Open House Foodservice September 2015 Issue by Creative Head Media Pty Ltd

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SEPTEMBER 2015

Catering to big numbers Chefs open up on kitchen pressures The evolution of the commercial kitchen

Flavour foundation Maggi Concentrated Stock

We’ve got all your dairy needs covered Exceptional quality products and ingredients to complement your every meal and cuisine. Parmalat’s range includes world class cheeses, milks, juices, yoghurts, creams and custards.

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CONTENTS

MAG339 OPENHOUSE FRONT COVER_CONCENTRATEDSTOCK.indd 1

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ON THE COVER Premium stocks are the foundation of so many dishes in the kitchen. Maggi’s Concentrated Stock has done all the hard work, leaving chefs more time to focus on their own creative touches.

Regulars

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AUGUST 2015

04 Editor’s word 06 News 12 In season 13 10 things Unusual food combinations

Asian health kick Electrolux awards celebrate Restoring the gender balance OH0815.indd 1

14 Origins Meat pie

Features

15 Q&A Judy McMahon, Catalina restaurant

10 Cover story Maggi Concentrated Stock

32 Regional snapshot Orange, NSW

16 Kitchen equipment Getting more for less

34 Cooking the books

20 Function catering Bringing it out on show

36 Products 38 Profile Athol Wark, Lasseters executive chef 39 Australian Culinary Federation news

24 Fine Food Australia Getting the most from the showfloor 28 Talking point Dealing with the pressure in the kitchen

Cleaning up Chux Superwipes 16/09/2015 10:04 am

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.

Subscribe to the OH iPad app

www.openhousemagazine.net

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, September 2015 3

EDITOR’S WORD

Under pressure H

ow we like our bad boy chefs. The likes of Marco Pierre White, Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay fill our collective mind with images of swaggering culinary pirates, foul mouthed perfectionists sacrificing their relationships in pursuit of culinary perfection. That’s all well and good when you end up with book deals, TV shows and a chain of restaurants to your name. But what of the rest? When does the hard headed pursuit of perfection simply become workplace bullying?

Talk to anyone in hospitality and they will have tales of workplace abuse, told either with a sly smile as though recounting schoolyard hijinks or the shake of a head, in disbelief that it can still happen in a modern workplace. But things are changing. With fewer youngsters taking up culinary apprenticeships and even fewer completing them there is no longer a never ending supply of kitchen fodder to burn through willing to take the crazy hours and pressure. Businesses know that they can’t treat those new to the industry in the same way as the previous generation and expect them to stay. The old school kitchen culture had to change. More women entering the industry are toning down some of the testosterone fuelled habits of old. Nobody in their right mind would put up with the long unsocial hours and hard physical labour that working in hospitality requires unless there was a real passion for the job. And there lies the key. That passion has fuelled some amazing culinary achievements but sometimes at a terrible cost to those closest to it. The new era requires a workplace that is as committed to the wellbeing of those that service it as much as the end result. Hear from some veteran chefs on page 28 as they talk about their sacrifices and what they are doing to make a change in the working environment.

Published in Australia by Creative Head Media Pty Ltd Suite 202, 80-84 Chandos Street, St Leonards 2065 P.O. Box 189, St Leonards 1590 Website: www.openhousemagazine.net ACN 147 436 280 ISSN 0312-5998 PUBLISHER Alexandra Yeomans GENERAL MANAGER Michelle Cullen MANAGING EDITOR Sheridan Randall JOURNALIST Anastasia Prikhodko ACCOUNT MANAGER James Zantis DESIGN/PRODUCTION MANAGER Bin Zhou PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR Anne Esteban SALES & DIGITAL CO-ORDINATOR Grissel Ritchie ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT Kate Wilcox

HEAD OFFICE – SYDNEY Creative Head Media Pty Ltd Suite 202, 80-84 Chandos Street, St Leonards 2065 P.O. Box 189, St Leonards 1590 Tel: (02) 9438 2300 Fax: (02) 9438 5962 Email: enquiries@creativehead.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS 1 yr $99; 2 yrs $174; 3 yrs $261 (incl. GST and surface mail)

Sheridan Randall Managing editor

THIS MONTH’S TOP STORY Function catering is under the burner; greater expectations, lower budgets, allergies and the desire for Instagram worthy food has influenced chefs to come out from the kitchens. See the full story on page 22.

4 Open House, September 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

Official publication for the Australian Culinary Federation

AMAA, CAB Total Distribution Audit 20,592 March 2015

With a passion for sourcing premium ingredients from the far reaches of the world, Dalya Australia is committed to sharing premium, exotic produce for Australians to enjoy. As we are dedicated to serving the best of Australia and the world to you, we are proud to work with our newest partner from the heart of Switzerland, HUG AG. Already a market leading product in Europe, USA and the Middle East HUG’s amazing Pastry Tartelettes and Cones are set to impress Australia’s foodservice industry. Designed specifically with foodservice in mind, HUG’s Pastry Tartelettes and Cones can be utilised across both sweet and savoury applications. Using only premium ingredients allows your creativity to shine. Superior taste & quality Shelf stable requiring no refrigeration Long lasting crispiness thanks to the HUG coating procedure allowing early preparation and planning Steady and break-proof packaging system assuring minimal waste Freeze-stable for deep-frozen applications Higher productivity & no mess with easy to use filling aids “It’s easy to be creative with such a premium product,” says food consultant and cookbook author Brigid Treloar. Come and visit Brigid at the Dalya Australia stand J41 at Fine Food Australia showcasing some delicious recipe ideas such as Soy Sauce White Chocolate Caramel.

For more recipe ideas visit www.hug-foodservice.ch/en/home

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Catalina restaurant of the people C

atalina in Sydney’s Rose Bay took out first place in The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide’s inaugural People’s Choice Award.

diverse mix of restaurants.

6. Efendy, Balmain

The top 10 New South Wales restaurants as

7. Jonah's Restaurant, Whale Beach

voted by diners:

8. The Apollo, Potts Point

The People’s Choice Awards acts at the prelude to The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards on September 7.

1. Catalina, Rose Bay

9. The Stunned Mullet, Port Macquarie

2. Akiba, Canberra

10. Graze Restaurant, New England

3. Cavallino Ristorante, Terrey Hills,

“We know that people love what we do – we kind of feel that all the time. But this tells us that what we've done our whole lives has been right,” said Catalina co-owner Judy McMahon.

More than 20,000 New South Wales food lovers voted for one of the 800 nominees, with the top 10 featuring a regionally

Eldridge scoops Josephine Pignolet Young Chef award Lauren Eldridge (pictured), pastry chef at Marque, has been named the Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year, in what marks the 25th anniversary of Award. Eldridge, who has spent the past three years working at Marque, will be travelling to India later this month to cook at a summit celebrating some of the best women chefs including Gabrielle Hamilton and April Bloomfield. "She's got the brains, and was very dedicated right from the beginning," said Mark Best head chef and owner of Marque. "She had a real focus on the future and right from the beginning she really wanted to learn. And to me, that intelligence and that hunger for knowledge pretty much was the clincher."

4. Harvest Café, Newrybar 5. Manfredi At Bells, Killcare

Silver Chef signs with StreetSmart Hospitality equipment funding company Silver Chef has partnered with not-forprofit organisation StreetSmart in an effort towards raising $1 million dollars, which will go towards tackling homelessness. From November 9 through to December 31, 2015, Silver Chef will be a driving force for StreetSmart’s annual DineSmart campaign. Participating restaurants will include a noncompulsory $2 donation item on the bills for diners. The proceeds will be directed to StreetSmart, who distribute the funds amongst their 409 community partner organisations. “Our industry is filled with good people who would like to make a positive difference in the lives of others,” said Allan English, Silver Chef founder and executive chairman.

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“The DineSmart program is such a simple yet extraordinarily powerful way that together we can make a very real change in the lives of the homeless citizens in our community." Established in 2003, StreetSmart Australia has raised over $3 million dollars since its inception. “We are very excited to be teaming up with the team at Silver Chef to build our DineSmart fundraising event,” said Adam Robinson, StreetSmart founder and CEO. “Silver Chef is the perfect partner to help us reach more restaurants and ultimately support grassroots homeless services across Australia.” Registrations to be a part of the DineSmart campaign are now open at www.silverchef.com.au/about/dinesmart.

NEWS BRIEFS Irvine tops cocktail challenge

Choice at the front of new campaign Thousands more young Australians could be employed and regional towns reinvigorated if reforms to weekend work were adopted, according to a new hospitality industry campaign “More Jobs, More Shifts, More Choice”.

opportunities associated with a harmonising Sunday rates with those applying on Saturday. A recent R&CA survey found that 68 per cent of hospitality businesses would invest in training, 52 per cent would hire additional staff and 41 per cent would open longer.”

The campaign, led by Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA), is being launched today (September 1) in Adelaide. The campaign highlights the employment potential and economic activity likely to result from reform to weekend pay in the hospitality industry.

Businesses across the sector would on average employ an additional 3.15 people if Sundays pay rates were reformed, with larger establishments likely to add 4.25 staff and smaller businesses adding 2.42 extra staff, according to Hart.

Research commissioned by R&CA indicates many café and restaurant businesses close or scale back staffing to counter higher wage bills on Sundays. Sunday pay rates of up to 75 per cent extra per hour can make businesses unprofitable, with operators often unable to break-even or run at a loss.

“In South Australia this could mean an additional 2,800 jobs and 3,500 more hours as a result of reform,” he said.

R&CA chief executive John Hart says reform is long overdue and must occur to improve the sector’s productivity and address an alarming trend of rising unemployment. “The café and restaurant sector is the largest employer across all tourism-related sectors of the visitor economy,” he said. “The sector has a projected employment growth rate of 16.9 per cent or 93,600 jobs to November 2019. We will not reach this target if reform does not occur. “The More Jobs, More Shifts, More Choice campaign highlights the employment

“In regional Australia where restaurants are more likely to be closed on Sundays, reform would kick-start their economies and address rising youth unemployment. Almost one tenth of cafés and restaurants across South Australia close on Sundays and public holidays. “Longer opening hours and Sunday trading will lead to additional shifts for existing workers and enhanced dining options for locals and visitors alike. “The application of uniform weekend pay would see 54 per cent of businesses currently not open on Sundays consider returning to Sunday trading. This means more jobs for Australians, more shifts for those employed in the sector, and greater choice for consumers."

Vino Paradiso returns to The Rocks After a successful inaugural year, Vino Paradiso will this year relocate to The Rocks in Sydney on November 6-8, 2015.

The festival is expected to attract more than 80,000 visitors and 130 food, wine, beer and cider stalls from regions across Australia. The event is themed by region, providing festival goers with the opportunity to tour 30 of Australia’s most iconic wine regions, including Margaret River, the Barossa and the Hunter Valley, all in one location. “We’re excited to once again open up a world of the finest providores and artisans, showcasing the best of Australia’s food and wine regions on the edge of the breathtaking Sydney Harbour,” said Matthew Williams, director of Vino Paradiso.

James Irvine from Sydney’s The Baxter Inn has beaten off five rival bartenders to win the national final of the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge. His win has scooped him a $10,000 cash prize and a position in the global final which will be held in Trinidad. Mrs Mi to open in Sydney Mrs Mi will launch its first concept restaurant in Australia, bringing Sydneysiders an authentic taste of Northern China's Shanxi region. Opening in Sydney's Chatswood Chase this month, Mrs Mi will be using a robot to shave the noodles directly into the water. Nominations open for NSW Wine List Awards Restaurant & Catering Australia is calling for nominations to its NSW Wine List Awards recognising restaurants and hospitality businesses that excel in the promotion of local wines that compliment food featured on their menu. Nominations close on Friday September 25 and must be made via the R&CA website. Merlo rolls out new stores Queensland coffee company Merlo has announced the opening of two new stores, major refurbishment of two current stores, and the rollout into Melbourne. The Fortitude Valley Torrefazione will be transformed into a coffee training facility upstairs, while continuing to serve espresso to the public downstairs. Murdoch heads to the Opera House Chef Lauren Murdoch (pictured) and Trippas White Group have partnered to operate the Colonnade Café and Western Foyer Theatre Bars at the Sydney Opera House. Murdoch, whose most recent Venture was Felix Bar and Bistro at Ivy, and Trippas White Group will deliver innovative menus, featuring local NSW produce.

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, September 2015 7

Acme named restaurant of the year ACME was named Restaurant of the Year 2015 at Time Out Sydney’s Food Awards. The Rushcutters Bay’s restaurant bagged three awards with the Hot Talent Award going to one of the restaurant’s up-and-coming chefs, Analiese Gregory. while chef Mitch Orr was also runner-up for the Chef of the Year award. Billy Kwong’s patron-chef Kylie Kwong was crowned Chef of the Year. Best Fine Dining Restaurant went to the CBD’s contemporary and Japanese-inspired Sepia. Edition Coffee Roasters in Darlinghurst received this year’s award for Best Café, while Yang’s Malaysian Food Truck drove away with the award for Best Food Truck.

MSC tick for Walker Seafoods Family-run fishing company Walker Seafoods Australia (WSA) has become the first Australian tuna business to achieve the Marine Stewardship Council's (MSC) global standard for sustainable fishing. Mooloolaba-based Walker Seafoods, operate a bespoke tuna fleet, catching yellowfin tuna, albacore tuna and swordfish, in Australian Territorial waters and the greater Pacific Ocean, and are one of the largest operators in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery. “The Marine Stewardship Council is the global gold standard certification of

Sustainable commercial fishing,” said Pavo Walker, owner WSA. “We have always delivered and believe in sustainable practices, but it's pleasing to have international accreditation so other people can understand how hard we work to ensure the sustainability of the tuna and swordfish, the environment and how we actively help increase the volume fish as well.

Peter Gilmore’s Bennelong in the Sydney Opera House was named Best New Restaurant. Best Casual Dining Restaurant was awarded to meat masters LP’s Quality Meats in Chippendale. Salt Meats Cheese’s The Pizza Box bagged Best Bang for Buck (the award for cheap eats). The People’s Choice Award, as voted by Time Out readers, went to Nel, run by patron-chef Nelly Robinson. The Legend Award recipient went to Sam Christie, co-owner of Longrain, Cho Cho San, The Apollo and Subcontinental.

“People aren't aware that we have this amazing sustainable swordfish fishery here on the East Coast of Australia. It's the only place in the world where this is the case.”

Seafood winners announced The seafood industry gathered at Sydney Seafood School on Thursday August 27, to reward the best in seafood excellence at the biennial Sydney Fish Market Seafood Excellence Awards. The industry’s top seafood retailers, restaurants and suppliers were recognised in nine award categories which were either judged by industry experts or the general public. Winner of the Best Seafood Restaurant was Fish Café by Balgowlah Seafoods. Darron’s Seafood

in Wamberal on the Central Coast was crowned with the title of Best Fish and Chips, while Claudio’s Quality Seafoods was voted the Best Seafood Retailer at Sydney Fish Market. The individual honour of the night, the Star of the Sea Award, went to Brad Warren, executive chair of OceanWatch Australia.

The prestigious Best Supplier (NSW) was taken out by Coffs Harbour Fisherman’s Co-operative. Best Supplier (Interstate of Overseas) was jointly awarded to Clean Seas in Port Lincoln; and OPC Fish and Lobster, a division of Aotearoa Fisheries based in Whitianga, New Zealand.

De Costi Seafoods at Sydney Fish Market picked up an accolade for Best Seafood Retailer (NSW), with De Costi Seafoods collecting the Best Seafood Business Award.

Sustainable and environmental practice carried its own award, with XL Oysters in Port Stephens taking out the Excellence in Environmental Practice category. OH

8 Open House, September 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

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COVER STORY

Flavour foundation Premium stocks are the foundation of so many dishes in the kitchen. Maggi’s Concentrated Stock has done all the hard work, leaving chefs more time to focus on their own creative touches.

tocks are used in a variety of different dishes and across almost all cuisines. From Latin American stews to Chinese soups, stock plays a very important role, enhancing the base flavour for the entire dish. Stocks are an essential ingredient in any commercial kitchen. However, making a stock from scratch is extremely time consuming, with hours of simmering and skimming of fat after bringing all the ingredients to the boil. It can also be expensive. To deliver top quality stocks and sauces, chefs will need to use select quality ingredients that will deliver a rich, premium stock. Maggi Concentrated Chicken Stock makes it easier to create delicious, authentic

10 Open House, September 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

dishes – in any cuisine. Chefs can rest easy that each and every bottle is made with the same quality ingredients used to make stock from scratch. This ensures that each product has the same flavour, aroma and texture as scratch-made stock, with all the preparation and simmering done for you. Maggi Concentrated Chicken Stock contains chicken extract that delivers a distinct double-boiled chicken essence through the stock. It infuses a rich flavour into dishes, and can be used at all stages of cooking, from stir-frying to braising to simmering. With less time spent preparing such a basic but essential ingredient, you’ll have more time to express your creativity and add personal touches to your dishes. OH

Uncover your potato possibilities What are patrons hungry for now? At Lamb Weston®, we’ll bring the next delicious thing to your menu – simply and profitably. Whether it’s a not-to-be-missed LTO or a new signature side, we’re always ready to dig a little deeper to help you be greater. See what’s possible with potatoes at LambWeston.com/FoodDomeAU or call (07) 2462 4700

IN SEASON

Globe artichoke T

for their size. Early spring is the best time to buy although they are available fresh for around half the year.

he globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus), also known as the French artichoke, belongs to the thistle family. Only the flower head is edible which is picked and eaten before it blooms, offering a slightly sweet taste. The floral parts in the centre and base of the flower (the choke) must be removed before eating with only the heart and the fleshy base of the leaves suitable for eating.

Snap off the stem of the artichoke and cut off the top third end, as well as any sharp leaf ends. Remove and discard any tough outer leaves. Artichokes will discolour once cut or trimmed, so rub all surfaces with lemon juice at this stage. You can then bake, boil or stew artichokes. Young artichokes can also be used raw in salads. OH

Look for plump artichokes, with tightly closed leaves. They should have firm heads and stems, and feel relatively heavy

October

September • Asparagus

• Lemons

• Apples – Lady Williams

• Lettuce

• Artichokes – globe • Asian greens • Broccoli • Berries – mulberries, strawberries • Beetroot • Beans – broad, green • Carrots • Cauliflower • Chillies

• Mushrooms • Mandarins – honey murcot

• Oranges – blood, navel, seville • Peas • Potatoes • Papaya • Papaw • Pineapples • Pomelo • Rockmelon • Silverbeet • Spinach • Spring onions • Tangelos

• Garlic, fresh • Grapefruit

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• Avocados

• Mushrooms

• Passionfruit

• Artichokes – globe

• Mangoes

• Pineapples

• Asian greens

• Melons

• Pomelo

• Asparagus

• Oranges – Valencia

• Spinach

• Banana • Blueberries • Beetroot • Beans – broad, green • Cucumber • Chillies • Garlic, fresh • Grapefruit • Lettuce

• Peas • Potatoes • Papaw • Papaya

• Strawberries • Silverbeet • Spring onions • Tangelos • Watercress • Zucchini

10 unusual food combinations These ingredients may make strange bedfellows but it’s fine to wake up the taste buds with some unfamiliar flavour combinations.

1 Chili powder

5 Dark chocolate and

on fruit

parmesan

The Mexicans are mad for it. Mangoes and pineapples make for a perfect combination of spice and acidic sweetness.

3 Kimchi and cheese A true odd couple. Try a kimchi and cheese grilled sandwich, throw in some pork belly and a fried egg and give yourself a pat on the back.

Chocolate and chili is so last seasons. The salty and savory flavour of Parmesan cheese pairs well with the depth of flavour in dark chocolate. The chocolate actually brings out the fruitiness of the cheese.

7 Strawberries and pepper

9 Chocolate and avocado

Avocado adds a silken texture that brings a new level of richness to dishes such as chocolate truffles.

Sprinkle finely groved pepper on strawberries, either fresh or roasted, to intensify their flavour, bringing out the sweetness and releasing a very subtle pepper flavour.

10 Pickles and peanut butter

8 Tomato sauce and banana

2 Meat and aniseed Star anise is a dried, star-shaped fruit of an oriental evergreen tree. It has a strong, sweet aroma and flavour, which creates a deeper flavour in meat dishes and is regularly used in Asian cuisine. This is also a trick used in all meat dishes by Heston Blumenthal.

6 Coffee and salt

4 Peanut butter and sriracha

It’s a poor man’s version of satay and chili. Spread the two on toast and watch the magic happen.

Adding a pinch of salt to coffee heightens the flavour and suppresses the bitterness. Salt is traditionally added to black coffee in Northern Scandinavia, Siberia, Turkey and Hungary. Already used with a number of favourite fast foods like chips and pies, it turns out the sauce also goes quite well with a healthier alternative – bananas. The sweetness of the tomato sauce adds flavour to the bananas.

This combination has been a low-profile favourite in the US. The acidic vinegary taste of the pickles combined with the rich and subtly sweet and

salty taste of peanut butter between two slabs of white bread really works well together. OH

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ORIGINS

Meat pie It’s up there with blue singlets, AFL and sunburn when it comes to its Aussie-ness but this egalitarian crowd pleaser dates back thousands of years and was for much of that time posh food for the wealthy.

e consume around 300 million meat pies a year and some say they should be the emblem of the national flag. If meat pies could talk it would be in Strine. Strewth, you couldn’t get more Australian than a warm pie, topped with tomato sauce and washed down with a cold beer. Except like most things in this country they were migrants, coming in on boats from the UK. Not that it was the start of the pie journey. For that we need to travel back to the Neolithic Period, around 9500 BC, with the ancient Egyptians cooking up a very basic pie prototype made from oat, wheat, rye, and barley, and filled with honey. The ancient Greeks tweaked the recipe with a flour-water pastry and were the first to fill it with meat. The Romans took the pie to heart and then spread it courtesy of their empire and road building skills. Fast forward to Medieval Europe, where cooks were busy making 14 Open House, September 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

pies with assorted meats, baking it using a very thick crust as a pan which was made to withstand many hours of baking, and calling them coffins. It is here that some say the word pie appeared, with magpies being a common ingredient for those early hand warmers. Others say it was actually the assortment of ingredients in the nest shaped pie that mirrored a magpies’ nest hence the name. But we can say for sure the word "pie" as food is first referenced in 1303 by the Oxford English Dictionary. Up until now pies were food for the rich and it wasn’t until Victorian times that the pie became street food and popular fare among all classes. The early settlers in Australia took the pie concept and ran with it. Oh, and they also put a squeeze of sauce on the top. There, now that’s a pie. OH

Q&A

People pleaser Family-run dining institution Catalina restaurant in Rose Bay scooped The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide’s inaugural People’s Choice Award. Co-owner Judy McMahon talks about the reasons behind its staying power and why diner recognition is so important. Q: How did you feel on scooping the People’s Choice award? A: I can’t tell you how pleased we were! It’s an incredible pat on the back from the customers who sustain our business. We know our regulars love what we do, but it’s another thing again to have diners from the general public, many of whom we probably don’t know all that well, bothering to go online to vote and once they’re online, choose us over all of the other restaurants listed. Q: Does the public’s opinion mean more than the critics? A: Given the increase in trade we’ve experienced over the past three years and the success we are experiencing this year, our 21st year of operation, I would be crazy to think that anything is of more importance than public opinion – it literally drives bums onto our seats. That being said, the staff, particularly the senior long term staff both in the kitchen and on the floor, really cherish industry recognition. A good review of the food, say, like the one we received in the Good Food Guide this year, gives the kitchen a real boost – we all need that from time to time. It encourages everyone to aspire to greater heights, and that can’t be a bad thing. But in the end, it’s the customers who pay the bills. Q: What’s behind the staying power? A: Michael and I love what we do. Still. After over 37 years in hospitality! We’re very different people, so we have different approaches to the business and to the customers, and we divide the responsibilities, playing to our strengths. We do both believe in offering a consistent experience though – people have to know that when they come back, they will get what they have come to expect, in terms of food and service. We don’t rest on our laurels. The challenge is to stay relevant; to keep offering people what they want; to listen if people don’t like something about what we’re doing (be it the food or the service) and improve on it; to respond. Q: You’ve described the restaurant as in the middle between fine dining and casual – has that helped you thrive throughout different economic cycles? A: Fine dining and casual are usually seen as being mutually

exclusive, however we really have managed to be a bit of both, and this has kept us full for years. We’re more approachable, open more often (365 days a year), and are therefore more available than most fine dining restaurants. Catalina is not an inexpensive restaurant, however it has always been a place people identify with having a good time. Friendly, approachable, informal, not stitched up. People remember Catalina with affection because they’ve enjoyed their experience, been recognised and looked after in a friendly environment. Q: You’re a family business – does that help create the winning vibe? A: I’m positive that it does. Our children James and Kate are so familiar with Catalina – they’ve grown up in the restaurant, know all of the long term regulars (and their children), and they are now bringing a new younger generation of diners through the doors. With their youth, they bring a new energy, a new perspective and some new ideas, but they are also mindful of the core values which have made Catalina so successful for so many years. They have hospitality in their blood, as do we. Q: There’s more to being a successful restaurant than good food and great service – what behind the scenes work do you do? A: I believe that the behind-the-scenes work we do is key in enabling us to be close to capacity for most of the year. We are actively social, connecting regularly with the new generation of diners via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Probably the most significant thing we do is our database management. For years we have been encouraging all of our customers to join, it’s one of our main strategies – creating regular customers out of first-time diners. Apart from receiving valuable customer feedback from the database forms they fill out, we have built a large and loyal following, and we communicate with them regularly. We use Dimmi for our electronic booking system, which allows our customers to book whenever they like, wherever they are. The 2015 diner has all the information they could want right at their fingertips and we believe our online presence here is a huge part of our continual growth. OH www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, September 2015 15

KITCHEN EQUIPMENT

1-3 Commercial kitchens have come a long way from the early days.

More for less Commercial kitchens have come a long way from the open fire pits of old, with modern kitchens looking to get more out of less, discovers Sheridan Randall.

he idea of a commercial kitchen as we know it is a modern concept, although chefs in some ways are returning their roots with the current trend for cooking over coals and wood. That’s the way it all began, with people cooking over an open fire until technological innovations began in the 1700s not withstanding Leonardo da Vinci’s marvellous automated system for a rotating spit for spit-roasting using a propeller in the chimney.

Iron stoves, which enclosed the fire, started appearing in the mid-1700s while an Englishman named Benjamin Thompson unveiled his "Rumford stove" around 1800. His design used less energy than earlier stoves, using one fire to heat several pots, which were suspended into holes on top of the stove heating them from all sides. In 1834 the Oberlin stove was launched with a more streamlined design, with

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90,000 units sold over the next 30 years. However, these early stoves were still fired with wood or coal. Although the first US patent on a gas stove was granted in 1825, it was to be a while before gas became commonplace as a fuel. The stove has since gone through further refinements, with technology now pushing the boundaries of what can achieved from one piece of kit. Multi-use ovens that incorporate simple to use interfaces are

The robots are coming In 2012 San Francisco-based robotics start-up Momentum Machines announced plans to revolutionise the fast food industry with an automated burger-making machine. The machine, which takes up only 7.3sqm, is capable of producing around 360 burgers an hour. Unlike fast food giants such as McDonald’s which pioneered automated systems in their food production process, this machine does everything from scratch from chopping tomatoes to preparing and cooking the patties. It even bags them up. The company estimates that the average fast food restaurant spends about US$135,000 per year on wages for employees who produce hamburgers, and says that the machine pays for itself after one year. “Our device isn’t meant to make employees more efficient,” said Momentum Machines co-founder Alexandros Vardakostas. “It’s meant to completely obviate them.” So far the company’s vision of a chain of “smart restaurants” has yet to materialise.

becoming commonplace as businesses look to get the most of their space and their staff. Combi ovens changed the kitchen landscape when they were introduced, but even they are keeping up with the times with digital controls which offer more opportunities to control the environment. Pre-programed recipes may sound a clinical but they deliver

consistency in an increasingly demanding environment. They have also reduced in size, making them more appropriate for today’s shrinking kitchen footprint. With the costs of leases rising so operators are looking to squeeze more bums on to seats, often at the expense of kitchen space. This downsizing results in some very smart design and much of today’s new offering

shrinking. A lot of designs are also heading up rather than out. Anything that reduces labour costs is also a welcome addition to the kitchen with the likes of conveyor ovens, high speed broilers and multi-purpose cookers bringing more automation to the food production process.

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18 Open House, September 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

Culinary laboratory Thanks to the rise of molecular cooking a whole range of equipment that was more at home in a laboratory has made its way to some kitchens.

The kitchen is the engine room of every venue, and no matter what type of business the end game remains the same. Foodservice operators are looking to deliver the best product they can to their diners in the most efficient and cost effective way possible, whether that is through robots in the kitchen or increasingly sophisticated, multi-purpose equipment or a simple fire pit. OH

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• Water bath – once the preserve of laboratories, these pieces of kit have opened up a world of low temperature cooking. • Refractometer – often used by grape growers, it measures the sugar content and is only accurate on clear liquids. • pH meter – measures the acid alkaline ratio and is crucial in the art of spherification. • Rotary evaporator – used in chemical laboratories rotary evaporators are used in molecular cooking for the preparation of distillates and extracts. • Centrifuge – a very effective tool for filtering or separating by the use of gravity.

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The Water Rat Hotel g

Large energy consumers now have built-in timers allowing equipment to be powered down during off-peak energy usage hours. And with all this choice in a smaller space design has become a vital part of the puzzle. With the luxury of space a rarity, operators need to maximise the workflow of the kitchen, allowing chefs to do more in one spot. Central prepping areas and refrigeration and storage units stacked under work benches are more common.

Ventless technology is also becoming increasingly sought after due in no part to its money saving abilities. Adding equipment to any kitchen without taking up additional space for vents is a cost effective solution, with some fryers even coming without vents. The bottom-line is the single motivating factor behind any investment in new kitchen equipment, with multi-function equipment a great way to get more for your buck.

Less is more is not just about size, with energy consumption also front and centre. More efficient equipment cuts across all aspects of the kitchen with dishwashers and refrigeration units using the heat given off either by the dishwasher’s waste water or the refrigerator’s condensing unit recaptured and recycled to preheat the incoming water or air.

• Food dehydrator – a technique that has been used for eons by removing the water content from food.

At The Water Rat Hotel in South Melbourne, Head Chef Jack Guy, likes to get the most from simple locally sourced seasonal ingredients. The Kuvings Slow Juicer has not only found a prime place at the bar doing various juices for customers looking for something fresh and healthy, but also for the menu. When the heirloom tomatoes are in full bloom the menu will see a wonderful Gazpacho arrive. Jack says that the beauty of using the Slow Juicer is the ability to keep all the rich and sweet flavours and also the simplicity is divine.

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www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, September 2015 19

FUNCTION CATERING

See recipes in the Open House iPad app.

1 Catering at SMC Conference & Function Centre. 2 Catering at MCEC. 3 Yellow fin tuna, ocean trout & watermelon salad at GCCEC. 4 Catering at GCCEC. 5 Yellow fin tuna tataki canape at Royal ICC. 6 Breakfast at Adelaide Oval. 1

Hungry for more Function catering is under the burner; greater expectations, lower budgets, allergies and the desire for Instagram worthy food has influenced chefs to come out from the kitchens, writes Anastasia Prikhodko.

ood has become a primary element to holding a successful event, as guests now expect to be whisked away on a culinary journey through the different regions.

completely different product.”

“You could be having a function anywhere in the world but the food is what makes the difference,” says Athol Wark, executive chef at Lasseters Centre of Entertainment in Alice Springs.

“It’s about incorporating indigenous flavours into modern Australian interpretations and destinationalising the food of the region,” he says.

“You can have eggs benedict for breakfast anywhere and if you closed your eyes you wouldn’t know where you were. But if you added lemon myrtle to the flavourings you’d have a

Wark has been with the Centre since 2001 and says that the 65,000 years of indigenous flavours is the inspiration behind his dishes.

Although there is increasing competition to keep up with trends and serve food that keeps the customers guessing, Wark says that it shouldn’t be a race to the bottom and that he intends to stick to seasonality and freshness.

20 Open House, September 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

Garry Kindred, executive chef at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, says that catering has become a vital part to the overall experience because “we are now a generation of foodsavvy consumers”.

components to meet such needs. The volume and complexity has increased and quite often we are challenged to create dishes on the go because they are unplanned.”

Paleo, vegan, vegetarian and gluten free are only some of the dietary choices dominating the culinary sphere. Catering to these, Kindred says, is a challenge both logistically and creatively.

Consumer engagement with the cooking process has prompted the demand of live chef stations where the chef becomes the storyteller. “Interactive style of catering stimulates all five senses – sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch,” Kindred says.

“We have seen these requirements skyrocket in recent years, so much so that we have a dedicated chef specialising in tweaking ingredients and

DIY and create your own food stations where guests are encouraged to customise their meals or watch as chefs apply the finishing touches are also on

6 3

the rise. The Royal International Convention Centre in Brisbane selects much of its food and wine from some of the nation’s top competitions including its beef, lamb, dairy and ice-cream. Executive chef Sean Cummings says one big change he has noticed is that of breakfast choice. As a result of heightened expectations the once beloved bacon and eggs is no longer the number one go to. Cummings says that the Centre is making a move away from the traditional and going towards fusion inspired breakfasts like Asian and Mexican. The harshest food critics of them all, children, are also getting a say in what food they choose to consume. Cummings explains that with more parents bringing their children to functions, they want food that is both healthy and tasty. “Children have become more food savvy and now everybody is a restaurateur,” he says. A trend that has travelled across the nation has also arrived at the Centre. “We have a lot of events where clients actually want to have the food truck experience,” he says. Along with bringing the chef

to the front of house, the food truck also offers a more casual approach to dining. This way, the chef is able to interact with the guests, as well as showing and telling the story behind the meal.

of those will have a dietary

“Multi-sensory gastronomy is really popular now, it’s about how our senses react to food,” says Cummings. “You might have a buffet lunch where there is a stir fry but instead of making it back of house we will set up a live station and do it in front of guests, so by the time people actually get to eat it they’ve been bombarded with these senses.”

free entrées and main courses.

requirement.” The Centre has started to incorporate some of those dietary requirements by serving gluten Phil Pope, function and event sous

chef at the Adelaide Oval, says the kitchen sometimes caters up to 40 different dietary requirements for an event for 500 people. “It would have to be one of the biggest challenges,” he says. As expectations intensify and the budget decreases, it

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Functions and events are also losing their sense of formality. With more clients wanting a casual experience with good food. Cummings says that now it is about “informal indulgence; you might have a high end event but everything about it is casual”. Whether catering for an intimate group of 10 or a group of 1000, chefs now have to be wary of providing alternative meal choices. “Over the last 10 years, there has been at least a 50 per cent increase in dietary requirements and one of the biggest areas of growth in that sector has not so much been medical but lifestyle related,” says Cummings. “If we do an event for 1000 people at least 10 per cent

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www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, September 2015 21

is proving to be a constant challenge for chefs to cater to the current food fads and diet. Paul Kavanagh, head chef at SMC Conference & Function Centre in Sydney, says that the evolution of strict dietary requirements has effected costs as more time, money and planning is needed in ensuring that there is no cross contamination between foods. “The most notable change in the last five years has been the simple fact that event budgets are decreasing while expectations continue rise,” says Kavanagh. Food with a wow factor encourages conversation between guests; add in social media and food becomes the focal point of an event. “We know food has to be Instagram worthy and it’s about more than the quality of ingredients or cooking demonstrated on the plate, the menu and service style also needs to exceed expectations,” he says.

“I also think donut bars will take the dessert bar up to the next level. Barely a week goes by that we don’t see someone announce their new spin on the once humble donut.”

The recently appointed executive chef at the MCEC, Peter Haycroft, says that the newly introduced menus will reflect Melbourne’s food scene of fresh, tasty food, “without the ponce and frippery.”

The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) undertook recent market research indicating that the food and beverage generates 40 per cent of the venue’s revenue.

“It is about destination dinning, utilising high-quality produce, cleaner presentation and bigger, bold flavours and taste,” he says.

Research further showed that consumers are driving the need for locally sourced produce, supporting local suppliers and reducing carbon footprint and that fashionable food has become an important part of the customer experience. As a result MCEC launched a revised menu planning guide with more than 20 per cent of its catering menu items recreated based on current food trends and lifestyle preferences, including a new High Tea concept and MCEC’s live cooking station menus.

The chef says that the biggest challenge in catering for events and functions is making sure that the food maintains priority. “A great tasting meal can make all the difference in delivering a successful event,” he says. The function of catering is expanding, as more companies become innovative and strive for ingenuity. Head Chef Nikhil Jain, from the National Convention Centre in Canberra, says that food has become critical to events and will only continue to grow. “There are more tastes to be had with lots of bite sized portions,

fabulous presentation, interaction with the chefs, more regional produce and delivering delegates a destination experience,” says Jain. With the chef no longer being confined to the kitchen space, the traditional sit down dinners and buffets are out and interactive experiences are in. “There is an increased interactive food experience and creative visual presentation to delight the delegates and create memorable experiences,” says Jain. To stay on the forefront of trends, Martin Latter, executive chef at Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, says the Centre has introduced a culinary theatre for guests to watch. With the combination of food and service now being as critically important as choosing the venue, catering is playing a prominent role in showcasing different regions, along with taking its guests on a culinary journey. OH

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Favourite regional ingredients “Black garlic. The molasses-like richness and tangy garlic undertones are not only flavoursome but make for a perfect accompaniment to many dishes.”

– Garry Kindred, executive chef, Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. “French black truffles, Poachers Pantry smoked duck and smoked salmon from Pialligo Estate Farm.”

– Nikhil Jain, head chef, the National Convention Centre Canberra. “Coriander. I believe it is the most versatile herb in the world. Coriander is simply unrivalled in its ability to blend into a huge range of dishes. Just this week I prepared a beautiful, coriander pesto-crumbed barramundi,” says Kavanagh.”

– Paul Kavanagh, head chef, SMC Conference & Function Centre. “Seafood. It is fresh and available most of the year.”

– Phil Pope, function and event sous chef at the Adelaide Oval. “Koo Wee Rup asparagus. It’s home-grown, quality Melbourne seasonal produce and it’s exported all over the world.”

– Peter Haycroft, executive chef, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. “Products from Queensland and the Lockyer Valley.”

– Sean Cummings, executive chef, The Royal International Convention Centre.

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www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, September 2015 23

FINE FOOD

Food first The nation’s largest foodservice event returns to Sydney in 2015, with a host of new initiatives, competitions and innovations, giving even more reasons not to miss out on Fine Food Australia.

eturning to Sydney, this year’s event is set to be a show stopper, with a stellar lineup showcasing industry leaders, trends, game changing new products and interactive sessions. Across the four-day event, Fine Food Australia 2015 will see a real focus on practical, takeaway advice for all sectors of the industry, much of it direct from industry experts and figureheads, with a line-up of new features and interactive sessions designed to help every

facet of the industry make the most of their experience. Providing plenty of practical advice, the education sessions and industry speakers will be addressing key trends and

changes facing the industry such as our ageing population, food safety and labelling, the “freefrom” trend, the edible insects movement, and the confusion surrounding the booming

When September 20-23, 2015 Opening Hours 10am-5pm daily Where Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park

Registration Register free online before September 18 at www.finefoodaustralia.com.au

24 Open House, September 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

certified organic market. In a year of firsts for Fine Food, the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) has partnered with the show to bring the winners of the Sydney Royal Award to the event, who will share the secrets of how they won this prestigious award. In another first for Fine Food, Bulla has partnered with the event as Platinum Sponsor, marking the first time in the show’s history that such a major collaboration has taken place.

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1-5 Catch all the action on the showfloor at Fine Food Australia this September. 4

As part of that partnership renowned patissier Kirsten Tibballs will headline the Bulla Pastry Stage along with pastry chefs Marike Van Beurden and Anna Polyviou showcasing everything bakeries and businesses need to know about new techniques and baking sweet treats. Fine Food will also be a hot bed of competition firsts from the inaugural Fonterra Foodservice Battle of the Pacific to the Great Aussie Pie Comp and the hotly contested Australian National Team Selection at the Culinary Challenge. Following a record number of registrations, the Nestlé Golden

Chef’s Hat Award will mark its 50th anniversary with the 2015 national final to be held at this year’s Fine Food. Held over two days, the national final will see finalist teams cook-off live in purpose-built kitchens. “We can’t wait to get to Sydney to showcase the evolution of Fine Food Australia,” says event director Minnie Constan. “We have some great new stage presentations, exhibitors and sessions planned which is a demonstration of the show’s ongoing relevance to the industry. We are committed to the ongoing evolution of this show to reflect industry needs and demands.” OH

26 Open House, September 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

Ahead of the pack From organic produce to gluten and other allergens, the new products on show at the 2015 event are a great display of the trends and demands of the foodservice industry and its customers. Healthy living is definitely in, and it’s evidenced by several new products on display at this year’s show. From Pure Naturally’s cold pressed virgin coconut oil to Raw C’s world first coconut water with protein, the food world’s love of the tropical fruit is showing no signs of slowing down. Healthy drinks are another key feature in 2015, from Kuvings’ cold press juicer to a new yuzu juice and Mount Zero’s olive leaf tea, those catering to health-conscious clientele will not be short of exciting new options. The health of the planet is another trend – Bennetto’s Drinking Chocolate will be introducing a range of sustainable packaging made from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) recyclable board and compostable foil, and Earthens are bringing their range of tableware made from fallen palm leaves to the event.

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TALKING POINT

Asking the question A lifestyle of long hours, cramped working environments, physical demands and continuous high pressures to perform often leaves chefs burnt out mentally and physically. After experiencing the dark side of the industry, more chefs have started to ask the question – are you okay? writes Anastasia Prikhodko.

ccording to crisis support service Lifeline deaths by suicide have reached a 10 year peak and it is now the largest single cause of death in Australia for men and women under the age of 44. “I’ve been through it you know, near suicide,” says Matt Kemp, the executive chef at Charing Cross Hotel in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs. “One of my friends helped me and talked me out of jumping off the f---ing cliff.” After working at top tier restaurants for 16 years and putting in 70 to 80 hours a week, the stress of the industry had caught up with Kemp. Fuelled by depression and anger, he walked to a cliff top and contemplated committing suicide in 2008.

Starting his career 25 years ago in the UK, Kemp says there was a lot of “macho bravado” where shouting, screaming and the odd “smack on the back of the head, if not, a good punch” were seen as the norm in the kitchen. “It was like going to war, it was a battle zone in a sense that your days would be 16 hours long and it was really hard-core. A lot of aggression,” he says. Working as chef de cuisine at Banc, a three hatted restaurant in Sydney’s CBD, Kemp says that the restaurant was driven by aggression. “I had 20 boys working for me and I would just drive them like dogs because when one went out there was another one queuing to get in,” he says.

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“I’m not saying I’m proud of it but that’s what it was at the time, we were achieving amazing things, producing great food and the boys were queuing up,” he says. “The guys were happy to work 80 hours a week.” Trained by an aggressive chef, Kemp initially passed that same attitude on to his own team whilst at Banc, and once again opening his own restaurant in Randwick, The Montpellier Public House, in 2011. “The way I got taught was they tried to beat you to death,” says Kemp. “I went through a lot of chefs because of my aggressive attitude and until I got a sit down by my partner and restaurant manager and told to pull my head in, otherwise, they were gone too.” Kemp says that the industry was forced to

the door, the industry attitudes have been forced to change.” In NSW, 1489 people started commercial cookery apprenticeships in the financial year to June 2014. This is compared to 1580 in 2013, 1670 in 2012 and 1855 in 2011. With the number of apprentices entering commercial kitchens decreasing, the industry has had to change to accommodate the newcomers. 4 1 The R U Ok? Dinner. 2 Dan Hunter. 3 Ian Curley. 4 Colin Fassnidge.

“There’s not one chef I know that says they have a full brigade of chefs or a full team of waiters. Everyone is short,” Kemp says. “There’s a smaller pool to pick from, so when you’ve got them, bloody care for them.” Kemp says that because every chef in the team works differently, head chefs have to be psychologists as well, otherwise, if you treat everyone the same way, they’ll all go.

change and become more respectful because less people were coming into it. The chef now uses verbal encouragement, instead of aggression to make things happen. “Twenty years ago you just got a kick up the ass and told to either pull your head in or hit the road,” he says. “But back then there were five cooks drumming on

“You’ve either got to kick one, punch one, cuddle one, kiss one, praise one, have a go at one, and each one of them still has their own personalities and gravitates to a different way of being approached,” he says. The army, boot-camp like regime in the kitchens is no longer acceptable and is turning the newcomers off the industry forcing chefs to change the way they operate

in the workplace. “Business is business and if you keep turning over staff, you have to re-train them and that’s got financial costs. So that had to change,” Kemp says. The likes of MasterChef and My Kitchen Rules put a spotlight on the culinary industry, glamourised it and gave hope to every aspiring home cook. But Kemp says the shows have only given apprentices a false outlook on the industry. “They watched it and went, well why would I want to go and do a four year apprenticeship when I can go on a show and skip all that shit,” he says. Although the changing attitudes are prompting more communication between chefs, the discussion of mental health and wellbeing is still a taboo in many kitchens. “You can’t bring it up in a kitchen, just don’t,” he says. “Kitchens still have to be pretty damn strong, I don’t give a shit what anyone says. You’ve got to be mentally strong because it’s a hard environment.” Within his own group of chef friends, mental health and depression only started to be spoken about once Kemp brought up his

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, September 2015 29

breaking point. “Suddenly all four of us were sitting down having a chat, and saying ‘oh I’ve been to a shrink, I’ve seen a counsellor, I’ve gotten help,’. What the f--k? I said, here I am on the break of topping myself. All you guys go and get help but none of us have spoken about it. But now we do, and we do it regularly.” The emphasis on healthy living and exercise is also rubbing off on the hospitality industry. Kemp says that after finishing work at one in the morning more chefs are going to sleep because they want to wake up early and do a spin class and exercise. “We all talk about those things; what’s your diet like, what are you doing on your day off,” he says. “It may sound a bit off the cuff but if you take a general interest in your brigade they feel like someone actually cares. “There is certainly no romance in working every single Friday and Saturday night, double on Sunday. Every single chef you’ll find is a bit of a weirdo. What sort of individual wants to do 50 to 60 hours in a venue that’s 50 degrees, sweating next to the stove, working every weekend and only hanging with their mates once finishing their 16 hour shift?” Kemp says that alcoholism and drug use continues to prevail in the industry and is a major contributor to the self-destruction of chefs. “It’s one of those things where if the industry can get more behind it and talk about these things, it can only make the industry stronger.” In 2013 the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction surveyed firstyear apprentice chefs about their alcohol and drug use. The study showed that 65 per cent of respondents were drinking at

2 1 Matt Kemp. 2 Jeremy Strode. 1

dangerous levels because of work stress, irregular hours and finishing late. Ian Curley, executive chef at The European in Melbourne, says that it’s a “dangerous cocktail when you’ve got late nights, alcohol and drugs around the hospitality industry”. “When you finish your shift at one in the morning and you’re not doing anything tomorrow, then you certainly don’t go home and read a book. So you end up doing what you do,” he says. Having gone through it himself, Curley understands the pressures of the industry

Initiatives taken by chefs The Charing Cross – Taking the time to check whether everyone is okay and every couple of weeks do a one on one session, which allows the chefs to discuss if they are unhappy with something. Four in Hand and 4Fourteen – Cutting down on hours and hiring more women than men. The European – The breakfast crew only does breakfast so they have enough time to prep for the next day. The rosters are built around a four day week. Merivale’s Bistrode CBD and The Fish Shop – The staff have two meals a day and are encouraged to take breaks. Brae – Only has three dinner services, so staff are able to spend some evenings at home with family. The restaurant is also closed for the Christmas period and the whole of July to give the staff down time.

30 Open House, September 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

and the desire to let go. “Some people get through it and learn from it but the reality is some kids these days can’t deal with it.” Curley also says that the expectation of chefs has also heightened, as chefs are now expected to cook, be front of house, talk to journalists, be in magazines and do cooking demos. “You’ve got to be a lot more accessible to more people,” he says. But he agrees that the industry is undergoing a change for the better. “The days of treating apprentices like second and third class citizens are long gone.” Founder of Sydney restaurants Four in Hand and 4 Fourteen and a judge on My Kitchen Rules, chef Colin Fassnidge uses his celebrity platform to raise awareness about mental health. Fassnidge says that although screaming in kitchens still happens because “that’s kitchens,” the old school mentality has definitely changed. “I think the kids have modernised it a bit, people talk about it a bit more,” he says. “I think the way I approach problems now is a lot different to how I would have approached them 10 years ago. I would have went in like a bull in a china shop. But now I hire a lot more women than men, because they are calmer and don’t

have testosterone.” To cope with the pressures of managing celebrity status, opening up restaurants and being a family man, Fassnidge says that it is all about being clever. “I’m 42 now and I look at chefs years like seven years more than a normal job,” he says. “Also, as you get older you have to get away from the cooking and be more of a restauranteur because your body is not build for that. Now, I lead with my head instead of my voice and hands.” He also says that having children prompted him to mellow out. “I didn’t want to be dead before they grew up. So I calmed down and I just got older.” Dan Hunter, executive chef at Brae restaurant in Victoria, says that throughout his career he has seen a number of chefs struggle with mental health issues. At Brae, Hunter has implemented a number of steps to ensure the staff are well rested, and have time off to spend with their families. “I think it’s about creating a culture where staff are able to communicate their needs and feel cared for, listened to and respected as individuals,” he says. “We’re trying hard to achieve that at Brae, but it’s an ongoing effort.” Jeremy Strode, executive chef at Merivale’s Bistrode CBD and The Fish Shop, together with 16 other chefs including Curley, Fassnidge and Hunter, organised a dinner to raise awareness for mental health week and suicide prevention. The R U Ok? Dinner was held on September 8. “I’m from the old school way of running

kitchens where there was a lot of stress, shouting and almost a bullying atmosphere,” says Strode. “So I think now people are getting much better at looking after people, asking if they are okay and seeing how they are going. So that’s been a big push for me personally. “The hospitality industry is renowned for its unforgiving nature, adding pressure personally and on our relationships. Having the foresight and taking the time to have a conversation with someone you may or may not know and asking if they’re ok, is a wonderful thing.” Jock Stewart, is an industry veteran, having notched up over half a century in the kitchen. “After 51 years of working in the kitchen, I’ve only known four chefs who have made it to 70 years of age,” he says. In 2005, Stewart reached his breaking point. “I remember, even now, standing on platform two at the train station and as the train came in I took a step back, but I could have quite easily stepped forward,” he says. After working 18 hour days for six weeks straight, without a day off, Stewart got into an argument with the executive chef from a Bondi eatery he used to work at. The executive chef abused Stewart in front of the waiters and customers during breakfast hour. “When my wife came home, I was lying on the bed smoking and drinking a bottle of Johnny Walker blue label,” he says. “I felt so utterly disgusted and just over it, I didn’t want to wash, shave, eat, I didn’t want to do anything. It was all because of the way I had been treated.”

Despite his wife trying to help, Stewart says he was prepared to walk away from his marriage because he felt nobody understood. “I didn’t know who I could turn to and no one was talking about it. I felt deflated, useless and I felt that I should have been able to cope and brush it off.” Having put the best years of his life into an industry and job he had always loved, Stewart says that work has always been everything to him. “I put it in front of sport, social life, before my family,” he says. “My job was the number one thing in my life. I always used to say, if my wife walks out, I can get another wife. I don’t know how I would find the time mind you, but I won’t get a job that I enjoy as much as what I’m doing now.” Stewart realised what the long hours, stress, unsocial lifestyle and continuous amount of problems had been doing to his mental health. Following this breakdown Stewart focused on himself and rested for three months. “I just had to sleep,” he says. “I’m not after sympathy I want people to know that if it can happen to me it can happen to anybody. I thought I was bullet proof.” One piece of advice that was given to Stewart by a former teacher at TAFE in the UK, has stuck with him throughout his career. “If you’re a head chef, when you arrive in the morning go right to your staff and say good morning to them and when you leave say goodnight and thank you. But mean it,” he says. OH

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REGIONAL SNAPSHOT

1-4 Orange’s produce is increasingly sought after.

Orange, NSW Three hours west of Sydney, Orange is forging a reputation as a gourmet haven, with the central tablelands home to some of the country’s finest produce.

range is attracting some serious culinary talent with the likes of Tony Worland and his hatted Tonic Restaurant and Darren Tracey and Stacey Ewin bringing their combined knowledge to the Old Mill Café. They have all been lured by Orange’s increasingly sought after produce. “This is the best time of the year for produce from Orange and the surrounding areas,” says Worland. “With such distinct seasons, winter can be quite brutal on local produce but spring is worth the wait. We grow a lot of our own herbs and other vegetables for the restaurant and now is the time all that starts to come to abundance. “Produce like asparagus and mushrooms are about to come into season, the best

local ingredient. I take the staff and we go foraging in the pine forests and find saffron milk caps, slippery jacks and even the occasional field mushroom.” Apples, pears, chestnuts, cherries, stonefruits, figs and black Muscat grapes are all grown on local farms, while venison, pork and gourmet snails are also easily sourced. Not to mention the truffles and honey. “The Orange and Blayney farmers markets are renowned as some of the best,” says Worland. “With a cracking amount of local suppliers and produce, it's no wonder.” Coming into spring the team at Tonic are “all looking forward to getting a bit silly”. “My team and I love kicking a few menu

32 Open House, September 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

ideas around after a couple of drinks, so things can be a bit of fun at times,” he says. “At the moment we've got some fun desserts, the ‘Strawberry fields’ is one of my picks at the moment.” Worland has been in Orange over a decade now and has no intention of heading back to the lifestyle he had working under the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Matt Moran. “We love the lifestyle and the community, and we now have five kids so I don't think life could get much busier,” he says. “Being in a small regional county town, it has its challenges but we have a great support network including Brand Orange, the local community, suppliers, producers and growers.”

VIEW FROM THE KITCHEN

DIARY DATES Sydney Night Noodle Markets October 8-25, 2015

As part of Good Food Month, the Night Noodle Markets is back with a record of 50 food stalls across Hyde Park. Some of the newcomers to the festival include Toko’s yakitori dining style, Singhas, Bangladeshi streetfood and Jugemu & Shimbashi. www.sydney.goodfoodmonth.com

Drink Arts Food Torquay October 10-11, 2015

Tony Worland, executive chef at Tonic Restaurant

Food heroes: I did most of my early training with Matt Moran at Paddington Inn and later at Morans. The people who most inspired and influenced me in those early days would have to be Matt, Pete and Sue Sullivan. An amazing team that worked so hard to achieve the best results. Nicole and I later moved to Orange where I worked with Michael Manners at Selkirks and Sim Hawke at Lolli Redini, both of which introduced me to a whole other world of local producers and suppliers.

You’ve worked with some big names – do they share anything in common: The most common trait they would all share is the ability to play up like a second hand wiper snipper and the next minute bring a kitchen full of chefs together to do

something amazing.

Most underrated ingredient: You can't beat the flavour of freshly cut herbs straight from the garden at the back door, not to mention the convenience.

Most overrated ingredient: The most overrated ingredient would have to be dry ice, mainly because I don't know how to use it and I'm not afraid to admit that a little bit scared too!

Food philosophy: Having worked with a lot of chefs in a lot of different restaurants over the years, like everyone, you inevitably adopt your own food philosophy. If you can strip it back, see through all the crap and get rid of all the pretence, it all becomes quite simple, "If it tastes good, eat it."

Career highlight: Would have to be opening Tonic with my wife Nicole in Millthorpe.

Best advice you have been given: An old family friend gave me some advice years ago "cash is king" and "don't be complacent with idiots". I don't know how much of that I've taken on board but it gave me a laugh. OH

A weekend celebration of all things local in Torquay; art, music, products and producers. The weekend includes the DAFT Long Lunch celebrating local produce, chefs, entertainers and community, all held at a local restaurant in Torquay. www.daftorquay.com

Heathcote Wine and Food Festival October 10-11, 2015

Enjoy Heathcote wines from over 40 producers, as well as regional foods and produce at the Heathcote Showgrounds.The region is renowned for its Shiraz, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Viognier, Marsanne, Sangiovese and Tempranillo. www.heathcotewinegrowers.com.au/festival

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, September 2015 33

COOKING THE BOOKS

Rising to the occassion Kate McGhie is a farmer's daughter, born into seven generations of a family who worked and respected the land. In Apple Blossom Pie; Memories of an Australian Country Kitchen she shares some of the recipes from her family’s farm including this crowd pleaser.

ecause it took time (compared with most other dishes) to make and was a bit fiddly, apple blossom pie was reserved for VIO (very important occasions) – to impress. It was a special birthday treat as we got older. It was the first dessert I made with stars in my eyes and a full heart of love for a young man of tender age. It worked! He is alongside me still. In retrospect I think possibly it was a notch in the culinary prowess belt for a cook to be able to present such a dessert. Guests seemed to easily forgive any prior meal dish “not quite up to standard” when this was served.

pinch the pastry together with your fingers to decorate. Prick the bottom to prevent it rising in the centre and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden and crisp.

It is a layered pie starting with a sweet pastry case and a layer each of fruit purée, custard and marshmallow. The crowning glory was piped pale pink cream stars to resemble blossom. It was always served on your best flat crystal or silver dish.

To make the second layer, put the condensed milk with the egg yolk and lemon juice in an electric mixer and beat until smooth. Carefully spread over the apple layer and return the pie to the fridge.

To make the first layer, peel, core and slice the apples. Put in a pan with the water and sugar and simmer until the apples are soft and pulpy. Drain the syrup and reserve it for the third layer. Stir the passion fruit pulp into the apple purée and refrigerate. When cold spoon the mixture into the cooled pastry case, smooth the top and refrigerate.

1 large free-range egg yolk Juice of 1 lemon

Apple Blossom Pie

Third layer

Start to finish: about 11½ hours. Serves: 8

Juice from cooked apples and made up to 1 cup (250ml) with water if necessary

Pastry

½ teaspoon lemon essence

125g cold butter, diced

1 large free-range egg white

1/3

Pinch of salt

cup (75g) caster (superfine) sugar

2 cups (300g) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted

2 teaspoons gelatine powder

Pinch of salt

Red food colouring Whipped, sweetened cream

1 free-range egg yolk 2 tablespoons iced water

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced 160°C).

First layer 2-3 large apples ½ cup (125ml) water ½ cup (110g) caster (superfine) sugar 2 plump passionfruit Second layer 200ml condensed milk

To make the pastry, put the butter, sugar, sifted flour and salt in a food processor. Pulse blend until coarse knobbly crumbs form. Add the egg yolk and water and process until the mixture clumps. If the mixture is a little dry add more water. Tip the dough out onto a flour-dusted bench and quickly and lightly knead into a smooth ball. Roll out to line a 20cm pie plate or flan pan. Trim the edges and

34 Open House, September 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

To make the third layer, dissolve the gelatine in the reserved warm apple syrup, stir in the lemon essence and set aside to cool. Whisk the egg white and salt in an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form and then colour a pale pink with red food colouring. Keeping the mixer on a high speed gradually add the partly set apple juice and continue beating until the mixture is thick and glossy. Pile on top of the pie and smooth evenly. Decorate with pale pink whipped sweetened cream “stars”. And a bit more: The pastry and the apple purée can be made ahead of time. The gelatine mixture must be very wobbly, not too set or too liquid, when whipped into the egg white.

This is an edited recipe and image from Apple Blossom Pie; Memories of an Australian Country Kitchen by Kate McGhie (Murdoch Books) $49.99

What’s on shelf this month? The Baker IDI Healthy Cholesterol Diet and Lifestyle Plan by the Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute Penguin, $39.99

Manage your cholesterol and improve your health with the Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute’s latest guide The Baker IDI Healthy Cholesterol Diet and Lifestyle Plan. This book presents a wealth of knowledge about cholesterol in a clear, easy-tounderstand format, with chapters explaining what abnormal cholesterol is, how it affects our bodies and strategies for reducing it through diet, exercise and medication. Over 80 simple, flavourful recipes are included, with suggested 4-week meal plans, to help you adopt a cholesterol-friendly diet.

Maggie Beer’s Spring Harvest Recipes

The Cook and Baker

by Maggie Beer Lantern, $29.99

by Cherie Bevan and Tass Tauroa Murdoch Books, $49.99

Maggie Beer’s Spring Harvest Recipes brings together all of Maggie Beer’s signature recipes from her spring chapter of Maggie's Harvest, including detailed descriptions of seasonal ingredients and inspiring accounts of memorable meals with family and friends. The recipes highlight Maggie's philosophy of using the freshest and best seasonal produce available in the Barossa Valley, South Australia, and treating it simply, allowing the natural flavours to speak for themselves.

Recipes for irresistible cakes, slices, pastries and pies that take old-school favourites above and beyond. In this mouth-watering collection of foolproof recipes, the geniuses behind busy cafe/bakery The Cook and Baker provide everything you need to take your home baking up a notch. Crowd-pleasing creations that cater for modern tastes but stay true to the nostalgia of your childhood. 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.

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, September 2015 35

PRODUCTS

One hot sauce

Versatile barbeque

Cholula Hot Sauce is the number one gourmet hot sauce in America, one of the top three hot sauces in the world and growing in popularity in Australia. Cholula's delicious blend of Piquin peppers and Chili Arbol are ground into a delicate pepper paste and combined with signature seasonings and natural ingredients. This fusion results in the perfect balance between heat and flavour.

Effortlessly integrating style and smart, space-saving design, ILVE’s new MY-Q BBQ is the ideal cooking companion for eating and entertaining outdoors this summer. The revolutionary patented BBQ design hooks onto any solid structure, which simply folds away when not in use. The stainless steel storage cover cleverly doubles as a splash back, saving valuable entertaining space. MY-Q has three rotary igniters with stainless steel gas burners, multiple ergonomic cooking plate configurations and front control knobs.

●

www.cholula.com

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www.ilve.com.au

Waste not want a lot

Gluten free pasta pleaser

Tork, is the leading global brand in workplace hygiene, has launched its Tork Xpressnap dispensers. The one-at-a-time dispensers reduce waste making them good for the environment, and means customers take only the napkin they need reducing costs. Tork Xpressnap AD-a-Glance feature with interchangeable advertising panels perfect for promoting daily or weekly specials.

Clare Valley’s producers of premium paddock to plate wholegrain products Pangkarra Foods have re-branded their current pasta packaging, while at the same time, launched a gluten free penne and gluten free fettuccine to their existing range made with Australian lentils, Australian chickpeas and Australian maize flour. They are low in sugar, high in protein and low in GI.

●

www.tork.com.au

36 Open House, September 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

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www.pangkarrafoods.com.

Back to the source

Condiments go premium

Australia’s oldest family-owned flour miller Laucke Flour Mills has launched its Single Origin Kangaroo Flours – Classic and Rising – both milled from grain traceable to its Kangaroo Island origins. The unique provenance of these grains provides to consumers, bakers and chefs alike a high quality artisan product that they can trust, with a distinctive flavour that reflects the natural bounty of its source.

Edlyn has introduced three new products to its Wood’s premium condiments brand. The deliciously authentic range of Roasted Garlic Aioli, Tartare Sauce (with baby capers) and Mild Chunky Salsa use real ingredients to create genuine homemade style flavours. All three new products are conveniently packed in a 2.2kg pail and are shelf stable, gluten free, have no artificial colours or flavours and are made in Australia.

●

www.laucke.com.au

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www.edlyn.com.au

A pleasant draught

Smooth mover

An Australian inventor is leading the way with striking, ultramodern translucent beer-fount technology that is reinvigorating, and redefining, draught beer and wine culture. The Op Tik fount’s beverage visibility makes sure venues keep impeccable beer-line sanitation, and adds theatre for the patron having the draught drinks experience. Designed and fabricated in Australia with the highest quality materials, it uses UV filtration on the sight glass to maintain the flavour of the draught beverage.

Australian owned tequila Sesión that is sourced from one of the most respected agave farms in Mexico, producing one of the smoothest product on the market. Made using only the finest ingredients and distilling processes, without any additional sugars, extracts, or processing, Sesion creates tequila that is 100 per cent pure and natural. The result is a smooth and pure tequila that is made to be sipped and savoured so as to enjoy the complex flavours. It will launch nationwide in Australia on October 28, 2015.

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www.streamline-beverage.com.au

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www.sesiontequila.com

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, September 2015 37

PROFILE

1 Beef tagliata with tomato, aubergine and basil compote. 2 Athol Wark.

See the recipe in the Open House iPad app.

Adding value Globetrotting culinary adventures and a love of regional produce has seen Lasseters executive chef Athol Wark embrace the flavours of the Red Centre.

“A

s a chef, for me cooking in the Red Centre is about the confluence of Western cuisine and 65,000 years of culture – the merging of the two flavours and with that I’ve taken it to the rest of the world,” says Athol Wark, the executive chef at Lasseters in Alice Springs, where he is responsible for the menu at three restaurants Tali, The Juicy Rump and Casbah at Lasseters Hotel and the Convention Centre.

encompasses everything from the rivers, estuaries from barramundi to the wattle seed in Central Australia.,” he says. “Wild foods also creates a marketability – it sparks that imagination and uniqueness that we can offer.”

An advocate of embracing local ingredients, Wark got his taste for global cuisines young leaving home in South Africa for the UK before securing a place in the kitchen of the QE2 cruise ship, travelling from South Africa to Singapore, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and through to Alaska.

Since his first taste of Australian wild foods, he has seen a shift in diners’ appreciation of local produce. Wark opened the Alice Springs Convention Centre in 2001, which was looking for a way to create something both familiar and yet rooted in the region.

From Chamonix in the French Alps to Moulin De L’Abbaye, a medieval monastery in Brantôme, island resorts in Fiji to the bright lights of Miami and New York, Wark travelled the world sampling local flavours and working with regional cuisines. Arriving in Australia in 1987 to open Darwin’s Beaufort exposed him to Australia’s indigenous produce and spices. “Native ingredients were still in their pioneering stage,” he says.

“Instead of using basil, thyme and rosemary I began dabbling in lemon myrtle, bush tomato and other native herbs and spices to create a wild food cuisine.”

In 2005, Athol won a fellowship from the International Specialised Skills Institute for his culinary work in value adding to regional produce, giving him an opportunity to take wild foods overseas to destinations such as Miami and Rhode Island creating dishes such as emu egg pavlova with wattle seed cream and berry, and wattleseed rub kangaroo carpaccio with sour jelly, fried capers and a horseradish aioli served with apple and endive salad and rosemary crossini.

He began using ingredients such wattleseed, kutjera bush tomato and lemon myrtle in his menus, what he refers to as “value adding”.

“I tested the wild foods in the US and the response was overwhelming and every time I’ve gone abroad it’s been the same – there’s a huge demand for it – for us it’s just about supply,” he says.

“It’s all about fusing a little Asian, a little Italian, European, South American and without recreating the food wheel – it’s value adding with native spices and proteins to create something new,” he says.

“I see the majority of our unique dining experiences have not reached their full potential, we have a unique landscape and can offer a world class experience.

Although bush tucker is the common term for Australia’s local produce, Wark prefers “wild foods” as it all encompassing.

“This is our challenge as a town and industry to cultivate – the world is hungry for our unique hospitality, so I really challenge the industry and myself to capitalise and utilise this niche market that we have.” OH

“To me bush tucker is limiting because wild foods also 38 Open House, September 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

AUSTRALIAN CULINARY FEDERATION NEWS

Global vision J

ust recently, I had the pleasure of attending the 2015 Asia Pacific Forum of the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) in Yangzhou, China. The forum was hosted by the Chinese Cuisine Association and provided us with an extraordinary cultural experience.

skills shortage some countries are facing. He also updated the delegates about World Chefs Congress in Greece in 2016 and encouraged all member countries to attend and show support.

The forum opened in Huaxi Village, the richest village in China, which is a good example of how working together as a community can produce great results. This village has some of the country’s best farming practices and prides itself on sustainability, which we saw firsthand when we were invited into local farmers’ homes and treated to a traditional lunch – an honour and a very humbling experience.

WACS Asia continental director Dr Rick Stephen spoke about “Bonding Asia Together”, the development of Asian food globally and the importance of preserving traditional Chinese cuisine. The most overwhelming presentation was given by chef Willment Leong, chairman of World Chefs without Borders, whose commitment to charity work globally is second to none, having raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the natural disasters in Nepal, Vanuatu and the Philippines.

On day two we moved to Yangzhou City and the business side of the forum. WorldChefs president Charles Carroll addressed the forum and discussed the many changes within WACS, and highlighted his commitment to Chefs without Borders and to the Young Chefs Club, the future of our industry and the

In closing I would like to remind everyone that the International Secondary Schools Culinary Challenge will be held in Tahiti in October and wish good luck to the 12 teams competing from all over the Asia Pacific region. The National Apprentice Competition Finals will be held in October in Perth.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Neil Abrahams Australian Culinary Federation (ACF)

Please head to our website for all the results of the Fonterra Foodservice “Battle of the Pacific” Restaurant Challenge and Australian Culinary Challenge being held at Fine Food Australia in Sydney this month. OH

ON THE MOVE Athol Wark has been appointed as the executive chef at Lasseters in Alice Springs, where he will oversee three restaurants namely Tali, The Juicy Rump and Casbah at Lasseters Hotel and the Convention Centre.

Gambaro Seafood Restaurant and Black Hide Steakhouse by Gambaro has appointed Lukas McEwan (pictured) as head chef across both restaurants, taking over from executive chef Sunil Savur. McEwan was previously at Sydney’s Rockpool Bar & Grill before joining the group over two years ago.

The Van Haandel Group has appointed Oliver Hansford as head chef for Stokehouse City Restaurant, Melbourne. He is relocating from Gauge Brisbane this month.

Jasper Avent is the new head chef at The Town Mouse in Carlton. Formerly from Albert St Food and Wine, The Lakehouse and Estelle Bistro, he replaces George Tomlin (pictured), who is departing in September for Europe. Avent will work in collaboration with executive chef Dave Verheul.

David Ricardo is the new executive chef at Melbourne’s Plaza Ballroom where he will head up the dining offerings at the Plaza as well as at Federici Bistro, Regent Theatre, Princess Theatre, Forum Theatre and Comedy Theatre. He was previously with the Lucas Group.

Sheraton Melbourne Hotel has appointed Achim Herterich as executive chef, where he will oversee the hotel’s food and beverage venues, including Little Collins St Kitchen, Terrace Bar and Little Collins Larder. He brings more than 30 years of culinary experience to the role.

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, September 2015 39

Sweets & Savouries

Creative makers of desserts & savouries

Ph: (02) 60562828 Toll free: 1800 222 788. Fax: 02 6056 1181 E:Sales@kookabrothas.com Web: www.kookabrothas.com