Hospitality Magazine September 2014

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Print Post Approved PP100007268

No.708 September 2014

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foodservice

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accommodation

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beverage

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management

PLUS:

Is top quality glassware worth the expense?

Signi

credi Secondary cuts take centre stage Offering more than just cost savings

WOMEN in Industry

Seven leading ladies talk about the successes and struggles of their work

Are yo for the PIN?

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Are yo for the PIN?

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Tap into the app that makes more possible We’re passionate about supporting the hospitality industry. That’s why we’ve developed a range of digital tools to help you produce creations your customers love. Like our iOS app, the new Android™ app makes more possible, with everything from recipes and videos, to products and samples.

It’s the best of Nestlé Professional, just a tap away.

To make more possible, download the Nestlé Professional Android app at play.google.com/store/apps

NES064 HM 08/14

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22 editor’s note

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Editor: Danielle Bowling danielle.bowling@ cirrusmedia.com.au

No.708 September 2014

Print Post Approved PP100007268

oning the cover of this month’s issue is Anna Carosa, co-owner of Melbourne’s Retail Savvy Group. Anna was one of seven lovely ladies to take part in our Women in Hospitality series (see p12).

Don’t cringe; this isn’t an ‘I am woman, hear me roar’ piece, but – in my opinion – a really honest and uplifting series of Q&As which shed light on a number of big issues, including whether or not women are under-represented in the food service industry, while also listing the highlights and struggles of each of these women’s professional lives.

We thought we’d do something different to help celebrate these ladies, so we launched a Facebook campaign where the public could vote for which woman they’d like to see on page one.

Anna racked up 924 likes (and counting), and the Facebook album was seen by more than 16,500 people.

Not only did the Q&As and our little social media experiment introduce us to the work of some seriously talented women, it proved that the industry has a massive appetite for this sort of recognition. And this recognition will continue at Fine Food, which is launching a Women in Food Service morning tea.

Running on 17 September, attendees will include Carolyn Creswell from Carman’s Kitchen and Jacky Magid from Charlie’s Cookies.

Hope to see you there!

foodservice

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management

Signing off on credit

Offering more than just cost savings

WOMEN in Industry

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Seven leading ladies talk about the successes and struggles of their work

Anna Carosa, coowner of Retail Savvy Group

Are you prepared for the switch to PIN?

Signing off on credit

Are you prepared for the switch to PIN?

cover

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contents FEATURES

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A glass for every grape Is it worth investing in top of the range glassware?

12 Women in Hospitality Seven industry leaders answer some tough questions.

18 Secondary cuts shine Lesser known cuts of lamb offer more than just cost savings.

22 Seafood sustainability

REGULARS

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PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR Mary Copland Ph: (02) 8484 0737 mary.copland@cirrusmedia.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS Ph: 1300 360 126 ONE YEAR: $132.00 incl GST TWO YEARS: $220.00 incl GST

News online

26 Industry Observer

The latest industry news.

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Openings

Is the structure of your ‘lean’ business stifling staff?

Some recent arrivals on the hospitality block.

27 Ken Burgin

Tapping into kegged wine

28 Rant

Be smart when it’s time to sell.

Serving wine on tap could be your new point of difference.

25 Workplace

The good, the bad and the ugly.

ADVERTISING NATIONAL Rhonnie Merry Ph: (02) 8484 0642 Fax: (02) 8484 0915 rhonnie.merry@cirrusmedia.com.au

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Secondary cuts take centre stage

MANAGING EDITOR Danielle Bowling Ph: (02) 8484 0667 danielle.bowling@cirrusmedia.com.au

Jasmine O’Donoghue Ph: (02) 8484 0854 jasmine.odonoghue@cirrusmedia.com.au

accommodation

PLUS:

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Nick Cox Ph: (02) 8484 0622

Aoife Boothroyd Ph: (02) 8484 0907 aoife.boothroyd@cirrusmedia.com.au

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Is top quality glassware worth the expense?

PUBLISHER Martin Sinclair martin.sinclair@cirrusmedia.com.au

JOURNALISTS Brea Carter Ph: (02) 8484 0661 brea.carter@cirrusmedia.com.au

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29 Shelf space

What the potential changes to paid parental leave mean to you.

hospitalitymagazine.com.au facebook.com/HospitalityMagazine twitter.com/Hospitalityed instagram.com/hospitalitymag

Average Net Distribution Period ending Mar’ 2014 - 11,160

It’s time some of these plating trends toppled over.

Six new products to consider for your business.

PRINTED BY: Bluestar Print 83 Derby Street, Silverwater NSW 2128 P: 02 9748 3411 MATERIAL The publisher does not accept responsibility for any editorial or advertising material forwarded or held in storage nor will material be automatically returned. Whole or part of this publication cannot be reproduced without prior written approval from Hospitality’s management.

CIRRUS MEDIA Tower 2, Level 3, 475 Victoria Ave, Chatswood, NSW 2067, Australia Locked Bag 4700 Chatswood Delivery Centre, NSW 2067, Australia P: (02) 8484 0888 F: (02) 8484 0633 ABN 80 132 719 861 www.cirrusmedia.com.au © Copyright Cirrus Media, 2013

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newsonline

State of the Nation: Dimmi releases Annual Dining Index

CHAMPAGNE EXPORTS

Online reservation website, Dimmi, has released its Annual Dining Index, and it’s uncovered a number of interesting trends in the Australian food service industry.

The Index is gathered from bookings made throughout the last financial year, and compared to that of previous years.

This year’s findings include that diners are becoming increasingly spontaneous, booking a restaurant on the day they’d like to dine out (25 percent of all bookings are made on the same day).

There’s also a rise in the number of people eating solo, and more bookings are being made for ‘predinner’ times, that is, after work but before the traditional dinner rush at roughly 7.30pm (which represents 26 percent of all bookings).

Diners’ interaction with restaurant websites is definitely on the rise, with 41 percent of all restaurant traffic coming from mobiles. It’s expected that mobile traffic will take over that of PCs within the next 12 to 18 months.

While 96 percent of restaurants have a website, only 22 percent of them have a mobile site. Mobile sites are becoming more common, and have grown 41 percent compared to restaurants with non-mobile friendly sites, which rose 30 percent.

Pre dinner has risen 10% in 5 years

Brunch is the most social meal, with an average of 4.11 people per booking

Facebook is by far the most popular social media channel being embraced by the food service industry, with 69 percent of restaurants having a Facebook page. Twitter is a distant second at 29 percent, followed by Instagram, which only seven percent of restaurants are using.

Western Australia posted the strongest year on year growth of 18.8 percent, despite the average

Out & about July 30 Toby’s Estate flagship re-opening

DINING HABITS

Key dining time is still 7.30pm, with 26% of all reservations

spend for the state dropping from $53.10 to $52.30. Queensland was the worst performing state, with the industry retracting by 7.8 percent.

Average spend increased, however, jumping to $53.30 from $52.80.

Nationally, year on year growth sits at 5.7 percent, with average spend dropping very slightly from $54.70 to $54.60.

Males making 60% of all supper bookings

Men spend more than women $57.89 vs $52.20

Average tip is 2% (including tippers and no tippers), 70% don’t tip

Industry events the Hospitality team attended this month...

August 5 Lunch @ Simon Johnson Providores

August 6 Dimmi lunch @ Sugarcane

August 13 Sweet Street @ Shangri La

August 14 Grand opening @ Mr Tipply’s

August 14 AFFW event @ Rushcutters

For other stories and information please visit our website: www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au 4

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Dilmah Real High Tea Australia

Congratulations

Champions of Real High Tea.

AUSTRALIA 2011

AUSTRALIA 2012

AUSTRALIA 2012

NEW ZEALAND 2012

SINGAPORE 2012

UAE 2013

AUSTRALIA 2013

AUSTRALIA 2013

NEW ZEALAND 2013

CHILE 2013

MACAU 2014

HONG KONG 2014

HONG KONG 2014

MALAYSIA 2014

NEW ZEALAND 2014

Welcome to the global tea gastronomy elite!

Congratulations to the National Winners of the Dilmah Real High Tea Australia Challenge – Qantas Lounges by Pullman, Hilton Adelaide and Bloodwood Restaurant and Bar!

The Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge began in 2007 as an exploration of a contemporary high tea. It has traversed continents with this quest, starting in Colombo, Sri Lanka and continuing through Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, UAE, Netherlands, Chile, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau, England, France, Malaysia… Not merely a culinary challenge, our Real High Tea demands an intelligent and creative approach to tea.

Follow the progress of the Challenge.

Visit www.realhightea.com.au www.dilmah.com.au www.facebook.com/DilmahAustralia

And now it’s time for Geoff Laws & Shaun Thompson who claimed the top spot in the national Challenge to get ready to test their skills against those of a new generation of tea loving culinary geniuses from around the world at our Dilmah Global Challenge due to be held in Sri Lanka in 2015.

Our intention in putting the tea back in the High Tea is to build on that most luxurious indulgence of gastronomy which is the harmony of flavours on the tongue. It is about exploring and understanding the characteristics, the terroir and provenance of different teas and marrying those with food both to complement as a pairing and to use as an ingredient. The Challenge demands an understanding of tea and then building around the best of the modern culinary artistry to take it beyond the cup.

Endorsed by WACS, the Challenge began in 2007 and continues its journey as some of the world’s finest chefs and hospitality professionals combine their ingenuity, flair and knowledge of food and tea in a series of national Challenges spread across the world, counting up to the Dilmah Real High Tea Global Challenge – the ultimate test of greatness in the company of the global tea gastronomy elite.

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newopenings Lucy Liu

The team behind Circa, Taxi Dining Room and most recently The Smith has opened Lucy Liu Kitchen and Bar in Melbourne. Lucy Liu is an eclectic multicultural Asian eating and drinking space offering Asianinspired cuisine and drinks in a street food environment. Rather than sticking to one cuisine, the menu at Lucy Liu offers pan-Asian favourites – from barramundi and scampi dumplings and Korean fried ribs, to BBQ lap cheong (Chinese sausage) hot dogs. The fit-out by March Studio draws inspiration from Shanghai. Lucy Liu features bamboo scaffolding common to building sites in Hong Kong and China, and a series of soaring Tasmanian oak battens frame the space. Terrazzo brick, polished-concrete floors and Laminex-topped tables add a sense of warmth and informality.

Owners: Michael Lambie, George Sykiotis, Scott Borg, Zac Cribbes Head Chef: Zac Cribbes Where: 23 Oliver Lane, Melbourne P: 03 9639 5777 E: info@lucylius.com.au W: www.lucylius.com.au

Cicheti

Cicheti has opened its doors on Parramatta’s Church Street, serving up Mediterranean tapas, side dishes and desserts, and specialising in traditional Greek and Italian dishes. Cicheti has a modern rustic décor, fitted by Envirocorp Constructions. 100 year old recycled bricks wrap around the dining room, and hanging pendant lights are scattered throughout. Head chef James Deeb’s signature dishes include his modern take on the traditional tabouli and homemade pesto and mushroom arancini.

Highlights of Cicheti’s drinks menu include red and white fruit infused Sangria, fresh juices and the Oreo frappes.

Owners: James Deeb & Sally Harhagelis Head Chef: James Deeb Where: 323 Church Street, Parramatta, Sydney P: 9687 6211 E: cicheti.parramatta@outlook.com W: www.cicheti.com.au

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Bistro Mint

A modern take on traditional French cuisine is on offer at one of Sydney’s most recent openings, Bistro Mint. The kitchen is led by chef Joey Ingram, who designed the menu with Sebastien Lutaud, general manager for cuisines for Restaurant Associates. Bistro Mint’s breakfast, lunch and event menus are typical of a French eatery, and boasts a wine list that features NV Ayala Brut Majeur, a Joseph Drouhin ‘La Foret’ Chardonnay and La Croiz de L’Ermite St Joseph Syrah. Furnishings are inspired by the steep historic value of The Mint and include wooden floors, vintage leather trims, ornate mirrors, and fresh flowers.

Owner: Sydney Living Museums & Restaurant Associates Head chef: Joey Ingram Where: 10 Macquarie Street, Sydney P: 02 9232 2293 E: Bistromint@restaurantassociates.com.au W: www.bistromint.com.au

New Shanghai

New Shanghai is expanding its empire once again, with a new restaurant in Melbourne’s Emporium shopping centre. The 120-seat restaurant is serving up New Shanghai’s signature Chinese cuisine, inspired by traditional delicacies found on the streets of Shanghai. The menu boasts New Shanghai’s famous dumplings, including the xiao long bao, a mini steamed pork bun with gingerysweet broth and a juicy pocket of pork made using a secret family recipe; and the pan-fried pork bun. Like every New Shanghai restaurant, there’s a live dumpling making theatre where diners can see the chefs in action, as well as a private dining room for up to 24 guests.

Owner: John Chen Head Chef: Wei Qiang Huang Where: Shop 323, Level 3, 287 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne P: 03 9994 9386 E: reservations@newshanghai.com.au W: www.newshanghai.com.au

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Tapping into KEGGED WINE Serving wine on tap might give you a quirky point of difference, but there are plenty of other benefits to tossing out the bottle, writes Christine Salins.

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f you can deliver beer from a keg, why not wine? The notion is not new – at least one Margaret River wine bar was doing it more than a decade ago.

But Australian bars and restaurants haven’t taken it up with quite the same fervor as venues in North America and Europe. But that could be about to change. Buoyed perhaps by the burgeoning craft beer movement, wine on tap is gaining traction.

An increasing number of venues are convinced there are economic and environmental benefits without any sacrifice in quality.

to a general punter at good quality but that came in at a lower price point (than bottled wine),” he says. “By taking out distribution, labelling and transport costs, we managed to get the price down.”

Hogan has had Pinot Grigio and Shiraz on tap since his wine bar opened in Port Melbourne last year.

The Yarra Valley Pinot Grigio is made for him by Dave Mackintosh and the Harcourt (Bendigo) Shiraz by Bress Wines. Serving it from a keg means he can offer it at $7 a glass or $20 per half-litre carafe.

Fresh as a daisy

Ecologically sustainable

Technically speaking, wine in a keg should last a long time. It’s in a large vessel and there’s no light or oxygen to spoil it. Most wines are ready to drink and can be tapped without compromise, according to Kirsty Marek, direct sales and marketing manager for Swings & Roundabouts.

The winery has six wines on tap at its Swings Taphouse & Kitchen in Margaret River, which opened late last year. All are quality wines made in a drink-now style: Shiraz, Cabernet Merlot, Rosé (which won a trophy at the Melbourne Wine Show last year), Sauvignon Blanc Semillon (“our best-selling wine for sure”), Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.

The wine bottling process uses a huge amount of resources including bottles, corks, screwcaps, foils, labels, boxes and pallets. Twenty-four empty bottles weigh more than four times as much as an empty keg, and therefore have a much bigger carbon footprint. Kegs eliminate packaging, are reusable and reduce transportation emissions significantly.

Cheaper For Harry & Frankie’s Tom Hogan, wine on tap has been an unequivocal success.

“We really wanted to offer something

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Easy to use Pouring wine from a tap is quicker and easier than fussing with bottles; there’s less chance of wastage, less storage space needed and fewer safety concerns from broken bottles.

Wine on tap is ideal for serving by the glass or carafe. The wine can be stored without oxidation and served at the desired temperature – more reliable than wine from a bottle that’s been open for a while.

It’s all in the tasting

“There is less chance of wastage, less storage space needed and fewer safety concerns from broken bottles.”

Hogan says they have had no negative comments, although they had to battle some preconceptions initially. “The trick is getting people to taste it. Provenance really makes a difference,” he said.

It’s unfortunate that some venues used wine on tap as an avenue for getting rid of bulk wine. “That sullies the product.”

Kirsty Marek agrees the perception is that “if you’ve got wine on tap, it’s a house wine and not good quality.” It’s a re-education process, she said.

Customers had been really receptive to the wine on tap at Swings Taphouse. “We haven’t had any negative comments at all.”

Kirsty says that as well as the environmental and economic reasons, Swings had been “really interested in experimenting” with wine on tap. “It’s an exciting project for winemakers to sink their teeth into.”

After looking at popular venues in North America and Europe, Swings created its own bespoke system to achieve the quality it wanted. This includes “sight glass fonts” that allow customers to see the colour of the wine through the taps – an important aspect of wine appreciation.

The winery conducted blind tastings and found people couldn’t taste the difference between wine from the keg and bottled wine, Kirsty says.

Just as customers were initially sceptical but are now accepting of screwcaps, wine on tap will surely catch on.

While bottles will always be in people’s hearts, especially for ageing wines, wine on tap might revolutionise the way wine is delivered.

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glasswarestyles

A GLASS for every

GRAPE Glassware can become a pricey investment – so when should you splurge, and when should you hold off? Jasmine O’Donoghue reports.

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he world of wine can be a baffling place, where contrasting opinions are never hard to find.

Chris How many types Morrison of glasses should I buy? How much should I spend on a glass? Will they really be worth the investment?

Will my customers be able to tell the difference?

At Popolo in Sydney’s Rushcutters Bay, co-owner Flavio Carnevale says choosing ‘the right’ wine glasses is all about matching the glass with the flavour of the wine.

“We always love to accentuate the wine with the different glasses because I think it makes an enormous difference to how you taste the wine,” he says.

“The right glass is for the right wine; it’s about the taste. Each bottle is different from the other and it should be treated that way, it can’t be too generic.”

Similarly, head sommelier at Vue de Monde in Melbourne, Matthew Lamb, says that every glass at Vue de Monde “is there for a reason: to showcase and maximise the potential of the wine and the dining experience.”

“Wine is a very versatile product; it’s something that can be quite lean and fresh,

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right through to big, rich oak driven styles, whites, reds and dessert wines.

The different glassware is able to showcase and highlight the different features of those wines.

“The lighter aromatic styles lend themselves to a tight, close glass that can help accentuate some of the more delicate aromas that you see, and then the larger surface areas help to accentuate the bigger flavours that you see and can showcase the fruit profile, the oak work that may be in there, and all the different elements of the wine working in conjunction with each other.”

Depending on the restaurant, glassware can have a significant impact on the overall dining experience.

“I think today the consumer is a lot more aware of the different glassware that is on the market and the different styles of glass,” Lamb says. “Being able to showcase those different types of glassware and applying that glassware to what they’ve been ordering, people are greatly receptive to it.”

Chris Morrison, sommelier at Guillaume in Paddington says the role glassware plays is dependent on the style of the venue.

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“I think the further up [in price point] you go, the higher the expectation is … So if you go fine dining, people’s expectation is ‘the price I’m paying means every part of this restaurant experience has to be the very best’, so they’ll look at glassware with great scrutiny. The idea of a restaurant experience where theatre is involved, where expectation is high, I think people do look at glassware.”

Carnevale says quite a lot of Popolo’s customers can tell when wine is served in an appropriate glass.

“Some of them we tell, or some of them already know because a lot of our customers go to Italy and they travel a lot so they’re very into wine.”

Like everything else on the restaurant scene, glassware follows trends, he says.

A selection “There’s been an interesting trend in the past five or of Riedel’s six years, where people are starting to use a lot of their glassware. standard glasses for everything, or they’re back into the vintage glasses, probably 50 percent of places are doing it. A lot of the new places are back to using one type of glass,” Carnevale says.

But Morrison believes things are movBIG O: SHIRAZ / SYRAH: ing in the opposite diThis glass is designed to deliver rection. “In terms of the classic aromas of toast and glassware’s place in the black olives which are typical of restaurant experience this wine. over the last 10 years Recommended for: Amarone, or so, it’s changed sigGrenache, Malbec, Mouvedre, Petiti Syrah and Tanat. nificantly as restaurants become a little VINUM: CHAMPAGNE: bit of a theatre, some Each Vinum Champagne flute have become very grandiose.” has a small dot etched into each, The newly opened Guillaume has providing a slightly abraded decided not to go down the path of surface, which generates a continuous stream of bubbles and matching each grape to a glass, stickprevents the champagne from ing to only three glasses: one for white, going flat in the glass. one for red and one for pinot.

Recommended for: Cava, “It can become a bit of a ball of Champagne, Cuvée Prestige, string, you can keep pulling at it and Prosecco, Rosé Champagne, Sekt. there’s actually no end to it, because the idea really about glassware in restauVITIS: CABERNET: rants for most people is about finding The sides of the Vitis bowls flare one good glass and one good glass is outward before narrowing toward your benchmark. It could sell off every the rim, maximising the surface wine equally as well.” to air space wine experiences and allowing the wines to aerate Although these three establishments within the glass. sit at different points of the spectrum Recommended for: Bordeaux when it comes to the complexity of their (red), Cabernet Franc, Cabernet glassware, they all base their decisions Sauvignon, Fronsac, Graves on a similar formula. rouge, Listrac, Margaux.

First and foremost is budget.

“I start with a budget. I start with VINIUM XL PINOT NOIR: the restaurant concept, and then I look The shape of this glass shows for glassware last,” Morrison says. the fresh compact fruit of North West Pinot Noir and highlights “I think largely where people lose the sweetness, whilst balancing money in the restaurant setup prothe acidity and de-emphasising cess is when they get carried away the alcohol. with glassware, they find something Recommended for: Barbaresco, that they love but then they’ll lose 30 Barolo, Chambolle Musigny, percent in breakages in the first two Moulin à vent, Musigny, or three months. So they’re purchasNebbiolo, Nuits Saint Georges, ing those again, the costs go up and Pinot Noir. basically in six months’ time they’ll

change their glasses because they can’t afford to keep it.

“If you are looking to save money, go to hospitality auction sites. Basically restaurants, when they’re closing down, will sell off all their stock holding, and it may be as low as one dollar a glass. If you’re okay taking secondhand and you’ve got a casual diner, that’s perfect. Obviously if you’ve got something a little more upmarket, where the concept’s a little more sophisticated, new glassware’s the only way to go.”

The next step for choosing glasses is to consider the restaurant concept.

“It’s all about your wine program. A wine program is kind of your paradigm in restaurants because what it means is you’re looking at your total design concept; you’re looking at the actual space you have to work with. I look at everything around the glass, so the walls, the colours, the size and dimension of the room, the style and service, all that will come down to what kind of glassware is right for the restaurant,” Morrison says.

“We work with Riedel because our space in this restaurant is very elegant, it’s very sophisticated, it’s very stylish and timeless and that kind of reflects Riedel. But for a casual diner it could be completely different, for a casual diner you want to serve your champagne out of old fashioned cuvettes and have really stock standard glasses because that’s the style of service they have.”

When starting out, Carnevale suggests going with three glasses.

“If someone is opening a restaurant and they have a medium budget, they probably need a standard glass, a red wine glass and a Prosecco glass.

With these three you can cover all the varieties. If you’ve got limited funds, that will be good enough until your establishment makes some money and you can afford to buy extra glasses,” he says.

The overall restaurant concept will also reveal what the restaurant wants to achieve with their wine glasses.

Lamb says that glassware choices are influenced by “where you see your beverage versus food revenue coming in and the overall element of the restaurant is a large factor. Do you want to showcase and solely focus on a food offering and have wine as a secondary element, or do you want to have both on level pegging? If you want them to be both on level pegging, then a premium variety of glassware is imporant.”

Morrison says that the longevity of glassware is dependent on many factors, including the style of glass, if it’s sturdy, back of house processes and the speed of service.

“You have to take care of your glassware; it’s a big expenditure, and an ongoing one, too. Cutlery you replace maybe once every few years, glassware you’re constantly replacing, so it’s something you have to be really wary of. In terms of strength, there’s no way you can really test it but you have to make sure your protocols around glassware are such that any glass can survive.”

Glasses can take to the stage and help tell the story of your venue, or fade into the backdrop, but regardless of their impact, it’s important to find a balance between theatre and profit. A business purchase that is not sustainable is not worthwhile.

“The right glass is for the right wine; it’s about the taste”

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Women in

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industrywomen

ARE WOMEN UNDER-REPRESENTED IN HOSPITALITY?

Jenna Hemsworth: bartender at Bad Frankie, Melbourne

These seven wonderful women come from different walks of the hospitality world, and are blazing a trail for the next generation. Here they share their thoughts on the ups and downs of the industry.

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Anna Carosa: [In general] not really, but definitely in senior management roles. I do see it changing from what it was 10 years ago, which is great.

Women have more attention to detail and are generally perfectionists. Don’t tell my husband this!

Lara Dignam: Not necessarily. There are definitely more men behind bars and more women on the floor – I don’t really know why ... perhaps women tend to go for the work that is socially stimulating rather than the physical stuff? I think a lot of that is personality driven rather than gender.

Josephine Perry: That’s a tough one. I do think women are under-represented in the hospitality industry, especially in the kitchen. I would like to see more celebrity women chefs and head chefs.

Anna Polyviou: Definitely. It’s a very male dominated kitchen more than anything, but that’s only because you’ve got to think about the unsocial hours and the heavy lifting ... it’s not being sexist, it’s the truth. It’s completely unsocial and your life revolves around your work. If you love what you do, then you are going to go really far with it, but if you don’t love it, then it can really affect your everyday life.

Rebecca Lines: No I don’t think so; I think there are plenty of females in the industry. I think, like with most professions, it becomes a little harder when females decide to have children, especially for chefs. The hours required can be hard for some to maintain with children.

Perhaps it’s as simple as the government making childcare more readily available for people who have to do shift work?

Jenna Hemsworth: As the numerical minority, it will always appear that women as a whole are being under-represented in the industry. There are some great females that just go about their work and get things done well, however there are also some that seem to have a chip on their shoulder and expect consideration and respect to just fall into their laps without putting in the hard yards.

Regardless of gender, talent and hard work will always eventually get noticed and be rewarded. Being the loudest or boasting about achievements may seem like the way to get ahead, however someone who is consistently proving their worth through self-improvement, continuous learning and hard work is going to be held in much higher regard.

Katrina Birchmeier: As a whole I feel that women are well represented, but I do believe there are certain sub-sectors of the hospitality industry in which women are not. In particular I feel that women are under-represented in kitchen and sommelier positions. Unfortunately, I think women can often sell themselves short and lack the confidence to back themselves in certain roles – particularly in roles that have traditionally been male-dominated.

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industrywomen

YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT? Anna C: Coming from an IT background with no hospitality experience, I feel I have adapted very well. I feel my greatest and most joyful achievements are designing and developing our venues with no designers or architects, spending 10 to 15 weeks working with our builders daily to execute my vision.

Lara D: Definitely opening Papa Gede’s and being in a position to bring in staff – but it’s a group achievement because I have two business partners, so it’s ‘our’ glory.

Josephine P: Hands down my openings with Dad. We’ve opened five restaurants together … It’s exciting, exhausting, often frustrating, hard but so rewarding.

To walk into a restaurant that looks like a building site a week before opening and then scramble to get the builders out and all the dust vacuumed up in 20 minutes before the first guest arrives is such an adrenaline rush. It’s also a very rewarding experience to see something come together. An opening team shares something special.

Anna P: My biggest achievement was winning the (Les Toques Blanc)

scholarship to go overseas, but also winning the best dessert over in the UK (The Nadell Trophy - Dessert of the Year). I was the only female in that category and along with winning the trophy, I won a scholarship over to Paris where I worked with Pierre Herme. But what I am doing now at the Shangri-La is going to be my biggest achievement – turning the hotel into a destination for pastry.

Jenna H: This year I far exceeded my own expectations and placed in the national top five in the Diageo World Class competition. With the competition as tough as it was and the talent of my fellow competitors, it was an absolute shock to get that far, but it was a great honour.

Katrina B: My greatest achievements would be creating, opening and managing Garagistes; creating, opening and managing Sidecar (a small wine bar we opened in 2012 that we sold earlier this year); and winning the Electrolux Appetite for Excellence Young Restaurateur of the Year in 2012.

Anna Carosa: co-owner of the Retail Savvy Group, which operates three venues in Melbourne’s CBD: Asian Beer Café, Father’s Office and The Shaw Davey Slum.

BIGGEST CHALLENGES? Anna C: Trying to manage everything I have to do work-wise as well as being a good mother, wife, daughter and sister.

Inaugural event to showcase female talent Fine Food Australia, the largest hospitality trade show in the country, is this year launching a Women in Food Service morning tea to help connect and inspire women in all facets of the food industry.

Running on 17 September from 10.30am to 12.30pm, the morning tea will also raise funds for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and Feed Melbourne Appeal.

The event will bring together leading women from across the industry, including Carolyn Creswell, founder of Carman’s Kitchen and 2012 Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year, and Jacky Magid, sales manager at Charlie’s Cookies.

Minnie Constan, exhibition manager at Diversified Exhibitions, which runs Fine Food Australia, said the event aims to show women that it’s possible for them to reach senior management positions.

“Internationally, the lack of women in leadership roles within the food service industry has long been an issue, but women have made - and continue to make – a big mark on the food service industry, and we wanted to acknowledge that.

“Women make up around 60 percent of food prep managers and service workers but we’re not very well represented in senior teams. Fine Food Australia wanted to give women in food service in Australia the opportunity to hear from women who have made it to that senior level - and when you consider that many women in our industry are juggling the demands of family as well as careers, what they bring to the sector is even more impressive,” Constan said.

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Rebecca Lines: sommelier and co-owner, Bar H, Sydney

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Plus the industry is evolving – customers expect better service and better quality but at a cheaper price. I think that’s what we have done well all along; our competitors are starting to see this and are making changes in their businesses to offer the same.

Lara D: Day to day is all about maintaining energy and communication.

Overall the biggest challenges are sticking to your vision; there are millions of set backs, be they from licensing, council or whatever else, and you need to be able to take a deep breath and see the bigger picture. Everything worth having takes time.

Josephine P: Dealing with difficult customers, trying to work harmoniously with such a large group of diverse people and being Neil Perry’s daughter.

It’s also really tough to get good hospitality staff in Australia. Sadly a lot of people still see it as an in-between job while they’re studying or waiting for their acting career to take off. The Australian government and its visa policies make it so difficult to employ great overseas workers. The six month workHO0 9 1 4 _ 0 0 0 _ P E P

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Lara Dignam: co-owner of Sydney small bar Papa Gede’s

Josephine Perry: Hostess at Rockpool, Bridge St, Sydney

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Katrina Birchmeier: co-owner and co-sommelier at Garagistes, Tasmania

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ing holiday visa is an absolute killer, as well as student visas.

Anna P: Because the Shangri-La is such a big establishment, different personalities can sometimes be a struggle, also hiring can be a little bit difficult because of the skill level. There are definitely talented pastry chefs but they are generally taken by other venues. And I find that because of popular television shows, everyone thinks that they are a pastry chef.

Rebecca L: I guess the stress of each service is our day to day challenge, each day we have to perform and get it right. The challenges facing the industry overall are a little greater: smaller margins coupled with rising costs of food and labour. Unfortunately the market is not willing to pay the true price of dining.

Jenna H: Always remaining ‘on’. We all have days where we would rather ignore customers and keep our heads down – it is those days where it is most important to push through and make an extra effort to be hospitable and give our guests the best dining and drinking experience possible.

Katrina B: The restaurant industry is extremely labour intensive. There are many hours that go into planning, sourcing, and preparing food and beverages each day, long before the restaurant doors open for service.

In effect the major cost in operating a restaurant is the labour involved, not the products served. However, does the customer just perceive value in the physical product served, rather than the service itself? Maintaining profit and managing the costs of a high input industry, whilst also creating an innovative and memorable product/service at a price point where customers perceive value, is one of the biggest challenges in the restaurant industry.

yourself in it as much as you can – get to know as many people that you can and don’t be afraid to take risks.

You have, have, have to like talking to people and not have a superiority complex. Everyone responds best when you treat them as an equal. Also helps if you’re a natural-smiler and don’t totally hate cleaning.

Josephine P: I would say why not investment banking? Accountancy?

No, just kidding! Make sure that it’s absolutely what you have your heart set on. It has to make you happy – once you’re in, you’re in! It’s a hard life, hospitality, and not an easy industry to succeed in. You have to be confident, chatty, positive and resilient.

Anna P: Go in with open eyes, understand that there are sacrifices and that it’s not always glamorous, but really, just knuckle down and learn. Don’t try and skip the ranks, really just concentrate on developing yourself, and push yourself as much as you can.

Rebecca L: I hear a lot of the younger generation saying they want to open their own place soon, I say ‘take your time, learn as much as you can on someone else’s dollar, get to know the market not just the regular customers you’re serving, watch trends over time, watch the financial market, but most of all love what you do.’ It’s really not about having your name in the media.

Jenna H: Leave your ego at the door.

As soon as you feel that you are ‘above’ a task or position, you have immediately adopted the wrong attitude required to further yourself in this industry and gain the respect of your peers. Work hard, keep learning, ask questions and remain humble. And learn to love cleaning.

Katrina B: If you’re the kind of person that likes to think with your mind and with your heart, then this is the industry for you. In my opinion, one needs to be hard working with stamina, team-oriented and passionate.

“Unfortunately, I think women can often sell themselves short and lack the confidence to back themselves in certain roles”

ADVICE FOR UP-ANDCOMERS? Anna C: It’s a hard slog, with long hours and it’s unpredictable. Persist, persist, persist. There is a career to be had if you work at your skill.

Lara D: If you are truly passionate about hospitality then immerse

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WHO DO YOU ADMIRE IN THE INDUSTRY? Lara D: My business partners. And all our mates who have paved the way before us, like the peeps from Grandma’s, The Wild Rover and Grasshop-

Anna Polyviou: executive pastry chef, Shangri-La, Sydney

per bar, amongst others.

Josephine P: My Dad – he turned 57 this year and he’s a total workaholic. He’ll get off a plane from America at 6am, go home, have a shower and be in the office by 9am.

He’s an absolute machine. I think his restaurant concepts are next to none and his drive to stay on top and stay relevant is inspiring.

Anna P: Honestly, I admire my staff. I just love them and I really admire each one. I get to see them grow, and as they grow, I grow with them.

One of my team members is now competing in competitions and from where he was to where he is now … it’s just amazing.

Rebecca L: I admire anyone who has opened a restaurant, I think it takes a lot of courage and determination as it’s not an easy business.

Jenna H: People who have carved a niche for themselves in the industry and have not been restricted by what

other people believe a ‘professional bartender’ should be – people who don’t expect recognition or admiration but demand it through their actions and work.

Katrina B: Kylie Kwong is a woman in the hospitality industry who is a great inspiration to me and who I truly admire. Kylie created a unique and innovative restaurant, Billy Kwong, in Sydney during a time when there was nothing else like it in concept or style of food. She has been dedicated and committed to her one restaurant, rather than being lured by success to open multiple venues. I am inspired by Kylie’s dedication to Fair Trade, organics and biodynamics, and to have as small as possible environmental impact in all that she does.

She has shown that one can educate the wider community about broader food and social issues through a restaurant and through the choices she makes there.

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Secondary cuts TAKE A STAND The start of spring signals an exciting time for chefs, as they update their menus to include the new season’s produce. And this year, lamb dishes showcasing both primary and secondary cuts are front and centre. By Brea Carter.

The Rachel sandwich

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o longer cast off as waste or food fit for the family dog, secondary cuts of lamb including the shoulder, shank, neck and rib are becoming a popular inclusion on restaurant menus, much to diners’ delight.

The cuts are often sourced from top suppliers, slow cooked for maximum flavour and carefully paired with complementary flavours and side dishes.

Contrary to popular belief, chefs and restaurant owners aren’t using them in an effort to cut costs (although that is an added benefit); the key driver is taste. Many believe lesser known cuts are more flavoursome than their primary counterparts.

Hospitality’s conversation with Shane Delia, head chef and owner of Melbourne restaurant Maha, began with a clarification regarding the term ‘secondary cuts,’ HO0 9 1 4 _ 0 0 0 _ L UM - Delia 1 believes 2 0 1 4is -out-dated.

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“I don’t think anybody refers to lesser known cuts as secondary cuts anymore; secondary cuts refer to something that is second place or not as good, which is not true at all. If that was the case the prices would be still be rock bottom.

“I think ‘secondary cuts’ came from early in the piece in Australia when the primary cuts were the cuts that all the Aussies wanted to eat and the secondary cuts were the shit ones that the wogs were left with,” he says.

“Now as multicultural Australia is expanding and people’s palettes are changing, those dodgy cuts that my grandmother used to tell the butcher were for her dog, are now quite expensive and almost boutique.”

Maha specialises in Middle Eastern fare, a style of cuisine that Delia says lends itself to large pieces of meat that : take 4 8 a: little 0 3 longer + 1 0 to : cook.

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Shane Delia

“Our whole menu is built around them,” he says. “Lamb shoulder is probably our biggest seller – in the busy summer months we can go through up to a tonne of it a fortnight.”

Delia is a fan of the lamb shoulder in particular, and believes it is definitely more flavoursome than certain primary cuts, provided it’s cooked correctly.

“I think a shoulder beats the leg any day of the week – it’s a beautiful cooking piece of meat, it has a great yield and if you just treat it with a little bit of respect it can be the best tasting thing on your menu,” he explains.

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Justin Miles

“Low and slow is probably one of our biggest phrases when cooking and handling secondary cuts”

Neck pea beetroot

“Any idiot can get a lamb chop, brush it with a bit of salt and olive oil, throw it under the grill and eat it, but to cook up a lamb shoulder properly so it is still moist, full flavoured and tender takes a bit of time. It takes a little bit more slow cooking. You have to know what flavours work well with the shoulder to get the best out of it.”

Lamb ribs have been a permanent fixture on Maha’s menu since 2008, and Delia says they’re becoming more and more popular.

“When we started using them, no one else really was. They’ve gone off the chart, every restaurant seems to be using lamb ribs, which is great because they are a beautiful piece of meat, but it’s made it harder for me now because it was something that was great for us to put on the menu when we were trying to balance it out, cost-wise.

“If we had a few premium cuts of meat or truffles or caviar on the menu we could always turn to something like a lamb rib to balance it out with something a bit cheaper.”

While lesser known cuts are more affordable, Delia reiterates his decision to

use them is not driven by cost.

“They do keep price down, but the reason I use them is for flavour and customer satisfaction, price comes second.

“If we are saving money on a lamb shoulder, we are spending it somewhere else; we are spending it on some beautiful vegetables or seafood, it is not as if we are running a restaurant that is amazingly profitable – anybody in the restaurant industry knows that to have a profitable restaurant isn’t an easy thing unless you are Ronald McDonald,” he explains.

“Chefs and restaurateurs are always looking for ways to do things more costeffectively, but you don’t want to rip people off and you want to serve something that is tasty and you can stand by.”

Justin Miles, the executive chef and general manager at Windy Point Restaurant and Cafe, just outside of Adelaide, is another advocate of lesser known cuts.

“We utilise shank, leg, neck and shoulder primarily,” he says.

“There are some cost benefits associated with secondary cuts, however when they are handled with skill, the flavour profile, texture and end product is something that can be very impressive.”

Miles employs a number of different techniques to cook the lesser known cuts of lamb, ensuring they are both flavoursome and tender. “Low and slow is probably one of our biggest phrases when cooking and handling secondary cuts.

“We utilise slow ovens at 100°C and sous vide at 70°C for lengthy periods and at times overnight.”

He believes it’s important that chefs and business owners establish close ties with suppliers to ensure the cuts they require are readily available.

“You need to have a relationship with both the broker and the grower so they understand your particular needs and demands.

“We at Windy Point believe the relationship that has developed between MyButcher and particularly Savannah Lamb over the years has been beneficial for all parties, but it ultimately ensures excellence for the consumer,” he adds.

Lesser known cuts are incorporated onto the Windy Point menu alongside primary cuts, and patrons’ feedback is positive, says Miles.

“At times the cuts will be bed fellows of a primary product in some form. We have a Savannah Lamb dish that utilises a two pin rack, shank crep-

COULD YOUR RECIPE GET YOU A FREE TRIP TO THE US? Rare Medium – MLA’s food service arm – is offering two chefs the chance to win an all expenses paid trip to the USA, as part of its Masterpieces Competition.

All you need to do is send through a recipe which uses one of these often forgotten cuts: beef oyster blade, chuck roll, lamb forequarter rack or lamb knuckle.

Entries close 17 October, and must include a recipe, a photo of the dish, the plate cost and menu price.

Ten finalists will be selected and will have their recipes tested by a team of chefs at MLA’s demo kitchen before being judged by a panel comprising Rare Medium team members, the editor of Hospitality and a leading chef.

Go to www.raremedium.com.au/ competiton for details.

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PROFESSIONALS Ribs in honey pepper

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inette and shoulder pie – a lamb three ways if you will.

“Customer satisfaction is extremely high; the differing flavours and textures make for a dish that engages the senses,” he adds.

Overall Miles opts for lesser known cuts for three key reasons. “It shows a level of kitchen skill that is having a real renaissance, the flavour of most secondary cuts is superior to their primary counterparts and to reduce some menu costs is always beneficial.”

As the head chef at boutique hotel Blue Sydney, Kiran Arora is responsible for the Water Bar, Blue Cafe and inroom dining menus.

He agrees with Delia and Miles that secondary cuts can help to reduce costs, and says dishes that utilise them are well received by diners.

“They tend to balance the cost, help to keep the overall cost in check and wastage can be reduced.

“They can be used for braising and in terrines, and off cuts can be cooked and

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used for pulled/shredded preparations,” Arora explains.

He says lesser known cuts can typically be sourced from most of the big suppliers, and notes there will be more stock available if demand is high.

“For big orders it is better to give them a bit of time to source the cuts,” he advises.

When it comes to lesser known cuts, Arora also employs slow cooking techniques. “They usually require longer marination and cooking time – a slow process of cooking tends to break the fibre down and make the cuts more palatable,” he explains.

Across the three menus, secondary cuts of lamb are included in a Moroccon lamb shoulder stew and cinnamon scented lamb shank dish, which is served with mashed plantains.

More generally, secondary cuts of meat are used in the hotel’s pulled pork sliders, minute steak panini and a beef brisket dish, which is braised with Asian five spice.

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sustainableseafood

Sustainable Seafood Sustainability is a sexy word when it comes to seafood, but not everyone is taking the bait, writes Aoife Boothroyd.

Glacier 51 Toothfish from Flying Fish

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he concept of sustainable seafood has gained plenty of attention over the past few years. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), together with a number of high profile chefs and environmental groups have been very effective in communicating the importance of having sustainable seafood varieties on restaurant menus, but when it comes to consumers’ ordering habits, by and large they’re sticking with what they know.

Executive chef at Sydney’s Flying Fish, Stephen Seckold says that when it comes to sustainable seafood, there are two types: premium products such as the Glacier 51 Toothfish as well as premium cod varieties, and ‘uglier species’ such as sardines and flounders.

Although consumer perceptions of the ‘uglier’ lesser known species are slowly changing, the demand for these more plentiful varieties – at least at this stage – simply isn’t big enough to warrant being a permanent fixture on a menu.

“There is a lovely Coorong Mullet that comes out of South Australia which is absolutely fantastic but you know, people grow up thinking that mullet is some sort of bait fish and that you wouldn’t really go out to eat it at a fine dining restaurant,” says Seckold.

“When it comes to the cheaper fish, people aren’t really going out for that sort of thing.”

Seckold says that while one of the restaurant’s signature dishes is the MSC certified Glacier 51 Toothfish, consumers, in general, are looking for familiarity when they order.

“We’ve tried things on and off. Some of them have been successful and some of them haven’t been successful … At Flying Fish, we don’t really have a wide range of uglier species on the menu, but we do specials on them occasionally,” he says.

“For example, if some really beautiful fresh sardines come in then we put them on a special.

After that it’s really up the waiter to be able to convince the diner to give it a try and once they do, it’s fine.”

Cho Cho San’s grilled hiramasa kingfish head

Pipis from Sydney Seafood School

come a cool word to use, but people don’t really know why they’re using it. It’s a bit confusing because Australia has some of the strictest and most stringent fishing practices in the world.

Even myself for instance, when I took over Flying Fish a few years ago, I was hell bent on Defining sustainability taking yellow fin tuna off the menu. I In terms of sustainability and lesser was just told that it was about known species, Seckold says that a to hit the red list so I was lot of people are not really aware determined to take it off that some varieties of Australthe menu and switch it ian mud crabs – even though for an albacore tuna, they are still a popular item – which is much more are in fact sustainable, as are sustainable. a lot of Australia’s prawns.

“But with the Stephen Another thing that Seckmore research that Seckold, old says adds to the confusion I did, especially off Flying Fish surrounding sustainability is the east coast of Austhe term itself. tralia, I found that there “The word ‘sustainable’ has beare so many restrictions in

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regards to how many yellow fin tuna can be caught and brought through the fish market in Sydney. So once I learned, and I wasn’t going by hearsay, I found that the situation isn’t actually that bleak.”

Give people what they want When it comes to lesser-known seafood varieties, Seckold says that he would love to be able to get his diners to favour some of the ‘uglier’ species, but at the end of the day, you have to give your customers what they want.

“I’d love to get more customers enjoying the local sea urchin that we have our fishermen catching … Also if I could get people to enjoy the yellow eye coorong mullet… that is something I would love to be able to use continuously,” he told Hospitality magazine.

“The thing is, someone will pick up a menu at Flying Fish and they can look through the

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entire menu but as soon as they see the word ‘prawn’ they are going to order it without even blinking an eye – all of a sudden the rest of the menu just becomes invisible.

“We need to get to the point where people pick up the menu and want to order something like a nice rock flathead, which is very sustainable and has always been an amazing fish in this country.

“People know what they like, and we like to be comfortable in what we are eating I guess, but I think over time, we will win the good fight.”

Yellow fin tuna from flying Fish

Minimising wastage and maximising potential Japanese restaurant, Cho Cho San in Sydney’s east has a strong focus on seafood, and head chef, Nicholas Wong says that while he is happy to experiment with lesser known species, it’s not necessarily what his diners are willing to pay for.

“We played around with the geoduck (clam) a little bit recently, but to be honest I think it’s a bit of a novelty at the moment. It’s best compared to abalone, in terms of taste and texture, but it doesn’t work as well as abalone,” he says.

One of the more left-of-field dishes that Cho Cho San has on its menu is a grilled hiramasa kingfish head. Wong says that although kingfish is not exactly a lesser known variety, not many restaurants are utilising the head.

“We go through a fair bit of raw hiramasa kingfish fillet at the restaurant, so we just decided to use the fish head, which is actually pretty popular in Japan. It’s also about using all of the fish as opposed to just discarding the head as it’s viewed as a very secondary cut,” he says.

“Some fishmongers throw away the head so there’s no real demand for it, which is strange because it’s actually quite a prized cut, it’s just a bit fiddly.

It’s not like a piece of fish where you’re not going to have any bones in it… it’s just hard to get to, but with chopsticks it’s quite easy, so it really works well.”

When it comes to which lesser known varieties he would like to see on more menus, Wong says that sea urchin and leatherjacket are at the top of his list.

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“I love sea urchin. It’s really great that people’s perceptions of them are changing because some (diners) can tend to be a bit iffy about them. There are so many ways to eat sea urchin, but almost all of it is still getting shipped overseas.

We really should be eating it here because it’s truly amazing.

“I’m also a big fan of leatherjacket, which lends well to a steamboat or soup.

I also quite like it on the bone which I think gives it a bit more texture and bounce. Also, it’s cheap.”

“If the lesser known varieties were more Alternative varieties mean cost savings popular, the Manager of Sydney Seafood School, dishes would Roberta Muir says that there are a of lesser-known species that then be cheaper.” number not only provide great flavour, but also can be half the price of the premium fish varieties.

“I love leatherjacket,” she says.

“Ocean jacket is the species most commonly seen in Sydney. It’s great value and has great firm, white flesh, which most people love. It’s usually sold as a headless trunk, so it can be cooked on the bone which also adds flavour.”

Muir says that there are a number of alternative seafood varieties that can serve as a great substitute for the more premium species.

“Cuttlefish is a great alternative to squid,” she says. “It’s interchangeable in most recipes and sometimes up to half the price.

“I’d also really like bivalves to be used more often, like blue mussels, pipis and some of the other lesser-known clams.”

Although the popularity of sustainable seafood is increasing and diners are becoming more aware of the alternative varieties on offer, demand is essentially the key driver when it comes to which types of seafood earn pride of place on a menu.

“It really translates to the diner,” Stephen Seckold told Hospitality magazine. “If the lesser known varieties were more popular, the dishes would then be cheaper because you are not paying a premium for them, like you do with the other premium varieties.

“A good restaurant isn’t going to put a cheaper dish on the menu and then decide to keep it up at the same price point.”

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workplaceissues

Making sense of paid parental leave What are the current paid parental leave entitlements and how are they likely to change?

By Restaurant & Catering Australia.

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ustralia has a paid parental leave scheme These include: in operation set up by the previous Labor • Paid Parental Leave extended to 26 weeks government. The entitlement to paid • Leave paid at the minimum National Wage or parental leave is up to 18 weeks leave paid based on actual wages, whichever is higher (up to at the National Minimum Wage: $640.90 per week. $100,000 per annum, equivalent to a total leave To be eligible, an employee must be the primary payment of $50,000) carer of a newborn or adopted child and must have • Superannuation to be paid on Parental Leave worked for at least 12 months with a company be- • Payment of Parental Leave to be administered by fore the birth or adoption. Full-time, part-time, the Commonwealth government, not paid by the casual, seasonal, contract and self-employed workemployer. ers may be eligible.

To offset any additional charges of the proposed Under the Coalition, the Paid Parental Leave new scheme, the Coalition’s scheme would be partly Scheme is set to receive a major overhaul, which funded by a 1.5 percent levy on organisations with a would take effect from 1 July, 2015. taxable income in excess of $5 million. It is estimated The Paid Parental Leave Scheme is designed to to affect only 3,000 companies. Small business will complement existing workplace entitlements. It not be liable for the new levy, but will be the benefidoes not provide a new leave entitlement to exist- ciaries of this new policy as many larger organisations ing entitlements and does not change current leave already offer leave entitlements above the minimum entitlements. entitlements, and the Coalition believes that this will While some components will remain the same, now provide a more level playing field in attracting H as O 0eligibility, 9 1 4 _ significant 0 2 5 _ Dchanges E T 2 are - proposed.

1 2 0 1 and 4 - retaining 0 8 - 2 female 1 T 0 employees.

8 : 5 9 : 5 2 + 1 0 : 0 0 such

Eco packaging solutions Come see us at stand HG34 at Fine Foods

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To assist larger business with the implementation of this new levy, the government will provide a modest tax cut, which should offset the cost of the Paid Parental Leave levy.

Under the proposed Scheme, small business will face less administration burden, be able to offer parental leave entitlements similar to larger organisations and offer more ongoing and stable working environments for female employees.

This article was written by the Workplace Relations Team at Restaurant & Catering Australia.

Contact them on 1300 722 878.

WWW.DETPAK.COM

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industryobserver

Are you stifling your staff?

Has the drive to operate like a well oiled machine given rise to a lack of aspiration in your business?

Hospitality’s Industry Observer reports.

R

ecently I had the pleasure of spending a couple of weeks on a cruise ship and I found it a most interesting experience. It was like travelling back in time to another era of service where a patriarchal system ruled, and the whole thing was a little like a combination of a five star hotel, a retirement village crossed with a club Med and an all you can eat buffet.

The leaders of this ship were largely British, front of house departments were dominated by Italians and the floor staff were mainly from the Philippines, and while their nationality was irrelevant to the observation, it provided the contrast required for analysis. There exists on a ship ‘old fashioned’ layers in the structure of service and it operates much like one of the armed forces or emergency services with a head that is certainly in command, and it is this that had me looking at current management practice. Is ‘lean’ just plain ‘mean’?

Companies today seem more driven than ever to put themselves out there as ‘lean’ and ‘flat’, giving the appearance to outsiders as a place where no money is wasted and efficiency reigns supreme.

But what does that mean internally for the team? Has this drive for an efficient appearance given rise to meanness of spirit and lack of aspiration? For instance, open offices are all the rage and yet what has this done for achieving a better work environment? We no longer have the dream of an office to go with the promotion, just a workstation closer to the indoor plant or further from the bathroom. If the only reward for promotion is money, are we becoming more narrow and inward looking?

However, getting a promotion presumes that your company actually has tiers in its management structure. Many restaurants and small businesses are family affairs where there is the owner and the staff. This is being replicated in some of the flat corporate structures where ‘middle’ managers are becoming cannon fodder for the HR department

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“Without a promotable role to aspire to, companies will lose good employees.”

and the more traditional ‘beehive’ format of Queen and Worker comes into play. Again, while this pleases accountants, will it work for your business?

Simple structures allow for managers/owners feeling as if they are across all aspects of the business, however it creates other problems. Managers can have a lack of focus, as they are pulled from sales to accounts and then across to purchasing, all before having a morning coffee thrust into their hand. If you have 20 staff and one manager, time is going to be a precious commodity for you all.

Furthermore, what sort of leader will the manager have to be in order to remain effective? A tendency to skim across the surface of the business will leave employees feeling undervalued, but a manager who prioritises one function over another can easily alienate the team. No-one said that this was easy.

The flat structure has another victim – aspiration. If there is no layering in the organisation, where can an employee go to improve their situation? Without a promotable role to aspire to, companies will lose good employees to other businesses, often competitors, and all your investment in training, knowledge and goodwill goes with them. Business leaders and researchers talk about the

lack of loyalty in the Gen Y workforce, but perhaps the lack of value or growth opportunity provided by employers is partly responsible for driving their fluid work pattern?

There is no easy solution to shoot out as a cure all to businesses – especially ones in the hospitality trade. The marketplace is tight and all sections of the food chain are feeling the pinch of some pretty dire economic times. In this environment companies can consider rewards beyond money as a means of keeping their employees engaged.

Take the time to connect with your teams and find out what their values are, as they’re often very different to yours. It may be something as simple as flexibility in work patterns or hours, or wanting greater input into the operation. They may possess skills you are unaware of and want the opportunity to show them off; they may crave recognition or more autonomy. These things will cost your business little, but might open up a new level of engagement that helps hold your team together.

The land locked world may not enjoy the same layered hierarchy of the sea, but if we can go some way to replicating the level of job satisfaction apparent in the staff on board my cruise, then progress will have been made.

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managementcomment

Be smart when selling Time for a sea change? Following these guidelines will make selling your restaurant or cafe a much easier (and more profitable) process, writes Ken Burgin.

B

oat owners say the two best days of their life are the day they bought it and the day they sold it. Is it the same for restaurant and café owners?

The process can take many months, so get started straight away. The best time to sell is when income is growing, not when it is flat or declining, but most people are too excited in the growth stage to sell – it’s human nature.

Streamline the business, without losing character Embrace simpler recipes and easier cooking. Trim the wine list and simplify the function menus.

Say goodbye to staff who are not contributing 100 percent. Is it an open sale or a ‘secret sale’? Many sellers prefer to maintain secrecy but sooner or later the staff will find out, so be prepared for all possibilities.

Paint, polish and tidy up Spend money on cosmetic improvements, just as you would if you sold a house. Throw out broken equipment, scrub down the surfaces, buy new cushions and replace broken tiles. Ask for an outsider’s opinion – ‘owner blindness’ is a well known problem.

Put together written systems Buyers love good, easy to follow systems. Your operations manual is an important asset: opening and closing checklists, recipes, repair lists, phone lists, instructions for equipment and costing methods.

Prepare an inventory Make sure you have clear title and ownership for everything you are planning to sell. Check that equipment leases can be transferred.

Prepare your business figures

List with a broker

“They want to know that you are making a profit – being helpful to them will help you too.”

They usually sell a good business more quickly as they are dealing with buyers all the time. If you do a private sale, be prepared for tyre-kickers and curious competitors. The more complex the business, the lower the resale price. Five day businesses usually sell for more than six or seven day operations – people will pay a premium if they can also ‘have a life’.

Organise your legal adviser and accountant Your contract, inventory and lease should be ready for inspection. Be ready to advocate with the landlord if the purchaser wants amendments to the lease. Have copies of local government approvals and the liquor license available. The more you have ready, the more trust you build.

Keep smiling Selling can take months, so keep the business strong and vibrant with everything in good repair. Make sure inspections create a good impression – they can happen at any time, often as ‘mystery visits’.

When the offer is accepted, a deposit is paid and contracts are exchanged.

There may be a trial period for one or two weeks, which will need a daily audit system. This is the time to be around the business every minute it’s open. Trial periods show that this is a quality business that’s ready to guarantee its figures.

Final settlement will be subject to the agreed figures being achieved.

On completion of the sale, the final balance is paid. There may also be valuation and payment for trading stock, and staff wages and leave entitlements to be worked out. Have stock sheets prepared so the stocktake is quick and easy.

After settlement there may be an assistance period (often one or two weeks) when you should be available to give advice on suppliers and operational issues.

Finally, it’s time to open the bottle of champagne you kept aside, and call the travel agent to finalise the holiday – enjoy your new life!

Be

Buyers are suspicious, and rightly so.

The more transparent you are, the more you will keep potential buyers interested. They want to know that you are making a profit – being helpful to them will help you too.

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managementcomment

IT’S TIME THESE TRENDS toppled over Toss out the trends and please don’t deconstruct, writes Tony Berry.

I

S there an industry outside fashion that is more prone to following the latest trend than our own copycat world of food service? No sooner has one enterprising chef created a new dish than replicas start appearing on every table in the country. It takes only one kitchen to throw the spotlight on an ingredient not previously given much attention for its use to spread quicker than an outbreak of measles in a kindergarten.

In next to no time the long suffering diners find they are offered no escape from the latest ‘innovation’ and all its many imitations and misuses. Remember the dreaded sun-dried tomato? It hit us in plague proportions. And then there was the sticky toffee pudding. It offered no escape, ubiquitous, holding diners to ransom: it was that or boring old ice cream. Take it or leave it.

More recently there has been the craze for stacked food. It was as if some chef, gorging on a Whopper, had a brainstorm and decided he liked the shape. Which was fine for a burger, except that he then applied it to every single dish he cooked. And the rest of the flock followed suit so that the nation’s plates became piled high with layers of food that diners immediately undermined and brought tumbling down to where it should have been in the first place.

Conversely, along with the foams, gloops and sprays (stop it!) we now have

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Tony Berry

“It’s pointless, meaningless and it does absolutely nothing to enhance the dining experience..”

everything laid out flat, spread wide on the platter. Bits and pieces of a dish. The components of a meal. The anatomy of an entrée.

The dissection of a dessert.

They call it ‘deconstruction’.

And it is time someone called a halt.

Chefs, cooks, restaurateurs and recipe writers will you all please stop this mad craze of presenting dishes as an array of ingredients? It has got totally out of hand. It’s pointless, meaningless and it does absolutely nothing to enhance the dining experience.

Deconstruction is something city developers do to obsolete buildings. Strategically placed high explosives, a press of a plunger and WHAM! goodbye high-rise, hello to a dusty, messy shambles of the bricks, mortar, girders and wiring that were used to create a once impressive shell for offices or houses.

Much the same, really, as the puzzling and unappealing spread that results when diners are confronted with a deconstructed Eton mess or tarte tatin.

Why do it? Where is the merit, appeal or reason behind deconstructing a cheesecake in order to dish up a plate of pastry, cheesy cream and a side serve of whatever fruit or flavouring was in the original recipe?

The message this sends out from the kitchen is “Sorry folks, but I just couldn’t be bothered to put it all together. You can have a go, if you like; all the bits and pieces are there.” No thanks; you’re the chef, you put it

together. That’s what the punters are paying for – the complete show, not the dress rehearsal.

One clearly proud chef recently mentioned her restaurant served deconstructed Eccles cakes! Picture it: a circle of shortcrust pastry, little mounds of currants, chopped peel, sugar and butter. Just give me the bun as it’s meant to be, in all its traditional, delicious glory.

Maybe the local Italian will serve up bowls of mince, pasta and cheese so that we can assemble our own spag bol? Or the pizza place will slap down a circle of dough and offer sachets of the bits and pieces to create a margarita or a Hawaiian?

The only times when this works is with dishes that defy construction and remain in their basic state: fish and chips, bacon and eggs, sausage and mash. Although one wonders how long it will be before some chef with too much time on their hands decides to mess with these too.

The next thing we know, diners will be led table by table into the kitchen, provided with an array of partially prepared ingredients and invited to assemble their own meals. Of course, aprons will be provided.

And the next step after that is to film it all as a “reality” show complete with an upbeat soundtrack and George, Gary and Whatshisname leering over contestants’ shoulders. Now that would be a real horror movie.

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1 shelfspace

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4 1. Update your tabletop Cutlery and dinnerware manufacturer, Noritake has launched its new Monterosso collection.

Characterised by soft, fluid curves, the collection comprises a total of 56 pieces including soup, dessert and teaspoons as well as forks and knives for main meals and desserts. Each Monterosso piece is mirror-finished 18/10 stainless steel and is designed for use across a wide range of hospitality settings.

Visit www.noritake.com.au to find out more

2. Mashed potato made easy, by Nestle According to research conducted

by Nestlé Professional, Maggi’s new gluten-free mashed potato product can save chefs at least half the cost of making it from scratch. Made using fresh, high quality potatoes, the product is simple to prepare – just add water

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

and mix. The mashed potato has multiple applications, from bread, cake and scone recipes to gnocchi.

Maggi’s mashed potato is available in four and seven kilogram packs and it can be stored in a bain-marie for up to four hours.

Head to www.maggi.com.au for more information

3. House-made butter The Buttercup Butter Maker from American accessory brand, Chef’n is now available in Australia through DKSH. The product makes butter from cream in approximately three minutes, enabling business owners to cater to patrons’ growing preference for house-made butter.

It comprises a BPA-free container, screw top lid and integrated strainer – all that is needed to make fresh butter. The butter can be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator for several days.

Check out www.dksh.com.au

4. Innovative oven series The new Convotherm 4 series of combination steamers from Moffat has been re-released for the first time since 2002. The range comprises two panel interface options: easyTouch - which delivers the latest touch controls via a 9-inch, full-touch screen with a configurable user interface, and easyDial - a new standard in manual operation, which displays all functions on the one level. The ovens also come with a range of premium features as standard, including Advanced Close System + which guarantees perfect cooking results.

Head to www.moffat.com.au

5. Limited release Vintage Coopers Ale The special edition 2014 Extra Strong Vintage Ale from Coopers Brewery is the 14th Vintage in the series, which began in 1998. This year’s instalment comprises four hops – Bravo, which

is responsible for the bitterness in the brew, and Cascade from America, as well as Galaxy and Ella from Tasmania, which imbue the brew with flavours of peach, grapefruit and passionfruit. The alcohol content is 7.5 percent by volume, retaining Vintage Ale’s status as Coopers’ strongest beer.

Visit www.coopers.com.au

6. Save time while you grill The new L Series Taylor electronic contact grills from J.L Lennard are said to provide two-sided cooking up to eight times faster than traditional flat grills, which eliminates the need to hold product before serving.

The grills are fully automatic, which can reduce labour requirements and product wastage, and they deliver consistent temperatures across the entire cook surface. Other features include programmable controls, an external USB port and side-to-side release material.

See www.jllennard.com.au

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eventscalendar

hospitalitydiary OCTOBER 4-5, smooth Festival of Chocolate Confectionery businesses and dessert proprietors are invited to take part in the smooth Festival of Chocolate to be held in The Rocks in Sydney. The event will bring together popular brands and boutique chocolatiers, with visitors able to wander from stall to stall tasting, indulging and taking home all kinds of delectable treats. www.smoothfestivalofchocolate.com.au.

17-19, Good Food & Wine Show Brisbane will host the Good Food & Wine Show over three days at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. The show will celebrate wines from around Australia at the Riedel A+ Australian Wine Bar, and feature masterclasses on topics ranging from craft beer, matching cheese and wine, and authentic Italian cooking. www.goodfoodshow.com.au/brisbane 31 October - 2 November, Vino Paradiso Festival Australia’s wine, food, craft beer, cider and spirit producers will take over the Australian HO0 9 1 4 - 0 0 0 _ P RI 1

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New Gluten Free Products

www.priestleys-gourmet.com.au

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NOVEMBER 21-23, Margaret River Gourmet Escape At the heart of the festival is the Gourmet Village at the Leeuwin Estate Winery, which will showcase all the delights of the region. The winery will host cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, masterclasses, Q&As and panel discussions.

The festival has a line-up of industry professionals attending including Heston Blumenthal, Gullaume Brahimi, Jacques Reymond, Darren Robertson, Matt Wilkinson, George Calombaris and Peter Gilmore. www.gourmetescape.com.au

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Priestley’s gluten free range is bigger and better with a new Banana Bread available now in a pre-cut loaf and individually wrapped.

To see the full range visit us at

Technology Park in Sydney for the Vino Paradiso Festival, featuring masterclasses hosted by leading wine and culinary experts. Highlights include the opportunity to create personalised wine labels, and ‘the Aroma Bar’, which will explore the connection between smell and taste. www.vinoparadiso.com.au

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New Gateaux from Priestley’s Add pizazz to your cake cabinet with our new

Choc Cherry Coconut and Pina Lemonada.

To see the full range visit us at

www.priestleys-gourmet.com.au

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Take this quick 5 minute survey so we know what you want from us, and to say thanks, we’ll put you in the draw to win a free iPad. hospitalitymagazine.com.au/takesurvey

Terms and Conditions apply. Prize consist of one (1) x Apple iPad Air (wifi only) RRP $598. Entries open September 1st 2014 at 00:00:01 AEST and close 23:59:59 AEST on the 31st of October 2014. Authorised under NSW Permit No. LTPM/14/00532. Visit www.cirrusmedia.com.au/Survey2014TCs.pdf for full T&Cs.

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Convotherm 4 Designed around you Because we listen to you, the new Convotherm 4 range has been developed around your needs in the kitchen. With two control-panel designs – easyTouch and easyDial - 7 capacity options, and 28 models to choose from, you will have the degree of control you need.

Convotherm 4 has been re-designed, and brings a new benchmark in combi-steamer cooking.

Lower operating costs whilst helping the environment -

Redefined: clear design meets functionality -

The new Convotherm 4 design is ideal for front-of-house cooking.

Aesthetics are combined with a new dimension in intuitive operation and straight forward servicing.

Every watt and litre count.

Convotherm 4 stands for the requirement on energy efficiency and minimal water consumption.

The new standard in flexible, reliable cleaning -

Your cooking results in focus -

The Advanced Closed System+ (ACS+) offers perfection in the third generation. Delivering the ultimate in even cooking, with optimised results to your requirements.

Convoclean+ and Convoclean have been developed to deliver maximum flexibility with minimum consumption.

Automatic cleaning means chemical contact is avoided.

To find out more about how you can experience the new Convotherm 4 way of cooking, contact Moffat on 1800 023 953 or visit www.moffat.com.au

Your meal. Our mission.

VIC/TAS/SA vsales@moffat.com.au, NSW nswsales@moffat.com.au, QLD qldsales@moffat.com.au, WA bgarcia@moffat.com.au moffat.com.au f ffat.com.au Free Phone1800 023 953

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