OUR STORY JULY - AUGUST 2016
Meet our Legends VIP for a Day To the Rescue #nevergrey
CELEBRATING OUR STARS THE STAR AWARDS ANNUAL GALA 2016
Take your taste buds on a tour across Asia with Luke Nguyen’s street food favourites. – OPENING HOURS – Sunday & Monday: 11 :30am – 9:00pm Tuesday – Thursday: 11 :30am – 10:30pm Friday & Saturday: 11 :30am – 11 :00pm Located in Café Court
#AllPhoMe
On Monday, 25 July The Star Sydney partnered with Australia’s leading food rescue organisation, OzHarvest. Thousands of members of the public were offered a free hot meal in Martin Place as part of the 2016 Think. Eat. Save campaign.
The Star supports
OZHARVEST The national campaign, led by OzHarvest in partnership with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), aims to raise awareness of global food loss and waste reduction by showcasing some of the nation’s top chefs, politicians and celebrities united to take a stance against food waste. The Star hosted two stalls and the public were invited to enjoy a delicious, hearty meal of Milli Julli Sabji ‘everything in the pot’ vegetable curry served with Bhatura flatbread or rescued chicken pie with tomato relish. Meals were prepared by The Star’s award-winning team of chefs including Director of Dining, Uday Huja; Executive Chef, Jason Alcock; Osteria Balla Manfredi Restaurant Executive Chef, Gabriele Taddeucci; and Vincent Liew, Chef De Cuisine of the Sovereign Room along with a team of 15 volunteers from The Star’s Culinary, Banquet and Events teams. All dishes were made from surplus produce that would have otherwise been destined for landfill. A shout out to members of The Star’s Culinary, Banquet and Events teams who volunteered their time to support this important cause.
| O U R S TO RY | J U LY-AU G U S T 201 6
5
2016
AUSTRALIA’S TOP RESTAURANTS AWARDS The Star plays host to nation’s top chefs, restaurateurs and producers
On Monday, 2 May 2016 the ‘rock stars’ of Australia’s restaurant industry made up of more than 350 chefs, restaurateurs and leading culinary commentators gathered at The Star Event Centre to celebrate The Australian Financial Review Australia’s Top 100 Restaurants. The best of the best in Australia’s food scene were there to reflect on their hard work and celebrate another year in the restaurant business. After the success of the inaugural event in 2015, guests eagerly waited to hear their ranking amongst Australia’s Top 100 Restaurants as voted by their peers.
Momofuku Sieōbo, suckling pig by Gabriele Taddeucci from Balla, ocean trout nigari by Chase Kojima from Sokyo, and Dany Karam’s beef tartare from BLACK by ezard. Adding to the theatrics of the event, a roving oyster shucker shucked fresh oysters for guests.
A total of seven Sydney restaurants were ranked in the top ten, with two from The Star making the Top 100 list; Momofuku Sieōbo ranking number 30 and Sokyo at number 94.
Guests were served a range of beverages including supersized gin & tonics with fresh blood orange from sponsor, Tanqueray Gin and Nespresso Saint’s Ristretto cocktails.
The Star Event Centre was transformed into a whimsical secret garden with styling from ByDesign featuring impressive floral and foliage displays including 6km of trailing ivy, and 7 tonnes of various styles of green foliage and plants which took a total of 250 hours for a team of florists to assemble.
As guests were ushered to the front of the room for formalities, a curtain was drawn behind them as the dessert set-up commenced. Following the Top 100 Restaurants announcements, the curtain opened to reveal roaming dessert service offering mascarpone cream dessert with Nespresso parfait and orange coulis, and giant platters hanging from the ceiling displaying cherry petit gateaux; morello cherry jam covered with cherry mouse and chocolate biscuit, and apple petit
The Star’s signature restaurants put on a show with pop-up stalls serving a range of dishes including Paul Carmichael’s jerk chicken from
6
| O U R S TO RY | J U LY-AU G U S T 201 6
gateaux; calvados jelly covered with granny smith apple mouse and crunchy citron biscuit. Also on display were three large trees with custom-made metal leaves holding fresh figs with goat’s curd, Iranian pistachios and clover honey. The event was a spectacular display of the multifaceted capabilities of The Star’s talented Culinary, Banquets and Events teams.
The Darling Spa team sampling a selection of amazing dishes from their recent ‘cook-off’.
With team members from Poland, Brazil, Fiji, China, Hong Kong, Argentina, France, Thailand, Philippines, Romania, Czech Republic, Korea, Japan and Australia – The Darling Spa team organised a ‘cook-off’ to celebrate their different backgrounds.
The Darling Spa
COOKOFF
Twelve masterchef’s from The Darling Spa prepared dishes from their home country and presented it to the judges: John Autelitano (General Manager Hotel), Rikesh Rajakulasingham (Executive Assistant Manager of The Darling Hotel), Chantal Jackson (HR Manager), Tania Young (HR Advisor) and Catherine Lazarou (Director of The Darling Spa) for the taste test. After tasting dishes from around the world, the judges announced the following winners:
1st prize – Siwa
Opassamutchai (Spa Therapist) with a dish from Thailand.
2nd prize – Kristine Chua (Spa Therapist) with a dish from Philippines. 3rd prize – Swartika Joti (Spa Supervisor) with a dish from Fiji.
Catherine Lazarou, Director of The Darling Spa, said: “this was a great event to bring all of our team members together. Our team have so many different backgrounds but are equally amazing star players!”.
| O U R S TO RY | J U LY-AU G U S T 201 6
7
A new-look
ASTRAL TOWER & RESIDENCES The Star has exciting developments in the pipeline with capital works programs worth more than $500 million currently underway. Work in progress includes the refurbishment of Astral Tower and Residences, set for completion in mid-2017, offering contemporary opulence with high end suites, themed rooms, a lavish lobby lounge, state-of-the-art club lounge and new meeting rooms. The Level 16 suites at Astral Residences have been completed and are online and ready for our guests to book.
12
| O U R S TO RY | J U LY-AU G U S T 201 6
| O U R S TO RY | J U LY-AU G U S T 201 6
13
APRIL AWARD WINNER – LEADER OF THE MONTH
NADINE RAMZAN Position: Assistant Front Office Manager Tenure: 5 years 7 months Nadine is dependable, efficient and unfailingly punctual. She shows attention to detail and this is shown in her presentation and work output. Colleagues call her ‘diesel’ as she efficiently works fast delivering the desired results in all aspects of operations, guest service and staff management. The General Manager of Hotel calls her ‘Super Girl’ as she can take on any situation with tact and grace. Team members have high respect for her leadership and her managers are always confident that she will respond and act for the best of the business, with sharpness and velocity.
LEADER AWA R D
Q: What does this award mean to you? A: I was overwhelmed when I received this award. It is a really good feeling knowing that my hard work is being recognised. Q: What do you love most about your role at The Star? A: I love the challenges involved with my role and also working in such a large entertainment complex with so much to offer our guests. Q: How do you plan on spending your Star Gift Card? A: My husband and I have always wanted to go to Momofuku Seiōbo so are hoping to use the gift card towards dining there.
Q: Who is the first person you will tell about the award and why? A: My family as they are always very supportive of me. Q: What’s the secret to your success? A: Empathising with the guests and supporting my colleagues. Q: What’s one piece of advice you have for anyone who would like to be nominated for a Star Award? A: Be the best version of yourself and remember that you have a lot of support around you. Q: On a personal note… What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you? A: I do not like the smell and taste of coffee.
WATCH. WANDER. WANT MORE.
OPEN FOR BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER 7 DAYS A WEEK. Visit star.com.au for opening hours and prices
22
| O U R S TO RY | J U LY-AU G U S T 201 6
CONGRATULATIONS TO MOMOFU KU S EIÅŒBO RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR Australian Gourmet Traveller 2017 32
| O U R S TO RY | J U LY-AU G U S T 201 6
GEN DER
V DI E
R
I Y S T
Women at The Star Introducing Melinda Madigan, General Manager Marketing & Entertainment What was your first job? Marketing and Promotions Manager at Fairfax Communit y Newspapers – where I developed marketing programs to grow brand engagement, readership and revenue across seven newspaper mastheads. Greatest inf luence on your leadership journey? In my first role in the gaming industry my Managing Director instilled in me that the best leaders make unforgettable first impressions – but those first impressions should never be forced. It is more about revealing who you are and what you represent as a leader and over time earning the trust and respect of your employees and peers. What should team members do if they want to become a leader? Be intensely focused and curious - always seek out opportunities to learn and gain new experiences in both your work and personal life. Have a clear vision of what success looks like for YOU – believe in yourself and never deviate from that vision. What is the most valuable advice you have been given? Never be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. If you don’t continually challenge yourself, you will never truly grow. Plus it’s where the magic really happens! What advice would you like to give a young aspiring female leader? Develop your own unique personal “brand” and values to help position yourself as a future leader. Create a strong connected net work of like-minded, passionate females from various industries and engage mentors who can inspire and guide you on your path to success.
T h e Star E n t er t a i n m en t G rou p i s co m m i tted to 50% fe ma l e rep res en t a t i o n o f l ea d ers b y 2020.
| O U R S TO RY | J U LY-AU G U S T 201 6
33