are blended. Allow T-bone to come to room temperature (this may take 2-3 hours). Once BBQ is hot, place T-bone on the BBQ on a chargrill coating the T-bone with a little olive oil. Cook it for 5minutes each side on high until the meat has caramelised. Then coat one side with Teriyaki, and continue glazing and turing the meat and allow cook for another 3 minutes on medium. Rest for 10 minutes. Carve and serve. Dress onion with salad dressing and chives. Recipe from Cho Cho San.

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, August 2014 17

1 Jimmy Wong’s Bar and Supper Club. 2 Chow Bar & Eating House.

Christie. “With Cho Cho San, we want to bring some of the big-city buzz and excitement of Tokyo back to Sydney.” The restaurant is headed up by Nicholas Wong (formerly of Billy Kwong, Rockpool Bodega and Ester), who is focusing on fresh produce, using hibachi grilling and steaming techniques. “Both Jonathan and I are pretty keen on traditional Japanese cuisine and we just wanted to differentiate it from a traditional route,” Wong says. Wong cites influences from Chinese and European cooking on the menu, saying they didn’t want to make it a traditional restaurant “serving things like sushi and stuff like that”. “In Japan all the restaurants are very specialised, and we don’t believe that we would do it justice,” he adds. Describing the food as “on the lighter side”, the menu features dishes such as udon noodles with spicy pork and whipped tofu, raw daikon laid over slices of raw kingfish resting over a raw egg yolk and a little soy, and marbled raw beef rib over a mixture of wild and toasted puffed rice and cubes of raw cucumber, dressed in soy, ginger and browned butter. Again, the comprehensive drinks list plays an important part in the experience with a “pretty cracking cocktail and whiskey list,” sake available by the glass, carafe and bottle, a plethora of Japanese and Aussie craft beers and a comprehensive wine list. “With a lot of Asian cooking there is a lot more balance within flavours and that is the same with our approach, so it is not so one dimensional,” he says. “We are very lucky that we have a lot of different influences and styles of food in Australia.” Perth has also welcomed a new Asian inspired venue at Crown Perth in Burswood. Jimmy Wong’s Bar + Supper Club is a pop-up bar and restaurant that offers tapas style treats with an Asian twist – roast duck, char sui pork and soy chicken, pulled pork steamed buns, Shanghai dumplings and Singapore noodles sit alongside a comprehensive drinks list including signature cocktails such as the Tokyo Rose and Chop Chop. “The kitchen team at Jimmy Wong’s Bar + Supper Club drew upon their culinary experiences whilst travelling through Asia, as well as working closely with our South East Asian chefs at Crown Perth,” 18 Open House, August 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

says Sophie Ridgeway, a spokeswoman for the venue. “Jimmy Wong’s head chef is actually Thai and has had a lot of exposure to other Asian cuisines as well as Western-style cooking, resulting in a delicious Asian fusion menu. Describing Asian food as diverse, packed with flavours and colour, Ridgeway says that the menu evokes memories of “tropical holidays”. “Most customers have been exposed to this type of cuisine, so they know what to expect,” she adds. “Our culinary philosophy is reflected in the venue’s style – it’s cool, urban, modern and artistic. Sharing is fun and interactive, and our guests can experience a wider variety of foods by serving small portions. Our food is street food, ready-to-eat food – reasonably priced, full of flavour and served in a really friendly, sociable setting.” The knife cuts both ways though, with Asian cuisine referencing Western ingredients and techniques in many restaurants. Marina Bay Sands Resort in Singapore is soon to host its Epicurean Market for a second year on September 12-14, with an array of top chefs including Australia’s own David Thompson (Long Chim) and Tetsuya Wakuda (Waku Ghin) joining their Singaporean contemporary Justin Quek (Sky on 57) in the line-up. Like Australia, Singapore is a multi-cultural melting pot, with Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan all on the menu, making it’s cuisine both fascinating and at times hard to pin down. “Singaporean cuisine is about many different elements coming together to create the perfect balance,” says Quek. “At Sky on 57, I present Franco-Asian cuisine, but give new interpretations to traditional favourites, resulting in baked miso cod with ginger and lime butter, Maine lobster hokkien mee, grilled Kagoshima wagyu beef and wok-fried Asian black pepper lobster to name a few.” With hot, sour, salty and sweet “the hallmarks of local Singaporean cuisine”, according to Quek, it is Singaporean hawker style food that holds the greatest resonance for many diners from Australia. “Hawker or street food has been given its due recognition in Singapore,” he says. “In a way, it has been elevated and given a

King scallop ceviche with Manjimup black truffle shaving, micro-greens Serves 1 2 pieces Hokkaido king scallops 6g shaving of fresh black truffles 8g mixed micro-greens 2¼ wedges of lemon juice 3 tsp olive oil Sprinkles of chopped shallots and chopped chives Sea salt and pepper, to taste Cut scallops into thin slivers, marinate with lemon juice, sea salt, pepper and olive oil. Keep chilled in the fridge for 1 hour. Place the scallops on a plate, and sprinkle with chopped shallots and chopped chives. Lay the shaved truffles on the scallops, toss micro-greens with ¼ wedge of lemon juice, sea salt and 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Place dressing around the scallop and serve. Recipe from Sky on 57.

higher profile. You’ll find local fare being presented in restaurants, from mid-tier to high-end dining establishments. It’s not so much hawker food as it is about the celebration of good Singaporean food that’s rooted in this country. In Sky on 57, we have this dish bak kut teh – it’s a traditional local dish that features pork bones cooked in a special herbal broth for hours, and served with rice and fried dough. We give it a spin by adding a dash of whisky at the end, and this immediately lifts up the dish, in taste and aroma.” Quek says that his experience working in both Europe and Asia means he understands both cultures and palates “and balance them well”. “I like to keep the authenticity of the dish in terms of flavour, but always search for the best ingredients,” he says. “So it’s about presenting Asian inspired cuisine in a European way, and consequently thinking of the wines that can pair with my cuisine. Take for example, the lobster hokkien mee. I first came up with the idea about 14 years ago when a tycoon came to my restaurant. He was looking for something luxurious, so I replaced the prawns in the traditional hokkien mee with lobster and enhanced its stock. Not only does the dish showcase the flavours of a traditional Asian dish, at the same time, it was fitting of the tycoon’s social status.” With a lot of chefs attracted to working in Singapore “because the cuisine allows us to mix different Asian spices and create new flavours”, according to Quek, it is the city state’s reputation as a business and tourism hub that keeps the restaurant’s on their toes. “We need to be able to offer international cuisine to our visitors, so the food scene is constantly expanding and evolving to meet demand,” he says. OH

Hakka makes

‘catering’ a breeze

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www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, August 2014 19

DAIRY

1 A Victorian organic milk farm. 2 ODFA’s organic butter. 3 Cheese platter at GPO Cheese and Wine Room. 4 Bruce Symons, chief executive of ODFA. 1

Cream of the crop With the vilification of fat in our diets replaced by sugar, dairy is continuing its rebirth as a natural and healthy food, writes Sheridan Randall.

airy products are riding the wave of a change in consumer sentiment, with sugar taking on the mantle of public food enemy No. 1, leaving all things cheesy, milky, buttery and yoghurty to bask in the glory of being a natural food high in protein. The Organic Dairy Farmers of Australia Co-op (ODFA), made up of 23 certified organic dairy farmers across Victoria, launched its organic butter into independent gourmet food outlets one year ago. With demand rocketing, the ODFA has now seen the production of its organic butter double and is launching its unsalted organic butter in September, as well as also

working on other artisan cheese and butter products, which will be available on the market in the next 12 months. “Previously we were importing New Zealand organic butter, but once we converted it to Australian organic butter our sales doubled,” says Bruce Symons, chief executive of ODFA. “I think there was a demand for Australian origin. The providence story is resonating more and more with consumers.” The pent up demand for Australian made organic butter is part of a greater trend towards more natural products, according

20 Open House, August 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

to Symons. “In all of these TV cooking shows, like MasterChef, they are never going to ask for margarine, they are always going to use butter,” he says. “It’s a pretty natural product compared with margarine. Separating some cream from some milk, churning it and adding a little salt, it’s a simple, natural product that tastes pretty good.” Cheese expert Claudia Bowman, of McIntosh & Bowman Cheesemongers, has also seen a shift in consumer perception since the rise of reality cooking shows on television. “We have awakened a younger generation

in asking questions about the produce, having pride in them and also searching for local produce – that’s what has made a really big impact on sales,” she says. “People want to have that connection with where their food comes from.”

supermarket milk wars have had the greatest

Describing it as an exciting time in Australia for dairy, Bowman says that consumer taste is still evolving, describing it as “very conservative”.

fats and bad fats,” she says.

“We are so new to this cheese making game,” she says. “We have such a small population here and even less that have an educated [dairy] palate, our nation simply does not respect dairy. If you look at Ireland or England and France they have such respect for butter, full cream milk and yoghurt. Even the professions of those people are greatly valued, and people honour their craving for that. We just don’t have that here.”

impact on people’s perspective of dairy. “The type of people that buy good butter, milk or yoghurt they have always been the ones that understand there have been good “Probably the biggest thing that has impacted on cheese and milk sales in recent times is

not the pedalling of [health related] statistics of good fats and bad fats but rather the revelation that up until about 12-18 months ago up to 16 per cent of the content of your milk was not actually fresh milk but rather permeate fill.” That has led to an increase in the number of consumers seeking out smaller scale cheese producers, according to Bowman. That’s not

Dairy the healthy choice

Globally, dairy product launches accounted for the largest number of health claims, according to market research organisation Innova Market Insights. Innova Market Insights says the rise of Greek and Greek-style strained yogurts, which are inherently higher in protein than standard products, had also paved the way for a new area of interest – yogurts marketed on a highprotein platform. Although most of these are also probiotic, some companies were now diverting attention away from digestive health toward nutrient content.

Bowman feels that that the recent www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, August 2014 21

1-2 The artisan and specialist cheese sector in Australia has been growing over the decade.

the only change, with a shift in consumer perception in what best pairs with cheese, with the rise in craft beers making for some interesting combinations.

pairings,” he says. “Cheeses are infused with a wide range of ingredients such as truffles, tea leaves, paprika, wine, cognac and even ash.”

“Wine [and cheese] has just been really well marketed in Australia as being sophisticated,” she says. “For thousands of years monks have been brewing beer and making cheese, it is a natural pairing. Beer and champagne are actually the most similar in terms of origin and fermentation to cheese.”

However, Australian diners are more inclined towards the mild, creamy cheeses such as brie, camembert and triple cream.

Matching cheese and wine is the mainstay of Sydney’s GPO Cheese and Wine Room, however the venue is not averse to matching its wide range of Australian and imported cheeses with champagne, whisky and cognac. “Cheese is an incredibly versatile ingredient and we are always looking to push the boundaries of what people consider to be kosher,” says Samuel Robert Franklin, GPO Cheese and Wine Room’s manager. The cheese makers themselves are also looking for new inspiration for their flavours, according to GPO Cheese and Wine Room chef Carlo Colucci. “In the world of cheese there already exists many unusual and interesting flavour

“Soft to semi-hard cheeses dominate the Australian palate, however aged cheddar is still an all-round favourite which stems from our colonial past,” he says. “Australians can be a bit shy of the blue vein style, and we at Cheese and Wine, try to open patrons up to the idea and taste of new experiences.” As for dairy’s new healthy image, Colucci says it varies from cheese to cheese. “Just like most foods, cheeses range in saturated fat content from heavy to light,” he says. “A triple cream style could be considered to clog arteries and put a couple of notches on the belt, as it contains at least 75 per cent of butter fat every 100 grams. On the opposite side of the argument, goat and sheep cheeses retain little to no fat, and are a great source of minerals and protein. One just has to be selective of the types of cheeses and of course quantity when considering diet and health. Human kind has been producing cheese for around 1000 years and is one of

the earliest known forms of protein, it has and will be a major part of the human diet for years to come.” Will Tuckfield from cheese wholesaler Kirkfood says that Australians still lean towards the “decadent and lush” cheeses. “The trend is still towards the triple and double cream-style,” he says. Although well versed in pairing cheese with wine, Tuckfield is also not averse to broadening his horizons. “There are some really nice combinations of cheese and beer,” he says. “I did an informal [cheese and wine] master class last year at the Rocks, and I brought a creamy blue and it just matched perfectly with Chimay Blue Trappist beer. It just surprised everyone. The Trappist monks are famous for not only there beers but also their cheeses.” Tuckfield says that the artisan and specialist cheese sector in Australia has been growing over the decade and is continuing to do so. “There a whole heap of good Australian small artisan producers cheese producers,” he says. “There is a lot said about food miles and that sort of thing, but for me, I’ll buy any cheese so long as good. It doesn’t matter where it comes from in the world.” OH

Milking a multi-billion dollar market

Increasing export markets, changing palates and increased health consciousness are driving milk production revenue in Australia to more than $4 billion, according to market research organisation IBISWorld. In 2014-15, IBISWorld expects that the average Australian will consume 106.8 litres of cow’s milk – South Australia consumes the greatest amount of cow’s milk per capita at 135.3 litres each per year, followed by Tasmania (126.5 litres), Queensland and the Northern Territory (119.4 litres), Western Australia (114.5 litres), Victoria (105.3 litres), and New South Wales (99.1 litres).

“Increasing consumer health consciousness, the continuing promotion of the benefits of milk and dairy, and the diversification of tastes as new milk alternatives emerge are all driving a gradual increase in milk consumption and revenue for the industry,” says Daniel Ruthven, IBISWorld Australia general manager.

22 Open House, August 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

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CHOCOLATE

1 Emily Petrelli (centre) works on her winning showpiece. 2 Petrelli’s “cooking” themed showpiece. 3 Deniz Karaca (from row right) came third in the World Chocolate Masters.

Watch the video in the Open House iPad app.

Sweet success For chefs with a passion for chocolate competing is an excellent way to test your skills, meet others in the industry and measure your abilities against peers, writes Ylla Watkins.

hen Emily Petrelli, a third year apprentice chef with Melbourne-based caterer Epicure, took out the top prize in this year’s Callebaut Hunter Valley Chocolate Showpiece Competition, the premier competition of its type in Australia, it was a sweet victory for both Petrelli, and her boss and mentor Deniz Karaca.

Culinary Centre in Melbourne finessing their entries.

Competing against some of the country’s leading pastry chefs and chocolatiers, 20-year-old Petrelli channelled her Italian heritage for the 2014 theme of “cooking”, incorporating a chequered tablecloth that balanced a tier of stacked dishes, a copper pot, ladle and a playful lobster, with each element meticulously crafted from Callebaut chocolate.

The biggest challenge on the day “wasn’t putting each piece together, it was getting it together without dripping chocolate all over it”, Petrelli adds. “There’s not allowed to be any marks on the showpiece.”

Her efforts won her not only the admiration of the judges, which included Dean Gibson (coach and captain of Team Pastry Australia) and Paul Kennedy (pastry chef at Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School and Australian Chocolate Master 2007), but also an all-expenses paid trip to Belgium to train at the Callebaut Chocolate Academy.

“I worked out that I put in around 150 hours, after work and on my days off,” says Petrelli. “If something wasn’t right I did it again until I got it right. It was definitely worth it though because I won a trip to Belgium out of it.”

“You need to be very passionate and have the right attitude to succeed in these kinds of competitions,” says Karaca. “A lot of hours go into practising. If you think you can just rock up on the day and win, you’ll be disappointed.” One of the pay-offs of competing in chocolate competitions is meeting and networking with other chefs from around Australia and, in the case of the international competitions, around the globe.

Karaca, who is executive pastry chef at Epicure, won the same competition in 2011, and went on to represent Australia in the World Chocolate Masters last year, placing third in the World. A passionate advocate for the professional and personal pay-offs of competing, he encouraged both Petrelli and fellow Epicure trainee Rosie Utteridge to enter the competition. Utteridge received a gold medal and was named Best Apprentice.

Karaca himself has competed not only in Australia but also in Taiwan and Paris, where the world championships were held in front of an audience of around 3000 people, with a television crew broadcasting the event live.

“We’re incredibly proud of what [Emily] has achieved against competitors with many more years of experience,” says Karaca.

Gary Willis, national sales and marketing manager – chocolate division at F.Mayer, which distributes Callebaut chocolate, believes chefs are attracted to the idea of competing in events such as the Hunter Valley competition for a number of reasons. These include having

Both trainees worked hard preparing for the event, putting in long hours after work and spending their annual leave at the Epicure 24 Open House, August 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

“It was very intimidating to start with, but you soon forget about it,” he says. “The hardest part is working in a kitchen you’ve never worked in... with machines you’ve never worked with before.”

Photos by Shane Williams/Fivespice Creative.

Q: As a pastry chef, what do you get out of competing? A: Your skill set increases just by watching the other competitors. The competitions inspire your creativity and the vital feedback from the judges guides you in the right direction. Q: Are there any special skills competitors need? Ben Haslett, head pastry, Saba Bakery, Brisbane

A: You need focus, patience and practice. When you think you have practiced enough, you need to more than double what you've already done. Q: What’s more important, technical ability or creativity?

A: To have a really creative element usually requires a strong technical ability to make it work and vice versa. However, it’s not uncommon to find something really creative using the simplest technique. If you have both working in harmony, you are going in the right direction.

Q: What’s more important, technical ability or creativity?

Dean Gibson, coach and captain of Team Pastry Australia

A: They both go hand in hand really. You must show the judges technical ability; everything needs to be executed perfectly and this only comes from lots of training. Q: Are there any special skills competitors need?

A: You need to be committed, a hard worker and able to stick to a training programme. You must be able to take constructive criticism, be respectful, reliable and able to work in a team. All the other skills can be trained but you need to have these other things to be a competitor. Our mantra for Team Pastry Australia was “train hard, win easy”. Q: What are some of the things that can go wrong when competing? A: Anything can go wrong on the day! When we were preparing the team that went on to win the Asian Pastry Cup 2011 we trained to allow for the unknown, leaving up to 30 minutes of competition time available for mistakes.

the opportunity to push themselves in new directions, to learn new techniques and ideas, learn more about flavours, meet others in the industry, and measure their abilities against that of their peers. “Pastry chefs love to compete,” he says. “It gives them an opportunity to grow their own skill levels. This then influences the rest of the industry and brings Australian pastry chefs skills and knowledge on an equal level to the best in the world. “In the last 10 years Australian pastry chefs have gained massive respect on the world stage; we are now viewed as equal peers by the rest of the world.” The best competitors will have a very detailed understanding of chocolate, its workability and various flavour profiles; a good palate and ability to mix and blend flavours without clashing; patience; creativity and imagination; commitment; and a “desire to be more than just a pastry chef”. Karaca puts creativity at the top of his list what it takes to win. “You can teach technique but creativity isn’t something you can give to someone,” he says. “I can show anyone how to temper chocolate but I can’t give them an eye for beauty.” OH www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, August 2014 25

AGED CARE

1 Chef Peter Morgan-Jones. 2 Peter Morgan-Jones with former Senior Australian of the Year food personality Maggie Beer. 3 The cover of Don’t give me eggs that bounce. 1

Food for carers Older Australians often have special needs when it comes to food, but now a new book by chef Peter Morgan-Jones sets out to lend a helping hand, discovers Ylla Watkins.

hen much-loved food identity Maggie Beer was named Senior Australian of the Year in 2010 she set out to talk to executives of Australian aged care facilities about the food served in those facilities at that time. Detecting “anger” in the room when she discussed the “bad” aspects of aged care catering, she went on to meet with HammondCare chief executive Dr Stephen Judd, who was on his own campaign to deliver better foodservice and choice for older Australians. Her advice to Judd was to hire a restaurant chef with a passion for food and people to take a fresh look at the food being served in HammondCare’s facilities.

The result was the appointment of Peter Morgan-Jones, whose resume ranges from cooking for the British royal family to being head chef of well-respected restaurants including Bennelong at the Sydney Opera House, MG Garage and the Clock Hotel Restaurant, as HammondCare's executive chef and food ambassador. Since joining the organisation Morgan-Jones has written his first book, Don’t give me eggs that bounce: 118 cracking recipes for people with Alzheimers, co-authored with dietititian Emily Colombage, dementia consultant Danielle McIntosh and speech pathologist Prudence Ellis. Aimed at carers and people living with dementia, the book was launched

26 Open House, August 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

recently at HammondCare’s International Dementia Conference in Sydney. Don’t give me eggs that bounce features chapters covering the main food and nutrition issues faced by older people, people with dementia, people with swallowing difficulties, carers and families. There are also tips on managing mealtimes for someone with dementia, avoiding malnutrition for older people and safe eating with conditions such as dysphagia, as well as innovative techniques for preparing and presenting texture-modified meals and thickened fluids. More than 100 recipes cover meals for regular diets which will be

enjoyed by people of all ages and health conditions, and many focus on specific dietary recommendations including soft, minced and moist and smooth pureed. Open House caught up with Morgan-Jones after the book launch to find out more about the challenges of creating delicious, interesting food for older Australians. Q: How did you come to join the HammondCare team? A: Before coming to HammondCare I was head chef for the Art Gallery of NSW. In that role, I was placing a job ad for our kitchen when I noticed a position being advertised that spoke of giving back to the community

and helping vulnerable people. I decided it was time to give something back myself. During the interview process I discovered that the job was in aged and dementia care with HammondCare and that Maggie Beer had recommended that a restaurant chef be found who could be a catalyst for change. What really sold me on the new role was the care factor. To be able to use my food knowledge and love of cooking to improve the quality of life of older people is an amazing opportunity. Q: What is it HammondCare was looking for you to do in the role? A: HammondCare already had a great approach to food – with fresh cook home-style kitchens in their dementia cottages – and had won awards for it. My job was to take this to the next level through recipes and fresh produce, presentation of food and solutions for texture-modified diets that made the taste, colour and aroma of good food accessible to those with eating difficulties. And from there, to impact the whole aged care sector, including government regulations, so that great food and passionate chefs would become the norm. Q: Food aimed at older people is often perceived as being dull and of poor quality. Does that tally with your experience? A: I would not have taken the role at HammondCare if their food policy was about low food costs or using convenience or poor quality cook chill food, but I don’t have much experience of other operators or their food. The only benchmark I have is hearing horror stories and receiving countless emails from distraught people from all over Australia. There are some fantastic operators and chefs in aged care. Unfortunately their good work is drowned out by the bad press and complaints about many aged care facilities across the country serving perfunctory food with chefs and cooks struggling to

stay within tight budgets for food procurement. This results in poor quality food. Q: What’s your overall philosophy on food? A: My philosophy is quite simple – start with good wholesome ingredients, listen to your residents needs and offer choice. It is also important to think of using sustainable food, as close to home as possible. Q: Are there any special challenges involved in creating food for older people? A: There are a great many challenges in aged care; ticking all the boxes is certainly not easy as a chef. The greatest problem in older people is malnutrition and dehydration. This is further compounded if the person is living with dementia, and compounded again if the person has swallowing difficulties. I take my hat off to all aged care and hospital chefs and cooks. A great responsibility weighs on their shoulders. The reward is seeing a frail person put on weight, eat more and enjoy their food. That is why food is so important in aged care and hospitals; if it tastes bland or looks unappetising the chances are it will not be eaten. Q: If the nutritional requirements of older people are being met, why is it also important to give them tasty, well presented food? A: Presentation is very important. Eating is one activity we do every day in which we engage all our senses. It’s important to stimulate all these senses as best as possible at meal times. It could be ensuring there is adequate lighting so the food is visible, or that the plates have contrast (coloured rim) so when served on a white table cloth the food is framed and visible. If the food is presented badly it will not be eaten. The same goes for not overwhelming the person. It is better to offer more food later, if necessary, than pile a plate with too much food. Most older people don’t

like waste and if they feel they couldn’t eat all of a meal they will decline it. This is quite evident with residents that experienced rationing during WWII. Usually the one last thing residents can control is whether they eat the meal or abstain. Q: How did the idea for the book, Don’t give me eggs that bounce, come about? A: The idea came from a seed planted by Professor Mary Marshall from the UK. She is a leading expert on dementia and was teaching at a dementia design school I attended in Brisbane run by HammondCare’s Dementia Centre. She heard of my ideas for change in food for people living with dementia and suggested I should write a book. My then-manager, David Martin, mentioned the need to empower carers that are caring for their loved ones at home by offering innovative and practical solutions to encourage eating. It was then

that we engaged my three other colleagues to write the book. Q: What’s Maggie Beer’s involvement in the project? A: Maggie Beer has been my inspiration in everything I do on a daily basis at work. We constantly share stories and without Maggie’s input way back I would not have this wonderfully rewarding job. Maggie reviewed all the applicants for my role at HammondCare; I am truly blessed that I was chosen. I continue to have a strong working relationship with Maggie by supporting her foundation, the Maggie Beer Foundation, and its quest to improve food in aged care. I am also a member of The Lantern Project that sits under Maggie’s foundation with an emphasis on good nutrition. Q: What’s next for you? A: The coming months are very exciting, as we introduce the innovation in the book to all of our facilities. OH

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www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, August 2014 27

SOCIAL MEDIA

When social media Social media is everyone’s best friend until something goes wrong, as many businesses have discovered after drawing not-so-friendly fire from the online community. So, how do you ensure your brand survives a social media backlash? Ylla Watkins investigates.

hen Australia’s Diabetes community took to social media in June to voice their disapproval at a Sydney cafe’s Facebook post inviting diners to “come on in and ask for Diabetes”, the name of a new cronut-based dessert they’d just added to their menu, it was another example of how easily a business can incite a social media backlash. More than 180 comments, ranging from polite requests to change the dessert’s name to abusive tirades, were left on Paramount Coffee Project’s page before they took down the post and apologised. “There is a lot of stigma associated with diabetes,” says Renza Scibilia, manager of type one diabetes programs at Diabetes Australia and one of the first to post to Paramount Coffee Project’s page. “There is a lot of finger pointing, a lot of ‘you brought it on yourself’ – things that are not true, unfair and quite tiresome. Their post

contributed to the attitude where it’s OK to make fun of people living with a health condition. It was in bad taste and insensitive.” A cafe spokeswoman later told the Sydney Morning Herald that the cafe hadn’t “intended to hurt or upset anyone”. The furore should have ended there if the cafe hadn’t gone on try to remove all the negative comments from their Facebook page. “They started off acting appropriately,” says Scibilia. “They apologised. Where they messed up a bit was they deleted all of the negative comments on their Facebook page and they stopped people being able to rate their cafe on their Facebook page, or start new posts on their page. They then systematically removed any negative comment about either the situation or the apology and flooded the wall with positive listings that were basically saying [the diabetes community] are a pack of whingers who should get over themselves.

28 Open House, August 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

“Removing the negative comments and not allowing the discussion to continue, only leaving the positive comments, wasn’t particularly smart. I think that made a few people upset.” While the advent of social media has revolutionised the way we communicate with and relate to customers, how to deal with its downside – negative comments and reviews – has many people perplexed. Salli Jokinen, digital marketing manager of Melbourne creative agency Yoke, suggests a three-step plan for dealing with the aftermath of a social media mis-step. “The very first thing you want to do when trying to recover from a social media backlash due to a misjudged comment or campaign on social media is to apologise,” she says. “This is the most important step in the entire process and it significantly increases the likelihood of recovering from the backlash.

bites back “Be ready to admit your mistakes and never become hostile towards your customers on social media.” Hostility will only add fuel to the fire and may hurt your business if the story spreads, she adds, citing the example of Amy's Baking Company in Arizona in the US. After appearing in an episode of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, in which Gordon Ramsay walked off the program due to the owners' poor behaviour. After the restaurant received a few negative comments on their Facebook page, the owners responded with hate-filled comments and updates, only fuelling the fire even more (the owners later claimed that their Facebook page had been hacked). Once you’ve apologised, the second step is to delete the offending comment and take steps to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. “This may require creating a social media policy, educating the staff on social media best practice or assigning someone else to take care of the updates on social media,” Jokinen says. “Remember to also communicate to your followers what steps you have taken to prevent a similar event from happening again. “Third, do not give up on social media. Although many business owners are terrified of the possibility of negative feedback and would rather go offline than take the risk of facing online backlash, the positives of social media still outweigh the negatives.” Taking pre-emptive steps to avoid social media mishaps is a better strategy, suggests Michael Field, managing director of Michael Field Strategic Marketing Consultants. “You have to have a clearly defined and integrated organisational digital strategy, and all of your staff need to be trained on that,” he says. “It needs to be linked to your IT acceptability policy, it needs to be linked to your HR policy, and it needs to be reinforced and part of the induction when new people join the business. “The thing with hospitality is that you get a reasonably high turnover of people and quite often you get someone who isn’t experienced, isn’t trained, and doesn’t have the proper authority, who thinks ‘it will be

Social media fails

really funny if I post this on Facebook’.” Before starting on social media, Field suggests that business owners do a “proper risk assessment”. “It’s saying ‘there is a lot of good we can develop for our business, but there is also risk, so let’s go through that in a formal process. What’s the likelihood of them occurring? What’s the impact on the business if they do occur? And what’s our mitigation strategy?’ If you do that process well you don’t end up saying dumb things on social media. “If you book a radio ad, you’re going to spend time thinking that through, getting experts to write the copy and getting it professionally recorded, but people don’t apply the same business discipline to social media. They seem to think they can holler anything they want out here and it’ll be OK.” Setting up ground rules for social media pages you control may also be useful. “What we do with our clients is we help them establish membership and participation guidelines that dictate the behavioural norms on that group,” he says. “People who join that group agree to those participation guidelines. You might say ‘we won’t accept profanity’ or ‘we’re happy to accept complaints, if they are presented in a fair and reasonable way but if you come back and repeatedly abuse us you won’t be welcome in this group’.” If a brand does get caught in social media storm, Field agrees that they need to “own it straight away”. “You need to take complete responsibility for it straight away,” he says. “Say yes, we did that and we apologise unreservedly. These are the steps we’re taking to remedy it and ensure it doesn’t happen again. And then you actually need to follow through on that.” Reacting abusively, as the owners of Amy's Baking Company did, is a complete no-no, according to public relations and marketing specialist Bec Derrington, founder of SourceBottle and The Media Bag, “That’s a perfect example of a food brand reacting really badly and then, rather than falling on their sword and accepting responsibility, which I think is always the best response, denying it,” she says. “I don’t

Be wary of “newsjacking”, using a breaking news story to generate social media engagement, when building a social media campaign warns Derrington. “A lot of organisations will see something topical on the news and try to integrate that into a little marketing campaign but if it’s considered in bad taste it can really fall short,” she says. “You have to be very sensitive to the sentiments around a particular news item. There was a backlash recently to one of the airlines that sent out some information on Twitter when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashed, saying we don’t fly over that region. They may have just wanted to reassure their clients but it’s a fine line in terms of what’s appropriate.” The very worst thing you can do is delete negative commentary from posts, Derrington adds. “That goes against that whole suggestion that they are being transparent,” she says. “There are other ways of dealing with spam-like posts. You can report them on Facebook, for instance. People can see that you’re identifying that it’s unacceptable but allowing them the right to see it.”

think anyone believes that. It just inflames it. And you lose your credibility as well. “If you ever want to defuse a situation, particularly on social media, you need to accept responsibility; you will gain a lot of respect by doing that. Sometimes it’s possible to turn a situation from negative to positive if you display the qualities that every brand should have – integrity, honesty and transparency. You may even find that your greatest detractors will become brand ambassadors for you, or your other brand ambassadors, the ones that really support you, will help you argue your cause on social media. That’s the beauty of social media; everyone has a voice and that voice can be very positive as well as negative.” Once you’ve weathered the initial storm of social media criticism, Jokinen suggests concentrating on “the positive sides of your business and share these stories with your social media followers”. “Depending on the severity of the misjudged comment or campaign, if you managed to put out the fire before it had escalated into something bigger, people tend to forget reasonably quick and continue as normal,” she says. OH

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, August 2014 29

E-COMMERCE

1 The Internet Chef Bridget Davis. 2 The public face of My Food Bag Miguel Maestre.

Only a click away The foodservice sector is heading online with a steady march of companies and individuals making their mark in an increasingly connected world, writes Sheridan Randall.

hanks to YouTube and social media a handful of Aussies have become household cooking stars – Rob "Nicko" Nixon has scored a remarkable coup with his YouTube channel, Nicko's Kitchen, marking up more than 100 million views. Not bad for a former Qantas worker at Perth Airport who became an online phenomena shortly after he started uploading cooking how-to videos in 2008. Focusing on simple back-to-basics cooking, Nixon’s appeal goes way beyond Australia’s borders with 65 per cent of his audience in the US. Sydney-based food scientist and dietitian Ann Reardon’s YouTube channel, How to Cook That, was launched about two years ago and has more than 738,000 subscribers, while former flight attendant Elise Strachan’s YouTube channel, My Cupcake Addiction, has more than 714,000 subscribers. It’s not just keen amateurs taking to the internet, with Kiwi chef Bridget Davis forging a new career as The Internet Chef since deciding to step away from the stove. With over 20 years of commercial kitchen experience including head chef for Bill Granger at Bills in Darlinghurst, running her own gastropubs and managing large catering companies, Davis launched The Internet Chef as a website, food channel and social sharing space that with her business partner Mahei Foliaki in 2009. “Having always been interested in the teaching aspect of cooking, I approached a couple of more formal offline publications in the hope that they might be able to use my 20-plus years of cooking knowledge 30 Open House, August 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

in their magazines, [but] I was flatly refused,” she says. “So I decided to go it alone and write and produce content anyway. In February 2009 The Internet Chef website was born along with a Twitter and Facebook profile. Within three months of being on Twitter I was named as one of the top 10 chefs on Twitter in the world by The Huffington Post and some of those same publications that had turned me down were now retweeting what I had to share.” In 2011, Davis began “playing around” with Google Plus and now boasts more than 700,000 followers, ranking her Google Plus page in the top 500 pages in the world. “I really liked the layout of the platform and being a Google application there was more to it than just being a social sharing site,” she says. “Like all my social media accounts, I approach posting with the end user in mind. I never make it all about me, but instead share other people’s fabulous content with thoughts to educate, entertain and inform. Google Plus has been a great success for The Internet Chef and I think that this comes down to the rich and vibrant nature of the platform. Images and videos look and feel amazing so sharing this type of content on a regular basis, at least three times a day, is how I started. I also make sure to be online for awhile after I post an article or image to capture any conversations and feedback that is generated by my post. Social media is all about connecting with people and engaging in conversations. If you use it to broadcast rather than engage, your

success will be limited.” Despite this success, Davis maintains that she wasn't “tech savvy” at the start of her online journey. “When I first started blogging and working online I barely checked my emails,” she says. “I was a kitchen-based chef who did not understand this intangible world of ones and zeros. I was fortunate to have a very skilled and patient teacher who ignored my chef-like tantrums and kept encouraging me to write, film and create content. I now happily call myself a geek, and I am most at home in front of my computer screen, editing videos for my Youtube channel or connecting with people via social media.” Swedish entrepreneur Cecilia Robinson is also keen to make the most of the advantages going online offers the hospitality sector with her meal creator and delivery service My Food Bag launching in Sydney recently following a successful run in New Zealand. The concept is simple, aiming to attract time poor consumers who want to cook healthy and great tasting meals at home. With Spanish chef Miguel Maestre on board as its public face, My Food Bag is keen to push its free-range and locally sourced credentials, with Mirrool Creek Lamb, Lemdell Mushrooms and Hydro Produce on board the supply chain. “The whole frozen meals thing feels a little dated, like an ’80s or ’90s thing,” she says. “Nowadays you hear a lot about the journey the food is taking to get to the plate. We wanted to bring the fun back into it and not want kids to grow up not learning how to make themselves a meal.” With consumer interest in food at an all-time high, Robinson says that the concept is “on trend”. “It’s all about the right timing and I do think we hit that for sure,” she says. “We are really taking it [knowledge of food] one step further and are taking it from the supplier into their homes. “We have been over here since mid-to late last year making sure we have got the right suppliers. It has taken a lot of work to get to the point that we can launch a really good product.” Maestre leads the recipe development alongside a team of chefs, test cooks and nutritionists, with new recipes developed each week for the three types of bag on offer – Gourmet, Family and Classic. “We have to make sure the meals can be made with all the produce and all the right quantities so there are no mistakes,” he says. “So that when people cook it at home it is not something that doesn’t work or doesn’t look like it is in the photo. We have a huge process until it is in the bag, but my hand is all the way through the process.” Maestre is passionate about changing the way Australians eat, saying most Australian homes cook the same 10 recipes the whole year round. “If I can give you in a week something from a Greek influence like a beautiful lamb kofta, and then on the next day a beautiful curry and then a beautiful homemade pasta, and then a Spanish tapas dish, we are going to wake up in you a curiosity for experimenting with new food and that will get people more excited about eating,” he says. “I have to get in the right state of mind every time I write a different recipe. So as a chef, a father and an average bloke it is fantastic as it lets me experiment in every single stage of the ladder. I love it!” As an e-commerce business Robinson is well aware of the importance of “moving with times”. “We get a huge amount of feedback weekly so we make sure that we understand the needs of customers,” she says. “It is a weekly cycle it is really full on and is probably one of the most intense businesses you

can work in because you are continuously rating things as you are only as good as your last meal. And we never rest on our laurels when it comes to understating what our customers want.” Another online foodservice company that understands the value of having a well-known chef on board is online meat wholesaler Meatonline.com.au, which has recently partnered with celebrated South Australian chef Cheong Liew. Marking just over 12 months in operation, Meatonline.com.au offers a “no frills” way for chefs and business owners to order their meat with its 24/7 online ordering system giving customers total control over the ordering process. Dispatching with sales reps, the cost savings are passed onto their customers, with foodservice operators “saving a tonne of money on their meat bills”, according to Duncan Fuller national sales manager at Meatonline.com.au. “Previously the majority of chefs spoke to a sales rep either on the phone or personally,” he says. “Quite often most chefs will expect to see five or six sales reps in a day from various companies, where they have to stop what they are doing, make sure they get the order right and the prices right, with the sales rep then going on to place that order on their behalf. With Meatonline chefs can simply sit down, log on and place their order, which they can receive the next day for metropolitan customers.” A star based rating system simplifies the ordering process, with chefs able to source the quality of meat they need from budget to top of the line. “We have an amazing buying power behind us, so we can offer great prices,” he says. “We have just rolled out our signature line nationally which is our 1824 rumps. It’s just great for our customers to have what I call a foundation product that they always come back to and is always consistent.” With beef, lamb, poultry, game, small goods and seafood (currently on offer in three states), the website is a one-stop-shop that can be accessed from anywhere in Australia with a wi-fi connection. “I was a chef for 25 years and I wish I had this system when I was cooking,” he says. “There is just not enough time in the day [as a chef].” Having Liew on board as a brand ambassador for the company is a huge boost of confidence, Fuller adds, with the chef sharing recipes and tips. “He is currently providing recipes and tips which we share with our customers,” he says. “He’s an amazing chef and I really looked up to him when I was a chef, the fact we have him is extraordinary and adds a certain amount of credibility from [other] chefs. We are just about to launch Cheong Liew’s View, where we will post all the recipes and tips he has given us. We are happy to do whatever we can to empower our Meatonline customers.” OH

Escoffier online When the Escoffier School for Culinary Arts goes online you know that the age of internet cooking has been given an official tick of approval. United States-based Triumph Higher Education, which licenses the school’s name from the Escoffier Foundation, already has two bricks-and-mortar professional cooking schools and has launched its online curriculum aimed at training those interested in becoming professional cooks. However, whether there will be many people willing to part with US$5000 to learn knife skills and some mother sauces is yet to be seen.

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REGIONAL SNAPSHOT

1 Bathing boxes in Portsea on the Mornington Peninsula. 2, 4 Pick your own strawberries and cherries are popular activities. 3 A charcuterie plate at the Linden Tree Restaurant.

2 3

Mornington Peninsula Famous for its cool climate wines and abundant fresh produce, Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula is a food lovers’ paradise, writes Ylla Watkins.

ust an hour’s drive from Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula’s rich red soil produces elegant cool climate wines, including outstanding pinot noir and chardonnay, and an abundance of fresh produce ranging from fresh mussels to strawberries, cherries and apples. Sunny Ridge Stawberry Farm and Red Hill Cherry Farm are both popular stops for visitors to the region, offering a “pick your own” experience, but there are also farm gates, artisan cheese makers and gourmet

providores aplenty open for visitors who want to graze their way around the Peninsula.

winery contributes to a foodies’ heaven,” he says.

According to Julian Hills, head chef of Paringa Estate Restaurant in Red Hill South, which was recently named Restaurant of the Year – Regional in the Victorian Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence, the best thing about the Mornington Peninsula is that it “such a food and wine friendly region”.

With Paringa Estate producing cool climate wines, and particularly pinot gris, chardonnay, pinot noir and shiraz, Hills says he tries to “only use cool climate ingredients to compliment the wine” in the restaurant.

“Every restaurant, farm gate producer and

32 Open House, August 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

“I believe if I can get an ingredient from the beach, pine forest or kitchen garden it will give a dish a sense of belonging to the region,” he says.

DIARY DATES

VIEW FROM THE KITCHEN

Fine Food Australia September 15-18, 2014

Fine Food Australia is on again in Melbourne next month, with a great line-up of master classes and seminars, Q&As with key industry figures, and cooking demonstrations, as well as exhibitors spanning specialty and bulk foods, beverages and equipment. www.finefoodaustralia.com.au

Julian Hills, head chef, Paringa Estate Restaurant – Paringa Estate, Red Hill South

Favourite local seasonal ingredient: I spend a lot of time in winter picking wild mushrooms. Red Hill has an abundance of beautiful fungi – grey ghosts, slippery jacks, saffron caps and blewits.

Most over-rated ingredient: Maybe it's because I've worked with real thing so much, but I dislike the over powerful flavour of truffle oil.

Must-have kitchen gadget: Besides my knives, a fabulous combi oven is a huge asset in any kitchen. Being able to steam at 60oC or hold the temperature as low as 30oC at different humidities allows a lot of room to play.

Secret food indulgence: I can never go past a Reuben sandwich and always give in to the temptation of peanut m&m’s.

Food heroes: Thomas Keller was my first food hero, but now with social media and the ability to see what fellow chefs and restaurants are up to, my inspiration comes from a range of amazing chefs worldwide.

Career highlight: Working with the team at Paringa Estate to build the restaurant up to its first Good Food Guide Chef's Hat awarded in 2013 was a great achievement.

Best advice you’ve ever been given: You can't please everyone and to stick to the food that you love producing and believe in. It's what keeps me sane! OH

Photo by Mike Newling/Destination NSW.

Mudgee Wine & Food Festival September 12 - October 6

Celebrate the best food and wine from the Mudgee region of NSW with events including Go Tasting, which allows the public to try wines entered into the Mudgee Wine Show; Go Grazing, where guests can sample outstanding regional produce; and the free Flavours of Mudgee street festival. www.mudgeewine.com.au

Capricorn Food and Wine Festival September 19-21

The Mercure Capricorn Resort Yeppoon in Central Queensland plays host to this celebration of all things culinary, from signature dining experiences, to food and wine master classes and interactive cooking classes. www.capricornfoodandwine.com.au

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COOKING THE BOOKS

From the heart(y) Inspired to make a list of his all time favourite dishes, chef and MasterChef judge Gary Mehigan couldn’t go past this warming winter pudding.

Ginger marmalade puddings

Recipe and image from Favourites by Gary Mehigan. Photography by John Laurie. Published by Lantern ($49.99).

Serves: 6

hese are seriously good puddings. They make regular appearances on the Boathouse menu in autumn and winter, and I love them. You can use any flavour of jam you fancy and adjust the liqueur to suit (try sour cherry jam with kirsch, blackberry jam with cassis or raspberry jam with framboise). 380g orange marmalade 150g fresh brown breadcrumbs 100g dark brown sugar 30g self-raising flour 140g unsalted butter 100g ginger, peeled and finely grated Finely grated zest of 1 orange 3 free-range eggs, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda ¼ cup (60ml) Cointreau double cream, to serve Marmalade sauce 100g ginger, peeled 120g orange marmalade 40g unsalted butter ¼ cup (60ml) Cointreau Juice of 1 orange 2 teaspoons orange blossom water, or to taste Preheat the oven to 165°C fan-forced (185°C conventional). Butter six 1 cup (250ml) dariole moulds or mini pudding basins and add 1½ tablespoons of the marmalade to the base of each. Cut out six 15cm squares of foil, fold into quarters and butter the tops generously. Set the prepared moulds and foil aside. Combine the breadcrumbs, brown sugar and flour in a large mixing bowl. Heat the butter, ginger, orange zest and the remaining

marmalade in a small heavy-based saucepan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring until melted and combined. Pour the melted butter mixture over the dry ingredients, stir to combine, then stir in the beaten egg. In a small cup or bowl, mix the bicarbonate of soda and Cointreau together, then add this to the pudding mixture and mix well. Divide the pudding mixture evenly among the prepared moulds. Cover each pudding ﬁrmly with the foil, buttered-side down. Place the moulds in a deep roasting tin, then ﬁll the tin with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the moulds. Carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until the puddings are cooked (a skewer inserted in the centre

34 Open House, August 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

should come out clean). Meanwhile, for the marmalade sauce, ﬁnely grate the ginger over a bowl to catch any juice. Strain through a ﬁnemeshed sieve, pressing down on the ginger to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the pulp and place the juice in a small heavy-based saucepan with the marmalade, butter, Cointreau and orange juice. Stir until combined over medium heat, then increase the heat to high and simmer for 5 minutes or until syrupy. Stir in the orange blossom water and remove from the heat. Remove the hot puddings from the water bath and carefully turn out into bowls. Serve with the warm marmalade sauce drizzled over and cream alongside.

What’s on shelf this month? High Tea

Man Food

Good Without Gluten

Viking/Penguin Books Australia $39.99

by Billy Law Hardie Grand Books, $39.95

by Frederique Jules, Jennifer Leppoutre and Mitsuru Yanasae Murdoch Books, $29.95

Penguin Books Australia has shown their support for the McGrath Foundation with this collection of afternoon tea recipes from Stephanie Alexander, David Herbert, Belinda Jeffery and more, pledging to donate a portion of the cover price from each book sold to the charity. And if that isn’t reason enough to buy a copy, it’s also packed with crowd-pleasing recipes to inspire and delight. It’s a win-win.

You don’t have to be Homer Simpson to be unable to resist the lure of bacon, in this case in the form of the “Bacon Kaboom!” featured on the cover of Billy Law’s Man Food. Law certainly can’t resist, if recipes such as bacon & sage polenta fries, spicy beer & maple candied bacon, roasted balsamic Brussels sprouts, chestnuts & bacon, and bacon and stout chocolate cheesecake with hot fudge sauce are anything to go by. Mmmmm….

Getting a satisfying carbohydrate fix can be tricky when gluten is off the menu, unless you’re a diner at Paris’ No Glu restaurant and grocery store. Here No Glu’s clever chefs share their recipes for gluten-free breads, pastries and cakes including pesto and sun-dried tomato muffins, smoked duck and caramelised leek quiche, chestnut crepes and pecan pie. Très délicieux. OH

Get it while it’s hot! Open House is now available as an iPad app, offering even more ways to enjoy industry news, views and feature stories on the key issues and trends affecting the hospitality industry. This exciting free app is packed with bonus extras including recipes, behind-the-scenes videos and interactive features. Updated monthly, the Open House iPad app is available to download free at the iTunes app store or www.openhousemagazine.net.

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PRODUCTS

Flavoursome fruit concentrates

Designer cookware

Edlyn has introduced a new range of Lyndon Grove fruit juice concentrate flavours, including orange, apple and pineapple, which has no added sugar and is free from pulp. All flavours are packaged to provide a sustained 12 month shelf life free from preservatives. As they are concentrated, the two litres of concentrate juice will make 12 litres of finished 100 per cent fruit juice. They are available in four 2 litre packs. ● www.edlyn.com.au

Oigen Foundry has introduced their “Palma” series of cast iron cookware designed by renowned designer Jasper Morrison. Cast iron cookware is considered superior to other cookware because it is an excellent conductor of heat with much better heat retention than stainless steel, copper or aluminium. As a result, less energy is needed, saving money on energy bills. It can also be safely transferred from cooktop to oven and also served on the table. ● www.oigencookware.com.au

Simple solution

Sake selection

The GI Metal Seamless Aluminium Pizza Screen is an excellent alternative to a standard aluminium pan and is a simple way to improve the quality of your pizza, with no oiling required. The sturdy aluminium mesh design increases the flow of heat to the pizza base, resulting in a crispiness that would normally come from a using a wood fired oven. The screens are available in a range of circular diameters from 20cm to 50cm or a rectangle shape for slab pizzas which measures 40cm x 60cm. ● www.euroquip.com.au

Japanese food and knives specialist Chef’s Armoury are launching a select range of boutique Japanese sake that range from soft and mellow, such as Hanzo Kaminoho Junmai Ginjo, to the rich and full bodied Kubota Shuzo Yukitohanato. The sake is sourced direct from the brewer. ● www.sakeshop.chefsarmoury.com

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Juice it

A powerful combo

Santos have released a new generation of centrifugal juice extractor, the Miracle Edition #68, which offers higher efficiency with an innovative design. The new model has an output of up to 140 litres per hour and has a powerful 1300W motor that is extremely silent during operation. It features a safety locking-unlocking patented system, extra wide feeding chute, and easy to remove stainless steel filter basket. ● www.sammic.com.au

The Honey and Chia range are newly released organic yoghurts by five:am. They contain no added sugar and come in two flavour variants, raspberry and vanilla bean with cinnamon. The Honey and Chia range contains a powerful superfood combo of both probiotics from natural yoghurt and prebiotics which are found naturally in chia seeds. ● www.fiveam.com.au

Pompelmo paradise

Safer storage

San Pellegrino has released a new sparkling fruit beverage, Pompelmo, into the Australian market, available in a sleek and stylish 330ml can. It contains 16 per cent fruit juice, made from the finest pure Sicilian grapefruit juice, with all natural ingredients and no added preservatives. The convenient can packaging is perfect for outdoor and glass free venues. ● www.sanpellegrino.com

Australian CyberChill commercial refrigeration has been working with Honeywell on a new HFO (hydrofluoroolefin) based refrigerant that is not only safer than hydrocarbon, but also has an ultra-low GWP (global warming potential). CyberChill is to offer the refrigerant as an option across its refrigerated storage range, from under counter cabinets to blast chillers. ● www.cyberchill.com.au OH

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PROFILE

Man of many hats Mark Clayton’s culinary journey has taken him from Michelin starred restaurants, to running his own catering firm and teaching cookery. That variety has set him in good stead in his current role as executive chef at Nestlé Professional, where he is responsible for overseeing culinary direction.

“I

was told very early on that building your career is like building a pyramid,” says Nestlé Professional executive chef Mark Clayton. The wider you build your base, the higher you will go. Great advice which has never been forgotten. His current role marks him as the “chef go to person for the Nestlé Professional team”, with no such thing as a regular day in the office “because every day could be quite different”. “That may involve product staff training or presenting to a customer targeted solutions from our range, site visits either to promote or educate on our product range, photo shoots for brochures, product testing, development, judging competitions and the list goes on,” he says. “This is what I love about my job, the diversity keeps me motivated. It is very different from being a chef in a restaurant.” Clayton’s career began in the formal dining world of Michelin starred establishments including Chez Nico and The Capital Hotel in London, where he learnt all about the importance of detail. “Attention to detail which is very important at this level and an appreciation for great produce which is the foundation for any great dish,” he says. Then, whilst in a head chef job at a country house hotel in Kent, Clayton, his wife and three kids decided to take the plunge and head to Australia. With the first port of call being Sydney’s Manly he has “never looked back”. “England was very influenced by Europe, especially France and had a really good fine dining food scene but little of quality within the cheaper middle market,” he says. “Australia also had some very fine top end restaurants but an amazing selection of what I considered to be more value for money operations. The food was influenced more by Asia and there was some learning that had to take place to become familiar with the unusual ingredients. “Europe was more structured with defined rules as to what was 38 Open House, August 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

acceptable; on the other hand Australia was more experimental and there was more freedom to create, [and] I think generally that is still the case.” Australia proved a great place to try his hand at a number of roles, working in restaurants, a catering firm and as a commercial cookery teacher. “At this time I was looking for something completely new, I had run many different kitchen operations but the process is the same, building a team, writing menus, improving the food and training,” he says. “Teaching helped me to become a better trainer and presenter and I really enjoyed the interaction with students. It’s not an easy ride as some may think and I have the greatest respect for good teachers.” Clayton and his wife also went into business for themselves with Chef4U. “It is hard work but we have never shied away from that,” he says. “To supplement the business I also did some casual contract work which is how I discovered this whole world of product development.” With Clayton now firmly embedded in preparation for this year’s Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award, all of those experiences are paying dividends, with him taking great pride in how the competition has grown since its inception half a century ago. “The competition just gets better each year and is very much a team effort,” he says. “[assistant brand manager – Culinary Flavour Solutions at Nestlé Professional] Sarah Hill brings the energy of youth and has helped to streamline the entry process, and we work very closely with the Australian Culinary Federation on a national level. This year has produced record entries and the standard of food being produced around the country is inspiring.” With the 2014 finalist teams now heading for the heat of battle in the National Final in September, Clayton offers some timely advice – “practice, practice”. “Those that take the time to look at every detail and are open to learning from those who offer help and mentoring are the ones most likely to succeed,” he says. OH

AUSTRALIAN CULINARY FEDERATION NEWS

Building on success I

start this month’s article with a little pride of what can be achieved in such a short time. In March 2013 I was directed by then Australian Culinary Federation (ACF) President Peter Wright to get ACF NSW back to its former glory after what had been two of its darkest years. I set out to merge ACT and NSW and grow our regional centres. Since then we have seen the membership grow to over 450 with many active regional branches. On September 8, 2014, the ACF NSW, ACT & Regions will hold their first combined AGM at the Campbelltown Catholic Club followed by the ACF South Western Sydney Regional Dinner, hosted by chef Paul Rifkin. September is also the month for Fine Food Melbourne and the Australian Culinary Challenge. There is a great line up of chefs from all ACF State Chapters plus three regional branches from NSW/ACT, and this year will see the Canterbury Branch (New Zealand Chef Association’s) compete in “Battle of the States” Restaurant Challenge. Last year the ACF and Fonterra started the Chef Ambassador Program, and in the coming months we will be announcing the

dates for this year’s program showcasing the best of regional Australia, Fonterra brands and the talent that live and work in the rural centres. I am also happy to announce that chef Gary Farrell will be executing the “ACF Culinary Road Show” with Rare Medium. This will consist of a series of 10 workshops across Australia designed to educate chefs and apprentices about the use of secondary cuts. In addition, Gary will host a Chef’s Table for 10 guests at each of the venues chosen to hold these events. It will be a sought-after affair, so be sure to put your name down immediately when dates are announced. The highly anticipated ACF National Congress and “Chefs’ Weekend” has been announced for February, 2015, at Twin Waters Resort Sunshine Coast. This monumental event will see chefs and industry partners come together from across Australia for a weekend of networking and entertainment. Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat and we

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Neil Abrahams Australian Culinary Federation (ACF)

are starting to compile information in anticipation of next year’s competition. If you are old enough to remember this historical event prior to 1986 I would like to hear from you. OH

ON THE MOVE Cafe Sydney has appointed James Kidman to the role of executive chef. Kidman brings nearly 20 years of experience to the kitchen, having previously worked at Otto Ristorante, Doltone House and Vicinity Dining.

Plantation Island Resort in Fiji has appointed Bret Hanson to the role of executive chef. Previously Hanson held the role of executive chef at Warwick Le Lagon Resort & Spa Vanuatu. He brings with him more than 36 years of experience in the hospitality industry.

Daydream Island Resort and Spa has appointed Ashley Duff as executive chef at the tropical Whitsundays getaway. For the past seven years he has worked with Royal Caribbean on numerous cruise liners and brings a wealth of international experience.

Johnny Di Francesco, chef and restaurateur of 400 Gradi pizzeria in Brunswick, is set to open 400 Gradi Cicchetti, situated next door to his renowned Lygon Street restaurant. Earlier this year Di Francesco took the number one spot at the Pizza World Championship in Parma.

Urban Purveyor Group is set to open a brand new Saké venue in Double Bay, in December 2014. Sushi Master Shaun Presland heads up the team as executive chef, offering a mix of new-style sushi and classic dishes.

Eureka 89 has announced the appointment of Justin Wise as consultant executive chef. Formerly of The Press Club, Maze and most recently The Point, Wise is to oversee all kitchen operations at Melbourne’s highest dining destination.