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

Print Post Approved PP100020878

OCTOBER 2015

Breakfast gets creative

Modern artisan style

Focus on front of house

Potts Bakeryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new sourdough range

Chefs talk knives

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CONTENTS

ON THE COVER Potts Bakery, the bakery division of Allied Mills, has launched its new artisan sourdough range manufactured using traditional techniques from its state-ofthe-art production facility.

Regulars Print Post Approved PP100020878

04 Editor’s word

SEPTEMBER 2015

06 News 12 In season Mangoes

13 10 things Iconic cookbooks

Catering to big numbers Chefs open up on kitchen pressures The evolution of the commercial kitchen OH0915.indd 1 MAG339 OPENHOUSE FRONT COVER_CONCENTRATEDSTOCK.indd 1

14 Origins Chocolate

Features

15 Q&A Willment Leong, World Chefs Without Borders chairman

10 Cover story Potts Bakery sourdough range

32 Regional snapshot Snowy Mountains, NSW

16 Breakfast Morning menus go global

34 Cooking the books

20 Knives Chefs get to the sharp end

36 Products 38 Profile Sam Miller, executive chef at Silvereye 39 Australian Culinary Federation news

24 Fine Food Australia It’s a wrap for this year 28 Talking point Front of house in focus

Flavour foundation Maggi Concentrated Stock 17/09/2015 3:00 pm 11/09/15 3:07 PM

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www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, October 2015 3

EDITOR’S WORD

Mixed messages Published in Australia by Creative Head Media Pty Ltd

enalty rates are back on the agenda. It’s amazing what a new Prime Minister and refreshed cabinet can do. But what will they do? The hospitality industry has been campaigning for changes to the current penalty rate system for eons, with the simple message that it is crippling the smaller operators who cannot afford the wage cost hikes on Sundays and public holidays. This results in closed cafes and restaurants and young people without job opportunities.

A recent Productivity Commission Report recommended a flat rate penalty be applied across both Saturday and Sunday for the hospitality, restaurant and cafe industries, a move endorsed by Restaurant & Catering Australia. However, until very recently no government has wanted to touch this particular hot potato. A large and vulnerable section of the workforce, unions and an opposition Labor party looking to get some political traction make an unholy trinity of bad headlines should a Coalition scrooge decide to thin the wage packet of a high number of workers. But things have changed. The economy isn’t looking as Teflon coated as before. Turnbull has taken over the reins, giving him some political capital while voters still get to know him. He’s already come out and indicated that some changes to penalty rates are inevitable, with the caveat that “reform has got to be able to demonstrate that people are not going to be worse off”. Quite how he is going to cut wages without making workers worse off will be interesting to watch. Although it is clear that many small businesses would be better off without the crippling burden of Sunday and public holiday penalty rates, the fact remains that for many workers this extra cash is the difference between living and existing. Lowering a business’ operating costs while cutting the discretionary spending power of a large slice of the working population may be a case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Makes me glad I’m not a politician.

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

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Sheridan Randall Managing editor

THIS MONTH’S TOP STORY The traditional early morning menu is being challenged by international breakfast options, as early risers choose meals that are healthy, familiar and a little bit out of the ordinary. See the full story on page 16.

4 Open House, October 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

Unit 2, 10 Rodborough Road, Frenchs Forest NSW 2086 Australia Tel 1300 111 222 Email info@dalya.com.au Web www.dalya.com.au

INDUSTRY NEWS

Collaboration key to Good Food winners Automata opens at The Old Clare Hotel in Chippendale Chef Clayton Wells’ (pictured) first solo restaurant Automata has opened at The Old Clare Hotel in Sydney’s Chippendale this week. Wells is the former sous chef of threehatted Momofuku Seiõbo and has also worked at Quay, Tetsuya’s and Michelinstarred Viajante in London. Offering a frequently changing five-course menu the 60-seat restaurant will have opening hours of Wednesday to Saturday dinner and Sunday lunch.

he Bridge Room (pictured), in Sydney’s CBD, has won a third hat and been named Restaurant of the Year at the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2016 Awards. Run by husband and wife team Ross and Sunny Lusted, The Bridge Room joins other three-hat winners Quay, Rockpool est. 1989 and Sepia after just four years in business. Chef of the Year was awarded to Pasi Petanen who is now well established at his once popup restaurant Café Paci in East Sydney. Bennelong took out Best New Restaurant, debuting with two hats. The 22-seat Fleet restaurant in Brunswick Heads, on the far north coast of New South Wales, took out the Regional Restaurant of the Year. “This is a dining landscape that isn’t so much competitive as collaborative,” said Myffy Rigby, first-time editor of the Guide.

“Chef collectives across all faiths have formed. It’s bred a city with an irreverent streak a mile wild, seasoning Sydney with a Japanese Italian flavour that’s very often grilled over charcoal, wood-fired over individual twigs and broken up with the odd bacon doughnut.“ On the drinks scene, Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt won Best Bar for Monopole and Best Wine List for their CBD restaurant, Bentley Restaurant & Bar, while Sebastian Crowther, head sommelier at Rockpool, was awarded the Champagne Pol Roger Sommelier of the Year. Regional Wine List of Year was taken home by Canberra’s Monster Kitchen and Bar, and Best Bar Food went to Rockpool Bar & Grill. This year saw the introduction of three new awards, Best Cheap Eat going to Japanese grill house, Chaco Bar, and the People’s Choice awarded to waterside stalwart, Catalina.

6 Open House, October 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

Wells’ menu will focus on interesting ingredients delivered in a contemporary, original way with minimal fuss. Dishes on the opening menu include: storm clam, rosemary dashi, cream and dulse; steamed bass groper, cured roe emulsion, seaweed; partridge, witlof, burnt apple and caper; pumpkin seed, tangelo and sea buckthorn. Sommelier Tim Watkins, formerly of Pilu at Freshwater and occasional Ester and Monopole, has put together a beverage list with a focus on European and Australian aperitifs and wines, many of which are made with minimal intervention. “I wanted to create a restaurant with the intention of showcasing local produce in a way that combines fine dining style food that I love to cook, with a casual restaurant feel that I enjoy eating in,” he said. “I want people to be able to dictate the dining experience themselves, whether a leisurely lunch on a Sunday or a quick post-work dinner.”

NEWS BRIEFS Mike McEnearney heads to the CBD

Food truck shake-up in Adelaide The food truck scene in Adelaide is set for a shake-up following changes by the Adelaide City Council, which voted to reduce the number of food truck operators from 40 to 30 and increase fees to $2500 per year. The number of food trucks permitted to trade in the CBD before 6pm will also be limited to 10. Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA) backed the move, saying it will create a level playing field for existing and temporary food operators. “The dining scene is changing with food trucks offering quick, simple and cost effective meal options for consumers,” said R&CA CEO John Hart. “When effectively integrated with bricks and mortar businesses, food trucks offer consumers greater choice, activate precincts, and support major events and festivals. “However, uncontrolled growth in permit numbers, reduced permit fees, waived outdoor dining costs and less stringent compliance checks mean food trucks can cannibalise restaurant business and undercut

already thin margins.”

WA shines in AHA National Awards for Excellence

An R&CA member survey revealed 70 per cent of operators believed their revenues had been negatively impacted during the “Mad March” period as a result of significant increases in food truck operators during this period.

Five Western Australian venues have been recognised at the 2015 AHA National Awards for Excellence on the Gold Coast. Among the WA winners were The Cottesloe Beach Hotel and Matisse Beach Club in Scarborough (pictured).

“Some operators reported losses of up to $50,000 over the six week period compared to previous years,” Hart added. “This can equate to a 30-50 per cent reduction in trade. The consistent factor has been food trucks that until now did not have the same overheads as established businesses. “We are pleased the council has listened to the concerns of industry and ensured everyone gets a fair go.”

Partnership boosts diner recognition Online restaurant reservation platform Dimmi and hospitality point of sale supplier ImPOS have launched a new product enhancement, as part of their ongoing partnership that will allow restaurants to build better customer profiles. The new feature allows itemised bills to be fed directly from the ImPOS system to the Dimmi PRO Reservation System. The advanced integration will improve the dining experience on both the operations

Sydney chef Mike McEnearney, formerly of Kitchen by Mike in Rosebery, is opening a 100-seater restaurant, “no.1 Bent Street – by Mike” in The Wintergarden, located at the Circular Quay end of the CBD in early 2016.

side and the customer-facing side. Staff will have a better understanding of diners’ preferences and customers will be treated to a better dining experience. “For too long restaurateurs have been using pen and paper diaries, notepads, or their memory to remember what their biggest corporate spender likes to eat or drink,” said Stevan Premutico, CEO and founder of Dimmi. “With the new itemised bill feature every item that someone orders can be recorded. It makes life a whole lot easier!”

Royal Mail retains two hats The Royal Mail Hotel has been awarded two chefs hats at The Age Good Food Guide 2016 Awards. The Royal Mail, located in Dunkeld, was one of just five regional Victoria restaurants awarded two hats this year and marks the second time the venue has been awarded two chefs’ hats under the guidance of executive chef Robin Wickens. Chase Kojima shares win at AHA Chef of Year The 2015 Australian Hotel Association (AHA) Chef of the Year award has been shared between Sokyo executive chef Chase Kojima (pictured) and Lee Kwiez from Darley’s Restaurant at Lilianfels Resort & Spa. Kojima said the award comes after his biggest and most exciting year to date. Heston’s new Melbourne digs Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will open in Melbourne on October 20, marking the second establishment after his award winning London restaurant and his first permanent restaurant outside of the UK. Seating 120 guests, the restaurant will be located on the 3rd floor of Crown Towers in the space vacated by The Fat Duck.

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, October 2015 7

NSW Awards for Excellence winners The best restaurateurs, caterers and café operators in New South Wales were announced recently at the Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering HostPlus Awards for Excellence. This year, the Southern, Northern and Sydney Metropolitan regions have combined to form the only Awards for Excellence held in New South Wales, which attracted almost 750 guests at the Dockside Pavilion, Darling Harbour.

The Australian Culinary Federation Fonterra Foodservice National Apprentice Competition Final was held at West Coast Institute of Training, Joondalup Campus on October 14, with Western Australian apprentices cleaning up in the awards. Western Australian apprentices took out top honours in three categories: Culinary Student, 2nd Year Apprentice Chef, and 3rd/4th Year Apprentice Chef.

The winners of the major award categories include: • Quay, The Rocks – Sydney Metropolitan Restaurant of the Year

Vote Award, Northern NSW

• Eschalot Restaurant, Berrima – NSW Restaurant of the Year

• Bistro Hulu, Sydney – Consumer Vote Award, Sydney Metropolitan

• Blond Catering, Austral Bricks Design Studio, Marrickville – Sydney Metropolitan Caterer of the Year

In addition to their major awards, Quay also won Fine Dining Restaurant, Eschalot Restaurant was awarded the Contemporary Australian Restaurant award and Blond Catering took home the Venue Caterer category.

• Leogate Estate, Pokolbin – Regional NSW Caterer of the Year • Bill Galvin – Lifetime Achiever • Judy and Michael McMahon – Hall of Fame • John Fink – Restaurateur of the Year • Jean-Michel at the Knickerbocker, Thredbo Village – Consumer Vote Award, Southern NSW • Table 1 Espresso, Merewether – Consumer

WA cleans up at ACF National Apprentice Comp

Northern Territory was awarded champion 1st Year Apprentice Chef and first time competitor Rachel Zwarts from South Australia prepared the best omelette on the day. Perth 3rd Year Apprentice and ACF National Youth Team member BrodyYoung Steedman, from Co-Op Dining, was named Champion Apprentice of the Year.

Ripples Chowder Bay, Mosman, also won two categories, being crowned both Contemporary Australian Restaurant – Informal and Café Restaurant. Some of the winning businesses will compete at the National Awards for Excellence held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on October 26.

Zomato connects restaurants with customers Zomato has launched its Whitelabel Platform, which allows restaurants to launch custom-branded native mobile apps to help them connect with and engage their customers and operate at internet scale. Zomato White Label apps are a

plug-and-play platform which will power a restaurant's digital identity, enabling restaurants to spend more time focusing on their core business of food, translating directly to better dining experiences for users.

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The best named across Qld and NT The best restaurateurs, caterers and café operators in Queensland and the Northern Territory were announced at the Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence on September 7. Held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, the awards night recognised the operators across 45 categories.

Margaret River Gourmet Escape adds new events A selection of new events have been added to this year’s Margaret River Gourmet Escape (November 20-22), making it the largest and most diverse program in the Festival’s history. Highlights include Joost Bakker and chef Matt Stone (Oakridge Wines, Yarra Valley) who will reunite for a waste-free dinner, bringing Melbourne’s sustainable Brothl back to life for one night only; pop up restaurant, Fervor will debut for a dinner in the Boranup Forest; and a long lunch amongst the wine barrels at Devil’s Lair prepared by Lamont’s with matched wines.

Vladimir Mukhin (White Rabbit, Moscow) and George Cooper from Food by the Chef have been given exclusive access to one of the South West's most prestigious private gardens, Margaret River’s Secret Garden, and will create a long lunch for guests. New faces to the festival include Jo Barrett (Oakridge Wines, Yarra Valley) and Heath Townsend (Wise Vineyard Restaurant) who will join Chris Salans (Mozaic, Bali) and Matt Stone at the Wise Wine Restaurant for a collaborative Farm, Forage, Graze long lunch celebrating local foraged ingredients matched to wines from the Wise vineyard.

Sake Restaurant & Bar (pictured below) was named Restaurant of the Year and Epicure – Brisbane City Hall, Brisbane scooped Caterer of the Year. Hot Tamale (Darwin), Salsa Bar & Grill (Port Douglas) and Hatsuhana Restaurant (Main Beach) won the Consumer Vote Award in the Northern Territory, Northern Queensland and South East Queensland respectively. Phillip Johnson won the Lifetime Achiever award. The Social Media Award, which aims to encourage and recognise the use of social media, was awarded to Donto Sapporo, Broadbeach, which generated the most posts on Instagram using their registered hashtag.

Clipp’s empty seat solver Mobile payments app for the hospitality industry Clipp has launched Dash a new in-app feature that will allow venues to send exclusive, geo-targeted deals to customers to solve the biggest problem in hospitality, an empty venue. Through Clipp, venue operators will be able to set a range of exclusive offers on food and drink based on time of day and minimum spend. Once the offer is set, Clipp

automatically sends out the deal to thousands of customers around Australia with no further effort required from the venue. With the limited amount of offers available, it’s a race for the customer to open a tab using Clipp at a venue to secure an exclusive deal. The discount offer only applies once the minimum spend is reached. “Empty venues cost money and this new feature will solve this problem for many

restaurants and bars around the country while consumers will get epic deals and save up to 40 per cent off their bill,” said Clipp CEO and co-founder Greg Taylor. We already have some amazing venues on board like Riley St Garage, Mrs Sippy, Surly’s plus we’ve just signed up 40 new venues with ALH group, which confirms that there is a demand for this type of service.” OH

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, October 2015 9

COVER STORY

Modern artisan style Potts Bakery, the bakery division of Allied Mills, has launched its new artisan sourdough range manufactured using traditional techniques from its state-of-the-art production facility.

For more information Phone 1300 369 869 www.pottsbakery.com.au

he growing trend in artisan bakery products shows no signs of slowing down, with foodservice operators keen to tap into the rising demand for traditional breads and rolls with a great depth of flavour.

“We basically came up with a way of producing artisan style bread that is unique to the market,” says Bruce Sabatta, general manager retail and food service at Allied Mills.

Allied Mills has been a trusted flour and bakery premix brand in the foodservice sector for many years, and Potts Bakery delivers the same premium quality and consistency across their range of par-baked sourdough products.

“This is a very authentic, stone baked product that has those true artisan characteristics.”

Potts Bakery’s new Sourdough range comes from their state-of-the-art facility in Tullamarine. Opened earlier this year, the $21 million facility combines the latest equipment with traditional baking methods to create a premium product that is rich in artisan characteristics paired with the consistency and ease of use of a par-baked product. Potts Bakery’s premium par-baked sourdough breads are stone baked on genuine Italian granite and fermented through a lengthy process to give the loaves and rolls a delicious golden crunchy crust and moist smooth crumb.

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Bringing traditional handmade techniques into the 21 century, Potts Bakery follows a natural double fermentation process to achieve the depth of flavours associated with artisan sourdough – superior quality, better eating characteristics and crunchier crust. The range is freshly baked using traditional methods and then snap frozen, allowing foodservice operators to offer their customers a warm mouth-watering sourdough product after only a quick flash bake. Choose from Seeds & Grains; Sourdough Loaves; Kalamata Olives; Panini; Turkish; Ciabatta; Dinner Crusty Roll; White Diamond Roll; and Parmesan & Onion. “There are no shortcuts,” says Sabatta. “We have a history of quality and consistency that goes back with our flour brands which have been in foodservice for decades.” OH

IN SEASON

Mangoes T

The main varieties of mangoes grown locally are Kensington Pride, Calypso, R2E2, Honey Gold and Keitt. Other late season varieties include: Palmer, Kent, Pearl and Brooks.

he first trays of mangoes of the year hit the markets in August for around $100 a tray. They are somewhat cheaper now with the mango season upon us, with our local crop grown predominantly grown in the Northern Territory and Queensland. A much smaller volume of the total crop of mangoes (5 per cent) are also grown in Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

A quintessential part of an Aussie summer, mangoes are eaten fresh, or found in everything from smoothies and desserts to cocktails and salads. Look for smooth skin, some colour and an aroma. If mangoes are not quite ripe when you buy them, store at room temperature (between 18-22˚C) until they ripen. Once ripe, mangoes can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. Mangoes won’t ripen further once they are placed in the fridge. OH

The NT is ramping up its harvest, which is looking set to replicate last year’s bumper crop. Due to some unusual weather during the dry season, the mango harvest in the Top End will be split between September and November this year, with a slower patch this month (October).

October

November

• Asian greens

• Globe artichokes

• Peas

• Asian greens

• Peas

• Silverbeet

• Asparagus

• Grapefruit

• Pineapples

• Asparagus

• Pineapples

• Spinach

• Avocados

• Green beans

• Pomelo

• Avocados

• Potatoes

• Spring onions

• Banana

• Lettuce

• Potatoes

• Banana

• Sweetcorn

• Beetroot

• Mangoes

• Silverbeet

• Blueberries

• Shallots (green onions)

• Blueberries

• Melons

• Spinach

• Celeriac

• Valencia oranges

• Broad beans

• Mushrooms

• Spring onions

• Cherries

• Watercress

• Chillies

• Papaw

• Strawberries

• Chillies

• Youngberries

• Cucumber

• Papaya

• Tangelos

• Cucumber

• Zucchini

• Garlic

• Passionfruit

• Valencia oranges

• Globe artichokes

• Zucchini flowers

• Watercress

• Grapefruit

• Zucchini

• Green beans • Loquats • Mangoes • Melons • Mulberries • Papaw • Papaya • Passionfruit

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• Tomatoes

TOP 10

Cookbooks These cookbooks throughout the ages did more than just offer some great recipes, they changed the way we thought about food. 1 The Margaret

Fulton Cookbook – Margaret Fulton

Back in 1968 Fulton changed the way Australians thought about food, exploring food all around the world and bringing it to the Australian table.

2 Thai Food

– David Thompson

3 Mrs Beeton’s

Book of Household Management – Isabella Beeton

5 A Guide to Modern Cookery – Georges Auguste

Escoffier

Escoffier's 1907 masterpiece set the scene for modern French cookery with the publication of 5012 technically exact recipes. That would be 5012, not one less or one more.

Technically a manual for housewives of the Victorian era, Beeton’s volume was a rally cry to take cooking seriously. A pioneer in understanding not just the how to cook but the why.

4 Nose to Tail Eating – Fergus Henderson

6 Mastering the Art of French Cooking – Julia Child,

Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck

Child brought France to the world and made its cuisine accessible back in 1961. Suddenly French food was something that wasn’t exclusive to fine dining. Yet another Aussie, this time abroad. Thompson’s gastronomic take on Thailand is so well researched and written with such great respect it really is the definitive tome on Thai cuisine written in English.

From his London outpost, Henderson changed the way we thought about food, making the simple but profound link between the produce and the end result.

7 The Boston

Cooking-School Cook Book – Fannie Merritt

Farmer

9 Larousse

Gastronomique – Georges Auguste

Escoffier and Philéas Gilbert There is a French way of cooking and then there is everything else. This encyclopedic work first printed in 1938 has no interest in the everything else at all.

When Fannie Farmer self-published her Boston CookingSchool Cook Book in 1896, she changed the way cookbooks were written forever. Gone were the “handful of this and dash of that” and in came precise measurements.

8 Sydney Food – Bill Granger

10 How to be a

domestic goddess – Nigella Lawson

Yes her recipes are probably all filched from others but Nigella brought a naughtiness that made everyone feel that it was okay to have some fun in the kitchen. OH

Another Aussie who changed the way we thought about food. Brought some Sydney sunshine to the world via scrambled eggs and ricotta hot cakes.

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ORIGINS

Chocolate Whether served as a bitter broth or a sugary treat, chocolate has been lifting moods and tingling taste buds for thousands of years.

alty chocolate may be the treat of choice for many discerning consumers but go back a few thousand years and the chocolate consumed then was what might be called an acquired taste. When Europeans first got a taste of the stuff courtesy of the Spanish invading the Aztec empire, one 16th century discerning food critic described it as “loathsome to such as are not acquainted with it, having a scum or froth that is very unpleasant taste.” Luckily food blogs hadn’t been invented and Jose de Acosta’s comments were never spread beyond a small group of priests, otherwise this new beverage may never have gained a foothold among the Spanish upper classes when it was first introduced. But before Columbus sailed into the history books when he stumbled on South America, locals had been processing cacao seeds for thousands of years producing what we call now chocolate. In Mesoamerica they were fermenting, roasting, and grinding cacao beans as early as 1900BC. Originally prepared only as a drink, chocolate was served as a bitter, frothy liquid, mixed with spices, wine or corn puree. The Aztecs used to hand it out to get things moving at post sacrifice parties. In the long tradition of giving party drugs cool names they called “food for the gods” believing that cacao seeds were the gift of Quetzalcoatl, the God of wisdom. They also used the beans as currency with 100 beans getting you a turkey hen with only one previous owner and low kilometres on the clock. Aztec emperor Moctezuma offered Spanish conquistador Hernán 14 Open House, October 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

Cortés a nip of the good stuff, served both cold and unsweetened, at their first meeting. A mistake apparently as Cortés and his crew swiftly decimated the kingdom and killed Moctezuma. It is entirely possible if Moctezuma had served it sweetened with a marshmallow on the side things would have turned out differently. On his return to the Spanish court he brought back some of this new brew, with the aristos who could afford this luxury import adding some honey or cane sugar to sweeten the deal. The new delicacy spread to France courtesy of an arranged royal marriage and soon Europe was on board the chocolate craze. It wasn’t until the industrial revolution that chocolate as we know it was produced thanks to Dutch chemist Coenraad van Houten in 1815 introducing alkaline salts to chocolate, which reduced its bitterness before finding a way to remove about half the natural fat or cacao butter. Machine pressed chocolate had arrived, and things really took off when Englishman Joseph Fry started to make chocolate moldable by adding back melted cacao butter. Swiss confectionary business Lindt, France’s Nestlé, England’s Cadbury and Hershey in the US all added their own twists in the late 1800s. Chocolate had arrived as a mass produced item and hasn’t looked back since. Aussies consume around 4.5kg of chocolate a year per person, most of it around Easter, which is around half that of the Germans, Swiss and British. Today chocolate is big business with the global chocolate confectionary market worth around $143 billion in sales. That’s a lot of turkey hens. OH

Q&A

Saving lives with food World Chefs Without Borders chairman Willment Leong talks to Open House about his experience with the global non-profit organisation that aims to provide nutritious food and clean water to the hungry and malnourished. Q: What influenced you to get involved with World Chefs Without Borders? A: Before joining World Chefs Without Borders, I was involved in corporate social responsibility (CSR) work as culinary director at a hotel in Bangkok for four years, where I was assisting in poor villages. Through my involvement with CSR work I witnessed a lot of unfortunate people working very hard just to survive due to their poor background. Also, the many natural disasters [in the region] is another reason that made me think of how fortunate people should assist the unfortunate. I have been a chef for 25 years, and have founded the Thailand Culinary Academy to improve Thailand’s culinary scene. So by joining the World Chefs Without Borders, I could reach and assist more people globally rather than just in Thailand. Q: How many countries have you visited with the organisation since becoming chairman? A: I have visited Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, USA, Romania, Philippine, Norway, Slovenia, China, Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar, South Korea and Nepal to create awareness and encourage chefs to become involved in CSR work. Q: Where did you travel to last and how long was the trip? A: This year I went to Kathmandu in Nepal from June 27-29 following the earthquake, to help with site inspections and donations. Q: What did the trip consist of? A: The trip consisted of assisting the local Chef’s Association and rebuilding Nepal with donations of 30,000 euros. Q: Since working with the organisation, what has been one of your highlights? A: My biggest achievement is gaining trust from various country associations and working with them in creating CSR projects. Chefs

are passionate people with an ego so it is not easy to gain their trust and seek their support for World Chefs Without Borders. Q: Why is it important for more chefs to get on board with the association? A: In the industry, most chefs stay in the back of house and do not have much time to interact with outside work, but by joining their respective chefs association, they can broaden their network and knowledge in the culinary world. The culinary world is “moving”, so do chefs like us. Q: What is one of the biggest challenges in trying to get more chefs to join in? A: Personally, I believe most chefs who are working in the food industry [in Thailand] don’t come from a good financial background and in order to feed their families, they choose to not get involved with the chefs’ associations. I don’t blame them but hopefully the food industry owner can understand and encourage their chefs to join the association in order to broaden their culinary knowledge. Secondly, all chefs should put down their ego sometimes and have an open heart towards our culinary industry. Q: Do you have more trips or projects planned, if so, where to? A: In September, I attended a chef’s competition event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The local chefs’ association helped organise this event and we managed to create two CSR events by encouraging all culinary judges to donate money to a local charity group. We also organised a culinary competition for chefs with disabilities where all the senior chef judges assisted the disabled competitors. World Chefs Without Borders does not have a standard plan of where to visit but due to most of us travelling a lot because of work we create and plan a CSR event wherever we go. OH www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, October 2015 15

BREAKFAST

1 Grind & Co co-owners Rani and Christine Ousman. 2 SHUK. 3 Harry’s strawberry bircher muesli. 1 3

Rise and dine The traditional morning menu is being challenged by international breakfast options, as early risers are choosing meals that are healthy, familiar and a little bit out of the ordinary, writes Anastasia Prikhodko.

eekend breakfasts have become part of the “to do list”, which has resulted in a plethora of breakfast venues full of eager diners wanting to taste the newest dishes on the scene. Breakfast operators have taken on international cuisines containing exotic spices, foreign ingredients and serving dishes like teff pancakes with Ethiopian teff flour, ricotta, sweet dukkah, maple, apple and pear compote. Based in North Bondi, SHUK is described as “Israeli by heart, Mediterranean on

paper, Bondi by postcode”. “We stick to what are our personal truths when it comes to food, so I don’t think we are really that influenced with what goes on outside,” says Erez Beker, one of the three founders. SHUK originates from the Hebrew word – the marketplace. Beker says that the idea and the design of SHUK is all about giving diners, “the feeling of standing in a place that is earthy and natural”. “You go to the market because the produce

16 Open House, October 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

that comes straight from the farmer is fresh and that is what we are aiming for here. We make our own breads, pastries and do everything in house,” he says. The food is Middle Eastern/Mediterranean, with a strong influence from Israel. The influence of Middle Eastern cuisine is continuing to impact and change the traditional take on breakfast. “The shakshuka is becoming a statement in a lot of coffee shops in Sydney,” he says. “It is the core of our menu and is influenced by the Israeli kitchen.”

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Most ordered breakfasts SHUK: Shakshuka with capsicum, tomato and baked eggs Harrys: Quinoa and feta fritters with fattoush, avocado, house-made labna, hazelnut dukka, lime (almost 100 portions on a Saturday morning) and crispy rolled egg with braised black bean, chorizo, avocado, cherry tomato, coriander, lime.

Edition Roasters: Yakuzas breakfast (buttermilk pancakes, pepper roasted pineapple, miso butterscotch). Maslows: Dashi omelette with braised pork and ginger mushrooms. The Grind & Co: The Zaatar wrap with fresh tomato, olives and onions.

Beker says that because of a steady increase of diners coming in, breakfast has become their strongest growing service. Although consumers are increasingly budget conscious, breakfast has become a big business for café operators who are sprucing up the morning meal. Jack New, executive chef at Maslows in Naremburn and Edition Roasters in Darlinghurst, says there has been an “influx of fine dining chefs heading towards the casual scene to use their experience as an edge over the traditional bacon, eggs and toast style cafes”. New explains that this transition has heightened competition in the brunch scene and has forced the creation of new styles and the recreation of the traditional. At Edition the menu has a strict Nordic and Japanese influence. “We aim to provide an experience not yet available in Sydney, from Nordic cinnamon scrolls made in-house to a fresh take on Japanese Okayu,” says New. Alternatively at Maslows, the menu is a combination of modern fine dining and fresh produce, in a casual environment. “Traditional all day breakfast is reinvented through a fine dining French and Japanese lens, using the best available local produce in veg, meat and fish,” he says. Although it may seem like everyone has forsaken making breakfast at home, New says that while there hasn’t been an increase of diners, they are spending differently. “With the current economic climate we've noticed that people are spending less on the day to day things and instead more people are looking for new experiences and value for money,” he says. “When people do have the spare cash they'll go somewhere that's an experience and not just a bacon and egg breakfast.”

The way breakfast is served is also changing. Christine Ousman, owner and founder of shipping container cafe the Grind & Co based in Sydney’s Alexandria, says that sooner or later eating out for breakfast will overtake the amount of people eating out for lunch. “There's always that added bonus of not having to worry about what you're going to eat when you wake up,” she says. “And so many food venues have lifted their game, quality, taste and presentation are of upmost importance to the business operators and consumers.” For decades breakfast has been a quick snack right before rushing out of the house. But now, cafes are serving gourmet breakfasts that are far from anything homemade. Christopher Karvelas, co-owner of Harry’s Bar and Dining, a gluten-, dairy- and sugarfree eatery in Bondi, says that as well as breakfast being the most important meal of the day, it is also the most emotional.

chef Bryan O’Callaghan, decided against serving basic options of scrambled eggs on toast and the likes. “We have been brought up making that sort of breakfast and we didn’t want to take that away, we understood the way people have their eggs, the way they make toast and bacon and you know it’s the way they enjoy it,” says Karvelas. “So instead we wanted to think more structurally about the food.” When constructing the menu, Karvelas explains that people have become more visually attentive to food, therefore the dishes had to look instagrammable. Food also had to be healthy, but most importantly, it had to taste good. “A lot of wholefoods out there are good for you and are nurturing but there is no familiarity and no childhood memories to them,” he says.

“You know no one does toast better than you do at home,” says Karvelas. “It’s almost like you have this emotional attachment to it, so when you do order toast you kind of go ‘oh it’s not the way that I like it’.”

“We have done a pork roll for example, which is our version of the bacon and egg roll. In the roll you have slow cooked pork shoulder, bacon, fried egg, jam, tomatoes, lettuce and a little bit of aioli. It is not the healthiest of dishes, but we find there were a lot of guys coming in [for it].”

Karvelas, together with his business partner Harry Lambropoulos and executive

Karvelas says the idea behind Harry’s Bar and Dining was to create an environment

Cashing in on the weekend trend

With more Australians than ever before going out for breakfast rather than dinner on weekends, chefs across the country are winning faithful customers with their morning offerings, and everyone from QSR food chains to hotels, restaurants and cafes should be cashing in on the trend according to Tip Top Foodservice’s national account manager Darren O’Brien. “We are seeing a growing trend in people wanting to eat out on weekends, but also watching their wallets, opting for more affordable alternatives to a lavish dinner out, with brunch being the perfect alternative,” he says.

18 Open House, October 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

1 Sandwich from the Grind & Co. 2 Harry’s Bar & Dining. 3 Harry’s blueberry & ricotta hotcakes. 4 The Grind & Co. 2

where food is nurturing, clean and doesn’t make consumers feel bloated. “We all started having kids and started seeing how detrimental sugar is in our home and most things you find on shelves are pretty horrendous,” he says.

as there are customers who eat burgers at 10 in the morning and at the end of the day our burgers aren’t heavy.” Black beans, dairy free chia pudding, gluten free hotcakes, trout, steak and salad are also becoming popular choices for early risers.

Catering for children is significant to the café. Karvelas says that families are some of their primary customers.

Trends are continuously evolving, especially in a place like Bondi, according to Karvelas.

“It’s so important for kids to start learning about eating well and understanding that sugar is okay in small doses,” he says. “The future of cafes is that they are family eateries. It’s not a fine dining restaurant.”

“Food shifts really quickly but the classics stay the same. Cafes that get influenced by either Japanese or Nordic, it’s quite hard for them because they pigeonhole themselves into one category and don’t have the flexibility to keep reinventing the menu.

Karvelas and his team wanted to challenge the idea of breakfast food and show people that they can have any meal at any time of the day. “I do find that people are wanting to eat out more in the morning, which is great,” he says. “We are finding that people are not confined to hours of eating anymore,

“I think the main thing is, is that we are learning along with the consumers about breakfast and about eating out. I think we learn so much just by observing and listening and I think that’s the most important part for café operators in order to keep moving forward.” OH

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www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, October 2015 19

KNIVES

1 Matt Moran, ambassador for Global Knives. 2 Frank Shek’s knives. 3 The Cut Bar & Grill. 1

Cutting edge A simple tool used to cut food and enhance flavour is as part of a chef as their own hand; but knives also have a story of their own, writes Anastasia Prikhodko.

here is a strong aesthetic tradition in Japan that links the appearance of food to good flavour. So if the knife crushes through the flesh, rather than slicing through smoothly, it ultimately ruins the ingredient and flavour. “There are little flavour and aroma molecules in food, with aroma making up 80 per cent of the taste,” says Kerby Craig, head chef at Ume restaurant in Sydney’s Surry Hills. “So when you chew and break them with your teeth, they are going to go into your sinuses and the food will taste better.” Opening Ume on “a hope and a prayer”, Craig says the Japanese restaurant has managed to keep going, win some awards and not go bankrupt.

Craig has been cooking Japanese cuisine for six years and says that the food is all about intuition and is usually a reflection of the chef’s experience with their family, grandmother or region.

Craig bought his first Japanese knife in London when he was 21 years old. He says that whilst completing his apprenticeship at Tetsuya’s he came across a few Japanese knives but they were very foreign.

“I remember when I was trying to make miso soup the same as they make it in Japan,” he says. “I asked the executive chef at the time about how to make it and whether there was a recipe. He said ‘no it’s just how you feel’.”

The design of traditional Japanese knives stems from samurai swords, with each knife containing a stamp of the family making the knife, along with the region it’s from.

Craig is a “washoku” chef, meaning a chef of Japanese cuisine. When dealing with fish, Japanese chefs use up to five different knives. “There are so many different fish, and it depends whether it has big bones, small bones, the shape of the fish and which waters it came from,” he says.

20 Open House, October 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

“All my knives come from a special region in Japan called Sakai,” says Craig. “It’s a knife making town and there’s still about three families there whose heritage is linked to making samurai swords.” Sakai has been the capital of samurai sword manufacturing since the 14 century. After the banning of samurai classes, despite the popularity of military swords and

The power of three: Japanese knives

Deba: The knife is mostly stainless steel so harder to sharpen, it is used for cutting through strong fish, beheading fish and breaking through bones. Yanagiba: A long and very thin knife used to prepare sashimi, sushi, sliced raw fish and seafood. The steel is softer making it easier to sharpen. Santoku: The multipurpose knife used for cutting vegetables. The blade is only sharpened on one side and is very thin and broad. The word refers to the three cutting tasks which the knife performs well: slicing, dicing, and mincing. The original Japanese Santoku is considered a well-balanced knife. 3

traditional samurai swords for art, the majority of swordsmiths refocused their skills to cutlery production.

“I can do it now in about half an hour but it used to take me two hours to sharpen one knife, even then it wasn’t really done properly.”

Although a knife may be of high quality, it all comes down to the sharpening of it, which ideally would be done every day on a number of different stones.

Craig says that if a mistake is made during the sharpening process, it can ruin the knife completely.

“Japanese chefs don’t use steel to sharpen, it’s a bit of a no-no,” he says.

“Once you start using Japanese knives, you have to know how to sharpen them and dedicate yourself to the sharpening

techniques,” he says. Craig suggests watching YouTube videos and tutorials for a base understanding of the process and then attending a knife sharpening masterclass. “See it done once, maybe have someone guide you and then it’s just practice,” he says. “I have been practicing the Japanese way for about seven to eight years and I’m

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only confident now that I can sharpen any kind of knife and fix someone else’s knife.” Buying a knife to a chef is like “going shopping”. Craig says that some do it for pleasure and others buy a new knife before starting a new job. A change in the design of the knife Craig doesn’t agree with is the inclusion of patterns. “In my opinion they’re for housewives,” he says. “They are very aesthetic. It’s not the kind of thing you want in a kitchen, especially a Japanese kitchen. The knife is for functionality, you’re not here to show off. ” Custom made Japanese knives are also gaining popularity, with the knife made fit to the chef’s height, weight and hand. Craig says that the knife can cost from $2000 to $3000. “When you are paying

$300 for dinner, as a chef it’s your only tool, especially for a sushi chef, they only cook rice and cut fish. So the knife is an extension of your hand.” Joseph Webb, a head chef at the Cut Bar & Grill in Sydney’s CBD, had his knives custom made by a friend.

drying and oiling to prevent rusting and the boning knife made from Damascus steel. Luke Powell opened LP’s Quality Meats in Chippendale after working as head chef at Tetsuya’s and Mary’s in Newtown. Powell also swears by Japanese knives, with Misono being his go to.

“The three knives I use most often were hand-made for me by a friend who was a chef before moving into knife making,” he says. “They were hand-crafted and tailormade to fit my hand and the way I work.”

“It really is just a personal choice, I like this brand because compared to others, I find they hold an edge well, they feel really comfortable to use, are light and really strong,” says Powell.

Webb uses around four different knives per day depending on the tasks with the allpurpose chef knife made from high carbon stainless steel and detailed with ferric acid; the fish knife (Deba) made from carbon steel requires a lot of care, including washing,

In his kitchen the knives that get the most use are the Misono cooks knife, Misono small utility knife and the Victorinox boning knife.

Chef advice for apprentices

“The boning knife gets a pretty decent work in my kitchen but it is a great knife, it’s a work horse – it’s readily available,

Luke Powell, LP’s Quality Meats.

Kerby Craig: “I would recommend buying the smaller multipurpose Santoku knife because of the softer steel.” Joseph Webb: “Knives are an integral part of a chef’s job. Respect your knives, know how to clean, sharpen and maintain them. If you do that, they will look after you.” Frank Shek: “Maintenance. Learn how to sharpen your knives and how to keep them sharp. No point in spending your measly apprentice wage on a quality knife if you don’t know how to look after it and maintain it. “And for goodness sake learn how to use a sharpening steel properly! Raking your knife’s edge down either side of the steel at random angles and lightning speed isn’t sexy and will render your expensive acquisition worthless in no time.” Luke Powell: “I would recommend going with a base line brand for your first set of knives. The first set you have, take a bit of a beating as you learn to get comfy with them. I would also advise to learn how to sharpen your own knives with a stone, don’t give them to someone to sharpen with a machine cause they will wear out really quickly.” Matt Moran: “Get something that suits you. No point having something that is too big or light. You obviously don’t want cheap knives either, if you are just starting off and are serious about becoming a chef, it’s important to get a good range of knives.”

22 Open House, October 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

If they had to choose one knife… Kerby Craig: “I would chose the Santoku, because if you really wanted to you could cut fish, meat, and fillet the fish.”

Joe Webb: “It would have to be my chef’s knife. When used correctly, a chef’s knife is an amazing tool. It has great diversity and can be used for anything, as long as you look after it and keep it sharp.” 4

1 Global knife. 2 A selection of knives & sharpening stones used by Kerby Craig. 3 Chef Kerby Craig using the Santoku knife. 4 A selection of Chinese knives used by Frank Shek.

inexpensive and can take a lot of heavy duty work,” he says. Knives are designed out of respect for the ingredient and enhance the pleasure of cooking. Celebrity chef Matt Moran, the ambassador for Global Knives, says ultimately “a knife is a knife.” “When I was really young I used to have a lot more French and German knives, which are a little bit heavier,” says Moran. “But I like the weight and the range of Global Knives. They are also easy to keep sharp, as long as you use a ceramic stone.” There are three knife collections; Classic, Ni and Sai. “What Global has done with the new range is make them a bit heavier, which is more suited to a chef,” says Moran. In Chinese cuisine the cleaver is the most identifiable knife. Frank Shek, head chef at China Doll in Sydney says that Chinese knives haven’t changed at all because they have had a proven history and track record for the last two thousand years. “They have lots of different versions of the

Frank Shek: “Chinese cleaver hands down. I have used it to hammer nails, open tin cans, crack coconuts, Chinese chop whole ducks, peel galangal, fillet fish, slice sashimi, julienne ginger, fine dice garlic, mini lob and ping-pong-bat flotsam and jetsam from my chopping board into the bin below.” Luke Powell: “My cook’s knife.” Matt Moran: “The standard French knife, I can use that for virtually anything.”

chopper and some curved blades for meat butchery, but the basic blade shape is still the same, a rectangle,” he says. The meat cleaver has a large broad blade, which is ideal for heavy duty chopping and slicing. It has a distal tapered meaning it gets thinner towards the end.

shape and geometry, the materials used to make the blades are also different. Western style knives are usually made from heavy Solingen and tempered steel with rust resistant properties. The knives tend to be thickish blades and can feel heavy and chunky in the hand,” he says.

“The thin edge is useful for more delicate and precise cutting whereas the heft of the heel is able to chop cleanly through bones,” says Shek. “The shape enables it to be used as a spade to slide under and pick up prepped ingredients for transfer to a hot wok or storage container.”

“Some of the industry stalwarts like Victorinox and Wusthof have actually started introducing Asian style designs and shapes like the Santoku and chopper to their line-up.”

The flat part of the blade is used to smash garlic and ginger. Shek says that the height of the blade allows for greater knuckle clearance from the board than conventional western style chef knives.

“I would buy a new one every few months, each slightly better and more expensive than the last,” he says. “I have a good arsenal now but the truth is, I’ve settled on my favourites and with the proper knowhow and maintenance, they will last me a long time.”

A unique attribute to the knife is that there is no heel bolster as found on German style cutlery, Shek says this means that the whole blade can be drawn through a block of protein. “Apart from the obvious differences in

Knives to chefs are something of a guilty pleasure, Shek admits that a few years back he went on a “buying frenzy”.

Shek says that a “sharp edge has been elemental in human life from the stone-age through to modern day. “It really can make all the difference between survival and sashimi,” he says. OH

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INTERNATIONAL

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, October 2015 23

FINE FOOD AUSTRALIA

1, 3-4 The activities on the showfloor at Fine Food Australia. 2 Panel sessions were one of the highlights. 2

Show stopper Fine Food Australia returned to Sydney for its 31st year in September, welcoming thousands of visitors across the four-day event at Sydney Olympic Park.

“W

e love bringing Fine Food Australia to Sydney, and 2015 has seen the show welcomed back with great enthusiasm,” says event director Minnie Constan. “Sydney Olympic Park is a fitting home for what we like to consider the Olympics of foodservice events, and our visitor numbers this year are testament to the ongoing relevance of this show for the industry. As always, we’ve seen solid business taking place on the show floor and relationships have been formed and strengthened. Given our new location this year, the feedback from exhibitors and visitors alike has been incredibly positive. “The presence of regional and international exhibitors continued to grow this year, and exhibitors in the health food sector also increased, as did exhibitors with a sustainability focus to their business.”

24 Open House, October 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

This year’s competition highlights included the inaugural Fonterra Foodservice Battle of the Pacific, Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat National Final and the Hospitality Training Network (HTN) National Final, plus much loved show favourites The Official Great Aussie Pie Comp, Pizza Revolution’s pizza acrobatics, and the Women in Foodservice Charity Event. The Western Australian team triumphed in the Fonterra Foodservice Battle of the Pacific. The WA team of Gwyn Ellis, Iari Prassi and Sophie Cornes scooped the title ahead of 2nd place Matt Weller, Matt Breis and Young Hak Ho (NSW) and 3rd place Ken O Connell, Corey Hume and Blaike Haines (Otago, New Zealand). The Australian Capital Territory’s Amanda Polsen (Hyatt Hotel) and Georgia Harrison (National Press Club Restaurant) took out the 50th

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1 Nestlé Golden Chef's Hat Award winners Amanda Polsen and Georgia Harrison. 2 The ACT duo’s dessert. 3 HTN national finals winners. 4 The WA team at the Fonterra Foodservice Battle of the Pacific.

Watch the video in the Open House iPad app.

anniversary Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award.

whole experience,” said Polsen.

Scoring an impressive two silver medals (for entree and main) and an unprecedented gold with distinction for their dessert, it was an emotional end to the journey for the two young chefs who were competing in the competition for a second year in a row.

The finalists of the 2015 HTN & Futura Culinary Competition also battled it out, with three apprentices taking the honours across Year’s 1-3.

Despite such an impressive win, Harrison says they never thought at any point that they “had it in the bag”. “The thing that Amanda and I said to each other going into the competition was to create three courses that we are proud of and that’s all that matters,” she said. “Whatever happens after that is just luck.”

Zoe Drew, from Circa, won the 1st Year Apprentice; Joshua Lee, from The Apollo International, won 2nd Year Apprentice; and Tenille Brazel, from The Temple Bar Maitland, scooped 3rd Year Apprentice.

For Polsen, the biggest difference was the atmosphere in the national finals with the live cooking stations at the show.

“Giving the apprentices the opportunity to show off their creative flair, fine tune their dishes and present them in such an arena as Fine Food is such a high achievement in their short careers,” says Michael Bennett, CEO of HTN. “Who wouldn’t want to show off their skills.”

“Everyone would like to win as it’s such an amazing opportunity and amazing prize but in the end it is just great to be part of the

Next year’s show will be held at Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre on September 12-16, 2016. OH

Innovation key to success Innovation in products and equipment was also on show, with more new products than ever entered into this year’s Best New Product Awards across five categories: Retail, Hospitality, Bakery, Foodservice and Australian Made. Speaking at the Awards ceremony, exhibition director Minnie Constan says this year had been both exciting and challenging for the foodservice industry. “We constantly need to reinvent ourselves and evolve in line with consumer demands and industry trends, and the New Product Awards is a great opportunity to recognize those businesses who are doing just that.,” she says. “It’s also a great way to celebrate everything that is great about the business we are in.” MILKLAB by Freedom Foods took out top honours for Best New Foodservice Product with their range of barista ready non-dairy and fat free milk. The LFD – 100% Liquid Food Digester by Wrightway Products and the plate2farm tracker by Kialla Pure Foods rounded out the finalists. In the Best New Hospitality Equipment Product Awards, Winterhalter PT Climate plus by Winterhalter took top honours with WMF Espresso by Australian Beverage Corporation and Wireless Temperature Loggers by OnSolution the finalists.

26 Open House, October 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

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TALKING POINT

2 1 Gerald Ryan, Oscillate Wildly. 2 Danielle Gjestland, Wasabi. 1

Quality over quantity The front of house brings the kitchen, customers and the overall dining experience together; it is also one of opportunity, rewards and hard work, but is often overlooked as a professional career path, writes Anastasia Prikhodko.

“T

he main challenge I can see going forward is changing and overcoming the public perception of what it means to be a front of house professional in Australia,” says Danielle Gjestland, founder of Wasabi restaurant and bar in Noosa. “It can be hard to get friends and family to consider it a true profession and to be taken seriously when you are starting out.” Gjestland entered the industry when she was 14 years old. “It started out as a weekend job and a way to earn some pocket money but like so many of us in the industry, I found that there was nothing else that ticked all the boxes,” she says. Recruitment of front of house staff in regional Australia is one of the continuous challenges Gjestland faces. “It is getting harder to attract large numbers to apply for positions but the ones that are interested are showing a real passion and desire to achieve in the industry,” she says. Many young waiters are also pursuing

sommelier roles more so than other areas of front of house; Gjestland says that this may be because of a need to formalise or legitimise their career path choice.

and extremely knowledgeable about your restaurant’s product,” she says. “Great service will never go out of style and it deserves proper recognition.”

“It is fantastic to have this knowledge but there is nothing wrong with it being part of a great waiter’s skill set,” she says. “It would be a shame to not fully develop skills on the floor and jump ahead a few steps without the proper support and expertise in place.

Gjestland was named the Appetite for Excellence Young Restaurateur of the Year in 2009 and was asked to be a judge on the Young Waiter of the Year panel in 2013.

“Great chefs and restaurateurs realise that having a successful business with longevity relies heavily on the front of house team’s ability to represent and communicate their message. “I think a great deal of attention should be paid to those you employ to be the face of your business. It’s a huge responsibility.” For a waiter to be great, they need to have the skill of “conviction”. “Of course you need to be hospitable and also elegant, gracious, spontaneous

28 Open House, October 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

“It was a moment in my life, where I was so humbled by the idea that people I admired respected my opinion and judgment, and I am honoured to continue on in the role each year,” she says. The future of front of house lies in “proper recognition for a hardworking, intelligent and skilled industry, along with acknowledgment that front of house is not only a viable but a desirable career path that can open many doors and be tremendously rewarding”. Although the hospitality industry is moving more into the spotlight, there is still a fair way to go, as only about a quarter of workers in the industry are employed full

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1 Brooke Adey, Bentley Restaurant & Bar. 2 The Electrolux Appetite for Excellence Young Waiter national finals.

time and all too often jobs in front of house are regarded as a pit stop. Restaurant consultant Tony Eldred says that in the last 20 years the amount of people entering the industry has decreased. “There used to be a waiting apprenticeship and it turned out really good, well trained waiters,” says Eldred. “But it was closed down about 20 to 25 years ago and since then the industry has had to carry its own burden of training at a time when they really can’t afford to do so, so the skill levels are quite problematic now.”

years the hospitality sector will experience a growth of 13.9 per cent in employment, with almost one in four jobs for waiters and kitchenhands. Brooke Adey, from Sydney’s Bentley restaurant and bar, was the winner of this year’s Electrolux Appetite for Excellence Young Waiter award. “I now consider this industry to be part of who I am,” says Adey. “I love the buzz of service, the anticipation and nervous energy of walking onto the floor and not really knowing what to expect is unlike anything else.”

Eldred also says that the expectations of waiters have heightened. “We are making them actively sell now, whereas 10 years ago all they had to do was react to requests,” he says. “So product knowledge and selling skills and merchandising skills are now coming to the floor.”

The industry is also a “never ending education”. As a waiter, Adey is there to “bridge the gap between the kitchen and customer”. She says her role is to ensure that the guests have the best experience, act as the voice for the kitchen and an ambassador for the restaurant.

Although more is now expected, Eldred does not link that to the decreasing amount of staff but rather because of the changing economics and demographics.

“Every person that walks in the door is looking for something different and the earlier you can establish what this is, the better their experience and the easier it is for you to look after them,” she says.

“Kids are staying and living at home a lot longer than they used to,” he says. “We are seeing 25 to 27 years olds still living at home because of the high cost of real estate, so they don’t have the same need for employment as they did maybe 10 to 15 years ago. “There is a haemorrhaging of skilled, experienced people leaving the industry and we are not replacing them at anywhere near the same rate at the moment. Meanwhile, the number of restaurants and cafes is rapidly expanding.” Research indicates that over the next five

With customers becoming more knowledgeable and engaged in the overall dining experience, Adey says it elevates the expectations of the front of house staff and their breadth of knowledge. “I think it is our responsibility to embrace this trend and treat this is as just another way for us to engage with our guests.” Having tried out a number of jobs as a teenager, restaurant manager Gerald Ryan says the “energy of the industry kept dragging me back”. Ryan started working in hospitality when

30 Open House, October 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

he was 18-years-old and says that the industry chose him. “I fell into working at a pub in England and when I returned to Australia, I needed a job, and had really enjoyed working behind a bar. So I applied at my local pub and went from there,” he says. Ryan previously worked at Brae in regional Victoria before moving to Sydney to work as a restaurant manager and sommelier at Oscillate Wildly in Newtown. “It is a very small team and it is my first foray into managing a restaurant, which I am finding challenging but rewarding as well,” he says. Working in front of house can be challenging because of the long hours, being constantly on your feet and emotionally draining. “I think the hardest thing is the emotional toll it can take on waiters, who have to put everything happening in their lives outside of work and front up smiling every day,” he says. “The hardest thing, is to appear like a duck. Effortlessly floating along, without a ripple, but working incredibly hard underneath the water.” The trend towards chef driven restaurants is putting Australian dining on the map, but it needs to be handled with caution and the industry move forward as a whole. “That is the only way that we will successfully become a greater industry, one that should continue to gather momentum on a world stage,” Ryan says. “The only thing that cannot, under any circumstance, be lost, is hospitality.” OH

REGIONAL SNAPSHOT

1 3

1 Snowy River. 2-3 Blueberries and apples grow well at high altitude.

Snowy mountains A varied climate and high altitude combine to bring an intensity to the produce found in the Snowy Mountains, from its local wine through to its beef.

he Snowy Mountains is home to NSW’s coolest wine-growing region, with Tumbarumba’s Courabyra Vineyard known for its premium chardonnay and pinot noir. The region is also home to a wide range of produce including Angus beef, Batlow apples, blueberries, truffles, yellow box honey and chestnuts. The high altitude and cool climate brings and intensity to the blueberries grown around Tumbarumba, according to family

owned farm Jolly Berries which opens from December through to March. Other local producers include Jindabyne’s Hobbit Goat Farm, one of Australia’s highest dairies at 1350m.

Pieper’s top produce picks for the region include blackberries, red delicious and granny smith apples, big sorrel patches, fresh rainbow and brown trout out of the river, and highland beef.

Greg Pieper, food and beverage manager at Lake Crackenback Resort & Spa, has just come off the back of a bumper truffle season with the Snowy Mountains Truffle farm high on his list of local favourites, being only 10 minutes from the restaurant.

“My favourite farmers markets are on the coast, just two hours from Jindabyne at Bermagui,” he says. “It’s like all the Nona’s showing of their cooking, from old school apple pies and pastries to the tastiest samosa.”

32 Open House, October 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

DIARY DATES

VIEW FROM THE KITCHEN

Taste of Melbourne November 12-15, 2015

Graze through a tasting menu designed from a selection of over 50 tasting dishes crafted by Melbourne’s latest, greatest and hottest restaurants including Circa, The Prince, MoVida, Pastuso, Supernormal and many more. Masterclasses and artisan producers are also in the mix. www.tasteofmelbourne.com.au

Macedon Ranges Wine and Food Festival November 14-15, 2015

The Festival will see family run boutique wineries and restaurants nestled within the Macedon Ranges throw open their doors for a single weekend of stunning wine, mouth-watering food and great music and entertainment. This year over 30 wineries will have more than 100 wines for tasting that can often only be sourced at the cellar door.

Greg Pieper, food and beverage manager, Lake Crackenback Resort & Spa

1 2 3

What’s in season locally: The local rainbow trout is stunning at the moment. What are you drinking at the moment: David Hook ’14 Shiraz (Hunter Valley). Food heroes: Stephanie Alexander and Philip Johnson.

Most underrated ingredient: Quail eggs. I’ve just stumbled onto this free range quail farm on the far south coast recently, the eggs I’m getting at the moment are so easy to work with and versatile.

5 6

www.macedonrangeswine.com.au/budburst-festival

Margaret River Gourmet Escape November 20-22, 2015

Most overrated ingredient: Scallops.

Food philosophy: “Keeping it simple”. I believe that creativity comes with understanding the flavours of the food you are working with, it’s not something that just happens, it is always evolving. I am still understanding flavour combinations and I don’t think that I will ever stop learning.

The Margaret River Gourmet Escape attracts the top culinary talent each year to WA. This year’s international chefs include Marco Pierre White, Rick Stein, Gaggan Anand (Gaggan), Ashley Palmer- Watts (Dinner by Heston Blumenthal) and David Thompson (Nahm) among many others.

www.gourmetescape.com.au

Best advice you have been given: You create your own luck. OH

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, October 2015 33

COOKING THE BOOKS

Taking the cherry Petite Kitchen blogger and wholefood advocate Eleanor Ozich shows that good food can still be temptingly decadent with this recipe for chocolate cherry pudding cakes from her latest book My Family Table.

hocolate and cherry have a natural affinity for each other, and are the perfect combination in these stunningly rich and decadent delights. If you can’t get hold of fresh cherries, raspberries are a luscious

substitute. For a gooey and delectable centre, my secret is to ever so slightly undercook these pudding cakes. Please use good-quality dark chocolate; it really shines in this recipe and makes all the difference.

Chocolate cherry pudding cakes Makes: 10 300g good-quality dark chocolate, melted 250g unsalted butter or coconut oil 150g coconut or muscovado sugar 50g almond meal 160g pitted medjool dates or dried figs, or 180g pitted prunes 6 free-range eggs A pinch of sea salt 10 fresh cherries Icing (confectioners’ sugar), for dusting (optional) Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line 10 holes of a standard muffin tin with paper cases. Add the chocolate, butter, sugar, almond meal and dates to a food processor. Add the eggs and salt and blend until smooth. Divide the batter among the muffin holes, then place a cherry on top of each cake. Bake for 18 minutes, or until they are still a little squishy in the centre; they will continue to cook ever so slightly as they are cooling. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Serve dusted with icing sugar if desired. The cakes will keep in an airtight container in a cool dark place for up to 3 days, and can be frozen for up to two months.

This is an edited extract and image from My Family Table by Eleanor Ozich (Murdoch, $39.99).

34 Open House, October 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

What’s on shelf this month? NOPI: The Cookbook

Alla Fratelli: How to Eat Italian

Food for Family

by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ramael Scully Ebury Press, $59.99

by Barry McDonald Murdoch Books, $49.99

by Guillaume Brahimi Lantern $79.99

NOPI: The Cookbook includes over 120 of the most popular dishes from Yotam's innovative Soho-based restaurant NOPI in London, including the restaurant's signature dishes such as beef brisket croquettes and Persian love rice. It's written with long-time collaborator and NOPI head chef Ramael Scully, who brings his distinctive Asian twist to the Ottolenghi kitchen.

Inspired by the seasonal produce, fresh attitude and Italian spirit of Sydney-based food empire Fratelli Fresh, Alla Fratelli takes all that is great about Italian food and serves it up with a cheeky Sydney twist. Alla Fratelli is all about seasonal, fresh, heart-warming, delicious eating, dedicated to flavour and tradition – but it rips up the rule book at the same time, challenging some of the older Italian traditions and putting meals together that suit the way we live now.

In Food for Family, celebrated French–Australian chef Guillaume Brahimi visits some of Australia's most charming and stylish homes, creating delicious menus inspired by the people and place, and discovering what makes a house a home. Guillaume then shares his own family's favourite recipes designed to satisfy a household of hungry children (and a busy French chef), including Crispy potato cakes with speck, garlic and thyme. Chicken risotto with peas and lemon, and Pineapple crumble. OH

LI ON FO ODS ERVIC E I S N OW ONLINE M A K E S U R E YO U V I S I T

LIONFOODSERVICE.COM.AU TO CHECK OU T T H E L AT ES T R E C IP E S, PROMOT ION S , PRODU CT R ANG E D E TA ILS, AND I NDU S T R Y U PDAT ES.

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, October 2015 35

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PRODUCTS

Aged to perfection

The slow down on juice

Rum distillery The Bundaberg Distilling Company (BDC) has released the Master Distillers’ Collection (MDC) Black Barrel – Distilled 2005. Distilled 2005 has spent the last decade ageing in American White Oak and was finished in small, heavy charred barrels, resulting in a premium, full character old aged dark rum featuring notes of deep caramel and sweet raisins.

Kuvings has unveiled the world’s first commercial-ready Whole Slow Juicer. Featuring the industry’s largest feeding chute for juicing whole fruits and vegetables, the Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer Pro can be used up to eight hours for continuous juice extraction. Equipped with a powerful and quiet brushless motor it is perfect for restaurants, juice bars and hotels.

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Push button barista coffee

Savoury selection

German engineered, the new WMF espresso is set to reinvent the portafilter machine. The WMF espresso combines the best of both worlds: producing the perfect espresso no matter who is operating it. With a Barista button to alter the taste profile for light, normal and strong coffee, automatic portafilter identification (single/double cup) and fully automatic milk foam preparation, the WMF espresso leaves nothing to chance.

Patisserie Kooka Brotha’s has launched their new savoury range, with 17 new products on offer including gluten free quiches, frittatas, moussaka, and “oven ready” arancinis. New savoury petit fours have also been added to their popular range of gluten free savoury finger food, as well as a new cheese and garlic scone. Made fresh and snap frozen, the new range comes in a variety of sizes.

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www.wmf-coffeemachines.com

36 Open House, October 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

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www.kookabrothas.com

Aussie cast iron kitchen battler

Crisp ale for an Aussie summer

Australian company Solidteknics has launched its new Aus-Iontm seamless one-piece formed-iron (low carbon Australian steel) cookware: specifically developed for chefs. The opening range consists of 18cm and 26cm skillets and 30cm wok and are similar to the best European iron/steel restaurant pans. The range features hygienic seamless one piece iron with no rivets, joins or coatings; strong neck webbing and vents to dissipate heat; and an ergonomic wide concave handle.

Brewer James Squire has added to their range for the summer with The Swindler – a crisp and refreshing ale which pairs a firm malt body with a blend of Calypso and El dorado hops, dry hopped for a distinctive aroma with notes of pear and watermelon. The Swindler is low on bitterness, yet high on flavour and aroma and will be available on-tap exclusively at James Squire Brewhouses from October 1, then nationwide in selected bars and venues from October 26, 2015.

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www.jamessquire.com.au

www.solidteknics.com

Slim Jim fits in

The new norm from Bulla

Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP) has launched its Slim Jim Step-On refuse containers in Australia. The newest addition to RCP’s hands-free waste management portfolio, the Slim Jim Step-On is designed to satisfy the diverse needs of any facility, maximising space efficiency with a 20 per cent smaller footprint and a slim profile ensuring a perfect fit in even the tightest spaces. Slim Jim Step-On container is available in five sizes and in front-step or end-step styles.

Bulla has launched Bulla Gastronorm, a new solution designed to enable more efficient and easy product use in busy commercial kitchens. Created in conjunction with professional chefs, Bulla Gastronorm is a form-cut, bain-marie style, stackable and fit-for-service solution available in six of Bulla’s most popular product varieties.

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www.bullafoodservice.com.au

www.rubbermaidcommercial.com.au/products/waste-management

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, October 2015 37

PROFILE

Down to earth Noma’s former sous chef, Sam Miller, has opened a new restaurant in Sydney, bringing with him a taste of Northern Europe that is fresh, light and personal, writes Anastasia Prikhodko.

fter leaving Noma in Copenhagen in 2014 and relocating to Sydney, English born chef Sam Miller has been busy with the opening of his first solo venture, Silvereye. “I wanted to create a nice, beautiful space for people to come, have a good time and eat nice food,” says Miller. “The service style is knowledgeable yet informal.” The dishes served are inspired by Northern Europe and Miller’s more personal style of cooking. “I try and get this sort of personalised cuisine across with fresh, light vegetables. It’s not about overly technical food, we just try cook things simply but in an intelligent way. We try not to use additional products apart from natural things that we can make ourselves.” Miller says that although the food is influenced by his past, over time he hopes that the restaurant will create a unique style of its own. He prefers not to be influenced by trends but rather reinvent readily available produce of fruits and vegetables. “We don’t do chocolate and we don’t do sugar work,” he says. “We serve vegetables, less sugar and very little carbohydrates – we still like cream and butter and things but we are not doing it overly heavy”.

Growing up in York, Miller followed in his father’s footsteps, who was a chef and a teacher at TAFE in England.

At the start Miller found it challenging to grasp the cooking style of Noma, as it was “totally unique, very individual and lightweight”.

“I started cooking from a young age and it’s always been something that I found a natural talent for,” he says.

“We were doing traditional Scandinavian food and no else was doing that, everyone was still doing French and Spanish,” he says. “I think to get your head around that and try to understand the concepts, was kind of a bold step and came as a shock.”

When Miller was 15, he got his first job at the York Pavilion in Escrick. “It was a small village near where I grew up. I washed plates and made desserts”. Then at 17, not wanting to work evenings for the rest of his life, Miller decided to try out other careers paths. “I tried to attend college but that only lasted two months,” he says. Returning to the kitchen, Miller worked at restaurants in York and Leeds before securing a position at a two starred Michelin restaurant, Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham. Then in 2009, Miller moved to Copenhagen. “A friend of mine told me about this restaurant in Denmark and that it had really creative food and the stuff they were doing was super interesting,” he says. “This was also before anyone had really heard of Noma. So I went, had a trial and got the job.”

The reason behind the lighter menu is so the diners leave “feeling quite good and not destroyed”.

Miller explains that back in 2009, it was an interesting time to be chef at Noma, as the restaurant “went from number 38 to number one in the world”.

Miller says that he didn’t want his customers to “be feeling beaten down by food, as some restaurants can do that to you”.

“It happens to one restaurant in a generation and to be part of it was pretty special,” says Miller.

38 Open House, October 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

In 2012, Miller left Noma, moving to the far north of Sweden to work at Magnus Nilsson’s Faviken, before returning to Noma in early 2013, where he resumed his position as executive sous chef. During his time at Noma, the restaurant achieved two Michelin stars and was named the S.Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurant three times. Despite having cooked at some of the top restaurants, Miller’s taste buds have remained humble with “cheese and bread in various forms,” being his dish of choice. Otherwise, Miller enjoys home cooked Guatemalan food. Fame and glory has never appealed to the chef, who intends to stay in the kitchen and continue cooking. “I don’t have any ambition to be the world’s best chef,” he says. “Throughout my whole career, I’ve just wanted to be good at my job. “I think it’s about being humble and not arrogant, it’s very easy to become full of yourself. But all we are doing is giving people a nice evening. We are not saving lives or doing anything like that”. OH

AUSTRALIAN CULINARY FEDERATION NEWS

One word: wow! I

have never been so proud to be a member of the Australian Culinary Federation (ACF) and it is so humbling to see what the industry can achieve when it works together. Last month Fine Food Australia was held at Sydney Olympic Park and it is within this show that the ACF organise and run the Australian Culinary Challenge. It is without question the single largest event we host each year and this year was the biggest to date with over 150 entries competing in 26 categories.

This year’s Australian Culinary Challenge was broken into five different competitions. Fonterra Foodservice Battle of the Pacific Restaurant Challenge was battled out over four days. There were eight state teams from Australia, three from New Zealand and one team from Vanuatu all competing to be crowned the best in the Pacific. It was team Western Australia that won with New South Wales a very close second and Otago from New Zealand third. On the first two days we saw some of the best food ever produced over the 50 year history of the Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat. The

overall winning team from the ACT, Georgia Harrison and Amanda Polsen, won a Gold with distinction (perfect marks) for their dessert, something that has never happened before in the history of this competition. The morning of day three we had the Hospitality Training Network (HTN) state apprentice final with the winner of each year progressing to the ACF National Apprentice Competition to be held this month in Perth. Over the four days, the competition’s individual events in Static and Hot Live kitchens kept everyone entertained. Such a successful competition does not just happen, it took many hours of planning from the ACF NSW, ACT and Regions Committee, Salon coordinator Gary Farrell, Salon assistant coordinator Susannah Suen, chairman of Judges Kurt Von Buren and Karen Doyle, NSW, ACT and Regions president. We need to thank all the many members for volunteering their time freely and the judges and scrutineers who were some of the many that made this competition work. Well done team.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Neil Abrahams Australian Culinary Federation (ACF)

Every year our National sponsors Fonterra, Nestlé Professional, Fine Food, Moffat, Robot Coupe, Bidvest, Krio Krush and Chef Works help the ACF and without these industry partnerships nothing would be possible. OH

ON THE MOVE EPICURE has appointed Travis Dines (pictured) as the director of culinary operations [Melbourne Cricket Ground and Special Events] replacing Peter Haycroft. Dines has been with the company for 20 years, and was previously executive chef for MCG and Special Events for two years.

James Kidman (pictured) is the new executive chef at Cafe Sydney in Sydney's Circular Quay replacing Matt Bates. He brings more than 20 years of experience to the role including executive chef at Otto Ristorante and leading the kitchen at the Doltone House function space in Pyrmont.

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) has appointed Peter Haycroft as the new executive chef. Haycroft joins the team after 14 years with EPICURE at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, most recently as the director of culinary operations.

Pei Modern Restaurant at Four Seasons Sydney has appointed Joachim Borenius as head chef. Formerly sous chef and head chef at Marque Restaurant for over five years, Borenius brings over 10 years of experience in internationally acclaimed Michelin star restaurants.

Louise Farquhar has been appointed executive chef at Holiday Inn Sydney Airport. He has more than 20 years’ experience in hospitality, and was previously executive chef at Q Station in Sydney’s Manly.

Trent Barrett (pictured) has taken over the role of executive chef of Peppers Convent Hunter Valley, overseeing the property’s two restaurants, Circa 1876 and Eighty Eight as well the food direction of luxury boutique hotel, Peppers Convent. He replaces George Francisco.

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, October 2015 39

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