Hospitality Magazine November 2011 by Hospitality Magazine

No.678 November 2011

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

foodservice

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accommodation

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beverage

■

management

MAN FROM

MERIVALE

Print Post Approved PP349181/00109

Dan Hong's secrets to running restaurants people love

WHAT'S YOUR SCORE? Food safety focus builds with moves to scores on doors

Tables talk What's on the tables at two of our hottest new restaurants? PLUS the latest new products for your tables

“Every

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different...always being able to have a laugh”

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Gary Johnson Executive Chef - Hilton Hotel

HOW TO PARTICIPATE Complete the entry form and send together with a copy of your invoice to: Fax 1800 008 405 Scan & Email au info@whatsyourinspiration.com.au Mail What’s Your Inspiration? PO Box 6511 Baulkham Hills NSW 2153 Web Or download your entry form online

“Cooking was a big part of family life,

my mum, grandma and sister all cooked, they all helped in making my decision to become a chef ” ~ Erin Martin Executive Chef - Log Cabin Restaurant

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Tell us ‘what inspires you?’ Visit www.whatsyourinspiration.com.au Simply answer the inspirational questions in 25 words or less and you could win a cookbook or magazine subscription of your choice to the value of $60 RRP. One prize awarded every week.

Conditions apply, see www.whatsyourinspiration.com.au or wwwunileverfoodsolutions.com.au Open to Aust. businesses. Starts: 1/11/11. Ends: 5pm AEDST 31/1/12. Entries must be submitted by an authorised representative of the business aged 18+. Retain original invoice/s. Aust. entries close 5pm 11/12/11, 12/1/12 & 31/1/12. Draws: 2pm AEDST 2.13, 29-31 Lexington Dr, Bella Vista, NSW 2153 12/12/11, 13/1/12 & 10/2/12 (for Aust.). Aust. winning businesses published in The Australian on 19/12/11, 20/1/12 & 17/2/12. Prizes (3x Aust.): winners’ choice of AU$6000 cheque (as applicable) OR dinner with 1 night’s hotel accommodation in same country business is located in for max. 8 adult staff valued at AU $6000 (as applicable). Promoter: Unilever Australia Ltd (ABN 66 004 050 828) of 20 Cambridge St, Epping NSW 2121. NSW Permit No. LTPS/11/9067 VIC Permit No. 11/2118.ACT Permit No. TP11/4044 SA Permit No. T11/2119 Conditions apply, see www.whatsyourinspiration.com.au or www.unileverfoodsolutions.com.au Open to Aust. & NZ residents 18+ who are employed as a chef in Aust./NZ. Ends: 11.59pm AEDST 31/1/12. Max 1 entry per entrant per promotional round. 12x prizes: choice of 1 ‘Food & Drink’ cookbook from Incremental Marketing Group or 1 ‘Food, Wine & Travel’ magazine subscription from acpmagazines.com.au to the max value of $60.

PUBLISHER Michelle Graves michelle.graves@reedbusiness.com.au EDITOR Rosemary Ryan

Editor’s Note

Ph: (02) 9422 2880 rosemary.ryan@reedbusiness.com.au JOURNALIST Danielle Bowling Ph: (02) 9422 2667 danielle.bowling@reedbusiness.com.au CONTRIBUTORS Christine Salins Ken Burgin Tony Berry ADVERTISING NATIONAL Rhonnie Merry Ph: (02) 9422 2481 Fax: (02) 9422 2863 rhonnie.merry@reedbusiness.com.au GRAPHIC DESIGNER

bums on seats to try their great offering, and also for established businesses who want to remind diners how terrific they are in a very competitve market. But the other part of me is worried about two things. Firstly, I worry that, like the seemingly endless sales in retail, the deals are devaluing restaurants and the experience they offer and training consumers to only dine where they can get these ridiculously cheap deals. Secondly, I’m concerned that foodservice operators

WHO would have predicted 12 months ago the rise of group buying sites and the impact they would have on the foodservice industry? I subscribe to a few of them and I’m amazed everyday by the very cheap deals, particularly taking notice of course of the ones being offered by operators in the hospitality industry. I’m still undecided about the value of this trend for the industry. Part of me thinks yes this is a good marketing tool for new businesses to build awareness and get

don’t understand completely how to exploit the opportunities offered by group buying. This was brought home to me just recently when a colleague told me of a recent experience when she had grabbed a good deal for dinner at a Sydney restaurant that she had long been wanting to try. In good faith she called the restaurant after securing the deal and made the booking to head there with her partner. However, she has now vowed never to return to the restaurant after being treated like a “second class citizen” while she was there. Non-existent service and rude wait staff meant she cut short the dinner when, if she had been made more welcome, she had had full inten-

tions of spending quite a bit more than the value of her “deal” exploring the restaurant’s wine list and sampling a few extras from the menu. As it was she has now told everyone she knows how terrible the service was and how badly she was treated. It’s a disappointing story and makes you wonder why this restaurant ever decided to head down the group buying path. Why, after offering these deals, did they then set out to burn the buyers of the deal and guarantee they would never dream of setting foot inside their door again and then bad mouth the restaurant? Very curious.

Rosemary Ryan

Ronnie Lawrence Ph: (02) 9422 2741 PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR Laura Panameno Ph: (02) 9422 8772 laura.panameno@reedbusiness.com.au UCTION DIRECTOR PRODU Troy Stevens Ph: (02) 9422 8748 SUBSCRIPTIONS

contents 6 News

14 Secret ingredients

Father of molecular cuisine in Sydney. Shopping centre move a winner for Justin North.

Q&A with Western Australia’s Chef of the Year, Stephen Clarke.

8 Openings Latest restaurant arrivals opening their doors.

Merivale’s Dan Hong reveals his secrets to successful restaurants.

10 Mystery diner

21 Imbibe

Brad Jolly’s Alchemy restaurant reviewed.

Australia’s heritage wineries and their ‘custodians’.

16 Hospitality chef

Ph: 1300 360 126 ONE YEAR: $132.00 incl GST TWO YEARS: $220.00 incl GST

REED BUSINESS INFORMATION PTY LTD SYDNEY HEAD OFFICE Tower 2, 475 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, NSW 2067 Australia Ph: (02) 9422 2999 Fax: (02) 9422 2863

12 Workplace 31 Burgin

Make yours a bully free workplace.

Clubs muscle up. Part 2

Features 22 Doors show scores Scores on Doors spreads around Australia as food safety hits headlines.

25 On my table We talk tableware with the chefs behind two of Australia’s hottest new restaurants.

29 The organic challenge Queensland producers on organic certification.

No.678 November 2011

ON THE COVER:

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

hospitalitymagazine.com.au foodservice

accommodation

beverage

management

Average Net Distribution Period ending March 11 13,950

MAN FROM

hospitality | november 2011

Dan Hong's secrets to running restaurants people love

Print Post Approved PP349181/00109

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.

MERIVALE WHAT'S YOUR SCORE?

Food safety focus builds with moves to scores on doors

Tables talk

What's on the tables at two of our hottest new restaurants? PLUS the latest new products for your tables

ON OUR cover this month is Dan Hong, the creative chef behind some of the most exciting restaurant start ups this year from Sydney hospitality giant, Merivale. He’s pictured here with Jowett Yu, head chef at Ms Gs the restaurant Hong regards as his ‘pride and joy’. In our profile of Hong starting on page 16 the dynamic young chef talks about his career so far and his inspirations. With several high profile restaurant launches behind him he’s now finalising details for the opening

of Merivale’s next new project, the as yet nameless Chinese restaurant and dim sum kitchen in Tank nightclub, that will seat 250 people. Naming Sydney chefs Mark Best and Brent Savage as the two that have been the biggest inspiration to him so far, Hong says that there’s a common theme running across his menus even though they are different. "It's all really tasty," Hong says. "It’s so important that what we put on the menu explodes in your mouth and must be really flavoursome.”

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Cooking Cream AUSTRALIAN MADE I AUSTRALIAN OWNED bullacommercial.com.au

news

Australian hotel prices head north THE COST of Austalian hotel rooms are set to rocket in 2012, according to the latest projections from corporate travel specialist Carlson Wagonlit. CWT's Global Travel Forecast 2012 revealed that room rates in Australia will climb between 4.1 per cent and 4.9 per cent in the first half of 2012, and between 4.4 per cent and 5.1 per cent in the second half. The projections are well above the Asia Pacific average where rates are expected to fluctuate between a 1.9 per cent decrease and 2.1 per cent increase in the first half of 2012, and between a 0.9 per cent decrease and flat performance in the second half. The high Australian growth rates are fuelled by high occupancies, the report stated, particularly in Sydney where average hotel occupancy rates are 82.2 per cent, second only to Hong Kong with 82.3 per cent. “Asia Pacific business hubs currently boast the highest occupancy rates in the world, presenting serious challenges for managed hotel programs to secure available rooms on peak nights of the week, much less obtain negotiated corporate rates,” the report said. However, Australian airfares are also expected to increase, rising between 3.5 per cent and 6.8 per cent in 2012, again above the regional average.

HOSPITALITYMAGAZINE.COM.AU

Awards

Becasse tops national industry awards A relocation to a shopping centre has done Justin North’s Becasse no harm with the new look venture named Australia’s best restaurant.

The new look Becasse at Westfield.

IN WHAT’S been a busy year for entrepreneurial chef and restaurateur Justin North 2011 is finishing with recognition of his achievements with his relocated Becasse restaurant being declared Australia’s top restaurant. Becasse was announced Restaurant of the Year at Restaurant and Catering Australia’s national Savour Awards for Excellence beating out a pack of highly regarded operations to take the title. North and his business partner and wife Georgia kicked off this year with some ambitious ventures, establishing several new operations at the shiny new Sydney Westfield food precincts including the new version of the two hat Becasse from its original Clarence Street location. North also opened his new Quarter Twenty One operation as well as a cooking school in the Westfield location. He also added a second of his Charlie & Co

Hungry Jack's counts calories, adds organic burger

1 2 3 4 5

Threat to Aussie bees on the agenda Sneak peek of Jamie Oliver's Sydney restaurant

Canberra chef cooks for the Queen

Ian Curley joins Jamie Oliver

Source: hospitalitymagazine.com.au October 24-28 End of era as Tony Bilson closes doors. hospitality | november 2011

burger outlets opening in the new Opera Kitchen “eat street” area at Sydney’s East Circular Quay. Earlier North had retained the two hat status for the restaurant that is part of his group that also includes his Etch restaurant at Sydney’s Intercontinental Hotel. Justin North said the Restaurant of the Year award was a welcome surprise at the end of a very busy year. “We’re very proud to have received this award, especially after the relocation of Becasse to Westfield Sydney and after only being open for six months, it was a really nice surprise,” North said. “It was a shock to win, but a really great testimony to the team of chefs and front of house staff that we have built over the years.”

Bilson’s grabs three hats and closes

MOST READ STORIES

It’s been a busy year Justin and Georgia North.

CREDITORS of Tony Bilson's restaurant businesses who were owed an estimated $500,000 last month voted to liquidate the operations following their closure just days before. Liquidator Paul Burges, from BRI Ferrier, said the creditors meeting was attended by about 15 people including landlords, employees, and general suppliers. Burges said the creditors were owed a similiar amount to the $500,000 payroll tax bill which triggered the collapse of the company that includes the three hat Bilson's restaurant and Number One Wine Bar. The closure of the restaurant in early October followed revelations a few weeks earlier that the future of Bilson’s restaurants were in doubt as a result of the bills incurred that then forced the businesses into voluntary administration. Ironically the news of Bilson’s problems hit the media just days after Bilson’s restaurant was reinstated to three hat status in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2012 awards. However, at that stage Bilson said he believed the restaurants would be able to trade their way out of debt. “That's our belief at the moment — we did last time and we will do it again,” he told Hospitality magazine in late September. Bilson said the pressures on the restaurant business had been huge this year. “The wage increase was the biggest thing that happened last year, it amounted to a 25 per cent increase,” he said. hospitalitymagazine.com.au

news

Trends

Molecular cuisine is only natural MIXING food and science is perfectly natural, according to one of the fathers of molecular cuisine, the French professor Herve This, who made a big impact on a recent tour to Australia. Professor This treated hospitality professionals and foodies to a series of exclusive lectures while he was here last month. On his menu were a few easy, but very impressive examples of molecular cuisine, including orange sorbet made only from orange juice and liquid nitrogen, and a hard boiled egg yolk rolled in parmesan cheese. During a lecture at the William Angliss Institute he spoke about the basic science behind molecular gastronomy and cuisine, and shared his thoughts on some people's reluctance to experiment with this sort of cooking, partly because of their belief that mixing food and science is unnatural. “The definition of natural is 'what was not made by human beings'. So food is not natural, as it

Aussie Bocuse d’Or selection stalled The competition to select Australia’s candidate to compete at the international Bocuse d’Or competition has had to be postponed. Organisers, the Academie Culinaire De France (Australia) said the cook off that was to be held last month will now be held in February as a result of the proposed venue for the event becoming unavailable.

Calories on the menu Why is it so? Herve This at the William Angliss Institute during his Sydney visit. .

is cut and cooked. Even our raw products are not natural, for example carrots. Wild carrots are awful, hard things, and we love big artificial carrots,” he said. “By the way, organic food is no guarantee of health, as is regularly shown by scientific studies.” Herve said the future of the industry is “note by note cuisine”, whereby each specific flavour in a

dish represents a 'note' which are then combined with other flavours and where chefs will work together with scientists and technologists. “If you use pure compounds, you open up billions and billions of new possibilities, it's like a painter using primary colours or a musician composing note by note.” By Danielle Bowling.

Service wins Crocker silver at Worldskills YOUNG Sydney front of house star Kate Crocker has delivered a strong performance at the Worldskills International Competition in London grabbing a silver medal. Crocker (pictured in training) was one of a team of 28 Australian competitors who together scooped 24 medals at the competition – the ‘world games’ of vocational skills. Overall Australia ranked seventh most skilled nation in the world, beating host country the United Kingdom by two places. Crocker won her medal for an outstanding performance against the international competitors in the Restaurant Service category. The Australian team — the Skillaroos — went into combat against 1,000 of the world’s best apprentices from more than 50 countries to compete in 46 different skill areas, covering skill sets ranging from cabinetmaking to construction ,metal work and floristry to fashion technology. Mark Callaghan, chief executive officer of WorldSkills Australia said the Australians' achievement was a "fantastic" result. "Australia is ranked amongst the top 10 countries in the world, which is a fantastic result," he said. “We are now ranked seventh in the world, which is a much better result than we anticipated under much stronger competition."

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

in brief

Hungry Jack's and Domino’s Pizza have jumped in to introduce menu boards displaying kilojoule counts across the country ahead of the date early next year when it will become mandatory for fast food operators. Domino's CEO Don Meij said the early introduction of kilojoule counts on its menu boards, online ordering site and mobile devices was a positive step and fitted with the company's commitment to offering customers greater choices.

Ian Curley joins Jamie Oliver Chef Ian Curley is lending his support to Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food Australia project that aims to arm people with cooking skills with the hope of building a healthier Australia. The executive chef of Melbourne's European Group of restaurants, and recent star of TV series Conviction Kitchen, has been named the latest ambassador of Jamie’s Ministry of Food Australia, joining Ben O’Donoghue and Anna Gare.

Van Haandels sell St Kilda business to Pub Group The Prince group of businesses in Melbourne's St Kilda owned by John and Lisa van Haandel, has been sold to the Melbourne Pub Group, whose properties already include the Albert Park Hotel, the Middle Park Hotel and the Newmarket Hotel. The van Haandels remain the freehold owners of the Prince of Wales property, but the sale takes in the Prince public bar, the property's boutique accommodation, the two hat restaurant, Circa the Prince, the underground bar Mink, and event space The Deck.

hospitality | november 2011

openings

Jamie’s Italian, Sydney The first Australian outpost of Jamie Oliver’s growing chain of Italian restaurants is up and running in Sydney’s CBD, operating over two floors and aiming to serve up high quality Italian food at an affordable price. The Martin Brudnizki designed space includes a spacious dining room with an eclectic mix of booths and colourful chairs and some wow factor features. The Sydney restaurant joins a group of 16 Jamie’s Italians across the UK and Dubai. Opened: October Executive chef: David Clarke Seats: 200. Food: A pasta machine is front and centre in the front window of the new restaurant producing fresh pasta daily while on the mezzanine level is an antipasti and dessert counter. Mains range from the Burger Italiano and fritto misto, to veal saltimbocca, prosciutto, pear and pecorino salad and Ligurian fish stew. Desserts include Oliver’s “creamy” panna cotta, and “special” tiramisu. Address: 107 Pitt Street, Sydney P: 02 8240 9000 W: jamieoliver.com.au/italian

Arras

Bistro Guillaume

Chefs Adam and Lovaine Humphrey have re-opened their much loved restaurant Arras in its new larger premises — in Sydney's CBD on the former site of Becasse restaurant and Plan B cafe. The very sophisticated looking restaurant is operating alongside the Humphrey’s hole-in-the-wall breakfast and lunch venue Arras Too with its daily changing menu offering house made bakery items, sourdough breads, preserves and the pair’s soon to be very, very famous petit fours.

Guillaume Brahimi’s eponymously named Melbourne bistro has reopened in its new location at Crown’s riverfront dining precinct slotted in between Nobu and Number 8 restaurant. Inspired by France’s neighbourhood bistros, the restaurant’s design features some classic Parisian touches from the timber paneling to the staff’s uniforms by Lacoste. Brahimi himself describes the venue as the sort of place he would like to eat in on a regular basis.

Opened: October Chefs: Adam and Lovaine Humphrey Food: Arras marque two’s menu has a European feel but moving towards a broader palate of food compared to the strong British feel of the original Arras. Swing from a tomato ‘salad’, to a meuniere of groper, cabbages and mussels to Arras’ version of the banana sandwich. Address: 204 Clarence Street, Sydney P: 02 9283 1922 W: restaurant-arras.com.au 8

hospitality | november 2011

Opened: May Head chef: Graeme McLaughlin Seats: 72 inside, 54 on the terrace Food: The dinner menu includes dishes such as beef bourgignon, bouillabaisse, duck parmentier, and Berkshire pork belly served with lentils and tarragon vinegar, while lunch features French classics like quiche of the day, a tartine du jour and steak tartare. Address: Crown, Southbank P: 03 9292 4751 W: bistroguillaume.com.au hospitalitymagazine.com.au

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review

Alchemy Restaurant Chef and restaurateur Brad Jolly and wife Angelica continue to win acclaim for this Brisbane restaurant with its focus on top quality produce delivered with exceptional service. And then of course there’s that view. Altogether pretty hard to beat, declares our masked diner.

mysterydiner THE FLOODS that crippled much of Australia earlier this year washed away sections of the Eagle Street wharf precinct in Brisbane and it’s only getting back to normal in recent times. Among the many restaurants there is Alchemy, the brainchild of Brad and Angelica Jolly, and a fine place it is. Tucked in behind an office building, I found it a little hard to locate at first, but it’s beautifully positioned on the waterfront, with the curve of the Brisbane river opening up the expansive views of the Storey bridge and Kangaroo Point. Brad is experienced and well travelled, having worked with Marco Pierre White and Jamie Oliver, and Beauty on the plate and out the window at Brad Jolly’s Alchemy restaurant. cooked for the English royals. Alchewith a circle of watercress foam of the most virmy’s food style is testament to his fine technique ulent shade of green…no scurvy tonight. and imagination teamed with excellent produce. The special Beef Cheek ($42) arrived and my Entry here is through the very suave bar area friend was very pleased. It was presented in a wide that could have taken my dining companion and bowl with a pair of soft, sweet onions, a couple I a while to negotiate had this not been a work of button mushrooms and a handful of speck banight. We get a warm greeting and are seated in tons. Joining these in the bowl of loveliness was the centre of the room. Tables are nicely spaced, a hearty spoonful of creamy mash and a beef reclothed and well set, while floor to ceiling winduction that bound all the pieces together. The dows gives the magnificent vista deserved respect. cheek meat gave little resistance to the fork and The menus and wine list appear with a promise of all but rendered the knife to irrelevance. specials, and the Beef Cheek is too difficult to be Not a regular fish consumer, I was taken by the turned away by The Big Fella. I have different description of the Turbot with Oxtail Tortellini ideas and order a fine Dalwhinnie Pinot ($69) to ($38) that came with a selection of mushrooms lubricate the thought process. and a horseradish veloute, while the inner rim of Bourbon Barbecued Beef Ribs ($28) with corn bowl had been painted with a herb puree. This bread and honey yoghurt did not appear as it was a ‘feed the man meat’ type of fish. Two desounded; it was so much more elegant and tasted cent sized fillets of perfectly cooked Turbot sat brilliant. This was a dish of rectangles and dots of over the house made tortellini and the differing differing sizes. On a long rectangle plate, with a textures, tastes and shapes of the mushrooms deep orange smear of marmalade jam diagonally made for a visual as well as sensorial experience. painted, rested a boned out, slow-cooked piece While entrees and mains had been less of an adof beef rib. On another splot of jam was the smallventure (but certainly enjoyable) than perhaps exer block of corn bread. Artfully dotted on the plate pected from a restaurant called Alchemy, the were several rounds of thick yogurt. The combidesserts offered a different path. I suppose my nation of several sweet tastes and the differing elchoice again erred on the conservative with a Hot ement textures was truly sublime. Chocolate Marbre (like a fondant, but cakier) The tall man on my left knew a light entrée was with crunchy Honeycomb and Vanilla Bean ice required to balance his night and opted for the cream ($17). It was beautifully cooked and preLemon Risotto with Sautéed Bay Prawns and a sented with a flowing dark chocolate centre and Watercress Foam ($27). The lemon permeated the the ice cream, heavily flecked with vanilla seeds, rice and added great depth to the plate. The sat over the golden nuggets of honeycomb. prawns were translucent and the meat yielded My learned friend had ordered the Chocolate snappily in the mouth while the bowl was topped 10

hospitality | november 2011

Honeycomb Bar ($17) which came with more than the menu suggested in sugared raspberries and limoncello sorbet, for while these elements were present, so was a dried raspberry shard, more honeycomb and a section of cake. The choc bar was richer than an oil tycoon, but the raspberry shard was dehydrated pure raspberry juice that was then cut into pieces. It added excellent colour, height and crispy texture to the dish. We also didn’t have a go at the Liquid Nitrogen Gastronomic Nibbles on offer, but the man in the industrial gloves and apron had drawn a crowd of folk, full of oohs and aahs. Dinner at Alchemy proved an absolute delight. The food was served in decent sized portions that allowed just enough space for more than one course and delivered in quality, flavour and interest. Special mention to the floor staff who were super efficient, well drilled and knew how to watch over a floor without hovering — a definite skill. Great views, terrific Brissie weather and the opportunity to have dinner with a mate in a first class restaurant. Hard to beat really. Go and enjoy.

The details Alchemy Restaurant & Bar 175 Eagle St, Brisbane city P: (07) 3229 3175 W: alchemyrestaurant.com.au Head chef: Brad Jolly Owners: Brad and Angelica Jolly Open: Lunch, Monday to Friday, 12pm-3pm; dinner, Monday to Saturday from 6pm.

The verdict: Brad Jolly’s experience shows in the plate at his fine restaurant where his skilled technique and imagination teams with the best of produce. Delivered by a great team who really understand what top service is all about. Our dinner at Alchemy was a delight from start to finish (apart from the momentary frustration of not being able to find it!). All this and an incredible location as well.

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

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workplace

Bullying means trouble for employers Workplace bullying can have serious consequences. Read on for some expert advice to deal with the issue. BULLYING by co-workers, or ‘staff on staff’ bullying, is unfortunately not uncommon in the hospitality industry. This was tragically highlighted by the much publicised death of Melbourne waitress Brodie Panlock, who took her own life in 2006 after being continually bullied at work. This type of bullying can be very difficult for employers to identify and manage, often occurring between individuals or groups of employees out of sight of a manager, even outside of work hours. Besides obvious effects on morale and productivity, the impact on employers can be onerous and there exists much confusion regarding correct action to take in a case of co-worker bullying.

L C ULIN AL AR G Y IN

Recognising bullying Workplace bullying is loosely defined as the tendency of individuals or groups to use persistent, unreasonable, threatening, humiliating or aggressive behaviour against a co-

worker, either directly or indirectly. Some identified examples include verbal abuse and or putdowns, spreading of rumours or innuendo, interference with property or equipment, excessive or unjustified criticism or scrutiny, deliberate exclusion or denials, and sabotaging work performance. However, these examples are to be differentiated from mere uncomfortable experiences arising in a workplace. Personality clashes, differences of opinion or task related conflicts will generally not amount to bullying, nor will a single incident of unreasonable behaviour between employees (though it is recommended appropriate action be taken to address the behaviour). Fair and reasonable management action or direction will also generally not be considered bullying. This includes direction of work, monitoring of employee performance and setting performance standards and review, which may include negative

2011

TO GET INVOLVED CONTACT RESTAURANTCHALLENGE@MOVEMBER.COM

Make yours a bully free workplace.

feedback, indications of unsatisfactory work or the instigation of a performance management process. Costs to business and employers obligations Workplace bullying can be toxic to a business causing high staff turnover, absenteeism, low morale and reduced productivity. However it also exposes an employer to wider financial burdens including the possibility of workers’ compensation claims, legal action or substantial fines for breaches of workplace health and safety legislative obligations. Each state based occupational health and safety legislation identifies an employer’s duty to provide a work environment that is safe, and free from risks to the health and wellbeing of employees. Workplace bullying has the potential to risk employee well being stemming from feelings of humiliation, stress, anxiety and their associated physical symptoms. As such, where practicable, employers should seek to implement measures which reduce or eliminate the possibility of workplace bullying and associated harm, taking proactive approaches to reduce the risk of bullying. Possible action includes preemptive assessments of possible bullying risk factors in the workplace, development of a formal workplace bullying policy and formal procedures to address a workplace bullying complaint. Response to bullying In the event of a claim of bullying by

hospitality | november 2011

a co-worker, an employer should in the first instance seek to act according to an established company bullying or occupational health and safety procedure. If no formal procedure is developed, state legislation may require the employer follow a default procedure as identified in state occupational health and safety legislation. In the face of a complaint there are some basic principles an employer should seek to adhere to. Firstly each complaint should be taken seriously and action should be prompt. Secondly the employer should approach the situation with neutrality, provide support and ensure fairness of process for all parties involved. Documentation and communication with parties is also essential, however an employer should ensure confidentiality, especially where requested by the accuser. Co-worker bullying, though between employees as individuals, is an issue that holds great employer responsibility. Due to the scope of an employer’s duty to ensure a workplace free from harm, an employer will need to ensure suitable pre-emptive action to reduce possible risks of bullying, and in the case of a claim of co-worker bullying ensure appropriate process in order to avoid exposure to breach of occupational health and safety obligations. This article was written by the workplace relations team at Restaurant & Catering Australia. Contact them on 1300 722 878 hospitalitymagazine.com.au

newsextra

secretingredients Stephen Clarke, chef/owner, Clarke’s of North Beach This year’s West Australian Good Food Guide Chef of the Year, UK-born Stephen Clarke, opened his 60 seat Perth restaurant seven years ago and has been wowing local diners and visitors ever since. We caught up with him for five minutes just after he received the award. Can you give us a brief outline of your career so far? I’ve been a chef for 24 years and still love it. l started at 16 washing up when still at school in my home town of Bedford, England. Bedford was the most multi-racial town in Europe so growing up there with so many different cultures was wonderful. I worked in small hotels from London to Suffolk under chefs of three Michelin star training from Michel Roux at The Waterside Inn to Nico Ladenis before coming to Australia in 1995. I spent five years under Adrian Hickey at Checkers restaurant and function centre as sous chef before heading back to England in 2000 to work as personal chef to the Earl and Countess of Leicester. I returned to Perth a year later to the head chef position at Caversham House and seven years ago my wife and I opened our own restaurant. How would you describe your food style at Clarke’s? It’s creative Australian using a selection of modern and traditional techniques. What was your goal when you first opened Clarke’s? Our goal when we opened Clarke's was to have a restaurant where our guests looked forward to coming, and get dressed up to come. I’m not talking about top hat and tails but a special occasion restaurant offering value for money, which is why we are BYO. Over the years we’ve had guests come weekly, monthly, as our menu changes monthly. We always trying to be seasonal — we’re always at fruit and veg markets. What inspires you? I live minutes away from producers of fruit and veg and I’ll take my children for a drive to see what the 14

hospitality | november 2011

by Michel or Alain it’s just magic. What’s been your most memorable food experience? It was at a restaurant in Birmingham, Purnells, with my Mum and Dad — slow cooked duck egg with smoked haddock espuma curry oil and cornflakes. I know, I know but I loved it. It was a show stopper. Go Glynn. What’s the most indispensable piece of equipment in your kitchen? I guess it would have to be the stove — closely followed by our sous vide machines. They are great for tempering chocolate or cooking the impossible. The next big thing we are looking at is an anti grill (it freezes instead of cooking). Stephen Clarke’s dish of Braised Beef Cheek lollipop and Hay and Liquorice Smoked Pigeon with Parisienne potatoes, pumpkin puree, and baby carrots. Turn to page 34 for his recipe!

farmers have growing in the fields and what stage the product is at so I can get onto it. We started purchasing the whole animals where possible a few years ago not only to help with the cost but for our chefs — it’s wonderful to come to work and see a young chef cutting a Wiltshire Horn lamb into its cuts and be able to show the product to its full potential by braising, slow roasting, sous vide, and frying, showing that beautiful breed off to our diners. What a breed it is — the first lamb in Britain introduced by the Romans, arriving in Perth 60 years ago. This is what drives me, a love for the ingredients and a quest for knowledge. I love traditional cooking but have an open mind with all the new techniques. I’ll have a look and if I like something then we will introduce it. I enjoy eating out and have a massive collection of books. I’m always trying to better myself by setting new goals all the time and

always raising our standard. What’s your favourite ingredient at the moment? The wonderful heirloom carrots from Wanneroo. What’s your favourite dish on your menu? My favourite dish is our baby pig. We use four a week which are hand picked by Harry at his farm at the foothills of the Stirling Ranges. Apart from your own, what’s your favourite restaurant? The Waterside Inn in Bray — I love it. I always stay the night because the breakfast is as good as the evening meal. It’s a real treat. Your pick of the menu there? We enjoy the summer season there — the river is amazing. As for the menu it shows three star excellence, influences of father and son and whether you choose a dish inspired

What do you see as the biggest challenge ahead for you? The past year has been really challenging. We had set our own goals reaching two stars in the 2011 West Australian Good Food Guide. It was enough for some key staff and I lost some either to Europe or from being poached by other restaurants, this has been a battle which has taken its toll on me and our guests. However staying passionate, positive and loving what we do has seen the year take flight. Having the best team we have ever had, front and back of house, has seen us retain our two star rating and win the Chef of the Year award in the 2012 WA Good Food Guide. What do you think is the key to keeping staff motivated? I’m sitting here black and blue after taking the staff paint balling — it’s great to all go out and have a good time. We try hard to all get together as a team whether it’s playing cricket or a picnic. We mix the

continued on page 34 hospitalitymagazine.com.au

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hospitality | november 2011

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The Mexican cantina in a pub El Loco is one of Hong latest dining projects.

One of the leading chefs in the culinary empire of the Merivale Group, Dan Hong is making a name for himself with his ability to transform ideas into successful restaurant operations, writes Danielle Bowling.

Merivale empire hospitalitymagazine.com.au

an Hong has a long list of people he can thank for helping him get to the position he enjoys today: Mark Best, Tetsuya Wakuda, Brent Savage and Justin Hemmes, to name a few. But there is one person who stands out from the crowd when Hong, executive chef of three, soon to be four, of Sydney's most loved restaurants, ponders his extraordinary ten year career — his Mum. “I didn't do very well at school and I didn't study at all during the HSC,” says Hong. “My parents sent me to a private school and wasted all this money and I got less than 50 in my HSC. After school my mum obviously stopped giving me pocket money and she suggested that I become a chef.” It was Hong's mother, who was running three Vietnamese restaurants at the time and still has one in Newtown, who cracked her son's entry into the cheffing world by landing him an apprenticeship at Longrain. After one year at Longrain, Hong developed his skills and his passion for food at a number of impressive kitchens like those at Marque and Tetsuya's before scoring a sous chef role at Bentley Restaurant and Bar with Brent Savage. “The two chefs who've most inspired me would be Mark Best and Brent Savage,” says Hong. “Marque was my first fine dining gig and Mark really let me work in lots of sections in the kitchen when I was a second year apprentice and he gave me lots of responsibility when I was there, which was really cool. “He taught me about perfection, and Brent gave me my first position with real responsibility, that's hospitality | november 2011

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FAVOURITE RESTAURANT? Golden Century. FAVOURITE PLACE TO SHOP FOR FOOD AND INGREDIENTS? Thai Kee IGA at Market City and the Sydney Fish Market. FAVOURITE MEAL EXPERIENCE? I have three: Quique Dacosta El Poblet in Denia , Spain; Urasawa, Los Angeles and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, New York.

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where I really learnt how to run a kitchen." After working overseas for a couple of months on the back of his 2008 Josephine Pignolet Best Young Chef Award crowning, Hong began his work at Merivale, Sydney's everexpanding group of hotels and restaurants. Today he is the executive chef at the Asian-inspired Lotus and Ms G's restaurants; as well as at El Loco, the new Mexican cantina in the Excelsior Hotel in Surry Hills, and also the upcoming and at this stage nameless Chinese restaurant and dim sum kitchen in Tank nightclub, seating 250 people and boasting an enormous open kitchen. Ms G's, Hong admits, is his baby — his pride and joy. “It's because I was there from the beginning,” he says. “It’s a reflection of our personalities — me and Jow [Jowett Yu, head chef at Ms G's]. It's a combination of mine and Jow's upbringing. So he's Taiwanese and I'm Vietnamese and because Asian food is our favourite, it's our take on Asian flavours, but using the fine dining techniques we've learnt in European kitchens and combining those two.” Ms G's opened in December last year and Hong says it’s the busiest restaurant he's ever worked in, something he believes is a result of people's preference for more casual but still high quality food. “People don't want to sit down for like four hours,” he says. “They want to have fun and relax.” This fun is typified by one of Ms G's most popular dishes, the Stoner's Delight. It's not your typical Asian dish, but it is typical of Hong and Yu's commitment to serving food they like to eat. "It's my take on the type of dessert

you'd have if you were smoking weed and got really high and really hungry. It's got the Mars Bar slice, which has rice bubbles through it. It's got a really sweet donut flavoured ice cream and marshmallows, and a peanut and pretzel praline — that's more influenced by American food culture, which is also a big influence at Ms G's too,” says Hong. While the atmosphere at Hong's venues is relaxed and light hearted, and yes the staff are too, he says, they know the food needs to be serious when it comes to presentation and quality. “Obviously El Loco is the most relaxed [venue] because it's part of a pub, and Ms G's and Lotus are definitely more relaxed than fine dining, but the chefs are still really serious about the food. “When push comes to shove, like during service, we get it done. We like to joke around but we still make sure that the food is kept at a high standard.” Regardless of whether he's cooking Vietnamese, Chinese or Mexican, Hong carries one common thread across all his menus, and it's a fairly simple one. “The common theme is that it's all really tasty,” Hong says. “And flavour. It's so important that what we put on the menu explodes in your mouth and must be really flavoursome. “You need to think outside the box when seasoning food — not just salt and pepper, but use other stuff like soy and fish sauce and seaweeds to really add that umami flavour and savouriness. And we add quite a lot of sugar when we season a lot of our stuff, so I think it's that balance that really adds that extra depth.” For a chef who's had experience in hospitalitymagazine.com.au

hospitalitychef

Dan Hong’s egg noodles with duck, soft egg and XO sauce Serves 5.

Discover the members of Food SA, support the South Australian food industry, source products and ﬁnd a local provider.

Ingredients One whole Chinese roast duck, meat removed from the bone and shredded (available from any good Chinese barbecue shop) 500g flat egg noodles 5 free range eggs 5 tbsp good quality XO sauce (available from Asian groceries) 4 tbsp grapeseed oil 5 tbsp oyster sauce 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar 1 Lebanese cucumber sliced into thin matchsticks 2 green shallots both white and green part finely sliced Bunch of coriander, picked leaves only

Our new online Food SA Directory (going live in November) has been designed to promote member companies and the SA food industry to the world, serving as a connection point with local, domestic and international, buyers and consumers.

Firstly make sauce by combining oyster sauce, grapeseed oil, and black vinegar, and place into a large mixing bowl. Cook eggs in water at a temperature of 64C for one hour. Blanch noodles in rapidly boiling water for two minutes, drain and place into bowl with the sauce. Using a pair of tongs, mix noodles thoroughly with the sauce, then divide noodles into five bowls. Top with approximately 80g of shredded duck meat, one tablespoon of XO sauce and then crack the egg on top. Top with some sliced cucumber, a few green shallots and coriander sprigs.

‘It's our take on Asian flavours, but using the fine dining techniques we've learnt in European kitchens and combining those two.’ fine dining European restaurants and has had access to some of the most interesting and exciting ingredients available, it seems strange that one of Hong's favourite products is Maggi seasoning. “I love Maggi seasoning,” he says. “It's the Vietnamese version of soy sauce. Vietnamese don't really use soy sauce, they use Maggi seasoning. It really gives a meaty flavour to dishes. You use it mostly with meat, but you can put it in stir-fried vegetables, you can put it on your rice with a fried egg - that's a great breakfast, with chilli. It's a peasant dish, but it tastes great.” Hong says. Hong says he’s extremely grateful for the opportunities given to him by Merivale's chief executive, Justin Hemmes. He says while Hemmes is often the brains behind Merivale's restaurant ideas, he trusts Hong and other young chefs with the execution. hospitalitymagazine.com.au

“He's the one that thought of El Loco,” Hong says. “He's the one that thought of Tank, and Ms G's was his idea, but he wanted me to express myself through the food. He wants me to put his ideas in place.” So does Hong think hospitality groups like Merivale are the way of the future? "Hopefully, because you can't just rely on the older chefs,” he says. “I'm not saying they're old news now but we need to nurture the younger generation and the hungry chefs that want to do their style of food. “[Hemmes] really likes to support the younger generation of chefs and really bring them up. "I don't think I'd be where I am without the Merivale group. I'm so fortunate that Justin really supports me and likes the food I do. Without his support I don't think I'd be given so many opportunities."

The Food SA Directory will be a key resource for food service, retail, tourism operators, consumers and more to locate companies and products produced in South Australia. An exclusive proﬁle will be provided of each Food SA member detailing contact details, logo, promotional images, company introduction and descriptions on their products, packaging and markets.

CONNECT: Visit www.foodsa.com.au to view the Directory and subscribe to Food SA for the latest news and events of the South Australian food industry. For more information: Food SA 8303 9435 contact@foodsa.com.au

hospitality | november 2011

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Rich winemaking heritage celebrated Lindeman’s winemaker Brett Sharpe is just one of the faces in a long line of “custodians” in the rich heritage behind Australia’s oldest wineries, writes Christine Salins. inemaker Brett Sharpe is passionate about Lindeman’s flagship Trio and it’s not just because his birthplace, the Queensland town of St George, shares its name with one of the lineup. Although Sharpe says the name provides an “extra buzz”, it’s the heritage of the St George Vineyard Cabernet and its siblings, Pyrus and Limestone Ridge, that excites him. Not only does the Trio represent, collectively, more than 160 years of winemaking, the wines are made from some exceptional Coonawarra vineyards — St George and Limestone Ridge planted more than 40 years ago, and the Nursery Vineyard, established in the 1890s. Lindeman’s company history dates back to the 1840s when Henry Lindeman planted vines in the Hunter Valley. Lindeman reportedly said “the one purpose of wine is to bring happiness”. It’s a quote that resonates with Sharpe, who takes it personally if people don’t like his wine. “They’re all like children with their own characters,” Sharpe said. Yet despite putting his heart and soul into nurturing his offspring, Sharpe knows his is just a fleeting chapter in a much bigger book. As senior winemaker for Lindeman’s since 1999, he sees his role as a “custodianship”. Australia is blessed to have many such custodians of its winemaking heritage. Long-established wine regions such as the Hunter Valley, Rutherglen and the Barossa Valley reveal a rich resource of iconic wines and custodians. They include people like Geoff and Robert Schrapel, brothers who established Bethany Wines in 1981, drawing on a winemaking heritage dating back five generations. Their ancestor, Johann Gottlob Schrapel, migrated from Silesia in 1844 and planted his first vineyards in the Barossa Valley in 1852. Bethany makes a superb GR Shiraz and GR Cabernet from the best vintages, using fruit from some of the property’s oldest vines. Despite their wonderful complexity and long maturation, these rich, opulent reds re-

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Lindemans’ winemaker Brett Sharpe.

main amazingly youthful on release. The Schrapels have seen good and bad times over the years but Geoff says Bethany’s heritage is one of consistency: “People know us and they know they can depend on us”. Another Barossa company that can be depended upon is Yalumba, which remains in family hands more than 150 years after being established by Samuel and Mary Smith. Samuel’s great great grandson, Robert Hill Smith, now heads the company, after his family bought out other shareholders in 1989. Yalumba recently held a series of dinners around Australia to mark the 50th anniversary of The Signature, a Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz blend that has set an Australian benchmark for the style. “We’re trying to keep the claret dream alive,” said the company’s spokesperson, Jane Ferrari. “Yalumba has been making a Cabernet Shiraz blend from the beginning, and Signature is the best of the best,” she said. Indeed Ferrari said the current release 2006 The Signature is “the best dry red I’ve seen from our house in 20 years”. Peter Lehmann Wines understands the value of heritage, so much so that it’s just undergone a rebranding that will put a silhouette of Peter Lehmann on all wines across the portfolio. Lehmann became part of Barossa legend when he established a winery in 1979 to protect the liveli-

hood of growers facing financial ruin. Global marketing manager Paul Turale said that to guide the next stage of the company’s growth, the brand needed to draw on the unique stories behind the brand. “The one common thread to all the stories is Peter Lehmann. It was logical to link the new iconography back to him,” Turale said. The first wine to wear the new label is the 2009 Portrait Shiraz, a wine that chief winemaker Andrew Wigan calls “the heart of Peter Lehmann”. WA’s Houghton Wines celebrates its own milestone this month — 175 years of winemaking. Remarkably, Houghton has had just 13 winemakers, among them the legendary Jack Mann, who crafted 51 consecutive vintages from 1922. Mann’s greatest creation was Houghton White Burgundy — now Houghton White Classic, a fresh, zesty white blend produced every year since 1937. Helping to drive the shift away from beer-drinking in the 1970s, it became the flagship of the WA wine industry and is still the state’s most popular white wine, and still in the top ten nationally. What a lot of people don’t realise is that White Classic can be enjoyed not just when it’s young and lively. Judging by a 2005 vintage recently tasted, it also develops beautifully with age. The 2006 vintage won the trophy for Best Dry White Blend at

this year’s Perth Royal Wine Show. Since 1994, Houghton has produced the premium Jack Mann Cabernet Sauvignon in honour of Mann. A second premium Cabernet, produced from Margaret River fruit, is named Gladstones in honour of another important industry figure, Dr John Gladstones, who was instrumental in the establishment of the Margaret River wine region. Today’s custodian of Houghton’s winemaking heritage is Ross Pamment, who began his career as a cellarhand at Houghton in 1989 and rejoined the winemaking team a decade later. Appointed senior winemaker in 2009, he has a penchant for Chardonnay and is especially proud of the wild-fermented Houghton Wisdom Pemberton Chardonnay. “It was a bit of a gamble [to introduce wild fermentation in 2002] but when you see the results, it’s worth it,” Pamment said. “It’s a particular expression of an individual site and the vintage conditions, so in hotter years it’s a slightly bigger style, and in cooler years it’s leaner.” Pamment had been working for Salitage, a small family-owned winery in Pemberton, when he had the chance to return to Houghton in 1999. He was persuaded back by the fact that the company sources fruit from around the state. “It’s a bit like being a kid in a candy store, but we still do small-producer winemaking,” he said. West Australians have a strong affiliation with Houghton, said Pamment. He adds, not so much in jest, that locals view the cellar door as a public venue, not private property. Although he never met Mann, who died in 1989, the year he started in the industry, Pamment catches up with Mann’s sons, Dorham and Tony, from time to time. He also knows Mann’s grandson Robert, a senior winemaker at Cape Mentelle. Pamment said although the wine industry landscape has changed over the years, the contribution Houghton made to put WA on the map should never be underestimated. “I feel quite privileged to be a part of Houghton history,” he said. hospitality | november 2011

Scores on doors: NSW restaurants are sporting stars on thiedoors.

Industry gets scored on

food safety The food safety and hygiene practices of foodservice businesses are coming under ever more intense scrutiny with the growth in new programs aimed at letting consumers know how businesses rate. By Roseemary Ryan.

ever before has food safety in restaurants been such a hot topic, as consumer interest in what goes on behind the swinging doors continues to sharpen with every media story about another grubby kitchen. The NSW Food Authority’s Name and Shame web site has been making for salacious reading for the public as well as the media who troll it regularly for potential stories. At the same time, however, a more positive strategy is being explored and implemented by state governments and individual councils that are rewarding foodservice businesses who take pride in their high standards of food safety and hygiene programs. So called “Scores on Doors” programs, named because they involve businesses being able to display their food safety inspection score on the front of their premises for diners to see, are gaining momentum around the country and being embraced by operators. Brisbane City Council is in many ways

hospitality | november 2011

now being regarded as the leader in Australia with its successful Eat Safe five star rating program which now covers 5900 food businesses in the council area. The program was voted as the Best Restaurant Hygiene Rating Scheme for 2011 by Choice magazine and its model has since been picked up by a second Queensland council, Logan, as well as by NSW in a statewide trial now underway, and also by two Tasmanian and two South Australian councils. Meanwhile, both the SA and ACT governments are examining different models and assessing the value of introducing Scores on Doors schemes there. Of the restaurants involved in the Brisbane Eat Safe program 2728 had opted to display their scores by the end of last month while 510 have achieved the top score of five stars. Chris Higgins, group general manager of restaurateur John Kilroy’s Boutique Venues restaurant group that includes the high profile Cha Cha Char restaurant, one of the

‘It amazes me that some people have to be dragged kicking and screaming into looking after the hygiene of their businesses.’

restaurants sporting a five star rating, says he believes the system was an opportunity for good operators to be highlighted. “But really if you’re not keeping your kitchen clean enough to get the five stars then you’re not doing the right job in the first place,” he says. In NSW a state-wide 12 month trial of its star-based Scores on Doors program kicked off in July with the NSW Food Authority urging as many councils as possible to get involved. By the end of last month 22 councils and 300 food businesses across NSW were taking part in the trial. It follows a previous trial of a similar Scores on Doors program involving several Sydney councils which was based on a lettering system with A as the top score. Kursty Delmas, senior environmental health officer from Kogarah Council, which has been one of the councils pioneering the introduction of Scores on Doors programs in NSW having taken part in the original trial in Sydney and now also having introduced hospitalitymagazine.com.au

foodsafety&hygiene

the star rating program, says she believes the star rating is more user friendly both for consumers and foodservice business operators. One of the challenges though, she says, is ensuring consumers understand what the ratings mean and that it is an indication of food safety and hygiene practices and not the quality of the food like a Michelin star. “Hotels also have a star rating and things like that,” she says. “We are hoping people don’t get it mixed up.” Delmas says the council now has around 30 food premises in its council area involved and is aiming to have 60 signed up by the end of this financial year. “We’re hoping there will be a big of a domino effect,” she says. “If a business is seeing one of their competitors with a good rating on their door then they will say to themselves ‘we have to get that too’. I think a few businesses are still reluctant to sign up just in case they get a bad score but this is supposed to be a positive program — it’s a chance for businesses who are working really hard to show how good they are. “It’s good advertising for them as well – we put all our businesses that have the star rating up on our website and they can link back to their website. “We want to do anything we can to help — small business is tough at the moment especially in food so we want to make that as easy as we can.” Delmas says the council is finding the Scores on Doors program has added incentive for food businesses to lift their standards. “We are finding that attitude.” she says. “When we started the first pilot there were a few businesses who were not really sure about it but once it started to gain a little bit of momentum they were thinking, hang on, this is really, really good and encourages us to pick up things across my business.” The start of the new trial has coincided in NSW with the introduction of the mandatory requirement for every food business to have in place a certified Food Safety Supervisor which Delmas believes will also have an impact on awareness of food safety and hygiene practices. “Here at Kogarah we had already been providing introductory food handling training for free for all our food businesses and we found that since starting that program there had already been an improvement,” she says. Restaurateur Philip Rut, who operates Shipwrights restaurant in Blakehurst within the Kogarah Council area hospitalitymagazine.com.au

was one of the first to put up his hand to take part in the new star rating program having already been sporting an A on the door of his business under the previous program. Rut, who was previously in the chemical supply business, before opening his restautant four years ago said food safety and hygiene has always been a priority for him and so he was confident that the restaurant would grab five stars. “I’m very well aware of hygiene levels and was really keen to be involved in this,” he says. “When it was first mooted, the rating system, I embraced it because It thought it was such a great initiative. I would be really disappointed if I was in a area that wasn’t doing it.” Rut says he’s worked hard to have very stringent food safety systems in place from ensuring benches are cleaned with the correct commercial bench sanitisers and using a special bladder system for hand washing dispensing that prevents air reaching the detergent, to checking and recording refrigeration levels three times a day. “[It amazes me that] some people have to be dragged kicking and screaming into looking after the hygiene of their businesses when it’s just such an important part of our sort of business, the restaurant industry,” he says. “We’ve always had these systems in place — we were taking fridge temperatures four years ago. It’s at the heart of both protecting your food and your customers.” Rut says his entire team from the head chef down are fully involved in the food safety and hygiene programs at the restaurant. “They all know their jobs and that it is also up to them to alert the head chef or whoever is their manager if they see any issues, that they must vigilant all the time,” he says. “If you can instil that in your staff then they really come on board. They were all very chuffed when we got the five star rating. I had been riding them for so long and they then really understood why, and it’s paid off.” Chef and restaurateur Damian Heads, who has two of his restaurants sporting the top rating from the City of Sydney Council that’s one of the councils taking part in the NSW trial, says he was pleased to be able to display the score on the doors of Pony Bar and Grill and Steel Bar and Grill. He says that as a trained chef he is, and has always been, confident of performing well in council inspections. “The reality is if you’ve trained as a professional chef and I’ve got a pro-

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hospitality | november 2011

foodsafety&hygiene

Five star clean.: Scores on Doors is highlighting our top performers.

fessional kitchen and so I’m happy to have them come and check out my kitchen — I’m personally confident that I do a great job with food safety.” Heads says that with 40 kitchen staff across the three restaurants he places a major focus on instilling awareness of the importance of following the food safety and hygiene practices with every new recruit. “That includes such basic things as everyone having a marker pen and labelling everything with today’s date,” he says. “I take very great care to flag with them the most risky products and the care that has to be taken — like being very strict about things like how chicken stock is cooled.” Heads says his food safety system starts with having very well managed and accurate ordering systems to ensure there is no over ordering, and including the way the food is received at the restaurants. “You don’t want to put yourself in the scenario of having ordered too many portions of chicken and looking at a portion at the end of a batch and saying this cost me $8 should I really throw it out?”

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www.orthomaster.net.au 24

hospitality | november 2011

“As well all our major suppliers are HACCP approved. If it’s a smaller paddock to plate producer I won’t require it but I will drill them on their systems and about their refrigerated transport, where it’s being stored and how it’s being stored because I like to know.” Heads says having a food safety score on the door is good for business and will become increasingly essential. “I think people do notice it,” he says. “For me it’s a case that I like that I scored well and I like that I’m able to put that score on the door but it really is an ongoing self critiquing process to know that if the food inspector walks in today that it’s all cool. That has to be your expectation every day.” Environmental health officer Phil Bingley of Glamorgan Spring Bay Council in Tasmania, which has just recently launched a trial of its Eat Safe East Coast program in conjunction with neighbouring council Break O’Day, says he didn’t see why a council would not invest in such a program. Bingley, who’s been the driver behind the program which exactly mirrors Brisbane’s Eat Safe program, said the feedback from the 40 premises that had been assessed out of the 220 that are in the combined municipalities has been very good. “We wanted to do this because we thought it was very important from a point of view of these businesses being able to demonstrate their compliance in food hygiene,”Bingley says. “It provides transparency for the community and also for the tourists as it becomes more and more common around Australia. We didn’t want to be left back and the Brisbane program was such a terrific one we wanted to get on board. This is also a way we can promote our food businesses and the east coast of Tasmania is very much about quality food and this supports that.”

Water cleans up for safety and hygiene for MCG WHEN it comes to food safety and hygiene Peter Haycroft, the executive at catering giant Epicure has a secret weapon up his sleeve as part of the stringent systems he has in place — water. At Epicure’s giant 300 square metre Culinary Centre at the Melbourne Cricket Ground Haycroft is spearheading a trial of “e-water” one of the latest technologies that’s turning users into evangelists for the system. Already being used in Nobu restaurants in Australia as well as at Shannon Bennett’s new Vue de Monde, the e-water system revolves around the use of electrolysed water that is made up of ordinary tap water, salt and electric currents to create two different solutions that are highly effective cleaners and sanitisers. Haycroft says that the e-water was introduced almost a year ago and is now being used through the MCG Culinary Centre for everything from handwashing, cleaning and sanitising benchtops, floors and sinks, to washing fresh fruit and vegetables, salad, meat and seafood. There are plans to extend the products’ use to other Epicure operations following assessment of the trial. E-water outlets are set up throughout the centre for easy access for staff, something Haycroft says in itself enforces how crucial hygiene and stringent food safety practices are regarded to be there. “We have around eight hand stations and access across every sink for washing our vegetables and other produce,” Haycroft says. “So it’s a constant reminder for people to be washing their hands and keeping food safety and hygiene at the forefront of everyone’s minds.” Haycroft says the benefits of using e-water range from keeping produce at its freshest and providing a safer workplace for the centre’s workers. “We’ve dramatically reduced the use of packaged cleaning and sanitation chemicals, and using the antimicrobial wash it helps to maintain the freshness and integrity of the produce used here. “Things like when you are dealing with seafood and it has natural bacteria and most food has, but with seafood in particular, washing it in this just keeps it looking and tasting better as compared to leaving it in the fridge for two days. And for vegetables it also gives ultimate freshness. You’re not using any chemicals to wash them with plus it sanitises the vegetables really well.”

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

tabletopdesign

On my table What do you want your tables to say about you? We spoke to the chefs behind two of Australia’s hottest new restaurants to find out what they’re putting on their tables (besides food) and why. Golden Fields, Melbourne When acclaimed chef and restaurateur Andrew McConnell began planning the details of how his latest and third new restaurant venture would look, the tableware he would be serving his food upon featured early amongst the top considerations. At the same time as he was discussing the interior design of Golden Fields with the architect and the interior designer he was talking tableware with an artisan ceramicist as well as a Melbourne importer of Japanese tableware. “With Golden Fields I approached things a little bit differently to how I’ve done things before with my restaurants,” says McConnell who was running his celebrated Cutler and Co and Cumulus Inc restaurants before he opened his new St Kilda operation that has since been named this year’s Best New Restaurant in The Age Good Food Guide. “I worked with a ceramicist Shane Kent and commissioned him to develop some of the main plates. And that vision was also shared with the architect and the designer — so it was a cohesive package that included the design of the tableware. I think it’s a rare thing really. Often all the effort is put into the design and the menu and then the tableware choice comes at the end. “It was a bit of a design process to develop the various shapes and sizes and the right look for the feel of the room and the light and the materials that would be used.” McConnell says he was fascinated by how many variables had to be incorporated into designing the plateware. And he was so happy with the result he has commissioned Kent to now create 800 pieces for Cutler and Co including 24 different plates in various sizes, glazes and textures. “I didn’t realise how important a part of the package the plateware and tableware is until I saw the result and saw how it was working on the table, how much it completed the hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Custom-made ceramics, metal and lacquerware combine on Andrew McConnell’s table.

that would blend with Kent’s plates and “complete the family”. It includes small cast iron plates and lacquer ware, as well as Japanese designed cutlery. “I didn’t want European [for the cutlery] but I still wanted high quality with a contemporary Asian setting. You have to understand how important a part of the design the cutlery is and how important an element it is on the table in the dining experience.” While the glassware for wine at Golden Fields is Riedel, McConnell chose some hand-blown Japanesemade glasses for the sake from the restaurant’s sake menu. “We use Japanese sake glasses that are very, very fine glass and so beautiful to hold — plus we have the same style for our beer glasses,” he says. A charming element on the table are the small red hand-made tin buckets for salt painted with gold fish. “They add a bit of colour and whimsy,” says McConnell.

Gastro Park, Sydney

Rocks from local rivers take pride of place to serve up Gastro Park’s putanesca wafers.

package.” McConnell says the plateware was tailored to suit the various dishes but also different stages in the service. “At the start of the meal you have a lighter approach with the food, the food is brighter and crisper, but as

the meal progresses the food has a bit less colour and that’s when you need to use a lighter glaze.” For other elements of the tableware, McConnell worked with Collingwood-based importer Cibi to source beautiful Japanese tableware

Grant King, head chef and owner of Sydney's Gastro Park, which opened to much praise in April, says the tableware at his restaurant isn't limited to plates and bowls — he's willing to use anything to present his food, as long as it complements it well. “We even use rocks at the restaurant that have been cut into to support wafers and crisps,” King says. “They're from a river and a friend of mine ground into them so they could support snacks.” Rather than committing to particular suppliers or brands, King says he prefers to shop around, grabbing white china plates, slate tiles, glass bowls or classic cutlery whenever he finds some that he likes. “I source our tableware from various places: hospitality companies, imports, anywhere. When I'm shopping if I see something that I think can carry food I just get some. Sometimes a plate can inspire a dish. “Honestly, I don't source my hospitality | november 2011

tabletopdesign

The custom made ceramic plates at Godlen Fields are works of art in themselves.

things from a particular place. It really is a case of stumbling across something and thinking 'yeah, that can work.” Like most young restaurateurs, King was, and still is on a tight budget, but that doesn't mean his tableware has suffered. “I chose Bogart cutlery, mainly because of budget, but I think they are a great classic,

simple design,” he says. “I stumbled across my glasses, but when I saw them I knew they would work well with the design of the restaurant. I think they're perfect. “It's quite difficult on a tight budget, however even a very basic plate can be made beautiful with the food that's presented on it. At the end of the day that's what it's all about. But

Gastro Park’s chocolate, honeycomb. mandarin sphere served up in style on glass.

I have just placed a small order for some very beautiful plates from Spain, not many, luckily I only have a small restaurant so I can get away with only having a dozen of certain plates.” When allocating his plates to certain dishes, King says it's all about common sense. “Obviously we take all things into

consideration: logistics, cost, hygiene, practicality. We know the things that will work and the things that won't. It's very simple. We won't put a rib of beef on a glass plate because we have to think someone is going to cut through their meat on it. However, a beautiful carpaccio of scallops, for example, will work as there is very little slicing.”

Table stoppers Looking for some new ideas to add style to your tables? Here’s our pick of a few of the latest arrivals.

1 Royal Doulton sophistication The latest design from Royal Doulton is designed to be practical, infinitely stackable, incredibly durable, and of course always sophisticated. Loop aims to provide a solution to many catering issues without losing its contemporary style, and can fit into any situation, from a high-volume busy catering environments to select fine dining establishments. Made from strong fine china, the range of shapes includes round, rectangular, square and coupe. The breadth of products within the Loop pattern means the range can meet all catering and plating needs. Contact WWRD customer service on 1300 852 022 to enquire 26

hospitality | november 2011

durable and elegant it has brilliant clarity as well as featuring a laser cut rim. It’s also dishwasher safe and has a rim and foot guarantee. To find out more head to philliplazarus.com.au or call (02) 9316 7642 about Royal Doulton Commercialware distributors.

2 Libbey launches crystal range Now available from Libbey Foodservice is this new titanium crystal glassware range that’s been designed to withstand the rigours of the hospitality industry but also deliver a high quality experience for your diners. As well as being

3 Let them eat cake The Bubble Acrylic range from Rhubarb can add a funky and fun touch to tables. The cake stands in particular are perfect to take advantage of the interest in all things high tea. The range also includes dessert bowls, plates, jugs, glasses and vases. All are tough and high heat dishwasher safe. See zimba.com.au hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Great food deserves great tableware.

Contact WWRD Customer Service on 1300 852 022 to enquire about our Royal Doulton Commercialware distributors. Pattern featured: Loop.

tabletopdesign

4 Lucaris glassware is here The respected international glassware brand Lucaris is now available to the Australian hospitality market with two new collections being released by Crown Commercial. Lucaris glassware is quality, lead-free crystal designed to look and feel great while still exceeding industry standards for strength and durability. Lucaris glassware can withstand the dropping of a 95g steel ball onto it from a 300mm height without sustaining chips or breakage, and endure sudden temperature changes of close to 100C plus withstand more than 500 cycles of industrial dishwashing. See crowncommercial.com.au

5 Nel Lusso boards This new range of Nel Lusso designed, 100 per cent sustainable acacia boards fit well with the strong interest in all things sharing by today’s diners. A stylish way to show of a range of dishes, from cheese to salumi, they come in two sizes and two finishes. Plus there’s a matching salt “pig” to complete the look. See more at zimba.com.au

rechargeable flameless candle technology, continues to widen its range of looks for your table with beautifully designed holder accessories to both enhance and protect your flameless candle investment. Formulated to work with Smart Candle comes the latest Houston series of custom resin holders featuring a weather resistant o-ring steel to keep your candle secure while adding a warm inviting ambiance to your venue. See more at smartcandle.com.au

7 Technology for grinders The salt mill has been a work in progress for more than 130 years with many previous models plagued with corrosion, an inconsistent grind and a very short lifecycle. But new to the market is the Savannah salt and pepper mills bringing with them some innovative technology that produces long-term efficiency in grinding. Guaranteed for 25 years, the grinders are made from an eco-friendly hardwood — rubberwood — and stainless steel trim. Find out more at vgmimports.com.au

8 Napery style

6 Smart table lighting Smart Candle, the company that bought us safe and reliable LED 28

hospitality | november 2011

The Nel Lusso range of napkins are paper napkins that feel like cotton and linen. They come in nine different designs including the one pictured, Florence. See zimba.com.au hospitalitymagazine.com.au

produce

QLD producers on organic road

Demand for organic produce continues to rise but large producers say becoming certified organic remains unsustainable, writes Danielle Bowling.

he foodservice industry, like any,.is full of trends. People are constantly changing their dining habits according to the latest food fashion, whether it be veganism, people's renewed love for cider or the very time consuming, indulgent and stomach stretching degustations that are now popping up all over the country. One trend that isn’t going anywhere, however, is the rise of organic produce. The Australian Organic Market Report 2010 found that more than six out of every ten Australian households now buy organic on occasion, up from 40 per cent in 2008. Organic domestic retail sales have grown over 50 per cent in two years, and the number of organic producers continues to climb with 2,129 in 2009, up from 1,776 in 2007. The whole concept behind organic is that the produce is kept as close to its natural form as possible, with an emphasis on no chemical interference. Holly Vyner, general manager at Biological Farmers Australia, which represents and develops the interests of more than 3,000 organic industry farmers, operators, producers, processors and traders, says a big part of the hospitalitymagazine.com.au

organic mantra is getting producers to build up the health of the soil in order to avoid chemical inputs like fertilisers and sprays. Vyner says fighting off pests with organic sprays can be much more difficult than it is with conventional sprays, so a more holistic approach to the plant's health is required. “There needs to be a focus on building the health of the soil and working continuously towards that,” she says. “It can be pretty limited in terms of finding something that will kill the bugs in the conventional sense. The idea behind organic is that you build up the health of your soil which will allow the crop to be more resistant to pests and there's not the need to use the sprays to control pests.” Vyner says while the number of producers deciding to go down the organic path has increased, those that don't want or can't afford certification are still embracing organic practices. “There are growers wanting to benefit from organic practices, but still want to maintain using some not allowed inputs or just don't want to go down that last step to organics, or might not yet be in a position to do that,”she says.

Passionfruit and strawberries from Tinaberries in Bundaberg.

Gunther Rehberger is the producer behind Mangoes R Us in Bundaberg. In addition to the five hectares of mangoes he looks after is five hectares of pineapples and 10 acres of vegetables, all of which are organically certified. Rehberger has worked on both sides of the fence, as a conventional farmer until 1998, and since then as an organic producer. While he admits the former was an easier operation, he is passionate about organics and believes it’s not only the best option ethically, but that the end product is better as well. He says becoming organically certified was also a wise business move. “We’d always been a niche market grower, and in the conventional market we lost our niche, so we had to find a new one and this was perfect. “We had to spray more and more to get the same effect and I had the feeling that I was heading down a dead end road.” Certification is essential for producers interested in organics, Rehberger says, because it not only creates a fair playing field, ensurhospitality | november 2011

produce

Strawberry farming at Tinaberries in Bundaberg.

ing all producers are abiding by the certifying body’s criteria, but also reassures consumers that what they’re buying is genuinely organic. The extra cost that comes with buying organic food is justified, he says. “It’s a lot more labour intensive. There’s hardly anything available to us to deal with weeds, so you’ve got to get ten people in there to do the weeding on the farm by hand, and that’s where the extra price comes in. You need a premium price.” The same is true for pest management. “There’s not a lot around. You have to learn to cope with a bit less yield, and again, that’s where the extra cost comes in handy,” Rehberger says. Rehberger concedes organic production is easier on a small scale, which certainly isn’t the term you’d use to describe Hinkler Park Plantations and Pacific Gold Macadamias in Queensland's Bundaberg. comprising about 4,500 acres, 50 farms and 780,000 macadamia trees. While Hinkler uses a number of sustainable farming practices, general manager David Zadro says the business will not be going down the certification path because of the cost and the inability to protect crops effectively in bad conditions. Hinkler currently uses organic practices to fight pests, but also has the option of chemical sprays when need be, which over the past few years has ranged from no sprays to three sprays in 12 months. “I don't believe [organic production] is sustainable,” says Zadro. “On a small scale, you'll probably get a small farm that's organic — I'm talking anywhere between ten acres and up to about 80 acres. I don't think you'd get much larger than that as organic,” he says. “In terms of economies of scale, the risk of losing a percentage of your crop, even if it's 30

hospitality | november 2011

Macadamia nut from Hinkler Park.

five per cent of your crop, that five per cent for us is five per cent of about 3,500 tonnes.” Hinkler uses an integrated pest management program to reduce its reliance on spraying, which involves the introduction of a predatory wasp called trichogrammar which attacks nut borer larvae, one of the biggest threats to macadamia production. The Hinkler team also uses an iPhone app called GPS Scout whereby the farms are split into blocks are checked for insects and their density levels so they can tell when populations reach dangerous levels and . Tina and Bruce McPherson, who operate Tinaberries in Bundaberg, specialising in strawberries and passionfruits, are “sustainable but not organic”. And according to Bruce McPherson, it's not because they can't afford to or don't believe in the philosophy behind organics, it's because they want to ensure the longevity of their business. They believe organic certification would threaten it. “We do everything within our power to grow a healthy, tasty product,” he says. “However, if circumstances demand we need to bring out the heavy artillery, it will be well thought out and well managed in such a way that it's responsible.” McPherson says Tinaberries hasn't had to spray at all this year, and once or twice last year, and argues that they would more often than not meet organic certification requirements, but don't want to do away with the chemical controls they currently have up their sleeve. Certain lunar events and bad weather, like the rains from the beginning of the year, warrant spraying, he says. “You might get one year with periods that are just horrible and you're limited by the tools that you have at your disposal. “So in our particular case we'd walk away from half a million dollars worth of crops

‘Our guiding arm is that our children must be able to walk out into our orchard at any time and eat any fruit and we’ll feel safe about that.’

Hinkler Park Plantations David Zadro.

and vines. Are you prepared to do that? That's the question we ask ourselves.” McPherson says his work with Tinaberries is a juggling act; trying to remain as sustainable and organic as possible, while at the same time doing your best to minimise the damage caused by pests and weather. “With strawberries you can get a disease called botrytis, which is a grey mould, and we can use a spray for that which is purely preventative. You can avoid it but as soon as you get an outbreak it's like when you get mould in the fridge, it's hard to stop. “When you know there's rain coming you put on a preventative, and they're much softer than the curatives. So it's a bit like taking multi-vitamins instead of chemotherapy. “And the other thing that the consumers don't understand is that these things are incredibly expensive. One drum of preventative chemicals can be $5,000, which is four litres. But there's the simple economics of buying that, because you could be saving $30,000 worth of crop. You don't go out spraying the stuff because you can. It's calculated.” McPherson agrees with Zadro that organic farming is more feasible for small scale producers, and while he agrees with the ethics behind organic certification, he is happy with his own 'sustainable, but not organic' operation. “At the end of the day our guiding arm is that our children must be able to walk out into our patch or orchard at any time and eat any fruit and we'll feel safe about that,”he says. “If we're prepared for them to eat them at any point in time then we feel that we've been responsible.” Hospitality magazine travelled to Queensland courtesy of the Queensland Government’s Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation. hospitalitymagazine.com.au

management

Changing face of clubs The club industry is getting serious about the foodservice side of their businesses, writes Ken Burgin. LAST month we looked at the impact staff training is having on the profitability and popularity of Club Food and Beverage. Clubs are now competing with pubs and restaurants for the tourist and fine-dining dollar, and this commitment to training is really bearing fruit. Is this a threat to small operators? Maybe, but the culture and atmosphere of a club will always be different to a local café or restaurant, but now the food standard is higher and there’s every chance of getting a great coffee. Six years ago I first collaborated with Ralph Kober, now chief executive officer, of the Club Managers Association Australia (CMAA) to develop an ongoing training program, focussed solely on the hospitality side of Club life. Out of that came the Clubs+ suite of training Summits and Webinar training programs. Since that time it has been very rewarding to see the growth in skills amongst chefs, catering managers, CEOs and even club directors. There’s a much more sophisticated and knowledgeable approach to food and beverage: purchasing, menu design, modern facilities, cost control and equipment. There is no doubt that good food and beverage sets the standard for a modern club’s reputation, and takes attention away from the politics and controversy about gambling. Recently, as part of an educational two day Food and Beverage Summit, I organised for a group of 60 chefs, managers, front of house and service staff to visit a special ‘happy hour’ event at Hurricane's Grill, Darling Harbour, followed by a visit to Fine Food Australia. A behind the scenes tour of the kitchens and other food, dining and entertainment venues at the ANZ Stadium, supported the full two-day educational program, also held at the ANZ Stadium at Homebush. The visit to the very successful Hurricane’s Grill in Darling Harbour (which also has restaurants at Bondi Beach and Top Ryde) was a highlight for many participants. The group was hosted to a delicious selection of Hurricane’s Grill finger food; it was not just the superb textures and flavours, beverages and networking that were so popular, but also the insights into a very efficiently run business that orchestrates equipment, seating, cooking and menu into a great success story. Many of you know Hurricane’s from the original restaurant that’s been at Bondi for more than ten years. The generous sharing of information and ideas by the manager of Hurricane’s Grill, Steve Sidd, made a powerful contribution to everyone in attendance. This restaurant has expanded to three venues, each with happy crowds of people wanting to enjoy their famous ribs, steak and barbecue specials. Volume like this can’t be sustained unless there’s a solid management system in place: a call centre for bookings, modern hand-held ordering systems for waiters, a well-designed bar waiting area for hospitalitymagazine.com.au

‘Volume like this can’t be sustained unless there’s a solid management system in place.’

walk-in customers, and a very efficient cooking line that ensures speedy food service. Plus tightlyorganised purchasing and supply lines for the huge quantities of meat and produce they use every day. Staffing is obviously critical to Hurricanes’ success, and Sidd impressed everyone with the range of in-depth training undergone by all staff (up to and including Cert. 4) and the wide range of benefits offered. This is a business that really knows how to be an ‘employer of choice’. What’s ahead for your staffing in 2012? The supply of good people won’t get any easier, and one-by-one your competitors are creating smarter staff management systems: online rostering and staff induction, short in-house courses and a stronger focus on career development. There are many ways that small operators can compete with large clubs and hotels. It could be skill development through registered certificate courses, visits to trade shows, or why not take the opportunity to sit down with your team for a onehour webinar — at your venue. Webinars are designed to be short, practical and packed with useful information. When you login to a webinar, a screen opens on your computer or laptop, similar to a browser page, but live. You can watch and listen to the content with your speakers or a Skype headset, type in questions, or in some cases ask them live. Whether it’s on-the-job short sessions, skill development through certificate courses run by registered trainers, trade shows, conferences, or webinars which have become very popular, staff training really does boost your profits. In the new year, in collaboration with Hospitality magazine, we will bring you a number of new staff training online opportunities – get prepared for some highly motivational and cost effective bottom line improvements. Remember you’ll reap the rewards when you and your team are motivated, and inspired to do things differently to achieve more sales and higher profitability. It is so good for people in hospitality to get out of the kitchen and see what is going on around them. Ken Burgin is a leading hospitality industry consultant. To find out more visit profitablehospitality.com or call 1800 001 353. hospitality | november 2011

management/comment

doctorhospitality

Waste not want not An inedible piece of pork belly gave rise to thought about food

We have a problem with the number of staff ‘sickies’ at one of our hotels — many more than the other venues. How should this be handled? It sounds like the culture itself is not well, and you must have staff who are tired of carrying those who don’t pull their weight. It’s a problem for the management team at that hotel, and the first thing to do is show them the comparative figures across all your venues. Find out how they see the problem, how they think it should be fixed, and what assistance they need. Sometimes there are mental health or substance abuse problems with staff members and that can be difficult for even experienced managers to handle. Keep notes of all discussions and set up deadlines and accountability. We’ve been too soft on our corporate lunch clients, and now have several of them with large outstanding accounts. How do we get our money without losing their goodwill? Here’s the thing. They’re in business too and probably wondering why on earth you’ve been so slack with this. It’s time to change the system so all accounts are backed up with a credit card, which will be charged at the end of each week or two — a month is too long. Draw up a credit form and tell them you have to make a fresh start, because cash flow is tight (which they know). New rules and a free bottle of wine for their inconvenience. You may lose a couple, but are they really friends if they make your life more difficult? My hard-working husband owns a café with his lazy brother, and he’s being badly used. It’s hard to sit back and watch. How do I intervene? This pattern of family behaviour started long before you came along, so it’s a tough one to break. Your husband has found ways to deal with this over many years, and there have been positives for him — families are complex beasts! Are you sure the problem is not just the way you feel and react? It’s not pleasant watching someone being taken advantage of, but your role is probably limited to being a loving partner and giving wise advice. If you push too hard the partnership and business may splinter – then what will he do for a job? I’ve found a wonderful inner-city café. It's currently closed so there's no goodwill to pay. We have been offered a five year lease. Is this long enough? A lease this short gives you very little equity if you want to sell in the next year or two. Large shopping centres usually stick to five-year leases, but that's a completely different situation. You need a lease that's long enough for your future buyer to feel confident they too are getting a long lease and will have something to sell. That means at least ten years. It may sound like very long-term thinking, but a good long lease is worth negotiating hard for. Combine that with strong profits and you will create a very valuable and saleable asset.

Have a burning question for the good doctor? Send it to him via rosemary.ryan@reedbusiness.com.au

hospitality | november 2011

wastage for our columnist Tony Berry. WELL it sounded like a good idea at the time; as all good ideas tend to do. Instead of a quick stir fry or chucking a chop on the grill and slopping some oil over some of Coles’ incredibly expensive green leaves I would make a bit of an effort for an unexpected but very welcome dinner guest. After some furious scuffling through masses of ageing newspaper clippings of recipes I once thought had huge appeal (come on, admit it, you too have a pile of them) I settled on a seemingly simple dish of pork belly. It was to be drizzled with char siu sauce and sprinkled with a mix of chopped garlic and ginger before being covered in foil and left to its own devices in a 150C oven for four or five hours. Tasty. Simple. Stress-free entertaining with an element of style. Right? Something deliciously different and needing the minimum of preparation, supervision and culinary skills. The slab of meat was supposed to rise like a soufflé and subside once removed from the oven. In your dreams! I spent most of the meal apologising for this lump of porcine protein that sat there looking bronzed, gelatinous and deflated, challenging me to find a knife sharp enough to slice into what was supposed to be fall-apart delicious. Lesson 1: Never serve guests a dish that hasn’t first been thoroughly tried and tested in your own kitchen. Chefs who provide recipes for books, newspapers and magazines should add a disclaimer that their dishes are created using aids and equipment not available to the majority of domestic cooks. Their ovens are more accurate, their stoves more finely tuned. Their pots and pans are specific to clearly defined tasks. Lesson 2: Beware of dishes that require an ingredient that is not already in your larder. In this case, it was a jar of char siu sauce. Several Chinese dynasties could come and go before this additive will re-emerge from the back of the fridge. It keeps good company with numerous other herbs, spices, flavourings and decorations that were bought for a specific recipe never to be used again. Throughout the land there are similar gatherings of unused additives. Household cupboards are bursting with jars and packets whose contents were one-day wonders. And in this we have an industry-generated waste that runs contrary to all the claims about it becoming sustainable and environmentally aware. It has become de rigueur for celebrity chefs and their managements to dash hither and thither piously promoting such politically correct causes while engaging in the most outrageous waste of food imaginable. A quick perusal of celebrity chef recipes in a clutch of recent newspapers and magazines revealed numerous multi-ingredient creations that would require consumers to purchase items unlikely to be used much more than the once. They will be condemned to life on the shelf where they gradually fade and lose all the flavour for which they were acquired. Consider how many jars of coriander seeds, cardamom pods and fennel seeds sit there shrivelling away like inmates of an old folks’ home while the chefs who persuaded us to buy them (“just add a half teaspoon of ras al hanout”) talk about saving the earth and avoiding waste. The wanton waste of food already caused by the farce of food labelling is already at criminal proportions without this additional scourge. Supermarkets everywhere are sending enough good food to landfill to sustain whole nations with nutritional meals for months or even years. Use-by dates and similar bureaucratic impositions are forcing the foodservice industry to waste rather than conserve. So, that brings me to a story I’ve just read about a bunch of chefs getting involved in an event whereby people ride about on bicycles visiting producers and restaurants to find out about sustainable food production, whatever that might mean. There is something rather precious about an event that claims it “gives riders the skills needed to consume and produce food in a sustainable and conscious way.” As a briefly famous fish and chip shop owner once said, “Please explain”. What skills are needed to consume food, consciously or even unconsciously, beyond a gnashing of the molars? Maybe the wider public, health services and the nation at large would be better served if these earnest chefs – and foodservice as a whole — cut back on the unnecessarily huge portions they dish up while also going into battle at the regulations which foster, rather than prevent, food waste. Now, where did I put that bottle of peppermint oil and the miso paste? For many years known to Hospitality readers by his nom de plume E S Scoffer, Tony Berry is a former editor of this magazine as well as a travel editor, restaurant reviewer, chef and restaurateur. He's also the world's fourth fastest half-marathoner in his current age group. hospitalitymagazine.com.au

whatsnew

shelfspace 5

1 Light your customers’ fire. Who said fireplaces are just for the cooler months? The stylish designs for open fireplaces in the EcoSmart Fires range of bioethanol fireplaces have a lot to offer al fresco hospitality venues who want to create some extra ambience at their venues on sultry summer nights as well. Whether it be incorporating EcoSmart Fires versatile burner kits or fireboxes into tailored settings or choosing from the vast Outdoor Range comprising the EcoSmart STIX, Dish, Bulb, Lantern, Cyl or Mini T fires, the products can add instant style and substance to pool decks, rooftops, terraces, balconies and courtyards. See ecosmartfire.com 2 Handling bins made easier — and safer. The new Wrightway Bin is an ergonomic push wheelie bin which allows the bin to be pulled or pushed without having to tilt the

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bin. It means no more struggling with heavy bins which are difficult to manoeuvre, especially within confined spaces. The bin can be rotated almost within its own footprint: no more three point turns to get around awkward corners. Just push or pull the bin with ease. The patented Wrightway Bin has no holes in the floor which means the integrity of the bin is not jeopardised in any way. The base of the bin is lifted above floor level thereby preventing damage from having the bin dragged over nonslip flooring. The bin can be simply pulled forward from the wall. Braked castors ensure safe storage. The bin is available with or without Lid Lifta foot pedal, and in a range of colours. For more see wrightway.com.au 3 New finger food from McCain. As the party season approaches McCain Foodservice

Advantage has expanded its appetiser range with four new finger food products specifically developed for foodservice. Ideally suited to the pub and club, function and event catering, bar, café and accommodation markets, the four new selections include Battered Corn Nuggets (sweet corn kernels coated in crispy batter), Jalapeno Cream Cheese (jalapeno pepper halves filled with cream cheese and coated in a crunchy potato crumb), Green Curry Shrimp Balls and Salsa Shrimp Balls (made with real shrimp filling and authentic Asian flavours). See mccainfoodservice.com.au 4 She’ll be apples this summer with new cider. Batlow Brewing Company, after 18 months of product development, has perfected its Batlow Premium Cider, handcrafted from a carefully selected blend of Australian-grown

Batlow Apples and launched it to the market. A joint venture between Batlow Fruit Co-operative and Coombes Bros, the product is predicted to be one of the big hits of this summer. Boasting a crisp and refreshing flavour profile, the cider contains no concentrates or added sugars and is gluten free. The cider will available to be served both on tap and in bottles. See.batlowcider.com.au 5 There’s more to chai than meets the eye. While there’s been an explosion of chai latte products on the market Brisbane-based Alchemy Cordial is positioning its Chai Elixer as the real deal with its blend of all natural spices to deliver the therapeutic benefits that genuine chai is known for. It comes in a simple to use liquid that just needs to be mixed with the preferred milk. See alchemycordial.com.au

hospitality | november 2011

what’son

hospitalitydiary MARCH 2012 11-13 Fine Food Queensland; Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre; Fine Food Queensland is the largest food industry event in northern Australia

continued from page 14 restaurant staff and the kitchen staff into teams together rather than kitchen versus front of house, which was probably a mistake as a few chefs really enjoyed shooting me at paint ball. What would be on the menu of your last supper? My last supper would be a woodcock, shot at Holkham Estate in Norfolk England. I has lucky enough to be the Earl and Countess’s personnel chef in 2001 — what a job. I loved every day of it. But I would like to sit in the kitchen at the pine table which was made by the resident carpenter’s grandad, not at the fancy French mahogany tables. It must be a chef thing. Is you weren’t a chef you’d be… …I’m not sure. Maybe an artist or fireman.

for the hospitality industry. See finefoodqueensland.com.au

year Hotelex Shanghai continues to grow as one of the leading trade shows in China for the hospitality industry covering equipment, food and beverages, furniture, and other services for the industry. See hotelex.cn

APRIL 9-12 Hotelex Shanghai; Shanghai New International Expo Centre Shanghai. Now in its 21st

MAY 27-29 Foodservice Australia; Royal Hall of Industries, Sydney. Under new owners, there’s lots happening at this must see show. See foodserviceaustralia.com.au

Stephen’s Braised Beef Cheek Lollipop and Hay and Liquorice Smoked Pigeon of cream Micro celery Fleur de sel and duck fat to glaze and season.

Here’s the recipe for Stephen Clarke’s dish pictured on page 14. 400g Wagyu beef cheeks 120g (in total) diced celery, carrots, onion, leeks, shallots, garlic and bay leaf 1 tbsp tomato paste 100ml red wine 40ml port 2L veal stock Salt/pepper 4 pigeon crowns 8 cleaned pigeon thigh bones 1 liquorice root, 2g hay, and 2g saw dust 4 large Royal Blue potatoes 8 baby carrots 200g baby spinach 8 shallots 1 bunch broccolini 200g pumpkin/40g butter 1 large onion, 5g butter and 100ml

Trim beef cheeks and cook in pressure cooker for 50 minutes with bay leaf, celery, garlic, onion, carrot, leek, red wine and tomato paste. Remove cheeks and shred meat. Roll into cylinder shapes and chill in fridge. Slice to 4cm long then add cleaned poached pigeon thigh bone. Heat in the oven when required. Prep pigeon into crowns and smoke with saw dust, hay and liquorice for 1 minute. Add crowns to poach in veal stock for two minutes then allow to chill until needed. Sauté in duck fat for 1 to 2 minutes. Allow to rest then slice in half, glaze with duck fat and season. Parisienne potato: Peel and wash

Royal Blue potatoes and make noisette shapes with potato, 3 per portion (36 plus extra). Boil until just ready and reserve until needed then heat in meat glaze. Baby carrots: Trim and peel to size. Blanche and reheat to order. Wash and clean broccolini. Blanch in salted water. Pumpkin puree: Peel and wash. Cut to size and boil until ready. Blitz with seasoning and add butter to taste. Add to container and reserve until needed. Onion puree: Peel and slice onion and sauté. Add butter and cream and cook until soft then blend. Sauce: Add beef cheek liquor with port, smoked pigeon, stock, shallots and celery. Reduce to sauce, then halve for glaze and sauce for dish. Garnish with sauté baby spinach, shallots and micro herb celery.

P R O D U C T S 34

hospitality | november 2011

ea ﬁrst arrived in Europe as diplomatic gifts from China, and made its way into England by the middle of the seventeenth century. More than 250 years later,Wedgwood is well equipped to capitalise on the current rise in popularity of drinking exotic teas and the renaissance of the ritual that is afternoon tea.With blends such as Orange Pekoe,Wedgwood Original and Earl Grey, Wedgwood can accommodate even the most discerning tastes. Available as loose tea presented in caddies or tea bags. Contact WWRD Customer Service on 1300 852 022 to enquire about Wedgwood Commercialware distributors.

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hospitalityjobs To see the latest jobs available visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au, which is updated daily. CAREER DRIVEN CHEFS Location — Perth Company — Blu Grill Description: Perth's newest dining experience has arrived. Located less than five minutes from the city, this is a fantastic opportunity for energetic and self motivated culinary professionals to be a part of a concept at its launch, in a company with a hunger for rapid expansion. We are currently looking for key positions in the blu kitchen: Experienced Commi - CDP Chef. With over 40 years experience behind the company and an amazing location this is something you would love to be part of. To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au or email blucru@blugrill.com FOOD & BEVERAGE SUPERVISOR Location — Brisbane Company — Mirvac Hotels & Resorts Description: Mirvac Hotels & Resorts is one of Australia's largest hospitality groups, boasting an array of prestigious brands including, Quay West, Sea Temple Resorts & Spas, The Sebel Hotels & Resorts, Citigate and many more. The Sebel Suites Brisbane is located in the heart of Brisbane’s CBD. Our property has 167 beautifully well appointed rooms and Suites, Palettes Brasserie and Bar offering innovative cuisine and cosmopolitan street level dining, in-suite dining offered through Palettes, as well as function and meeting facilities for up to 200 guests. We are currently seeking a professional, mature minded food and beverage supervisor to join our successful team. Our food and beverage department consists of an al a carte restaurant, bar, in room dining, mini bar and conference facilities. We are currently seeking an experienced food and beverage supervisor to assist our food and beverage services manager in managing the day to day operations of the food and beverage department. Mirvac Hotels and Resorts group offer many employee benefits including; associate reward and recognition programs, accommodation and food and beverage discounts, a commitment to employee development and an attractive remuneration package. If you are looking for an exciting move to a company that promotes from within and provides you with great opportunities for growth and development — apply now! To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au CULINARY CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHEFS IN TERRIGAL NSW Location — Terrigal, NSW Company — Crowne Plaza Terrigal Description: Due to the development of our business this year, culinary career opportunities for sous chef, chef de partie and commi chefs, will be available for enthusiastic and talented people to join the brigade within our award winning team at Crowne Plaza Terrigal. The hotel

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has a range of excellent food and beverage outlets for you to further develop your exposure to different service environments, menus and formats. In addition, a complete refurbishment of the Florida Beach Bar, will create a state of the art, quality beachside venue, complete with new kitchens. The executive chef takes pride in leading this passionate brigade! If you are enthusiastic, collaborative and innovative and love to deliver the best personal dining experience to guests, you will love the team dynamics and culinary achievements that this kitchen brigade is producing. You'll need to have previous experience as a qualified chef and be looking to take the next step in your career. You will have experience in delivering a high level of food quality consistently; possess excellent business acumen and it would be an asset if you were HACCP qualified. In return, you will receive a generous financial and benefits package including car parking, uniforms, duty meals, hotel discounts worldwide and the chance to work with a great team of people in a fantastic location. You will have access to learning and development opportunities to grow both your culinary skills and leadership capability in a large kitchen environment. Most importantly, we'll give you room to be yourself. So what's your passion? Please get in touch and tell us how you can bring your individual skills to IHG at Crowne Plaza Terrigal. To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au or visit www.ihg.com/careers. HEAD CHEF & RESTAURANT SUPERVISOR Location — South Australia Company — Hollick Wines Description: Hollick Wines is seeking two experienced and dynamic hospitality professionals for the roles of head chef and restaurant supervisor, in their awardwinning restaurant, Upstairs at Hollick. Recently declared SA’s Winery Restaurant of the Year, this is an opportunity not to be missed for either a sea change or advancement of ones credentials in country SA, and in Australia’s leading Red Wine centre, Coonawarra. The successful applicants will have previous experience in similar roles, both involving excellent communication and leadership skills, an understanding of cost control, along with the appreciation of a quality restaurant experience. To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au or email admin@hollick.com. HEAD CHEF / FOOD COORDINATOR Location — Tooradin, VIC COMPANY — SUNSHINE COAST, QLD Description: Dukes Deli strives to offer a variety of daily made specialty items ranging from gourmet rolls, pastry items, cakes, slices and seasonal salads.

Supported by a strong local food scene and local producers, Dukes has established itself as a leader in fine foods and food products within the Sunshine Coasts respected hospitality and restaurant industry. Supported by experienced and committed owners and staff, this position will provide you with opportunities to express your skills, creativity and expertise on a daily basis. Self management, detailed stock awareness and forward thinking attributes will be a priority for every applicant. The successful applicant will present a resume detailed in a variety of kitchen leadership roles that reflect their professionalism, varied hospitality experiences and continued commitment toward industry currency. You will join a business that believes in a work/life balance and works hard to provide a pleasant atmosphere for all its employees. You will be required to supervise staff, ensure the quality of products, plan and organise catering menus, train and mentor staff and work with the management team to ensure high standards of food safety and occupational health and safety standards are met. Wages will be commensurate with quality and level of experience provided. To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au or email helenandcarmelle@hotmail.com WEDDING & FUNCTION COORDINATOR Location — Sydney Company — Glen Ewin Estate Description: Fabulous opportunity currently exists for a confident, organised and driven individual at the iconic Glen Ewin Estate. This customer focused wedding and function cc-ordinator will join a unique and dynamic organisation where experience, enthusiasm and presentation are essential. You will receive function and wedding enquiries and convert them into clients, subsequently managing and developing the relationship from the time of booking to the running of their event. This is a very hands on role and requires a confident, detailed and proactive attitude. To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au or email mark@glenewinestate.com.au HEAD CHEF Location — Melbourne Company — Eat, Drink, Relax. Platinum Description: Wildflower Restaurant in Canterbury has won its way into the hearts of casual diners and culinary critics alike for many years, consistently voted highly in the good food guide. It’s our unique blend of exceptional contemporary cuisine, distinctive surrounds and personal service that creates the unmistakable dining experience. Wildflower is currently looking for a dedicated head chef to

To advertise a new job contact Hussein Azzan at 02 9422 2851

sharpen their skills or an up and coming chef to advance to the next level. This boutique 60 seated restaurant has a great working environment and ongoing incentives. To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au or email letitia_l@hotmail.com ACCOMMODATION / CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER Location — Brisbane Company — Drake International Description: With winning a large contract comes a busy and challenging work load. This is an exciting time consisting of diversification, change and future growth. This is the time to get on board! With the strategy to delivery an integrated facility solution across multiple sites in Queensland and NSW, this dynamic organisation now has the challenge of bringing on board an experienced manager to handle the vital task of accommodation and travel. Reporting directly to the contract manager, your focus to drive and implement only the best of accommodation strategies will see you succeed. This role might require an individual to travel and have the flexibility to move between various camps/sites. This is a unique role that has its challenges, but along with the challenge comes the reward when positive outcomes are achieved. If you feel you are ready to join a market leader, take on a challenge role and provide superior service to the contract, apply now! To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au HEAD CHEF — REGIONAL NSW Location — NSW COMPANY — AA Appointments Description: Multinational hotel group, excellent staff benefits including discounts across the group KPI bonus scheme. Make the move to Regional NSW and watch your career take off with one of Australia’s most successful hotel groups. Overseeing a talented brigade you will ensure the smooth operation of multiple outlets including in room dining, a la carte restaurant and functions. You will be responsible for menu development using the best produce in the region, staff management, monitoring food and wage cost and profit maximisation for all outlets. This is your opportunity to join a multinational hotel group and make the role your own. Excellent opportunities for career progression within the group. If you are a talented head chef or strong sous chef looking for the next step then look no further! Applications are closing soon so send your resume through today to be considered for this excellent opportunity. To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au

hospitality | november 2011

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