Open House Foodservice November 2015 Issue

Print Post Approved PP100020878

NOVEMBER 2015

New funding opportunities The changing face of pubs Proud to be a Chef gets creative

Ice cream perfection Mรถvenpick

ARTISAN

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CAKES

I

DESSERTS

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SAVOURIES

THE AUSTRALIAN MASTERS OF ALL THINGS SWEET… NOW DO AN AMAZING EASY SERVE SAVOURY RANGE. All Kooka Brotha’s cakes, desserts and savouries are made here in Australia and are naturally crafted from the best fresh ingredients.

Our new savoury range includes: scones, tarts, frittatas, muffins, arancini, quiche and moussaka.

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Download our product guides to get all the facts on what’s new, what’s gluten free plus the flexible range of serving options. And you know all Kooka Brotha’s products are easy to handle and serve, with convenient portion control, meaning no waste.

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CONTENTS

22

ON THE COVER The secret of every Mövenpick creation is the use of the finest selected ingredients designed with the Swiss craftsmanship of their talented Maîtres Glaciers.

Regulars 14

04 Editor’s word 06 News

Print Post Approved PP100020878

12 In season

Rhubarb 13 10 things

Expensive menu items 14 Origins Spam 32 Regional snapshot

Port Douglas, QLD 34 Cooking the books 36 Products 38 Profile

Ben Sweeten, owner of Kansas City Shuffle 39 Australian Culinary Federation news

OCTOBER 2015

Features 10 Cover story

Mövenpick ice cream

Modern artisan style

Focus on front of house

Potts Bakery’s new sourdough range

OH1015.indd 1

15 Apprentices

Apprentice chef Maria Hoad strikes gold 16 Talking point

Unilever Food Solutions Chefs Panel 18 Pubs

Pubs smarten up 22 Crowdfunding

Creating new opportunities 26 Fonterra Proud to be a Chef

Fostering creativity

32

Breakfast gets creative

Chefs talk knives

30 Seafood

Australian Seafood Quality Index app

2/11/2015 2:19 pm

To ensure you never miss out there are now more ways to enjoy Open House.

As well as the monthly magazine, Open House is also available as a free iPad app, which is packed with exclusive extras. The Open House app is available at the iTunes app store.

Subscribe to the OH iPad app

www.openhousemagazine.net

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, November 2015 3

EDITOR’S WORD

Show me the money Published in Australia by Creative Head Media Pty Ltd

O

ne of Sydney’s best known pubs, the Oxford Hotel, recently changed hands for the tidy sum of $34 million. It comes with a swag of gaming machines so should pay for itself in no time, but it does raise the question of just how much money it takes nowadays to be a player in the hospitality sector. Established hospitality groups such as Merivale and Urban Purveyor have enough credit with the bank to slap down mega dollars on new ventures with the mantra too big to fail pushing them onwards and upwards. Money may be cheap these days but not everyone has enough of a track record to get a blank cheque from the bank to throw at their next bright idea.

That hasn’t stopped some entrepreneurial types from following their dreams, with a raft of new technology driven platforms offering new ways to raise cash. Loosely grouped under crowdfunding, these platforms give anyone with a good idea the chance to make it happen simply by convincing other people that they feel the same about it.

Ultimately any good idea, whether it’s a new venue or a new take on craft beer, needs to tell a story. Make people fall in love with your idea and chances are they may fall in love with your product as well. Take a look at our Crowdfunding story on page 22 and see how some Aussie businesses got people to back their dreams.

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

Copyright © 2015 Opinions expressed by the contributors in this magazine are not the opinion of Open House Foodservice. Letters to the editor are subject to editing.

THIS MONTH’S TOP STORY Whilst restaurants have been toning down on fine dining and cafes have been perfecting their coffee brewing methods, pubs have swapped their casual attire for a more polished look and feel.

See the full story on page 18.

4 Open House, November 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. Dalya is pleased to announce that the stock has arrived in Australia, ask your local wholesale distributor about stocking HUG lines.

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.

For more recipe ideas visit www.dalya.com.au/products/hug

Ground Floor, 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

Wulugul Pop Up opens at Barangaroo T

Belle’s Hot Chicken are among the operators signed up for the nine-month residency.

Mamak, Gin & It, RivaReno Gelato, Edition Coffee Roasters and Melbourne cult-favourite.

A mix of events has also been planned throughout the year, including a General Thinking series of talks directed by Remo Giuffre (founder of General Thinking and TedXSydney) and debates and festivals curated by Joanna Savill with foodies in mind.

he Wulugul Pop Up at Sydney’s Barangaroo has opened, offering Sydneysiders a waterfront alfresco dining experience including street-food and drink brands trading alongside inspiring events, green spaces and relaxation zones.

Meat Fish Wine re-launches Restaurant and wine bar Meat Fish Wine, in Melbourne’s QV precinct, re-opened on November 11 with new executive chef David Schofield (pictured) running the kitchen.

The restaurant re-launch features a new menu, extended wine list and re-designed bar area and interior.

“Some of my favourite items on the new menu are from our raw, cured and fermented selection of fresh oysters, air dried meats and charcuterie,” said Schofield.

“Or the roasted bone marrow-Fergus Henderson, with parsley salad and toast followed by king prawns sautéed with garlic, butter and shallots.”

Sirromet to offer wine education Queensland wine producer Sirromet has become the first Australian winery to offer internationally recognised qualifications at its Mount Cotton premises.

In partnership with the internationally renowned Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), Sirromet will be offering both Level 1 and 2 courses in wine education, from March 2016.

“As people’s interest in wine has grown, so too has their interest in wine education,” he said.

a wine course and a spirits program.

For more information or to apply visit www.sirromet.com or call (07) 3206 2999.

“Level 1 and 2 courses are suitable for sales reps, sales managers, sommeliers, restaurant owners, wine lovers and purists.”

Sirromet’s wine school will offer two WSET levels, with courses held quarterly from March, 2016. The courses are a progression, beginning with WSET Level 1 – Foundation, an introductory course to wine and WSET Level 2 – Intermediate, including both

6 Open House, November 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

Photo credit: Jack Tran.

With more than 30 years viticulture and wine making experience, Sirromet’s chief winemaker Adam Chapman (pictured) said the sought-after qualifications are ideal for wine enthusiasts looking to gain a formal qualification with hands on experience.

“WSET’s courses provide the ideal introduction for anyone looking to increase their wine knowledge and is a must for anyone wanting to gain work in the wine industry.

ARMORY 0615_OH

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NEWS BRIEFS Sunrise Asian opens Sydney restaurant and cafe Produce supplier Sunrise Asian has opened a new Sunrise Asian store and restaurant in Sydney’s Elizabeth Bay. The café and restaurant are designed to showcase the best use of their produce daily, from brunch to dinner.

Think.Eat.Save heads to Bangkok OzHarvest will be hosting their first ever international Think.Eat.Save event in Thailand, as the official Australian partner of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The event will see Australian and Thai

Best ham on show The Australian Ham Awards were announced recently.

The Best Australian Ham and Best Traditional Bone-In Ham titles were awarded to Sunshine Meats, Milperra, NSW. Andrew’s Choice from Laverton North, Victoria, took out the Best Boneless Ham title and IGA Bone In Leg Ham won the Best Nationally Available Ham.

Ayers Rock Resort’s double award win Ayers Rock Resort restaurant Tali Wiru scooped two awards in October, winning the Territory Taste Tourism Restaurants and Catering Services category in the 2015 Tourism Central Australia Awards, and the Best Tourism Themed Restaurant in the 2015 Australian Hotel Association (NT) Australian Liquor Marketers Gold Plate Awards.

Urban Purveyor Group to serve up MakeA-Wish dishes Urban Purveyor Group restaurants around Australia will be raising funds for children’s charity Make-A-Wish Australia throughout December, with the sale of specially marked dishes at its venues with $2 from each of these special dishes donated.

Aussie-Thai chefs including Marion Grasby (pictured), Dylan and Bo of Bo.Ian restaurant together with a team of chefs from Aussie David Thompson's nahm restaurant, and Chris Miller are among those taking part.

Grasby said she was excited to be involved in OzHarvest's Think.Eat.Save in her hometown of Bangkok.

“I’m passionate about all things food and that includes raising awareness about food waste and how we can be more mindful about our food habits,” she said. “Just a little more thought about how we cook and eat can have a massive effect on helping to reduce landfill and protecting our environment for the future.”

Gourmet Escape impresses The three-day Margaret River Gourmet Escape, held from November 20-22, has been hailed a success. The event hub, the Gourmet Village at Leeuwin Estate hosted 150 artisan producers, 70 wineries, interactive food and wine activities, along with hands-on attractions featuring world renowned chefs.

chefs collaborate to feed 2000 in Bangkok's Parc Paragon on December 3, using rescued ingredients that would have ended up in the landfill.

“OzHarvest is the leading campaigner against food waste in Australia and I’m so pleased to be able to help spread their important work in Asia and in particular, my hometown, Bangkok.”

Report reveals drought of skilled workers The Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF) is calling for renewed action from federal, state and territory governments to tackle the growing skills shortage in the tourism industry that is anticipated to blowout to 123,000 workers by 2020.

Australian Tourism Labour Force Report 2015-2020 undertaken by Austrade has revealed that a projected shortage of 56,000 skilled and unskilled workers this year has dropped to 38,000 compared to the last survey (2011). However, these gains will be completely erased, with the shortage expected to increase almost fourfold from 36,000 to 123,000 workers in 2020.

“The latest Tourism Labour Force sounds alarm bells for the future of attracting and retaining workers in the industry, especially if we don’t take action now to address the issues,” said Margy Osmond, TTF chief executive.

“Industry needs more skilled chefs,

8 Open House, November 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

restaurant, café managers and hotel, motel managers to fill the gaps.”

Osmond also said that while the skills gap was growing the number of foreign workers in the industry was declining – dropping from 13 per cent to 10 per cent on the national average (WA is an exception with 29 per cent) – and that could be attributed to red tape and difficulties with securing working visas.

“The Australian Government recently announced that they will extend Working Holiday Maker Visas from six months to 12 months with one employer in Northern Australia – this reform needs to be expanded to cover the entire country,” she said.

“The industry is doing its bit to try and recruit these workers, but we need a dedicated economic strategy from government to ensure the industry can meet its full potential as one of the great pillars of the Australian economy.” OH

COVER STORY

Extraordinary ice cream experience

The secret of every Mövenpick creation is the use of the finest selected ingredients designed with the Swiss craftsmanship of their talented Maîtres Glaciers.

A

passion for gastronomy and innovation was the foundation for Mövenpick when it was created in the 1948, and that hasn’t changed today. Founder Ueli Prager was a pioneer fostering a brand-new restaurant concept in Switzerland. His idea was to offer culinary excellence to busy people seeking a quality experience.

As of 1960, his inspired chefs started to develop their own ice cream creations. This extraordinary ice cream rapidly took off, and became the high-end dessert in many famous Swiss restaurants.

Today, in the Excellence Center established in Bursins, in the southwestern part of Switzerland, the Mövenpick Maîtres Glaciers maintain this very specific knowhow, continuing to guarantee and drive innovation and quality excellence into the brand for more than 50 years.

Mövenpick continues to inspire everinventive chefs from the kitchens of many prestigious hotels but also from gastronomic restaurants all over the world. It is in those places that Mövenpick can express and share its passion for taste and textures offering unique gastronomical experiences.

Mövenpick’s goal is to give its customers a degree of gourmet pleasure that is second

10 Open House, November 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

to none in the world of ice cream. Their secret? Combine the very best of nature and unparalleled smooth textures to make the simplest flavours extraordinary.

All Mövenpick’s creations are all natural, made with pure Swiss cream and real fruit puree, with no artificial additives or colours. Mövenpick products are made with only carefully selected ingredients, sought out all over the world accordingly to Mövenpick’s high quality standards.

Luxurious Swiss cream lends its unbeatably smooth and delicate texture to the ice cream collection. Pure Swiss chocolate gives the world-famous Swiss Chocolate recipe its incomparable creaminess, enhanced by a blend of the highest quality Maracaibo cocoa from Venezuela.

These quality ingredients also include the sweet caramel pieces, made by Swiss craftsmen in the popular Caramelita flavour, and the 54 per cent real fruit content in the Raspberry sorbet, which gives it a uniquely velvety texture.

The reward of Mövenpick’s all natural policy and the passion of their Maîtres Glaciers is an authentic moment of pure indulgence. OH

See bold flavour.

Taste bold flavour.

Bold flavour is trending on menus across the globe – so it’s time to serve it up!

Lamb Weston® Twister Fries® deliver flavour so big and bold you can actually see it.

Now it’s easy to offer flavour that excites patrons and keeps them coming back.

Available in Triple Pepper and Garlic Herb.

To see what’s possible with potatoes and to request a sample, call us at 1300 781 555 or visit LambWeston.com/TwisterFriesAU

©2015 ConAgra Foods, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

IN SEASON

Rhubarb A

green stems like Victoria, which are just as reliable and tasty as the red, but sometimes not as sweet.

lthough rhubarb is used in desserts and jams, it is considered a vegetable because the stalks are used not the fruit.

One of the first food plants harvested, usually in mid- to late spring October and November.

Never cook rhubarb in aluminium saucepans as the oxalic acid in the stems dissolves the protective layer normally found on these saucepans, forming a poisonous compound called aluminium oxalate.

Pick stems about the thickness of your finger. Large stems will have tough 'strings' down the length of them.

Stems can be stored for up to five days in the fridge or frozen in small pieces. Before freezing, heat in boiling water for one minute, rinse under cold water and drain.

The stems must always be cooked before eating as the raw state is indigestible.

The leaves are toxic, containing oxalic acid, so never eat them or feed them to your chickens. Some varieties have red stems like Ever Red whilst others have

Rhubarb can be used in desserts, jams and wines and works well with orange. OH

November

December

• Asian greens

• Mangoes

• Silverbeet

• Apricots

• Nectarines

• Raspberries

• Asparagus

• Melons

• Spinach

• Asparagus

• Peaches

• Red papaya

• Avocados

• Mulberries

• Spring onions

• Banana

• Peas

• Snow peas

• Banana

• Papaw

• Sweetcorn

• Blackberries

• Passionfruit

• Blueberries

• Papaya

• Tomatoes

• Blueberries

• Pineapples

• Spring onions (green shallots)

• Celeriac

• Passionfruit

• Valencia oranges

• Radish

• Cherries

• Peas

• Watercress

• Carambola (starfruit)

• Chillies

• Pineapples

• Youngberries

• Cucumber

• Potatoes

• Zucchini

• Globe artichokes

• Shallots (green onions)

• Zucchini flowers

• Grapefruit • Green beans • Loquats

• Celery

• Rockmelon/ cantaloupe

• Cherries

• Rambutan

• Sugar snap peas • Sweet corn • Valencia oranges

• Cucumber

• Watermelon

• Eggplant

• Yellow papaw

• Grapes

• Zucchini

• Green beans • Hass avocados • Honeydew melons • Lemons • Lettuce • Lychees • Mangoes

12 Open House, November 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

• Strawberries

TOP 10

10 most expensive menu items If you want to widen those slim margins it may be best to take a leaf, preferably a gold one, from these restaurants who are helping diners part with eye-watering amounts by blinging up some pretty standard fare.

1 Von Essen

Platinum Club Sandwich – £100

Iberian ham, West Country vintage farmhouse cheddar, white truffles, sundried black Italian tomatoes, red amaranth and quail eggs between slices of specialty sourdough bread.

Launched in 2007 just prior to the GFC.

2 Quintessential

Grilled Cheese – US$214

Chef Joe Calderoni launched his blinged up grilled cheese sanga in New York restaurant Serendipity 3. Edged in 24-carat gold, it is made with Caciocavallo Podolico, champagne, lobster and truffle oil and must be ordered at least 48 hours in advance.

3 Le Burger

Extravagant – US$295

Serendipity 3 also turned out a Kobe Wagyu burger infused with white truffle butter, fried quail egg, black truffles and James Montgomery cheddar cheese. It is served on a golddusted roll and topped with blini, stuffed with crème Fraiche and Caviar, and comes with a solid gold, diamondencrusted toothpick.

Fries not included.

4 Glamburger – £1100

London restaurant Honky Tonk's claimed the most expensive burger title with their Kobe Wagyu beef and

New Zealand venison patty seasoned with smoked Himalayan salt. Black truffle brie, Beluga caviar and hickory smoked duck egg covered in gold leaf complete the picture. The bun is also coated in gold leaf and seasoned with Japanese matcha and cream mayonnaise.

5 Douche Burger – US$666

In 2012, New York City-based food truck 666 put this burger on the menu featuring a Kobe beef patty stuffed with gold-leaf, topped with lobster, truffles, caviar and Gruyere cheese melted with champagne steam and BBQ sauce made with Kopi Luwak coffee.

6 The Golden Bagel – US$1000

Created by New York Westin Hotel’s executive chef Frank Tujague in 2007, the bagel features white truffle cream cheese and goji berry infused Riesling jelly, sprinkled with gold leaf. Proceeds went to charity so not that bad.

7 Margo’s White

Truffle & Gold Leaf Pizza – US$2400

In 2010, pizzaiolo Giovanni Staiano and restaurateur Claude Camilleri from Margo’s Pizzeria in Malta loaded a pizza with 100 grams of white truffles and 24-carat gold leaf, making it the most expensive commercially available pizza in the world.

9 Louis XIII

Pizza Royale – US$12,000

Miami-based Italian chef Renato Viola has packed this pizza with cognac-marinated Norwegian lobster, Mediterranean prawns and Cilento bugs, three types of black caviar soaked in champagne, Buffalo mozzarella cheese and Australian Murray River pink salt. Served with elite Remy Martin Louis XIII Cognac.

10 Lancashire Wagyu 8 230 FIFTH Dog

& Mushroom Pie – £1000 a slice

– US$2495

It's one of America's most popular sporting traditions – an afternoon at the ball park with a hot dog

covered in ketchup and mustard. In 2013, New York’s 230 Fifth released this creation made out of 60-day dryaged wagyu and topped with Vidalia onions caramelized in Dom Perignon, sauerkraut braised in Cristal, and caviar, and gold leaf.

Served at UK restaurant The Fence Gate Inn in 2005, this meat pie contains $870 worth of Wagyu beef fillet, Chinese matsutake mushrooms, winter black truffles, and French bluefoot mushrooms. The gravy is made with two bottles of vintage 1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild wine, while the crust is covered in edible gold leaf. Tomato sauce is 50 cents extra. OH

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, November 2015 13

ORIGINS

Spam From pressed meat to Monty Python sketches and finally emails that end up in your junk folder, Spam has come a long way.

“S

pam, sausage, Spam, Spam, bacon, Spam, tomato and Spam”, went the Monty Python sketch that took the proverbial out of the lack of imagination of pre-Heston Bluementhal cuisine in circa 1970s Britain. Little did they know that in the far distant future this much loved and then loathed processed meat product would be embraced by semi-autistic types, otherwise known as IT guys, and used to describe mass generated emails that were to be the plague of office inboxes the world over.

military had supplied it to its troops. In gratitude for their sacrifice global citizens began munching on the mouthwatering combination of pork shoulder meat, ham meat, salt, water, modified potato starch, sugar and sodium nitrite, all cooked in its own tin. The result a food that contains almost double the amount of fat compared to its protein content. Yum.

Spam was a brand of canned precooked meat made by Hormel Foods Corporation in the US. Introduced in 1937, its popularity took off globally post WWII, in part due to the fact that the US

There is some debate as to where the name came from, with some saying it is an abbreviation of “spiced ham”, “shoulders of pork and ham” or “specially processed American meat”.

By 2003, Spam was sold in 41 countries on six continents and trademarked in over 100 countries, with more than seven billion cans of the stuff sold by 2007.

14 Open House, November 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

Spam is still very popular in the US, with Hawaii taking the dubious honour of being the highest US consumers of the tinned delicacy, where it is called “The Hawaiian Steak”. It is also popular in many Asian countries including Japan and the Philippines.

Fast forward to the early days of the internet in the 1990s when a certain type of person who liked role playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons inhabited multi-userdungeons of popular multi-player games such as The Sims Online or Second Life.

These types also liked Monty Python and for reasons all of their own decided to throw out the term “spam” to describe electronic junk messages. A giant leap for junk food and a small step for junk mail. OH

APPRENTICES

Top End triumph Darwin-based first year apprentice chef Maria Hoad triumphed when Australia’s best up-and-coming apprentice chefs from around the nation came together in October to put their culinary skills to the test in Australia’s largest apprentice chef contest, the Australian Culinary Federation Fonterra Foodservice National Apprentice Competition.

T

generation of Australian culinary leaders with the opportunity to learn from acclaimed chefs, finesse their skills, and importantly, create valuable relationships and establish networks within the industry.

he 2015 final held in Perth this October, saw Darwin-based first year apprentice chef Maria Hoad capture the judges’ attention with her competition dish, a Sumac spiced lamb rump with herb and parmesan tille and lamb jus.

Maria spoke about her experience in the National Apprentice Competition saying highlights included being given the “chance to meet talented young chefs [from around] the country” and how her exposure to fellow gifted peers motivated her to improve her own skills.

Australian Culinary Federation president Neil Abrahams commended Maria, saying “she showed maturity in the dish she presented, which was beautifully balanced and cooked to perfection.”

Praising her enthusiastic attitude, Abrahams said Maria stood out during her time in the competition and is looking forward to her career progression over the coming years.

Both the National Apprentice Competition and the Fonterra Proud to be a Chef mentoring program aim to provide the next

Photo credit: Robert Foltz.

Maria was not only crowned Champion First Year Apprentice, but was also presented with a Golden Ticket to the Fonterra Proud to be a Chef 2016 mentoring program held in Melbourne. Maria will be competing against 31 other apprentice chefs from across the nation during the Fonterra Proud to be a Chef program, fighting it out to win the highly sought after international scholarship first prize.

Now changing her focus to the upcoming Fonterra Proud to be a Chef mentoring competition, Maria said that she is looking forward to getting the “chance to step foot into some of the hottest restaurants in Melbourne” and that if she is lucky enough to win the competition she “would love to work with the Roca Brothers at El Celler de Can Roca” in Spain.

Maria is currently undertaking a Certificate III in Commercial Cookery at Charles Darwin University, whilst working at the Rydges Hotel Palmerston where she is in charge of the Larder and Dessert section from Lunch to Dinner service. OH www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, November 2015 15

TALKING POINT

Chef Panel • Gary Johnson – national food manager and group executive chef, Spirit Hotels • Kurt von Buren, executive chef, Mercure Hotel Parramatta • Erin Martin, Cee Cees Catering • Graham Krueger, group executive chef, Western Suburbs Leagues Club • Sam Burke, business manager foodservice and corporate executive chef Meat & Livestock Australia

Chefs talking Food allergies, staffing issues and a need for pre-prepared products were on the menu at the recent Unilever Food Solutions Chef Panel.

W

ith the mantra of getting more from less, chefs are always looking for ways

to raise the bar in the kitchen and make sure the diner gets value for money. The five

the ways large foodservice companies and chain suppliers can help them keep one step ahead in the kitchen.

chefs at the Unilever Food Solutions Chef

What chefs want from chain suppliers

Panel in October shared their insights into

GJ: We are looking for high quality products and ingredients, but at the same time we are

the challenges they face in the kitchen and

i

Times are a changin’

Harry Brouwer, executive vice president for Unilever Food Solutions, says the perception of using pre-prepared or convenience products in kitchens is shifting, with many chefs happy to follow the lead of the public and embrace quality brands.

“Just a few weeks ago I was in Istanbul and I was with the chairman of the chefs’ association in Turkey, and he showed me around the hotel [we were visiting] and we came to the restaurant, which was very nice, very luxurious, great presentation, and in this open kitchen, against the wall were Knorr products.

I said to him ‘You don’t mind showing these products here? You’re creating such a [high end] image with this restaurant.’ And he said ‘Harry, we’re in 2015. That’s all I’d like to say about it. I show that I’m using Coke, I show the beer brands, why can’t I show that I’m using high quality products?”

looking for efficiencies in our operation. It’s the old adage that you have got to do more with less. From a labour perspective things can spiral out of control and from a success perspective it can be the demise of business, so those efficiencies become so important.

KB: I’m looking for consistency. For us it is one of the major problems we have to face.

Twenty years ago you had 20 chefs and one recipe for a salad dressing. Today you don’t have 20 chefs anymore, you have four chefs but you still want something good and tasty and consistent. For me it is very important that throughout the whole year, every week, every night you have the same product. In the old days if you had three chefs doing breakfast you would have three different hollandaise sauces. We have corporate guests who will stay for weeks, and they will have eggs Benedict every morning so it is fantastic to have a product that is consistent and a quality product.

EM: I’m looking for versatility in a product. I

16 Open House, November 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

don’t have storage rooms where I can have a thousand different products on hand. I like to have a few products that can be used across three or four different things. Every chef has their own techniques and won’t produce the same product. With things like aioli it really does have to be consistent though, because people come back for the same taste.

GK: The good thing about Unilever products is [they are] shelf stable. We can’t have everything in the cool room so an order can still come in but doesn’t have to go into the fridge until later. For instance, freshly prepared hollandaise has a four hour window before it has to go out or it goes in the bin.

The rise of dietary requirements and the gluten free trend GJ: Most of gluten free requirements are preference. As long as gluten free products are as good as the real thing we are able to pass them over. With a gluten free chocolate pudding, as long as it tastes as good as a “real” chocolate pudding but just happens to be gluten free then that is an advantage.

KB: It’s very important, but we need clearer labelling with no numbers. So when you send someone to check if there are gluten traces in the gravy for instance, it is written in understandable words rather than starch, corn flour or whatever flour. A lot of corn flour is 80 per cent wheat flour and 20 per cent corn flour. It can be really dangerous.

EM: In the middle of service and someone comes in [with a dietary requirement] it can be quite tricky. You will run over and look at the label and it will say “3157” and it’s like “what is that?” The labelling is vital, so if it says this product is gluten free, that’s huge. Near enough is not good enough, it has to be spot on.

GK: It is all very well for companies to make all of these gluten free products but I have an issue with the price point. Why is there a 300 per cent mark up for gluten free products? I have a responsibility to look after my diners, but I also have a responsibility to the business, and if a meal costs 300 per cent more to produce that’s an issue.

The rise of pre-prepared products in the kitchen SB: Back in the early 90s, when I was at Ryde TAFE, we got smashed in the kitchen to make sure that all the sauces, all the roux were right. We did nine weeks of butchery, and when you came out you understood

the basic fundamentals of French cooking.

Today, the poor old TAFEs have had the programs scaled back so much that the chefs aren’t coming out with the same Cert 3 or Cert 4 that they had when we went through college. We now rely more than ever on these products to produce good quality time and time again.

GJ: I have around 300 chefs across the business and they want to own their product. These guys don’t want to know about opening up a packet and putting it on a plate. They don’t want to know about microwaving things, they don’t want to know about anything like that because of their creative veins. Obviously they want to own the product at the end of the day, and [want to] put things on a plate that they can put their name behind and be proud of. So we take things like the hollandaise sauce and we put a little bit of butter into it, add a few drops of tabasco, a couple of drops of Worcestershire sauce or whatever, and hey presto, there’s a different flavour.

GK: It’s about having products that are chef made. It’s about a building block that chefs can use to finish off a product.

KB: My philosophy is use it but don’t misuse it. As long as the end product is good that’s all that matters. We need these products nowadays, it’s not a crime to use finished products. We have less staff and less time and it is really hard without help. When I did my apprenticeship, all this stuff was around already in Switzerland and we were not allowed to use it until we could actually cook it. So, for instance, you’d make a chicken

stock. If you can do a really good chicken stock and the flavours are right – if you can prove yourself – then you can start to use the powder. Otherwise, apprentices use the powder from the beginning and at the end they still don’t know how to make a chicken stock. I think that’s one of the fundamentals that we got taught: you can use it, but first you have to know how to make it.

SB: We’re relying more than ever on these products to assist in providing a menu item that is good quality time and time again.

Because customers want consistency; they want a good variety on the menu and they want to make sure that when they come they’re satisfied, because they’ve parted with their hard earned dollars.

Staffing issues GK: It’s the number one challenge. You can get everything else right but if the person who you put in charge of the grill doesn’t get it right then the whole thing falls apart. That’s the challenge we face. We can service up 1500 customers on a Saturday night, with around nine to 11 staff in the kitchen. I won’t leave the building until I have thanked everyone in the team and I have signed off on everything.

They don’t have to be there, they want to be there. If people don’t feel good about themselves why would they stay with you?

EM: I thank all the staff and try and give them all pat on the back, or a cuddle if they need it. I have a very small kitchen but everyone wants to be there. Five minutes just to say “how are you going?” At the end of the day we can’t do it without them. OH

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, November 2015 17

PUBS

1

In with the new Whilst restaurants have been toning down on fine dining and cafes have been perfecting their coffee brewing methods, a growing number of pubs have swapped their casual attire for a more polished look and feel, writes Anastasia Prikhodko.

“P

eople have higher expectations of value for money now,” says Patrick Ryan, general manager of Perth’s Lalla Rookh Bar & Eating House.

“Whether you are offering a higher end dining experience or a very basic offering, customers have a better idea of what they should be paying.”

The increased expectations of food has encouraged pubs to transition into the fancier sphere of gastro-pubs.

Ryan says that increased competition along with a decline in the amount of people drinking has played a role in improving the menu.

“It has become very important to make Monday to Thursday count as days in terms of turnover and the best way to do that is with food offering,” he says. “We are no longer so reliant on the weekend days.”

Out with the fish and chips and in with pappardelle and wild boar ragu, while various pastas have become the go to pub meal at Lalla Rookh.

Diners are making no exceptions towards pub food, as they continue to lean towards dishes that are fresher and healthier. The once popular long pub luncheons have also decreased in attendance.

“I think a tighter economy has led people

18 Open House, November 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

or companies to tighten up on frivolous spending and for the workers themselves, they have to get back to work,” says Ryan. “Also more companies have a zero tolerance on alcohol and company funded drinking is being done over dinner rather than lunch.”

The change in dining at pubs, together with the changing face of pubs, will have an impact on the hospitality industry, as all operators are chasing the same customers.

Ryan says that because of license changes, restaurants are now chasing the drinkers, whilst the pubs are chasing the diners by improving their offering.

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1 The Paddington, Oxford Street, Sydney. 2 Fresh squid served at The Paddington. 3 Cocktail Bar at Dove & Olive, Sydney. 4 Ben Greeno, executive chef at The Paddington.

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Ticking all the boxes The Dove & Olive is ideal for functions, private events and after work drinks.

Keg & Brew has kept its old school charm and is a small beer bar with 33 taps.

The Dog is still underway but will “offer something for everyone”.

This expectation has not only heightened for food but also for its accomplice – beer.

Despite Australia’s beer consumption being at a 50 year low, craft beer continues to win over customers.

“You need to deliver the perfect experience every time and we strive to do this with our food, beer lists and our diverse range of events which includes Trivia, beer dinners and even Opera in the Pub.”

“People’s expectations are a lot higher and if you don’t offer craft beer you’ll be left behind,” says Dan Ryan, operations manager at The Good Beer Company, who own Dove & Olive, Keg & Brew and The Dog in Sydney.

Ryan also says that pub food hasn’t drastically changed, but rather it’s about adding a twist on the classics.

This summer, the traditional chicken parmigiana will be served Hawaiian-style,

“We are all really excited to be opening for business in Randwick, meeting our new locals and hopefully drawing some new customers to the area,” says Ryan.

The $9.90 steaks with salad and fries are the go to at both venues as well as the 1kg Saturday bucket of wings at the Keg & Brew.

“There is a bit of a burger craze sweeping Sydney and our burgers are very popular too.”

er Summ For details visit www.nafdarewards.com.au or call 02 8833 9299. www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, November 2015 19

All about the BBQ Celebrity chef Sean Donovan and wife Natalie Fee have reopened Fitzroy’s historic Town Hall Hotel, with a contemporary smoky-BBQ menu and a European flavour.

The move into wood-fired barbeque came about partially as a result of the recent renovations.

The red gum fired wood BBQ is used to grill and slow-cook a variety of meats, including chicken, beef and seafood.

3

1 Lalla Rookh, Perth. 2 Pasta at Lalla Rookh, Perth.

3 Assortment of dishes at The Paddington.

1

2

with pineapple and fennel slaw.

watching their expenditure more closely.

“Diversity in the menu is really important to drive repeat visits,” he says.

One of Merivale’s newest ventures The Paddington, situated on Oxford Street in Sydney’s inner city, will be serving a rotisserie menu led by the executive chef Ben Greeno.

The concept of a gastropub, which is described as part wine bar, part beer pub, part shot bar and part upscale restaurant, has only continued to increase as a result of maturing palates and consumers

i

Greeno, whose previous experience includes Momofuku Seiobo, Michelinstarred Sat Bains and Noma, has designed

A goodtime pub

The Goodtime Hospitality Group, a newly established hospitality group consisting of entrepreneur James Bodel and Locky Paech (ex-The Norfolk and The Forresters), have reinvented what was known as the White Cockatoo.

The 130-year-old hotel in Petersham now known as the West Village features a pub menu of share plates, salads, and steaks with a choice of crispy potato spuds in truffle oil and parmesan; peas, mint and feta; spiced kale chips; coleslaw or seeded mustard potato mash.

One dish that’s causing a stir is the kimchi poutine – fries covered with kimchi (fermented cabbage, chilli, carrot, radish and spring onion) topped with melted cheese and sour cream.

There will also be a separate bar food menu with pub staples like fish and chips, a cheeseburger, and chicken schnitzel as well as rotating specials for the burger of the day, sandwich of the day and curry of the day.

The pub also serves craft beers and cocktails on tap.

20 Open House, November 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

the menu entirely and will be serving food that he loves to cook.

“I thought, ‘why don’t we do rotisserie?’,” he says. “There’s no reason why the food can’t be as good and complex as a highend restaurant, even though it’s served in more casual surrounds.”

The Paddington will be serving food that is neither pub food nor restaurant food.

“It’s basically whatever we want to cook and feel like cooking and hopefully what people want to eat, there’s no burger or ‘schnitty’ on the menu,” he says.

Having lived and worked in Australia for four and a half years, the English chef says he hasn’t noticed much of a change in pubs, apart from the name “gastro-pub” getting thrown around a lot.

But he makes one thing clear, “we would never describe ourselves as a gastro pub”.

Greeno also says that pubs are not a place for just one set of people, but a public house where you go to meet other people.

“In a pub you have farmers having a beer next to millionaires and that is what it should be like.” OH

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CROWDFUNDING

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It’s all about the crowd Crowdfunding platforms are creating new opportunities for industries lacking in capital, along with providing the necessary tools for a transparent relationship between the consumer and operator, writes Anastasia Prikhodko.

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handful of hospitality operators have taken advantage of crowdfunding platforms that not only give consumers a voice but also enable businesses to test their projects before throwing in the money.

wanting to be part of the whole process.

“Back in 1998, you’d set up the business, do all the prep and then launch with a bang and only then sell the product but now in 2015, you don’t do that,” he says.

“I love the idea of how crowdfunding allows you to test the market for your idea before you go and sink a ton of money into a project that may not have wide appeal,” says Almenning.

“We had nothing and before we pulled out our savings we just wanted to check if there was a demand there and if people would actually like what we were making,” says Tom Baker, co-founder of Mr Black, a cold drip coffee liqueur and Australia’s first crowdfunded alcohol.

As opposed to other industries, hospitality has been quite slow in adopting the use of crowdfunding, despite the many advantages it can bring to the industry.

“I was quite familiar with crowdfunding prior to launching our cocktail book this way, as I had been a pretty eager crowdfunder on Kickstarter for some time.”

Baker says that if the use of crowdfunding was to increase, the hospitality industry would see more people taking risks and opening up niche businesses that perhaps don’t appeal to everyone.

Before launching the crowdfunding campaign, the team had met with a variety of publishers, who were all for the project.

Baker and distiller Phillip Moore launched Mr Black through Pozible, an Australian crowdfunding website.

Crowdfunding is essentially about “the crowd and not the funding,” as operators showcase their ideas to progressive consumers and receive feedback.

Baker says that the start-up business model has also changed, with consumers now

Sven Almenning, owner and director of The Speakeasy Group, who own Sydney’s Eau de Vie and the Roosevelt along with Eau de Vie and Boilermaker House in Melbourne, used a crowdfunding campaign through Indiegogo to publish the Eau de Vie cocktail book.

22 Open House, November 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

“However, with the publishing industry struggling at the time, we ended up deciding to give crowdfunding a go instead, as the traditional route seemed to take forever,” he says.

In 2013, the company launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise the money needed for publishing. In less than two days they had raised the $12,000 target for the

2

1 Speakeasy Group’s Eau de Vie. 2 Pozible crowdfunding platform.

3 Eau de Vie’s Versailles Experience.

3

release of the Eau de Vie cocktail book.

Following the success, the company launched another product, the Experimental Spirits Co’s Smoked Bacon Bourbon.

“Similarly to our cocktail book we managed to achieve 100 per cent of our target very quickly, which in turn validated the potential for the product,” Almenning says.

Listing a concept on the website is not nearly enough, as alongside it are over 10,000 other ideas. Almenning says that it all comes down to how you market it.

“You have to have a clear marketing strategy and ideally have a solid social media platform and PR campaign to help drive interest and engagement around your product,” he says.

He says that for the hospitality sector this is challenging because crowdfunding is largely used to launch a product, not services. “However, we have used it successfully twice so there is definitely ways to do it.”

Another benefit of crowdfunding is the complete creative control over the product.

“This was very important to us and I think in the end helped us win the award for World’s Best Cocktail Book at the Gourmand Book Awards in China this year,” he says.

Along with enabling people to exchange concepts and invest in projects, crowdfunding platforms also give some businesses a kick start towards achieving their dream.

The Stanley Street Merchants were the first of the bunch to win IconPark’s crowdfunding competition, which included a 12 week residency at 78 Stanley St, in Sydney’s inner city.

Dean McEvoy is the owner of the commercial property and an investor in technology start-ups, including IconPark, Sydney’s first crowdfunding platform and real estate fund dedicated to bars and restaurants.

“What we did was take applications from anyone who had an idea for a restaurant, then a panel of judges chose the top six ideas and

i

the public was left to make the final decision by pre-purchasing a meal from the concept they liked the best,” says McEvoy.

Following the success of Stanley Street Merchants was Rupert & Ruby and the IconPark Rustic European Canteen pop-up, which was a collaborative effort between executive chef Naomi Lowry, formerly head chef of Biota Dining, and sous chef at Pilu.

“In terms of challenges in crowdfunding, I actually think hospitality is a lot easier than other categories,” he says. “I think the challenge is actually the operators getting their

It’s Pozible

STREAT, a social enterprise cafe operator that works with homeless and disadvantaged youths to provide employment and training used the crowdfunding platform to open Melbourne Central Cafe.

John Gorilla Cafe was opened by Joanna Wilson in Melbourne’s Brunswick West, who joined up to Pozible once construction fell behind schedule. Through the website, people signed up for coffee and food vouchers in exchange for donations.

Sydney’s Poor Toms Gin, a craft gin distillery raised $25,000 in one day, which went towards paying for the first production of the batch. It then released its second batch through the platform to keep up with demand, and have begun bottling and labelling earlier than planned.

Perth’s Lucky Chans noodle bar raised $100,000 via Pozible using a self-hosted campaign to open the restaurant. In return for a financial contribution, members of the public got anything from their name on the wall of the restaurant to dinner for 150 guests, depending on how much they contributed.

Long Street Coffee based in Melbourne is led by baristas Francois and Jane Marx. The café provides work opportunities for refugees and helps them with future employment. The venture was crowdfunded via Pozible.

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, November 2015 23

3

1

1 Eau de Vie cocktail book.

2 Speakeasy Group venue. 3 Mr. Black Cold Press Coffee Liqueur.

2

heads around it, as they can be a bit slow to adopt new technologies and innovation.”

Claire Merquita, general manager of Pozible says that some notable examples of hospitality venues using crowdfunding are Buchan Caves Hotel, Kinfolk, Long Street Coffee, and Extraction Artisan Coffee, a brewery and cafe project running on the site now.

Merquita says that Buchan Caves Hotel, situated in the Victorian town of Buchan was their largest Australian crowdfunding project to date.

“The pub became a symbol of the best things about crowdfunding, the power of a good story and the way a crowd can rally to a great idea,” she says.

“The town itself only has 400 people, but

they raised their funds from four times that many supporters, including from as far away as the UK.” The hospitality industry has been impacted by crowdfunding, as it has “opened up the field, and taken monetary control out of the hands of big funders”.

“Rather than going to a bank or investor, both of which are often uninterested in new or small ventures, you go directly to your customers,” she says.

Merquita also says that one of the challenges is that people sometimes get too excited about receiving funds that they forget about the crowd.

“If you're starting a business, the crowd is equally if not more important to the long

term success of your project. At the end of a successful campaign, you don't just have the money to get going but you've got hundreds of potential customers who have put their money down on the table.”

Staying realistic is also important, as it is likely that the concept won’t raise as much money as desired from supporters.

“There's a huge amount of potential and people are starting to see crowdfunding as the first stop rather than the last resort,” says Merquita.

“Hospitality is already well suited to crowdfunding because it has a product people love – food and drink – and is often strongly rooted in a local community that will provide that first crucial batch of early supporters.” OH

Cheers to a good cause A new craft beer company is set to shake up Australia’s $4 billion beer industry by brewing beers that help support Australian causes.

Founder of the social enterprise The Good Beer Co., James Grugeon, says he was trying to identify ways to make it easy for Australians to support worthy causes when he thought of the good beer movement that has seen great success in the US and UK. “Australians are one of the most beer-loving nations on earth,” Grugeon says. “Yet our beer-drinking dollars go largely to for-profit, multinational companies.”

“This money could be going to good causes right here in Australia, and what better way to raise money for a good cause than to ask people to have a beer for it.”

The Good Beer Co. has launched a crowd-funding campaign for production of its first drop, Great Barrier Beer, which will see at least 50 per cent of profits go to the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS).

Crowd-funders will get the opportunity to be the first to enjoy its easy drinking beers, and have a say in future beer recipes, labels and causes.

“When establishing The Good Beer Co. with our founding partners, we decided our beers needed to be a quality brew made from quality Australian products, as well as being environmentally friendly through their ingredient sourcing and production,” Grugeon says.

“The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven natural wonders of the world but also one of the most critical environmental causes in Australia. I couldn’t think of a more important charity to support with our first beer than the AMCS.”

24 Open House, November 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

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FONTERRA PROUD TO BE A CHEF

1

Culinary evolution Taking a look into Australia’s culinary evolution, Open House spoke with two mentors from Fonterra’s Proud to be a Chef 2016 program, Peter Wright and Josh Pelham, to discuss industry trends, the national obsession with food culture and the impact it has on foodservice competitions.

F

rom 1950’s TV dinners to the early 2000’s sushi craze, Australia has witnessed the shifts in culinary trends over the decades.

Although the industry continues to progress organically, Australia’s culinary culture has been put under the spotlight as a result of the nation’s growing love for food and the rise of celebrity chefs and television cooking programs such as MasterChef and MKR.

Peter Wright, senior consultant at Global Hospitality Group and foodservice competition judge, attributes the change in the Australian food scene to the open embrace of experimentation and growing confidence in the current generation of chefs. This creativity combined with the multicultural influence of different chefs and their cuisine specialities continues to push the nation’s culinary boundaries.

As consumers immerse themselves in the dynamic Australian food scene, the foodservice industry is commanding public attention due to innovation in both technique and flavour combinations that are being showcased not only in restaurants but also in open air pop-up markets and across popular television programming and social media.

“Food back in the 1980s was very classical with a culinary world dominated by European chefs,” he says.

26 Open House, November 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

“These days, we’re the lucky country with exposure to multicultural diversity in every way of life. Consequently our cuisine is exposed to many authentic ethnic techniques and flavour profiles. This allows

1 Last year’s Fonterra Proud to be a Chef finalists. 2 Josh Pelham, Estelle and ESP.

2

our food to flow and our chefs to understand the unique flavour profiles of many different types of cooking.”

He also notes that Australia is now at the forefront of culinary trends through our ability of being able to take the best of both worlds and make it our own.

“Our chefs are most adaptable to change, and increasingly spend their down time travelling and experiencing different cultures and eating habits, bringing new ideas back to Australian kitchens,” he says.

Fellow Fonterra Proud to Be a Chef 2016 mentor Josh Pelham, head chef at Melbourne institution Estelle and ESP, has been cooking since the age of 17 in renowned kitchens all over the world. His experience abroad has exposed him to an abundance of foods and trends that have come and gone.

“I’ve observed the industry go through a transient roller-coaster of trends from fine dining to tacos, grazing, tapas and burgers,” he says.

“These trends can be very profitable for business and define you as a chef. However, for longevity within our industry you must be true to

yourself, your cooking style and your customer.”

Although we tend to see similar breakfast options at popular brunch spots in our major cities, Pelham emphasises that for finer dining, chefs are led by seasonal availability of food to innovate in the kitchen.

“At ESP and Estelle we try not to follow trends, instead focusing on trying to keep the food style clean and as minimal as possible,” he says. “We use what’s in season and focus on bucket loads of flavour using classic combinations and delivering them in a modern way.

“We are constantly looking at ways of presenting and preparing dishes, I currently find myself using a lot of fresh juices to make sauces, jellies, foams and custards. If you stop experimenting then the cuisine can become out-dated and stale.”

Industry competitions are also fostering this kind of experimentation in the kitchen and are a platform for both aspiring and qualified chefs alike to showcase their skills and creativity. It’s an opportunity for chefs and mentors to form industry relationships, expanding not only their networks, but also future opportunities for their careers and their

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, November 2015 27

the food obsessed general public and inspire them to be a little more creative in the kitchen, celebrity chef appearances on popular shows often result in what’s been widely recognised as “the MasterChef effect”.

Appearances and challenges on the show have managed to cause websites to crash and phones to ring off the hook with customers trying to book their restaurant reservations weeks in advance.

Pelham says the rise of celebrity chefs is positive, as “most of these people have done the hard yards”. These chefs have years of experience under their belt, have worked under industry leaders as humble apprentice and sous chefs putting in long hours, very hard work and often making many personal sacrifices.

“It’s not something that happens overnight, you must be able to run and manage a successful business and also have the respect of your peers,” he says.

Consultant Peter Wright.

“Whilst not directly impacting kitchen trends, the result of a more informed customer also means that chefs need to continually increase and improve their own knowledge to stay ahead of the game.”

respective restaurants.

“Foodservice competitions such as Fonterra Proud to be a Chef really foster creativity and hands-on education in the kitchen,” says Wright.

“It only takes one competitor to show an interesting technique or ingredient and the other competitors will take the idea away with them.”

This education-in-the-kitchen piece is even making its way into the homes of everyday Australians as the country’s obsession with cooking shows continues to grow. However, these shows tend to focus on their appeal to the wider Australian public rather than impacting or influencing trends in commercial kitchens.

“Foodie TV programs are responsible for educating the general public in culinary terminologies and cooking techniques, broadening the knowledge of everyday Australians,” says Wright. “They have also given insights into the pressures of competition and the rewards reaped for doing well.”

Pelham also highlights how these programs have put the food industry under the magnifying glass to the public eye, which can be seen as both a positive and a negative.

“Food reality TV programs have opened the flood gates to a range of people that have become super critical about the way restaurants are run,” he says. “These shows can also cast an unrealistic expectation on how the hospitality industry really operates.”

“There’s definitely a move towards front of house theatre, bringing the chef out of the kitchen, and a definite focus on coolness and customer service,” says Wright.

Looking ahead to 2016, both mentors think the health phase will continue to influence food along with contrasting fancy fast food options such as burgers.

“We’re going to see more focus on food with health benefits and nutrition, alongside delicious food such as burgers with two sauces and three cheeses,” says Wright. “Also the use of interesting ingredients with catchy names like ancient grains, quinoa, sriracha chilli, steeled rolled oats, rice malt syrup.”

Pelham agrees saying that healthy living will continue to play “a big part in the fast food world”.

“Equally, the burger bar is still going strong and let’s be honest, who doesn’t like a good burger every now and then!” OH

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SEAFOOD

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1 Sokyo’s Chase Kojima.

2 Barramundi. 3 Bryan Skepper.

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From catch to plate Sydney Fish Market has launched the Australian Seafood Quality Index app which provides seafood buyers and restaurateurs with a useful guide to seafood shelf-life at their fingertips.

A

ward-winning executive chef Chase Kojima, from Sokyo, joined forces with Sydney Fish Market to demonstrate the benefits of using the Australian Seafood Quality Index app, which aims to make assessing seafood from catch to plate much easier for everyone involved in the chain.

Users complete a checklist on several attributes of the whole fish, including appearance, odour and texture. The scores for each category are combined to generate a Quality Index score, which provides an indication of the remaining shelf-life for the product.

The app was developed from the research conducted by Professor Allan Bremner’s work in the Queensland Government, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, which resulted in a Quality Index Method (QIM) for fisheries.

“Allan developed the quality index and like all good ideas Australia ignored it and it was adopted over in Europe,” said Sydney Fish Market general manager Bryan Skepper.

“It was about 10 years ago that he began developing the Quality Index for Australian fish. So we developed a quality index based on Professor Bremner’s research that produced some very big scientific manuals that are not easy to use on the field. The beauty of the quality index app is that it takes all of that science and puts it on your iPhone.”

The app was designed to incorporate established industry practices and present them in a user friendly, modernised way.

“It incorporates best practice seafood shelf life assessment and record keeping in one simple place,” Skepper said.

As the founder of Sokyo, which specialises in cutting-edge Japanese cuisine and delicate seafood dishes, Kojima is driven by a passion for seafood instilled in him by his grandfather who was a fisherman in Hokkaido, Japan.

“At Sokyo, we pride ourselves on selecting and serving the best and freshest seafood every day,” he said.

30 Open House, November 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

“We [chefs] all have cell phones now.

We actually use our phones as timers and converters. And every day I take a picture of my produce and that’s how I communicate with my suppliers. Fish is really difficult compared with meat.

Barramundi are different every day. We will take a picture and ask how old it is, or where it came from, or share it with colleagues. With this Quality Index app you can also keep it as a data base, jotting down notes, and sharing with your younger chefs. All the questions marks about how old the fish is and how long we can keep it, the app gives you a better answer and takes the guesswork out.”

The Australian Seafood Quality Index app currently includes 10 species common to Australia with plans to introduce more in the near future.

It is available for download on iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, via the iTunes and Android stores by searching “seafood quality index”. OH

REGIONAL SNAPSHOT

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1-2 Barramundi is a local menu staple. 3-4 The region is home to rainforest and reefs.

1 3

4

Port Douglas Port Douglas, where the rainforest meets the reef, is a region of fresh seafood and tropical sweetness.

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ocated in Tropical North Queensland, just an hour from Cairns, the seaside town of Port Douglas is home to an abundance of seafood and locally grown produce.

Francis Luzinier, the executive chef at Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort & Spa, says some of his favourite seafood is coral trout and barramundi, with sugar cane cured ocean trout and hot smoked barramundi menu favourites.

For fresh herbs, Luzinier recommends Julatten Earth Foods. The farm is located 30 minutes out of Port Douglas and works closely with local chefs and the

local community.

chocolate process.

Over half of Julatten Earth Foods business comes from providing local businesses with fresh herbs, vegetables, fruit, free range eggs and honey, along with some more unusual herbs from Europe, Asia and the Mediterranean such as pimento, betel leaf, pandan and krachai.

The Shannonvale Tropical Fruit Winery makes 13 single-fruit wines, including ginger wine, mango wine and lime wine that go well with seafood, pasta and salads. The fruit used is all grown at the orchard.

With sugar cane and cocoa being staple crops for the tropical region, Australia’s first cocoa and sugar cane experience is open to the public. The Sweet Farm tours illustrate the importance of the crops, along with the picking and production of

32 Open House, November 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

“The best things about the region are the seafood, the produce from Atherton Tablelands and the local suppliers that are now sprouting out, as well as the tropical weather and the fantastic Sunday markets of Port Douglas,” says Luzinier.

VIEW FROM THE KITCHEN

DIARY DATES Mary Valley Tomato Festival December 6, 2015

The free annual event in Imbil, Queensland runs a competition to see who could grow the heaviest tomato. The festival also contains food stalls, events and entertainment. www.maryvalleytomatofestival.com

Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival December 12, 2015

Francis Luzinier, executive chef at Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort & Spa

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Favourite local ingredients to work with: Local cheeses from Gallo Dairylands, situated on the Atherton tablelands, and fresh herbs from Julatten Earth Foods.

As well as barramundi, mud crab, exotic fruits and fresh prawns that are straight from the far north-local fisherman’s boat.

2 3

Food heroes: Paul Bocuse and Michel Trama.

Favourite dish: Duck confit or smoked duck breast, Asian salad, wasabi scents, banana leaf.

4 5 6

Most underrated ingredient: Game (birds) and good imported french butter Most overrated ingredient: Summer truffles, cupcakes, macaroons and caviar.

Food philosophy: Using good ingredients and treating them with respect, along with enjoying everything in a balanced way.

Also important to have a passion for food and use food that is in season.

The Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival is held during the optimum cherry season in December.

It is a celebration of the cultural diversity of Manjimup, highlighting and promoting the horticultural products that are grown in particular cherries, and the value they add to the region. www.cherryfestival.com.au

The Taste of Tasmania December 28 - January 3, 2015

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Career highlights: Cooking at the Sydney 2000 Olympics Games and the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi. As well as meeting Ricky Martin, Michael and Janet Jackson and the Pope John Paul II.

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Best advice you been given: Showcase your savoir faire, meaning, be adaptable. Also, when I was an apprentice, I was told to always have a spoon near you and taste your food. Don’t send it if you don’t want to eat it yourself.

Tasmania’s artisan food and drink producers showcase a variety of dishes from the Tasman region at the festival. There is also a ticketed New Year's Eve party with live entertainment, culminating in the midnight fireworks to welcome in the New Year.

I think nowadays too many people are afraid of trying their own food because they don’t want to put on weight. OH

www.thetasteoftasmania.com.au

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, November 2015 33

COOKING THE BOOKS

Fiery favourite One of Australia’s most influential chefs, Neil Perry shares one of his favourite dishes off the menu of his iconic restaurants in his new book Spice Temple.

30g garlic chives, cut into 3cm lengths 2 teaspoons chilli oil 2 teaspoons sesame oil To press the pork, place the pork belly, ginger, water and salt in a heavy-based saucepan and bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat and leave the pork to cool in the liquid. Remove the pork and place on a plate or tray lined with baking paper, place another piece of baking paper over the pork and another plate or tray on top of that.

Weight with tins of food or similar to press the meat, then refrigerate overnight.

The next day, cut the pork into slices about 8cm long and 3mm thick, like bacon rashers.

To fry the pork, place a wok over high heat.

When it is smoking hot, drizzle in half the peanut oil and quickly stir-fry the pork until golden, then remove and set aside.

Stir-fried twice-cooked porkbelly with leek and Sichuan black beans Serves: 4-6 as part of a shared meal

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his dish is hot! It’s also one of my personal favourites: I love the contrast of the melt-in-your-mouth pork belly and the soft leeks with the fierce heat of the chillies and the saltiness of the black beans.

1 × 400g piece boneless pork belly, about 10cm wide 100g ginger, sliced 2 litres water

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 teaspoon chilli flakes

Add the remaining peanut oil to the wok and stir-fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add the chilli flakes and briefly stir-fry, then add the black beans, red and green chillies, bean sprouts and the leek and cook until soft and wilted.

Pour in the Shaoxing wine, stirring to deglaze the wok, then add the stock, soy sauce, sugar and garlic chives. Return the pork to the wok and cook for a minute or two just to warm everything through. Add a little more chicken stock if it seems too dry.

Finish with the chilli oil and sesame oil and serve immediately.

1 tablespoon Sichuan black beans ½ fresh long red chilli, finely sliced ½ fresh long green chilli, finely sliced 1 small leek, finely sliced 30g bean sprouts, trimmed 1½ tablespoons Shaoxing wine

60g fine salt

1½ tablespoons Chinese chicken stock, plus extra if needed

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

2cm knob of ginger, finely chopped

2 tablespoons white sugar

34 Open House, November 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

This is an edited extract and image from Spice Temple

by Neil Perry, (Lantern $69.99).

What’s on shelf this month?

Simply Nigella: Feel Good Food

Greek

Maggie Beer’s Summer Harvest Recipes

by Nigella Lawson Chatto & Windus, $59.99

by George Calombaris Lantern, $59.99

by Maggie Beer Lantern, $29.99

Simply Nigella taps into the rhythms of our cooking lives, with recipes that are uncomplicated, relaxed and yet always satisfying. Whether you need to create some breathing space at the end of a long week (Asian-Flavoured Short Ribs), indulge in a sweet treat (Lemon Pavlova, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pots) or wake up to a strength-giving breakfast (Toasty Olive Oil Granola), Nigella's new cookbook is filled with recipes destined to become firm favourites.

Renowned chef George Calombaris shares his passion and enthusiasm for traditional Greek food, but not as you know it. Greek features recipes that bring together cuisines from across the seas, including taramosalata popcorn, ouzosoaked cucumbers, slow-cooked lamb and miso eggplant souvlaki, prawn saganaki tortellini with tomato and mustard seed vinaigrette, Hellenic mess and Bombe Metaxa.

Maggie Beer's Summer Harvest Recipes brings together all of Maggie Beer's signature recipes from her summer chapter of Maggie's Harvest.

Featuring recipes such as Rabbit Saddle with Basil Cream Sauce, Roast Chicken with Fig, Grape, Walnut and Bread Salad, Stuffed Eggplant with Verjuice, Rocket and Preserved Lemon Sauce, Tart of Quail with Sage, Bacon and Grapes, and Passionfruit and Banana Pavlova. 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, November 2015 35

PRODUCTS

Stay cool with ActiveCore

A better way to start the day

ActiveCore is a revolution in refrigeration technology designed to deliver market leading energy savings, optimal performance, efficiency and reliability. Available now in a range of new look top and bottom mount, 1 and 2 door chillers.

Red espresso is a finely ground mix of Rooibos red tea, specifically prepared for use in coffee appliances that use steam and boiling water under pressure. With no caffeine and enough antioxidants to meet your recommended daily quota, enjoying red espresso is a delicious and effortless way of looking after your health.

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www.skope.com/activecore

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www.redespresso.com

Sweet potato treat

Heat up those burger menus

Australian gourmet snack brand Red Rock Deli has released a new range of Sweet Potato Crisps. The new product joins Red Rock Deli’s existing range of Potato Crisps and Red Rock Deli Style Dips. Each tasty crisp is slow cooked and imaginatively partnered with natural seasonings, carefully selected to complement sweet potato and enliven the senses. Three flavour combinations are available – Roast Garlic, Rosemary & Thyme, Green Chilli & Coriander and Sea Salt.

Sunshine have launched three new sauces to their range – Sriracha, Chipotle and Sriracha Mayo available in 1 litre, easy to use and gluten free, squeeze packs. Sunshine’s standard sauce range is now also available in the 1 litre squeeze. All Sunshine products are 100 per cent Australian family owned and made.

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www.redrockdeli.com.au

36 Open House, November 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

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www.steric.com.au

Take the grind out of coffee

Spring into action

Baristas know that well-ground beans are the key to great coffee and the ROK manual grinder makes a perfect grind. The ROK manual grinder has 12 settings – from coarse for plungers to fine for espresso and Turkish coffee and is designed to produce a consistent grind every time.

This new product will ensure your bin always remains closed whenever you aren’t using it, protecting you from pests, loose rubbish and the bad smells that bins attract. BinSpring comes ready to install and can be fitted in less than 30 seconds to any size wheelie bin. It can also easily be removed if the user wants to keep their bin lid fully open, and easily reapplied once done.

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www.espressounplugged.com.au

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www.binspring.com

Fruity newcomer

New Pilsner for summer

Somersby Cider has launched a new fruity flavour this summer with the introduction of Somersby Blackberry. The new flavoured cider joins the current Somersby portfolio of Apple and Pear, combining the brand’s crisp and refreshing taste with the added sweetness of blackberry.

Little Creatures has taken a look at their much loved Pilsner and made it more distinctive. The key to this beer is to let the aroma and bitterness of the hops shine through with the Little Creatures Pilsner now made with 100 per cent Pilsner malt and German Perle hops. The new Pilsner has started rolling out in kegs and bottles across the country.

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www.somersbycider.com/gl/en

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www.littlecreatures.com.au/verify

OH

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, November 2015 37

PROFILE

Collective effort A stint in Melbourne influenced Sydney hospitality veteran Ben Sweeten to continue in the industry and work on projects that have culture, individuality and most importantly great coffee, writes Anastasia Prikhodko.

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“I wanted to create something like that in Sydney.”

weeten got his first taste of the industry when he was 11 years old.

“I worked at a family friend’s restaurant on weekends and afterschool,” he says. “I continued to find jobs in hospitality and I suppose I became good at it.”

Although Melbourne’s coffee scene has traditionally been ahead of the pack, Sweeten says that Sydney is catching up.

“Sydney’s café scene is becoming a lot more precise, we are learning heaps and there is more culture now that exists between cafes.”

At 22 years of age, Sweeten opened his first café, Oven in Cremorne, followed by Oven in St Leonards three years later. He also previously owned Joe Black café in Surry Hills and Rose Bay Diner.

He also says that Facebook and Instagram have made good operators even better and it’s weeded out all the not so good ones.

“All up, I opened seven cafes, but now I own only one,” he says.

“So I think you are going to get a more consistent product with a better price,” he says.

This year, he opened the Kansas City Shuffle (KCS) in Sydney’s CBD. An eatery serving up American inspired diner food, with less calories and more superfoods.

Less competition and rivalry and more of a collaborative culture is one change Sweeten has noticed in the industry.

KCS is located in a heritage listed 1860s building, once home to a Cadbury chocolate factory and is set to bridge the gap between café and restaurant food.

“Opening Kansas City Shuffle is by far the biggest career highlight,” he says.

The inspiration behind KCS is from Melbourne café Proud Mary, where Sweeten worked as head barista.

“While I was studying in Melbourne, I worked in a few cafes and I had actually decided to not open anymore cafes. Then I worked at Proud Mary and I just really liked what they were doing.

“You are all in it together and I think that is what Sydney is finding now, as it used to be very competitive. Now it’s more like these guys are doing a great job and we’re doing a great job.”

Sweeten learned the art of coffee on the job through “making a thousand cups a day” and with the help from industry professionals such as Jason Bailey from Sydney’s Kafenio and Paul Bassett the former world barista champion. “There isn’t really a course that you can do that would prepare you for what we go through every day,” he says.

One of the biggest challenges for Sweeten is finding and helping staff. He says that hospitality is almost a pit stop before a career.

“You need to work really hard, and make sacrifices but once you get through that, it is a rewarding career,” he says.

In February, Sweeten will open an espresso martini bar next door to KCS, and plans are underway for another cafe next year.

See the recipe in the Open House iPad app.

38 Open House, November 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

“I guess I’ve got a knack for what I do, so I’m going to keep doing it until I’m no good I suppose, or until my hands fall off.” OH

AUSTRALIAN CULINARY FEDERATION NEWS

A bumper year T

his year has been jammed packed with events organised and facilitated by the Australian Culinary Federation (ACF). We started the year with our first National Chefs Conference “The Chefs Weekend” on the Sunshine Coast, where over 60 chefs attended industry discussions, forums, professional workshops and several networking events.

We held Meat & Livestock Australia, Nestlé and Fonterra masterclasses and industry dinners across regional VIC, NSW and QLD. Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat celebrated 50 years of competition and again set new entry records at the state finals.

Oceanafest in Perth hosted five international teams for the Fonterra Foodservice “Restaurant of Nations”. In September, Fine Food Sydney recorded over 150 competitors in the Australian Culinary Challenge and with another first for the ACF, we saw the Fonterra Foodservice “Battle of the Pacific” hotly contested by eight teams from Australia, three from New Zealand and a team from Vanuatu. October ended up being our busiest month of the year with three major events – International Secondary Schools held in

Tahiti, ACF National Apprentice Competition in Perth and on International Chefs Day (October 20) we visited six primary schools in QLD, NSW, VIC and SA delivering the Nestlé Healthy Active Kids program.

Our State Chapters have also been busy this years with lots of local workshops and social events, and our Young Chefs Club is gaining a lot of momentum. Our WACS sub-committee members Gary Farrell, Cassandra Austin and Dale Lyman have also been busy and I would like to thank them for their for their hard work in the Pacific.

Looking ahead, the 2016 calendar is filling fast. Our National Conference “The Chefs Weekend” will be March 6-8, in Tasmania. Fine Food Brisbane and Melbourne will host the Australian Culinary Challenge again and Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat state finals will start in June.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Neil Abrahams Australian Culinary Federation (ACF)

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our general manager Deb Foreman, National Executive and Committee and all our State Committee’s for all their hard work this year.

Coupe, Krio Krush, ChefWorks and Fine Food Australia – without the support of our industry partners none of the above would be possible.

Finally, thank you to our sponsors Fonterra, Nestlé Proefssional, Bidvest, Moffat, Robot

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. OH

ON THE MOVE Fernando Sanchez (pictured) has been appointed the new head chef at Sydney’s Foys Kirribilli and the Flying Bear. His previous role was at Darlinghurst’s Food Society. Mauricio Moreno is the new general Manager and brings over 15 years in hospitality leadership.

Saké Hamer Hall executive chef Wayne Brown (pictured) will move to the executive chef role at Saké Double Bay. Japanese born and raised, second generation sushi chef Shimpei Hatanaka has been promoted to executive chef at Saké The Rocks.

Joel Bickford is the new executive chef at Pier One Sydney Harbour’s The Gantry Restaurant & Bar. He was most recently head chef at Bowral’s Biota Dining and has 24 years industry experience including sous chef at the two-hatted Bel Mondo and chef de cuisine at Park Hyatt Sydney.

Jee Whan Lee is the new executive chef at Parkroyal Melbourne Airport. Lee will oversee the hotel restaurant, Airo, Airo Café, plus the hotel’s 24 Hour In-Room Dining. He has over 14 years’ experience as a chef, working at properties such as Pepper’s Cradle Mountain Lodge Tasmania.

James Gallagher has been appointed chef de cuisine at Sofitel Brisbane Central’s hatted fine dining restaurant Privé249. He was previously senior sous chef of Alchemy restaurant, and has experience at Fortnum & Mason’s The Gallery in London and the Innovation kitchen of Deloitte’s corporate headquarters in London.

David Schofield is the new executive chef at the reopened Meat Fish Wine.

Schofield has worked as guest consulting chef across owner Apples + Pears Entertainment Group over the last two years. He has twice been voted New Zealand Chef of the Year.

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, November 2015 39

Easy to use and control, simply twist tab and squeeze

A huge 26mL two times the size of the market leader.

Every SqueezMe! has a barcode making it easy to scan and sell.

SqueezMe! More sauce in every squeeze.

For more information or to order visit heinzfoodservice.com.au, call 1800 037 058 or contact your local foodservice distributor.

40 Open House, November 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net