Hospitality Magazine October 2011

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Print Post Approved PP349181/00109

No.677 October 2011

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

foodservice

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accommodation

■

beverage

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management

King of

the kitchen Ex-Pier chef Grant King is making waves at the helm of his own restaurant

’Tis the season Tips for getting the most out of the lucrative silly season

Festive cheer What’s ahead this summer for wine and cocktails?

IN MY KITCHEN Three chefs reveal their shiny new kitchens PLUS The latest new cooking equipment on the market

Amazon champion Q&A with Brazilian chef and restaurateur Alex Atala

MARGARET RIVER The Hidden Cave Margaret River collection encourages devilish thinking to create wines with a twist and showcase Margaret River style at its best. A captivating Chardonnay, an alluring Sauvignon Blanc Semillon and a rich Cabernet Shiraz. Launching 1st October, this range is a true treasure you will want to discover. To place an order please contact your TWE representative, call 134 893 (134 TWE) or visit www.devils-lair.com

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

Editor’s Note

Rosemary Ryan 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

becoming too saturated? Maybe not. Last year the ABS released data showing that, for the first time, restaurant closures were exceeding restaurant openings. And Restaurant and Catering Australia CEO John Hart says he believes that situation to be continuing this year. What is interesting is who is opening all of these exciting new places. A big chunk of the new kids on the block are being opened by existing hospitality operators who already have one, two or three restaurants. While the Aus-

IT’S BEEN nothing short of phenomenal — the number of new restaurants that have been opening this year. It seems every time you turn around there’s a brilliant new place to eat to add to the lengthy list of places to go. And eating out guides like the latest Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide which launched last month reflect the activity — it included 78 additions, 44 in Sydney and 34 in the regions. But is the flurry that is also happening in other states sustainable? Is the market

tralian market used to have a very low number of multi site operators, this year has seen a major growth in experienced operators expanding the number of venues they run. R&CA’s Hart says this expansion by these businesses has been “extraordinary”. “What we are seeing across the board is a higher average number of sites being operated by one operator,” he said. It’s a sensible strategy — the cost savings that can be achieved because of the economies of scale make it good business practice. Everything from combining parts of the business like accounting functions and food production, as well as in supply purchasing strength can come from operating multiple venues.

The impact on the industry of this trend is sure to be an increased professionalism in the industry that will hopefully also see levels of profitability in the sector rise. Could the downside be increased pressure on smaller independent operators? One thing’s for sure — diners are benefiting. In Sydney, in particular, the trend means they are spoiled for choice with more options especially in the mid range level of restaurants — something that had been lacking previously. Now, where’s my list again?

Rosemary Ryan

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

contents 4 News

12 Secret ingredients

Surcharges law burden set to be scrapped. Golden hat trick win for young chef.

Q&A with Brazilian star chef and restaurateur Alex Atala.

6 Openings

Grant King talks about life post-Pier and his new restaurant Gastro Park.

14 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

Latest restaurant arrivals opening their doors.

8 Workplace

43 Burgin

Working hours in the hospitality industry.

Licensed clubs flex their foodservice muscles.

10 Mystery diner

44 Dr Hospitality

Justin North’s Quarter Twenty One reviewed.

Hospitality management dilemmas answered.

Features 18 Jingle bells The silly season fast approaches. Are you ready to make the most of it for your business?

32 Love my kitchen Three chefs show off their shiny new cooking equipment.

39 Fine Food 2011 Highlights from this year’s mega industry event Fine Food Australia 2011.

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Print Post Approved PP349181/00109

No.677 October 2011

ON THE COVER:

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foodservice

Average Net Distribution Period ending March 11 13,950

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accommodation

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beverage

I

management

King of

the kitchen Ex-Pier chef Grant King is making waves at the helm of his own restaurant

’Tis the season

Tips for getting the most out of the lucrative silly season

Festive cheer What’s ahead this summer for wine and cocktails?

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.

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IN MY KITCHEN

Three chefs reveal their shiny new kitchens The latest new cooking equipment on the market

PLUS

Amazon champion

Q&A with Brazilian chef and restaurateur Alex Atala

ON OUR cover this month is Grant King, the ex Pier chef who’s attracting plenty of attention at his new Sydney restaurant Gastro Park. He’s the subject of our profile story starting on page 14 in which he talks about the challenges of opening his first restaurant and the philosophy behind his food. It’s food that’s wowing diners and the critics and that saw him catapulted into two hat status in its first appearance in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide. King says his mission is “to make

people happy and for them to have a lovely experience in a really relaxed, warm atmosphere. “. [The food] is creative, natural, innovative. I think the term Modern Australian means absolutely nothing," he says in our profile. "I think a lot of places you go to, you're getting the chef proving themselves on every plate, and that's great, everyone's different, but for me, I think sometimes it's nice just to have something beautiful that doesn't need a lot of work."

hospitality | october 2011

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news

Competitions

Young chef scores golden hat trick with win Talented young Aussie chef Cameron Wetton will be packing his bags for another amazing culinary trip after again taking the crown at the Golden Chef’s Hat awards. TALENTED young Aussie chef Cameron Wetton has made it three times in a row by once again taking out the top prize at this year's Nestle Golden Chefs Hat awards. Wetton was competing this year in the prestigious apprentice chef competition with new team mate Matthew Wynn — his last two victories were with previous team mate Shane Middleton. Since competing with Middleton for the Western Australian team Wetton has moved to Victoria and this year competed for that state withWynn. The pair work together at the new Melbourne restaurant Wilson’s Boathouse on WTC Wharf. The pair beat nine other finalist teams from around Australia achieving three gold medals for culinary excellence. The awards followed a gruelling cook off by the finalists held on Tuesday at TAFE NSW Nothern Sydney Institute Ryde College Campus. Competition director Deb Fore-

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Source: hospitalitymagazine.com.au September 19-23

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hospitality | october 2011

Wetton and Wynn’s winning entree. Golden chefs: Cameron Wetton (right) and Matthew Wynn.

man said Wetton and Wynn were talented young chefs with bright careers ahead of them. “Cameron and Matthew are incredibly passionate and driven young chefs and it translated for them on the day in the exceptional food that they produced," she said. “They truly earned the national winners title especially considering the high standard of chefs from oth-

er states in this year's final. There's no doubt Cameron and Matthew both have very bright culinary careers ahead of them.” The talented two’s winning menu included a main course of slow roasted beef rump, confit garlic pomme mousseline, pop corn lamb brain, soda battered onion ring, asparagus, mushroom, sweet potato and Vincotta style fig glaze. Their

dessert was a blood orange and dark chocolate cremeaux, lemoncello curd, pistachio praline, blood orange parfait and pistachio sponge. Their prize includes a culinary focused trip to Singapore in April next year where they’ll have the opportunity to do work experience at world-renowned L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon. Robuchon has 26 Michelin stars attributed to him, the most for any chef in the world.

Restaurants take up the Movember challenge IF YOU start seeing moustaches sprouting on the faces of chefs and other restaurant staff around Australia next month don’t be alarmed — it’s all in a good cause. This year the crew behind the successful Movember charity event that encourages the growing of moustaches for the month of November to raise awareness of prostate cancer and male depression, has turned its focus on the foodservice industry establishing an inaugural Restaurant Challenge section of the event. Paul Raynor, executive chef at the Baths Middle Brighton (pictured), is leading the charge as one of the first chefs to get on board. He said that as well as getting the chance to sprout a mo and he’s laid down the challenge to other restaurants. “It’s a great way for my team to interact with each other and our customers as well as raise awareness and funds for men’s health,” Raynor said. “The hospitality industry is well supported by Melburnians and I know that Movember is too. “I challenge restaurants and all hospitality businesses across the state to get on board this awesome event and show off their mos with gusto.” Registrations are now open for the Restaurant Challenge at movember.com.au

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news

Regulations

Surcharge burden lifted

in brief Have your say!

Foodservice operators will again be free to apply percentage surcharges to their weekend and public holiday menus under recommended changes. RESTAURANTS and cafes are set to be allowed to return to the practice of applying surcharges to their menus after the Federal Government supported recommendations for a requirement preventing the practice to be axed. Minister for Small Business Nick Sherry announced the Government had accepted the recommendation of the Productivity Commission to remove the law that came into force in 2009. The legislation has meant restaurants and cafes could be slugged with hefty fines if they included a percentage surcharge on their menus for certain days such as weekends or public holidays. Instead they were required to have separate menus showing each items price inclusive of any surcharge. “As Minister for Small Business

and Minister Assisting on Tourism I’m especially pleased that the Government’s response includes reducing red tape for tens of thousands of restaurants and cafes, most of which are small businesses,” Sherry said. “The Government has accepted the recommendation to have restaurant and café menu surcharges for specific days placed outside the scope of component pricing provisions of the Australian Consumer Law. The axing of the rules is now dependent on states and territories agreeing to the change. The laws had proven to be an extra burden for restaurants and cafes which either had to forego charging extra on particular days or have the separate menus. Businesses that failed to change their menus after a warning could

be given a $6600 infringement notice. Some fell foul of the law. In two high profile cases the Federal Court ordered two restaurants, Georges Bar and Grill and Steersons Steakhouse, both in NSW, to pay a penalty of $13,200 each for breaching the pricing laws. Restaurant and Catering Australia was quick to congratulate the government for its decision to accept the recommendation. R&CA chief executive officer John Hart said the State Governments now need to accept the change, given the new federal approach to the Consumer Law. Hart said it would deliver a significant reduction in red tape for restaurants and cafes. “The restaurant, café and catering industry calls on the State Governments to support the Commonwealth’s recommendation,” he said.

High tea stars are Sri Lanka bound PERTH chef and front of house team Chad Tilbury and Daniel Moore have proved themselves the kings of high tea after winning a national quest to find the best in the culinary occasion. The pair, from the West Coast Academy of Hospitality and Tourism, are off on a tea-gastronomy focused trip to Sri Lanka after taking out the inaugural Dilmah Professional High Tea Challenge. They competed against teams from around Australia that took part in competitions held in Hilton hotels around the country culminating in the finals in Melbourne, all in the name of promoting greater understanding of tea and tea gastronomy. The pairs winning menu included Southern Ocean Yellowfin Tuna, Daikon, Glutinous Rice, Sencha, Shoyu, Pickled Ginger; Watte Smoked Margaret River Waygu Beef Fillet; Yallingup, Woodfired Sourdough, and Manjimup Truffled Hummus, and Horseradish Crisp; Cardamom Oranges with Moroccan Mint Tea; Almond Scented Gulab Jamon; and On a high: Chad Tilbury and Daniel Moore with Dilmah’s Merrill Fernando. tea inspired petit fours.

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Here’s a friendly little request for you to take a few moments to fill in and send us the Hospitality Pulse foodservice supplier survey that you should have received along with your September Hospitality magazine. We’ll be sharing the results with you in upcoming issues. If per chance you didn’t receive the survey form please contact Tas Dasios on 0412 156 042.

Bilson aims to trade out of business troubles High profile chef and restaurateur Tony Bilson remains confident his companies will be able to trade their way out of debt after being forced to place them in voluntary administration. Just days after Bilson's restaurant at the Radisson Plaza hotel was awarded a third hat in this year's Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide award came the announcements that his two companies, Bilson's Restaurant and Number One Wine Room had been placed into administration.

Warning on hand washing as offences soar NSW food businesses have been warned to clean up their act when it comes to basic hand washing after a large number of penalty notices were issued to those failing to maintain adequate hand-washing facilities. Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson said that in the past 12 months there have been about 170 offences related to handwashing listed on the NSW Food Authority's Name and Shame register. "Handwashing is at the very foundation of safe food handling," she said.

Guy Grossi endorses seafood app It's now easier for Australians to make informed choices when choosing their seafood, with the Australian Marine Conservation Society launching the Sustainable Seafood Guide iPhone app. The app is a mobile version of the printed and online consumer guide to sustainable seafood. Chef Guy Grossi has put his support behind it as ambassador for the new app, appearing in a promotional video espousing its benefits.

hospitality | october 2011

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openings

Spice I Am Balmain The latest restaurant in the growing Spice I Am empire of Thai chef Sujet Saenkham has landed on the busy restaurant strip at Balmain featuring a slick fit out and the fresh spicy menu that Sydney diners have come to love. It joins the two existing Spice I Am operations — in Surry Hills and Darlinghurst — and north-east cuisine spin off House in Surry Hills. Opened: August Head chef: Sujet Saenkham Seats: 60 Food: Chow down on the authentic Thai menu with favourites from steamed Phuket-style Basa fish fillet curry and betel leaf wrapped in banana leaf, stir fried crispy fish wok tossed with red curry paste, green beans and Kaffir lime, and roasted red duck curry with pea and apple eggplant, kaffir lime, chilli, lychee and Thai basil. Finish off with Spice I Am’s famous “Better than Sex” dessert of toasted brioche with pandan gelato topped with Thai caramel sauce and roasted sesame seeds. Address: 237 Darling Street, Balmain Phone: 02 9555 9224 W: spiceiam.com

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Fitzrovia

Nobu Perth

New arrival on the block in Melbourne’s St Kilda, Fitzrovia, is wowing diners with its aim to revive provincial-style comfort food with hearty meals that are a bit of a departure from the city’s current “tapas mania”.There’s a big emphasis on coffee too with the restaurant teaming up with the St Ali brethren to offer single estate coffees — including one Cup of Excellence coffee.

Nobu, arguably one of the world’s most recognised Japanese restaurant brands, has opened its second restaurant in Australia, this one located at Perth’s Burswood Entertainment Complex. It brings the “new style” Japanese cuisine that founder Matshuhisa Nobu has taken around the world to the west all wrapped up in glamorously designed surrounds.

Opened: September Head chef: Paul Jewson Seats: 70 inside and 25 outside. Food: Classified as modern European, the menu ranges from a smoked pork hock and confit duck terrine starter to mains of classic Italian melanzane parmigiana or crisp skinned red snapper, and Bacchus Marsh free range chicken with slow braised chorizo, and desserts like “the most decadent” chocolate tart and warm Bramley apple and cinnamon cake. Address: 155 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda Phone: (03) 9537 0001 W: fitzrovia.com.au

Opened: September Head chef: Nicolas Mazier Seats: 165 in the dining room. Food: Nicholas Mazier is keen to show off his creative skills and masterful plate design that has become a signature of Nobu. The Frenchman has a passion for Japanese, Mediterranean and French cuisine, which encompasses Nobu’s food philosophy of combining classical training and knowledge of international cuisines to create modern Japanese masterpieces. Address: Burswood Entertainment Complex, Burswood, Perth. Phone: (08) 9362 7777 W: noburestaurants.com

hospitality | october 2011

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workplace

Working hours in the hospitality industry Restaurant and Catering Australia’s workplace relations experts keep you up to date with the latest rules and regulations when it comes to the hours your employees are working. MAXIMUM working hours are provided for in the National Employment Standards (NES) and detailed in the Fair Work Act 2009. The NES took effect from 1 January 2010 and set the minimum safety net of employment conditions for all employees throughout Australia. Under the NES, the maximum number of working hours for a fulltime employee is 38 hours per week plus any reasonable additional hours. For those employees who are not full-time employees maximum hours are deemed the lesser of the employee’s ordinary hours each week or 38 hours. Many hospitality employees are covered by Modern Awards including the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2010 and the Restaurant Industry Award 2010 which contain provisions regarding hours of work that compliment the NES. The hours of work clauses will detail such mat-

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hospitality | october 2011

ters including: minimum and maximum lengths of shifts, minimum breaks between shifts, minimum amount of days off per four week cycle, maximum amount of days worked without a break, and other related matters. Work outside these hours will generally require payment of overtime. Overtime If an employee covered by a Modern Award works excessive hours they are generally entitled to a higher rate of pay called overtime. Overtime is normally detailed in Modern Awards and sets the hours that attract overtime payments. This overtime can be absorbed into overaward payments (e.g. an employee on an above award salary may not have to be paid for a reasonable amount of overtime where this is expressly stated in their contract of employment).

The overtime rate payable to an employee depends on the time at which the overtime is worked, e.g. whether it is on a weekday, Saturday, Sunday, or on an RDO. The rate of overtime payable will vary depending on when the overtime is worked. If an employee works more than two hours overtime after a shift, they are entitled to an additional 20 minute paid break under the Restaurant Industry Award 2010 and the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2010. Averaging of hours Instead of payment of overtime if an employee exceeds 38 hours a week at work, the NES allow modern awards and enterprise agreements to provide for averaging of hours. Through the Restaurant Industry Award 2010 and the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2010, a 38 hour working week can be averaged

over a maximum of four weeks (e.g. 152 hours per four week period). Time in lieu An alternative to paying overtime is employees being able to have time off in lieu of overtime payment. An employee may choose, with the consent of the employer, to take time off instead of payment for overtime at a time or times agreed with the employer. This agreement must be in writing. The employee must take the time in lieu within four weeks of working the overtime. If an employee takes time off instead of payment for overtime then the amount of time off is to be equivalent to the pay the employee would have otherwise received for working the overtime. If the employee requests, an employer must pay the employee for any overtime worked. This must be Continued page 46

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review

Quarter Twenty One The industry has been watching with interest the moves by chef and restaurateur Justin North with his new ventures in Sydney’s CBD Westfield. Our diner combined a little shopping with eating to check out one of them, Quarter Twenty One.

mysterydiner AND SO it was and always will be that when opening a restaurant big decisions are made well before day one of trading. Do you open a venue in an established restaurant precinct or take a chance as a stand-alone; open in an area of substantial foot traffic or become a destination restaurant; open in an area that’s saturated or one where you would build a business. By the sea, in the city, in the suburbs, in an entertainment precinct, an upmarket shopping mall? Hold on. A shopping mall? Where the primary occupation of visitors is to shop for clothes? Not to seek out a dining experience? Justin North’s Quarter Twenty One. But Westfield built and opened dients are first class. The menu descriptions don’t Sydney’s first exclusive high end shopping mall lie and every ingredient is clearly identifiable. with labels that have made the fashionistas drool Smoked Petuna Trout, Bone Marrow, with Broad into their half grapefruits each morning – Prada, Beans, Persillade, and leek and lemon pith purée Diane von Fursternberg, Gucci, not to mention was exactly that and it was fresh and tasted fine the eagerly anticipated Sydney openings of Zara as did the other entree — a beautifully cooked and Gap. piece of Caramelised Suckling Pig, with Jerusalem And then Westfield said lets have some high end Artichoke, Garlic, Malted Milk, Honey and Nuts. food outlets to go with all these fashion labels and It was as it was described. Justin and Georgia North moved Becasse to the The Fricassee of Sweetbreads and Scampi site and also opened Quarter Twenty One, Din Tai served with Beetroot, Apple and Black Pudding Fung opened a dumpling bar, Michael Moore was almost as traditional a combination as one opened Reuben and Moore; Alessandro Pavoni of could enjoy as was the Rib and Rolled Loin of Ormeggio fame released Speido and, after more Riverina Lamb, with peas, mint and balsamic. years than we can count, David Tsirekas closed They were equally nourishing and nicely presentthe Petersham favourite Perama to open his new ed. The ingredients sang but there was just no restaurant, Xanthi. Now it was the food induswow factor in the flavour combination. try’s time to really take notice of Westfield. Maybe it was just me— the restaurant has been Of Justin and Georgia North’s two new restaugetting some great reviews. rants one might say that Becasse — the well-esBut then came the desserts which could not tablished and deservedly much lauded venue — have been any better than what they were eating is to Quarter Twenty One what haute couture is next door in Becasse (or in heaven, for that matto prêt-à-porter. ter). One might also say that all the excitement must A Banana Crème Brulée, was presented as a be on show at the famous restaurant next door beautifully warm creation where banana and because, although Quarter Twenty One is dishing pieces of salted peanut brittle swam in harmony up beautiful food, it’s on the safe side. in vanilla cream. The contrast couldn’t have been The restaurant stays true to its aims of feeding better and the whole pot was covered by an overand cooking for the soul, and the food at Quarsized tuille-thin caramel and the warm 68 per cent ter Twenty did my soul well. But, until we got to Alto Beni Zokoko Chocolate Pudding with Red the dessert course, it was my tastebuds that Wine Plum, and Vanilla Ice Cream was created by seemed to miss out. someone who knows how flavours go together Each dish is perfectly presented and the ingre10

hospitality | october 2011

and in what amounts — the chocolate oozing out onto the tongue, the intensity balanced by the fruit and ice cream. One cannot empathise, however, just how good Quarter Twenty One really is in the scheme of restaurant dining. You can make a reservation (how perfectly un-Sydney), you dine in probably one of the city’s most elegant restaurants, the tables are nicely spaced, the staff are knowledgeable and helpful, there is both a sommelier and a host and the noise level is set for good conversation. And the food is really good, just not very exciting. And it’s a lovely lunch spot — women who lunch would love to be seen here and there are many beautiful “healthy” options. If Sydneysiders can get their heads around fine shopping and fine dining at the same time, and maybe the laws changed allowing late night shopping open every night, people would not have to think about going to the mall for dinner — they would already be there.

The details Quarter Twenty One Westfield Level 5 Pitt Street, Sydney CBD P: 02 8072 7755 W: quartertwentyone.com.au Head chef: Michael Robinson The verdict: With the restaurant in a shopping centre — even an upmarket one like Sydney's new Westfield — a newish concept for the Aussie market it was always going to be interesting. As you would expect from a chef the calibre of Justin North there's litttle to fault with the quality of the food and service at the lovely Quarter Twenty One. It delivers a very good, if a bit lacking in wow, dining experience, perhaps as you ponder your next purchase.

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newsextra

secretingredients Brazilian chef Alex Atala's culinary style has won him every contemporary culinary award in his country and earned him international recognition. His restaurant D.O.M this year rose 11 places to grab seventh spot in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. We pinned him down while he was in Sydney for the World Chef Showcase earlier this month. Can you give us a brief history of your career so far? I began my career at the age of 19 as a chef in the Namur hotel school in Belgium and worked at Bruneau Restaurant, owned by two Michelin star chef Jean-Pierre Bruneau and also with the legendary chef Bernard Loiseau at the Cote-D'Or Hotel in France. In 1994 I returned to Brazil with a great desire to find my own culinary identity. At the end of 1999, I opened D.O.M. Your restaurant D.O.M. shot up 11 places into the top ten of the S Pellegrino list this year. What did that mean to you? It is a dream to be recognised, and a nightmare to keep it going. It is a huge pleasure but also a huge pressure — I had no idea this would ever happen. It's a nice pressure. What was your goal when you first opened D.O.M? Just to pay my bills. The first idea was to make it really casual but with Brazilian flavours, Brazilian cuisine. But step by step, almost spontaneously, it became fine dining — the clients arrived and wanted better. Better service, more luxury and it evolved to be fine dining. But always focusing on using Brazilian flavours. What inspires you? Where do you get ideas for your menus? It depends. Amazing ingredients are something that inspires me. A new technique or a new machine, that inspires me as well — I imagine what I can do. But sometimes it’s emotion. I just went today to Spice Temple and I tasted a few ingredients and that invoked a few emotions. And I tasted Szechuan pepper and it made me think of a kind of pepper we have in Brazil, a kind of herb. It looks like night in Spice Temple even in the day — there are no windows. And that Inspired me to create something but 12

hospitality | october 2011

in a Brazilian sense, a very funny spice night in Brazil in Sao Paulo. That is something I am already planning. What's your favourite dish on your menus? I can't choose at D.O.M. But at Dalva e Dito it would be rice and beans, like mama made. Do you have a favourite ingredient you are using at the moment? No I can't choose because I believe that one of most beautiful things is diversity so thank God I’m not able to choose one. You are a great champion of indigenous and Amazonian produce. Why is that important to you? Flavour is something that we develop in our lives — when we are kids we don't always appreciate them. When I first tasted caviar, truffles, I didn't like them at first. When I tasted this new fancy flavours I realised that few flavours from my heritage were regarded that way and I decided I must improve that and work out ways to use those flavours better and do the best that I could and try to develop my skills and to improve the flavour. What I tried to do is put Brazilian flavour in the best moment. I wanted to show what is possible. And it’s not easy because in general my food is very, very simple. It's only two or three ingredients not lots of mixtures or techniques in the same dish. With new flavours when I introduce them to you, things that you've never tasted, it can be shocking in a good sense and a bad sense as well. What try to do is use this flavour in a very simple way, in a way that looks familiar and looks cherished. Apart from your own what's your favourite restaurant?

I really enjoy Japanese food. Not just Japanese food but the way they build flavours — it’s completely crazy. It is so simple once again — it's not a complicated cuisine — it is very simple but not easy and so I have a huge fascination about Japanese cuisine. My favourite? There are at least two in Kyoto and there is an amazing sushi bar in Tokyo — Jiro. Jiro san is an old sushi man — he might be around 80 plus — and is a master of sushi. It only has 12 seats so it has a very exclusive feeling. You have the old master that's working in the sushi bar and preparing sushi for you. It's the whole experience. Food can be amazing but if you put an amazing dish in a special moment this is awesome. On the other hand I prefer bad food with someone who I love than amazing food with bad company. What is your favourite dish there? It is always a tasting menu. You just sit and follow the sushi man. It makes me very happy. What I can say is Japanese people start the tasting menu with fatty fish like tuna belly and this is maybe my favourite moment. And the clams, I love the clams. What's been your most memorable food experience? Last year I was in Lapland and had reindeer tongue and it was beautiful, beautiful. Lamb tongue is good — I'm a huge fan — but reindeer tongue is amazing. The texture is so, so good. We just had it boiled and served with little potatoes with a berry sauce cooked in the farmhouse by the farmer's wife. It's a very poor dish, and very simple. And there was another time just recently in Japan when we tasted fresh sea urchin. It was so beautiful, the best ones of my life. We rented a boat and it was amazing. The moment was special. All the senses were important.

What do you see as the biggest challenges ahead for the restaurant industry? To be sustainable. On one hand we use local ingredients and are trying to make a fair trade but on the other hand I bring ingredients from Amazonia and it’s 4000 kilometres from Sao Paulo so there is the impact of the environment in transport. So it is very important to use the ingredients because lots of people are getting better producing Amazonian ingredients and quitting deforestation or mining, but on the other hand we must bring the ingredients to Sao Paulo. I have to have a way to balance this. And there is the balance between the environment and also the common benefit. When we talk about nature conservation it is very important to protect the sea and forests but it is also very important to protect the other natural 'bean' who is called the human 'bean'. What do you think will be the next big trend in food? It's difficult to say but I suppose South America can surprise us, not just Amazonian flavours but all South American ingredients. Peruvian food, already everyone is talking about it. Everyone knows about cerviche but in my opinion the interest in South America cuisine is something that is just starting. South America has lots of new flavours and the new chef generations are fantastic. What’s next on your agenda? Plans to expand? No. I'm a good chef but not as good a business man. I will concentrate on my two restaurants. What would be on the menu at your last supper? It would be very simple fish, very fresh fish, on a charcoal barbecue. That is really my favourite thing. hospitalitymagazine.com.au

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hospitalitychef

King of his kitchen He was the chef behind Greg Doyle’s Pier for seven years but now Grant King is making a big splash heading up his own gig. By Danielle Bowling.

Walk in the Park: Grant King’s new venture is winning strong praise.

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hospitality | october 2011

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

hospitalitychef

Grant’s picks FAVOURITE FOOD-RELATED BOOK? I have many. FAVOURITE RESTAURANT? Martin Berasatagui, Michel Bras, El cellar de Can Roca. FAVOURITE PLACE TO SHOP FOR FOOD AND INGREDIENTS? Flemington market, a very inspirational place for new ideas to enter the brain. FAVOURITE MEAL EXPERIENCE? Martin Berasatagui, Michel Bras, El Cellar de Can Roca, El Bulli.

‘[The food] is creative, natural, innovative. I think the term modern Australian means absolutely nothing.’

Inside Grant King’s Gastro Park.

A

fter talking with Grant King, owner of Gastro Park, one of the latest and rapidly rising additions to Sydney's restaurant scene, two words come to mind: controlled chaos. He comes across as self assured and driven, but excited and frantic at the same time, and from what he tells me, this is what Gastro Park is like five days a week. Since opening in April, the restaurant has done 50 to 60 covers a night, five days a week, and also has two lunch services a week. Having those two days off, King says, allows him to work at full pace without burning out. “It's really hard managing creative cuisine on a seven day lunch and dinner level,” he says. “I'm not saying it's impossible, but on a small budget it's very, very hard to do. And to be honest, I love my days off. I just want to give 200 per cent hospitalitymagazine.com.au

on my days here, and the boys and I do that.” While some of the favourites include crispy scaled snapper, liquid gnocchi, swordfish belly and foie gras with red cabbage granita, the menu at Gastro Park is purely produce driven and changes daily, something that not only keeps the diners interested, but King too. “We print [menus] just before service everyday. Basically it allows me to try and get as much different or new stuff on the menu for that evening,” he says. “I don't rely on produce that way. I can buy what's premium, what's best, what's seasonal, whatever's good.” Because the menu changes all the time, and there's no real rhyme or reason as to how it's compiled, King is reluctant to define it with a particular cuisine. “My mission is to make people happy

and for them to have a lovely experience in a really relaxed, warm atmosphere ... [The food] is creative, natural, innovative. I think the term Modern Australian means absolutely nothing,” he says. It's not surprising, considering his energy levels, that when King was younger he wanted to be a musician. Growing up in the south of New Zealand, where his parents grew all their own produce, his two big loves were music and food. Luckily, for diners, the latter eventually prevailed. “My brother was always in the garage with my dad and the cars and I was in the kitchen eating radishes and everything out of the garden,” King says. “My grandma had eggs, we never bought eggs, and my uncles had farms, so that got me into the kitchen. “But the thing that really did something to me was watching a video of Marco Pierre White. This crazy looking dude back in the day with long hair. He looked like a rockstar and I was in bands at the time, so I thought it was something different. It was very intense and I did a bit of research and thought that's what I wanted to be.” After years of travelling and eating his way around the world, King came to Australia with his wife and daughter in 2003 and soon after landed a job as sous chef at Sydney's Pier with another chef who proved to be quite a mentor for King — Greg Doyle. “I was a pretty young man running a place of that capacity, so I learnt a lot about management skills,” King says. “Greg's got a great palate and a very good understanding of balance, so obviously I drew a lot off him. “The place was also a bit of a workshop where I was free to play a lot and develop my own style over the years, which I think I've done, and which I continue to do.” Soon after landing the job at what was then the two-hatted Pier, King was made head chef. After seven years, he moved on hospitality | october 2011

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and had some time off before starting his next big adventure. “I chilled out for eight months with my kids, recorded music and travelled. I had a really good life,â€? King says. This chilled lifestyle is a distant memory today, with King a very hands-on chef and businessman, with a number of exciting plans lined up for the future. “We are going to be open for a third lunch once it heats up a bit, so it'll be five dinners, three lunches. We're hoping to get some suppers off the ground too. We've got a late licence til 3am, so watch this space for Friday and Saturday suppers, and we've also got a rooftop garden now, which is going to be great for outdoor cocktail and canapĂŠ events, so again, watch this space.â€? While King might give the impression of being an impulsive person, he says a balance of passion and pragmatism is essential for any successful foodservice operator. “You need to know what you're doing,â€? he says. “I think anyone that's going to just jump in there and have a go is going to fail. You need to have an enormous amount of passion and energy and drive to do this. “I mean, I'm a lunatic. I'm obsessive about what I do. You can't operate a place eight hours a day, this is 20 hours a day of my life.â€? Despite what some would think, King says the crazy, frantic atmosphere of his kitchen is a perfect learning environment for his kitchen team of five. “It's a dream, having a 50 seat restaurant operating five days a week with one team, who are very loyal and dedicated,â€? he says. “We're a young team, but some of these guys have been with me for four years now ... It's a young man's game I think, especially this kitchen.

Grant King’s Thai-inspired Sashimi of Kingfish Serves six for small entree 300 gm sashimi grade kingfish loin 4 green jalapeno chillies, seeded and chopped 6 white peppercorns 2 coriander roots 1 lemon grass stem (roughly chopped) 8 basil leaves 16 coriander leaves 2 dsp tamarind paste Fish sauce for seasoning Combine chillies, peppercorns, coriander root, lemon grass in mortar and pestle. Add the herbs and continue to bash, add the tamarind paste and season with fish sauce. Pass through a very fine sieve and keep in fridge until ready to use. Smear the paste along the top of the kingfish loin

and slice as you would for sashimi. Fresh tomato pulp and coriander leaves add the balance required to make this a very powerful, clean fresh start to any meal.

This is pretty intense.� “These guys see so much new stuff every day. I've got a young guy here, Joel, he's awesome, a 19-year-old apprentice who's been with me almost four years and that guy is like a 25-year-old, the way he cooks. “He's seen so much stuff and has such an open-minded repertoire, but at the same time has such a high standard, and that's because I'm anal. Everything goes past me before it goes to the table. He's going to go from here one day and have an awesome career, because he's just being moulded with such high standards.� While King is only too happy to teach his team as much as he can about cooking, he believes it's just as important for them to know how to plate up a classic, simple dish as it is to understand all the latest gizmos and gadgets of molecular gastronomy.

“Food's become very clever, very fancy, very scientific, which I embrace, but I think sometimes you forget the basics. A lot of people do flavours, seasonings, acids, finishings, temperatures - everything is paramount but you've got to start with good product," he says. “My food is a mixed bag. It's old world and new world. Some things are very simple and some things aren't. We embrace all the new techniques and understand them and use them but we don't use them on every plate and feel that we have to prove our technique. “I think a lot of places you go to, you're getting the chef proving themselves on every plate, and that's great, everyone's different, but for me, I think sometimes it's nice just to have something beautiful that doesn't need a lot of work."

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hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Jingle bells all the way to the bank Making your list and checking it twice — that’s what smart hospitality operators are doing to ensure e they make the most of the upcoming busy festive holiday season. By Rosemary Ryan.

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festiveplanning

BRILLIANCE COMES IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES

Tis the season: One of the creative table setting ideas being presented to customers planning Christmas parties by Grand Pacific Group.

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hile the kids won't start making their lists and counting down the days until Christmas for a few weeks more, foodservice operators who want to make the most out of the busiest and most profitable time for the industry should have their plans well underway for the season. It's a crucial time to make the most of your business and set yourself up to head into the new year with some healthy profits in the bank — and maybe some new customers for 2012. Industry leaders Hospitality magazine spoke to were already well into the organisation they say is vital if you are going to squeeze the most out of the opportunities. At Sydney restaurant and venue group, the newly rebranded Grand Pacific Group, whose restaurant and function venues include the likes of The Tea Room at Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building, the Gunners Barracks, Sergeants Mess and Dunbar House, staff were preparing for the large number of Christmas celebrations its venues will be hospitalitymagazine.com.au

hosting in just a few months. GPG’s director of sales and marketing Holly Orsman Smith says the group started fielding end-ofyear event inquiries in July. “For corporate events it’s usually around the end of the financial year,” says Orsman Smith. “That’s when businesses usually set their budgets and begin the planning stages for their end of year celebration. But some companies are well ahead of that and often book a year in advance to secure the venue and date of their choice.” Orsman Smith says menu planning for the group’s restaurant and high tea venues started in August with executive chef Mark Holmes working with chefs across the different venues to come up with food and menu ideas that would wow their customers. “We start doing that early so that we can put the appropriate marketing and PR efforts in place to promote them,” Orsman Smith says. GPG has significantly ramped uip its marketing efforts this year staging a “Taste of Christmas”

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festiveplanning

‘Whereas once before functions were just about the social occasion now it’s very much about the food, the whole experience.’

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Pannacotta and Cranberry Jelly from Forte Catering.

Prawn and pea risotto with pea foam from GPG.

showcase last month, collaborating with event stylists AZB Creative to give corporate customers a live taste of different event concepts at their venues. GPG’s Holmes says the aim with the menus he’s worked with the chefs to create for both the restaurants and for functions is to present food that will surprise and delight customers — and also meet today’s demand for high quality

food even at functions. The Tea Room QVB for example will be offering a “Decadent December” menu focusing on flavours that are reminiscent of Christmas, like cherries and dark chocolate, while at Dunbar House the focus will be on seafood with a “seafood extravaganza”. “The idea of that is to have festive canapes and share table-style entree, with shellfish, oysters, lobster

hospitality | october 2011

canapes, and then a sit down main,” Holmes said. “There’s a real demand for this kind of sharing experience and lots of interest in food. Whereas before functions were just about the social occasion, now it’s also very much about the food, the whole experience.” At leading caterer Forte Catering and Events it was action stations as well to gear up for the large number of events the company is always involved in in the lead up to Christmas. “The festive season is really important to the business,” says Forte Catering director Ross Mitchell. “It sets the platform for our business relationships for the year ahead and celebrates the year that has passed.” “It’s approximately 20 per cent of our turnover — but the impact is less these days than it has been. Post GFC we have seen the end of the large extravaganza for a thousand guests. Now our clients are preferring celebrations for each department with more like 100 to 200 guests.” Mitchell says there are three clear trends that will be reflected in Forte’s menus, food and style of service for the festive season and over summer — demand for caterers to meet specific dietary requirements, roving menus and sustainable menus. “Sustainable menus are a very big thing for us at the

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

festiveplanning

Fresh and seasonal canapes from Forte Catering.

moment,” he says. “Our sustainable menus use ingredients and seafood that are in high supply and also in season, making them as sustainable as possible, particularly with seafood.” “And ‘roving’ menus are a big focus for us as well — people are continually looking to sample a variety of dishes rather than sitting down to large quantities of the same thing. Tapas-style dishes work so well and give clients a chance to experience a wider variety of tastes. It works really well in a cocktail style environment and allows us to combine hot and cold dishes and to also cater for vegetarian, glutenfree and vegan requirements.” Yorkshire-born chef Adam Humphrey is looking forward to the busy Christmas season and the “tidal wave’ of customers it delivers as a strong platform to show off the new location of his Arras restaurant. Previously at Sydney’s Walsh Bay, Arras will reopen later this month in the CBD site that previously housed Justin North’s Becasse restaurant. The new restaurant will operate alongside Humphrey’s new Arras Too cafe, and features a kitchen three times the size of the previous Arras that will supply the cafe and its array of fresh baked products, as well as the restaurant. 22

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“This Christmas we want to be showcasing the restaurant to the whole bunch of new people that you tend to get coming out during Christmas — that’s one of the great opportunities for this time of year. “So we want our menus to be very, very approachable. The festive time is a time when people just really, really want to enjoy themselves, and you get a lot of people coming out to dinner and lunch at that time who are not necessarily those that go out all the time — they aren’t high flying business people every week — so you don’t want to overwhelm them with egotistical cooking. It’s absolutely the wrong thing to do.” Humphrey says that with the festive season being so busy for restaurants, operators need to be very careful to maintain quality standards. “I think what happens is a lot of restaurants, through the festive season, let their standards drop because it is so busy that they they take their eye of the ball to a certain degree,” he says. “But that’s to their detriment because its a time when you are getting that new influx of people to showcase your venue and if you don’t treat these people properly and give them a great experience they will say well it wasn’t as good as we expected it to be.” hospitalitymagazine.com.au

festiveplanning

Checking it twice When it comes to the festive season and getting the most out of it for your business a bit of planning proactivity goes a long way, says hospitality industry consultant Ken Burgin. Here are some of his tips to ensure it’s a bumper season for you to set you up for a strong 2012. • Prepare and upgrade your booking system. Online reservation systems are now expected by most of your customers. If you're not there yet, maybe this could get you across the line — competition between vendors means better deals. This also means fewer phone calls — always a good thing! • Create a Christmas photo album using Flickr.com – keep adding them each day with party pictures, and link to them from your Facebook page and newsletter • Brighten up your Facebook Page – remember the posts on your page will randomly feed through to your Facebook Fans. Add Christmas news and event dates, plus plenty of photos. • Create special deals for less popular times: these could be Sunday to Wednesday, or late November. Times when you drop the room fees or add beverage package extras — make the offer very clear and really valuable. An empty room gives zero revenue. • Manage revenue on popular dates — key Fridays and Saturdays in December, or whenever you know is most in demand. Set a minimum spend for rooms or spaces, and stay firm. Do staff who take bookings understand the guidelines? And don’t forget — no discounts in December. • Make it easier for customers to pay deposits. Ideally, they can pay with a few clicks online. It's easy to set up a business Paypal button on your booking page — it's known and trusted. • Promote and sell gift vouchers and hampers — ideal gifts for people who don't need more clothes or 'things' in their life. • Find space for different types of events. Can the balcony be roped off for a drinks party? Or a tent set up in the car park? Where else can a stand-up event be held? • Make your place the most festive in town: not just one string of lights but 20. Choose one colour (preferably red) and go crazy with the red shiny balls or streamers — pile them in bowls and glass vases. • Contact last year's event organisers. Give them first option on dates — they already know your style and price range. You may have emailed them already, so now it's time for a phone call! • Prepare for some serious list building. Run a competition to obtain name, email, mobile number and basic preferences — do they want to hear about new wines, new bands, new food or football nights? From Ken Burgin, Profitable Hospitality

Humphrey says while he doesn’t specifically plan special festive themed menus he does always add some festive flavours here and there. “In past years for special functions we’ve done goose — I always remember having it back in the UK on Boxing Day,” he says. “We did a slow roasted goose and it was really well received. I just served it with my aunty’s stuffing, her old family recipe, and some spring greens and some goose gravy. I really like cooking obscure poultry so we’ll probably try that again or hospitalitymagazine.com.au

we might do a quail inside a chicken, inside a duck, inside a turkey, that sort of thing. It’s a bit of a challenge because all of the birds cook at different temperatures. But that’s the novelty notion that people do really enjoy at that time of year.” The chef says Arras Too is where he will really inject some festive spirit. “Absolutely it will be perfect for incorporating some festive bits and bobs,” he says. “We’ll be no doubt making some little Christmas pudding tarts and novelty petit fours.” hospitality | october 2011

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Chef Anthony Redondi, who heads up the kitchen at Sydney’s Aqua Dining restaurant, the flagship of the Aqua Dining Group, said that, like Humphrey, he doesn’t plan an overtly festive menu but he’s found in past years that a few festive flavours go down well. “Last year we had some requests for functions for Christmas pudding to be put on the menu so our pastry chef made some of those and we served them with a beautiful creme anglais,� Redondi says. “I wouldn’t normally put a hot dessert on at that time but they loved them.� “And we had others who really wanted turkey for a function to have a real Christmas lunch. We did a rolled turkey breast with the sage and the pistachio stuffing and did a cranberry jus to go with it and served with some Dutch carrots, some asparagus that was in season, and some turned potatoes.� “We’ll probably do that again, something a little different. Every year people are getting more and more excited about food and they are very willing to try something new. And they are more and more well educated about food.� One of Redondi’s priorities is looking ahead towards the seasonal produce that will be available, talking to suppliers and making sure his orders are in. “It’s so important to have good relationships with suppliers who can help you to be across what’s coming up, what’s seasonal and when it will be in peak supply so you really make the most of that.� Redondi — like all the operators we spoke to — says the biggest challenge for the festive period is having good, well trained staff in place well ahead of when the crowds will hit. “Finding good staff at this time of year

Summer seafood: Oysters await the hungry hordes at an event at Dunbar House.

is always the main challenge,� he says. “You want to get good staff established in September and then you are ready to rock and roll for these last few months and can really knock it out of the park. They’ll be all trained up and know how things run at your particular venue. It just gets so busy and that’s the hardest time to be trying to train someone when everyone is under the pump.� Hospitality management consultant Ken Burgin says operators should also be thinking now how they can use the extra flow of customers during the festive

season to also help them drive their businesses in the quieter months in the new year by securing lots of new customer details. He said simple competitions run during service are a good way to get names and emails. “Prepare for some serious list building,� Burgin says. “You could run a competition to obtain name, email, mobile number and basic preferences. “You should make sure you really use the opportunity to swoop up details to then use to promote the business post Christmas.�

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festivedrinks

Days of sun and wine What’s going to be on the hot list for wine this festive season and through summer? Christine Salins quizzed some of our top sommeliers for their picks for celebrating the lazy, hazy days.

Rose, Chardonnay and Italian fizz predicted to lead in the summer drinking stakes this year.

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auvignon Blanc has yet to be knocked off its perch as the wine of choice for many Australians, but most sommeliers would agree there are many more interesting wines that are perfect for summer drinking. With Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio making their mark, some terrific value Riesling around, and Chardonnay experiencing a revival, customers are switching to other wines that suit our Aussie climate. Consumers are also embracing alternative varieties such as the Italian Vermentino and Austrian Grüner Veltliner. Canberra District winemaker Lark Hill is having great success with its Grüner Veltliner, which it has produced for a few years now. Its 2011 Grüner Veltliner is wild-yeast fermented in old French oak and is wonderfully vibrant and fresh. It’s the drink of choice in summer for Matthew Anelzark, sommelier at Sage, which was named Canberra’s best restaurant in this year’s Restaurant and Catering Australia awards. It wins his vote because of its “notes of fig on the nose and fresh white pepper…it’s great with shellfish and

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hospitality | october 2011

any firm white fish”. Anelzark recommends a “good savoury Rosé” for summer, especially the 2010 Spinifex Rosé on Sage’s list. This Barossa Valley wine is a blend of four grape varieties and is “nice and dry with notes of musk and rose petal”, he says. “I love the seriousness about it and the nice subtle aromatics.” Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are becoming more popular, according to Anelzark, who says consumers are also embracing Riesling, especially off-dry styles. That would be music to the ears of winemakers, many of whom would nominate Riesling as their white wine of choice. Part of Riesling’s appeal is that it comes in so many guises, from steely, piercing young styles with fresh citrus notes, to aged lime and honey characters. Peter Lehmann Wines now carries the International Riesling Foundation Scale for levels of sweetness on the back of its ‘Classic’ Riesling and Eden Valley ‘Dry’ Riesling. The 2010 ‘Classic’ is a younger, fresher, slightly sweeter style with 11.8g of residual sugar compared with the 2010 hospitalitymagazine.com.au

festivedrinks

‘People are drinking more Rosé, and Chardonnay seems to be coming back into style too.’ Eden Valley ‘Dry’ Riesling which has a minerally, zesty palate and 5.5g of residual sugar. Alan Hunter, sommelier at e'cco bistro in Brisbane, says that whereas “the sky’s the limit” for Chardonnay prices, Riesling is good value. “In the same price point as Sauvignon Blanc, which sells for around $40 to $60 [on restaurant wine lists], you can get a top-class Riesling,” he says. E’cco bistro categorises Riesling on its 400strong wine list into dry and off-dry styles. Hunter favours Riesling from South Australia’s Clare and Eden Valleys. “I’m always a fan of Heggies and Pewsey Vale,” he says. “Pewsey Vale Contours Riesling is an outstanding example of an Australian dry style.” Hunter is pleased to see anything on a wine list that will stop people drinking Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and is delighted that diners are moving away from “the safe Sauvignon Blanc option”. “More and more people are moving to Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio in its drier form, and even back to Chardonnay now that winemakers are moving away from heavily oaked Chardonnays and treating them more delicately,” he says. Hunter recommends a Mornington Peninsula hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Pinot Gris such as Yabby Lake or Ocean Eight. He says a crisp, dry white like Vermentino is also good for summer. “I think Yalumba will have more success with Vermentino than it did with Viognier,” he says. “Viognier has an oiliness which is sometimes mistaken for sweetness. Vermentino has probably got a good crack at the white market.” In Sardinia, where the variety originates, Vermentino is enjoyed as an aperitif and with seafood. It is one of the most popular wines in Trentham Estate’s La Famiglia range of Italian varietals, the 2010 Vermentino showing delicate lemon/lime aromas and a dry zesty palate. Rosé is another wine that’s a perfect fit for summer. Hunter says e’cco always has one by the glass — it’s currently Chateau de Roquefort Corail from Provence — and in summer they’ll put on more. Hunter says Australian Rosé is becoming more appealing, “especially now that they are moving towards a Provence style, lightly salmon in colour, and made from Pinot rather than big wines like Shiraz”. TarraWarra Estate’s 2010 Pinot Noir Rosé comes from one of the oldest Pinot plantings in the Yarra Valley. Elegant with strawberry-like aromas and a dry savoury palate, its label was designed by

renowned artist John Olsen. E’cco bistro has a strong Pinot following but Hunter says that if he had to recommend other reds for summer, it would be “something like an unoaked Sangiovese”. “Perhaps a Bibi Graetz Casamatta, or a Ciao Vino, both young unoaked Sangiovese from Tuscany,” he says. Lara Caraturo, sommelier at Pilu at Freshwater, says that while Italian wines have been quite unapproachable and confusing to Australians, there has been a huge leap in interest in the last five years. The restaurant, which won this year’s Australian Wine List of the Year Award, has a Sardinian-inspired menu and Caraturo has slowly been tweaking the wine list in the six years she has been there. No longer does Pilu offer Australian wines by the glass. “We always wanted to be very Italian so it was a logical step to take,” Caraturo says. Earlier this year, the restaurant took a gamble in removing all Champagne from the list and replacing it with Franciacorta, method champenoise wines from Lombardy. Caraturo says that while everyone now knows Prosecco, Franciacorta is a “more serious” bubbly. “A lot of people don’t realise Italy makes some very serious and very good sparkling wines,” she says. She recommends Berlucchi. “All of their Franciacorta wines are very good, including their non-vintage.” Caraturo says Pilu is still very supportive of Australian wines, with the list 60:40 in favour of Italian wines. Being asked to recommend wines for summer is like choosing your favourite child, she says, but she cites Coriole and Pizzini as among her favourite producers. “I love their stuff.” She likes Freeman’s Pinot Grigio based Fortuna white blend and says the Hilltops region producer also does a good Rosé. “People are drinking more Rosé, and Chardonnay seems to be coming back into style too,” she says. Caraturo has detected a move away from Sauvignon Blanc but says it is still one of the country’s biggest selling white wines. For those who can’t be persuaded to give up their “Savvy” addiction, a raft of producers in the Adelaide Hills are making some good expressions of the cool-climate style. Consider old favourites Nepenthe and Hahndorf Hill, both of which also make Pinot Gris, or the recently released 2011 Wicks Estate, which has big shoes to fill given the swag of awards won by its 2010 vintage. McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant has added the Florence Sauvignon Blanc, a racy passionfruit/lime number, to its Family Collection while the Dandelion Wines Wishing Clock of the Adelaide Hills is a generous “juicy fruit” Sauvignon Blanc. For a real talking point, the Saint & Sinner “Calling Card” Savvy Blanc is a cheeky label with a mobile number inviting consumer interaction, but viticulturalist Luke Edwards and marketer Renee de Saxe are quick to point out that their love child is not a gimmick but a quality Adelaide Hills wine. While consumers are clearly becoming more discerning in their choices for summer drinking, most sommeliers would agree that Sauvignon Blanc will be around for a while yet. hospitality | october 2011

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festivedrinks

Cocktails say celebration Summer celebration and cocktails go hand in hand. Danielle Bowling asked some of our top mixologists about their predictions for the trends ahead.

G

one are the days of the almost fluorescent cocktails brimming with slices of fresh fruit and donning a tiny umbrella. Today's cocktail drinkers have toned it down and now prefer the drinks that were popular decades ago in the Prohibition Era. Huw Griffiths, bar manager at Madame Brussels in Melbourne says this new trend is because Australians have developed a much more mature drinking palette. “People are starting to go towards drinks that are a bit more serious rather than having a drink for the sake of a name, like a Cowboy or a Fruit Tingle. They're starting to order drinks where they know what's in it and they appreciate the quality of the product that goes in it and the effort it takes to make it,” he says. The theme at Madame Brussels is 'up the garden path', boasting lots of pastel greens and pinks, a winding garden path leading to the bar and bar staff clad in short shorts and tennis outfits. While the atmosphere might be fun, the drinks at Madame Brussels are serious. Griffiths says times have changed now in that his customers want to be able to taste the alcohol in their cocktail rather than have it masked by sugar. “They're starting to drink Martinis and Old Fashioneds ... and then you've got the change from vodka to gin,” he says. “I think people's palettes are maturing as well. They're drinking stuff that has a bit of flavour rather than none at all. Gin and vodka don't have much of a difference other than that gin has a bit of flavour, so we're selling a lot more gin.” Serving cocktails in jugs, Madame Brussels in keen to promote the social, sharing side to cocktails, and this, combined with the original concept, scantily clad bar staff, and of course the service, has boosted cocktail sales to represent about 60 per cent of total bar takings.

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hospitality | october 2011

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“It's all about theatrics. It's going to be cheaper for people to go out and buy a couple of bottles of spirits and go to the supermarket for some mint and some lime and hang out in their backyard, but people really go out for the experience and that's what we do really well at Madame Brussels. We give them the whole package: we've got the themed bar, the staff who look great, service is excellent and they get to watch the cocktails being made behind the bar.” Fortitude Valley's The Bowery, which last year took out Cocktail Menu of the Year at the Australian Bar Awards, opened in 2003 as a Prohibition style cocktail bar. According to bar manager Ryan Lane, the venue really set a trend at the time, but now the classic cocktails are becoming much more popular. Lane agrees with Griffiths that good service is what really sets a bar out from today's crowded cocktail market. “We've all been to bars where it's been busy and it's really good because the bartenders are fast and the service is good,” he says. “But on those quieter nights, they are the times when we can put a little bit more into the service to really create an experience for our patrons, and that's the stuff that they remember and come back for and tell their friends about. One person tells ten then those ten tell ten and all of a sudden

‘It’s all about the theatrics. People really go out for the experience and that’s what we do really well.’

you've got a line up at your front door.” He describes The Bowery as the 1920s gin joint and again, like Griffiths, has seen a big surge in old fashioned cocktails, especially the Old Fashioned, and is pleased that Queenslanders are starting to be more experimental with their drinks. “Something that we've always butted our heads against here in Brisbane is the Bundy Rum and the XXXX Gold mentality. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, it's a generational thing,” he says. “I guess a lot of people are open to new things, which is really good.” And one of the things that Lane tries to get his customers to try more than anything is one of his beloved whiskies. “American whisky is our main focus. So when you walk into most bars and you look at their top shelf, a lot of bars have scotch whisky as the precedent in their bar. We've got nearly 45 different American whiskies. “All bartenders absolutely love American whisky, and you'll always push something you love more, so we'd rather focus on something we're all genuinely passionate about.” The menu at The Bowery changes every 12 months, and while the whole concept of the venue is the Prohibition classics, Lane says his bar staff need to make changes here and there. “We do our own hospitalitymagazine.com.au

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twists. If you were to go and take a recipe from the late 1800s and try and make it these days it would taste absolutely horrible. People’s palettes have developed over the years and we've actually become addicted to sugar, so drinks really need to be a lot sweeter. We'll stick to classic recipes as much as we can while still making them palatable.” Luca Capecchi, bar manager at Downtown, the basement bar at The Commons restaurant in Darlinghurst, moved to Australia from Milan seven years ago, and has had a front row seat watching how Australians’ tastes have developed. “Seven years ago the trend was to hide the base spirit in a cocktail, then to bring out the base spirit but twist the classic recipe into something that’s your own creation,” he says. “No one in Sydney does true classics, and by true classics I mean cocktails from the beginning of the 1900s. That's what we are trying to achieve at Downtown.” Since opening 18 months ago, cocktails have become the big seller, representing 70 per cent of bar sales. Capecchi loves serving classic cocktails because it gives him the opportunity to not only educate his customers and introduce them to new experiences, but it also allows both the bar staff and the customers to enjoy and respect good quality alcohol, not mask it. “It's great to have someone walking in and ordering a Har-

vard, which is one of the forgotten classics, or a Charlie Chaplin, and not a lychee martini,” he says. “It gives you satisfaction because you’re educating the consumers to come back in time and appreciate the essence of the spirit, the essence of the bitters, and all that was taught to us by this industry’s precursors.” Downtown target audience is professional men and women in their 30s and 40s, who are happy to pay for top notch drinks. “I'd say that the average price for a measure of spirit is $7 to $8 and we serve it for $10. For a cocktail it would be between $14 and $16. We go from $18 to $20. “We're using only premium products and we do spend a lot of money on our house pours, so I think it's fair enough,” Capecchi says. “I pour a double measure of spirit in every drink that I make so I think it's fair enough that I mark my prices up.” Not only are Downtown customers paying for top quality spirits, they're also paying a little extra for the passion and personality of the bar staff. Perhaps the most essential ingredient in any cocktail, Capecchi insists. “A little bit of yourself is always truly appreciated in your bar. A bar without someone's care or passion is a bar without a soul. It's very important that you try to give a little bit of yourself.” hospitalitymagazine.com.au

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insidekitchens

In my kitchen The latest cooking equipment on the market continues to streamline the jobs of chefs. Rosemary Ryan spoke to three chefs who've just been involved in kitchen fitouts and refurbs about their favourite new kit. Michael Lambie The Smith When top Melbourne chef Michael Lambie began planning the two kitchens for his new venture, the Prahran gastro pub, The Smith, he decided from his long experience that what he wanted in his cooking equipment above everything else was durability. It had to be tough enough to stand up to the demands of the pressure he knew was going to be placed on it. “First of all for me it had to be really, really hard wearing,” Lambie says, speaking to Hospitality eight days after the restaurant opened for business in early September with average covers quickly hitting more than 200 for a Saturday night with capacity for 300. “I think nowadays everyone sees working in a kitchen and being a chef as being a glamorous kind of job but the reality is that it’s really, really hard work and we need to have equipment that is going to stand up to the pace. “I needed something that was going to be very heavy duty, that was built like a tank and was going to be powerful — and with oven doors that were solid. In the past I’ve actually pulled one off.” At the heart of his main kitchen is an island of the latest in Garland cooking equipment from the new Master Series Heavy Duty range. It includes two six burner stoves with ovens below, a chargrill, two flat tops, two target tops, with ovens, and a pasta cooker. And backing it all up is a hard working Rational combi steamer, supported by two Convotherm mini combi ovens. The large Rational, he says, is the other big workhorse of the kitchen. “We do a lot of cryovac cooking in that,” he says. “We confit duck, pork belly, cooking it overnight which is a fantastic way of cooking because you can be cooking a hundred portions of pork belly in the oven over night while we’re all home in bed. It’s been absolutely fantastic. We confit them overnight in the bag and then take them out of the bag and portion them. “Then when we get one on order we caramelise the pork belly in a pan and then reflash it through the oven so it has a really thin crispy skin and the pork is 32

hospitality | october 2011

Dream kitchen: The latest Garland Master Series range.

cooked and has been cooking for about 20 hours at 70C so it’s really, really tender. “The combis have added so much efficiency to kitchens — when I was a young chef de partie we had to get all the duck legs in and cover them with duck fat and put them on the stove. Now we pop a hundred in the oven and turn it to 70C and take them out 15 hours later and they are perfectly cooked. “The mini combis are really handy too. We use them during service, one as a steamer — we steam our fish to order and steam all our dumplings — and the other one we use for roasting.” Upstairs, Lambie has his second kitchen,

‘It really promotes good morale and a good atmosphere when everything flows really well.’

the prep kitchen where all the mise en place is done for the service kitchen. It also houses the pastry section and is used as the function kitchen. It’s a smaller version of downstairs with a second Rational and a Garland cooking equipment line up that includes a target top, a six burner stove, chargrill and a fryer. Lambie says space was the biggest challenge when designing and fitting out the kitchen. In the main kitchen the design had to work around a structural wall that runs through the area. “It’s so important that you plan a kitchen that’s going to flow really well, and can optimise the space,” he says. hospitalitymagazine.com.au

insidekitchens

“No one wants to be in the middle of a busy service and be working in a kitchen that isn’t well designed. Working in an efficient kitchen really promotes good morale and a good atmosphere when everything does flow really well.”

Shane Delia St Katherine’s Old school combines with the latest in cookware technology in the kitchens at St Katherine’s, the most recent new venture from The Press Group of restaurants, with massive coal grills and wood-fire ovens sitting alongside the latest in combi ovens and water baths. It’s been a venture close to the heart of two of the group’s partners Shane Delia and George Calombaris whose vision for the large scale restaurant was a return to the cuisine of their heritages. Delia’s pride and joy is the custom-made seven metre long coal grill that was made for the restaurant by Western Australian company Zesti and is used to cook the signature rustic style chicken, lamb, quail and fish on the menu. “Everything, all the meat, all the fish comes off the grill,” Delia says. “Beautiful lamb kebabs, quails slowly cooked over hospitalitymagazine.com.au

the coals and beautiful black bream that we season with fennel seeds and put them in the little fish cages and slowly cook them over the coals. “It’s a slow radiant heat that gives a beautiful crust and that really sweet meat that you just can’t get cooking over gas or a char grill. “Using this sort of equipment was a really unique new thing for the [Press Club] group because we all came from really regimented kitchens where it’s all gas burners and target tops. “We took a step back and looked at our past. We wanted to capture the really old style of cooking.” Meanwhile, from the 1.5 metre wood fired oven — also built for the restaurant by Zesti — comes fresh bread and pide daily, as well as marinated shoulders of pork and whole fish like snapper. “The fish we cook in there has a wonderful flavour — when we cook it in there the juice seems to drop off the fish into the pan it’s being cooked in and it permeates through the fish,” says a rapturous Delia. “It just gives it amazing flavour. I’d never eaten fish from a wood-fired oven before until St Katherine’s and I cooked up a four kilogram snapper and we just pulled

Shane Delia at the pass at St Katherine’s where new and old cooking techniques combine.

off pieces and served it on our sharing menu, with a little olive oil and lemon. “I couldn’t believe the flavour of the wood in that fish. “You can’t get better than that, it doesn’t matter how good you are, or how many circulators or Thermomixes you’ve got, you can’t produce that flavour.” The more rustic cooking equipment, however, is used alongside the latest in some of the most hi tech equipment on the market. In the third kitchen downstairs at St Katherine’s the brigade have at their disposal a Convotherm combi oven, two target tops, a four bay deep fryer, and a grill, and water baths for sous vide cooking. “We have conventional kitchens as well,” Delia says. “We still need to be doing that style of cooking. We still need to do all the mezzes, still need to do the pan work. We are doing the sous vide duck and the 62C eggs.” “Plus the combi gets used a lot by the pastry section, for baking that needs to have precise timing and temperature. We do some baking in the wood-fire but it’s not as precise a heat. “We do do some desserts in the woodfire — we did a smoked lavender cookie that was beautiful and we’ve done chocohospitality | october 2011

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insidekitchens

late fondant in big old school terracotta dishes. We might use both ovens — the wood-fire and combi — for dishes. “We have done wood-fire roasted apples with a honey cream and so we’d do the apples in the wood-fire oven and then make the pastry case in the Convotherm and then finish it all off in the Convotherm. “So we are using both and that’s the real strength of the restaurant I think — we have respect for what’s happened in the past but we also love what we can do with all the latest new technology as well.”

Richard Ptacnik Otto Ristorante The location of Otto Ristorante on the wharf at Woolloomooloo in Sydney is one of its major assets. But it had also taken its toll on the kitchens at the restaurant which were overdue for attention when executive chef Richard Ptacnik began overseeing the gutting and refurbishment of the three kitchens he operates there. “They were really hard to clean and there was a lot of maintenance required,” Ptacnik says. He said his priority was tough dependable equipment that would stand up to the rigours and not require much attention, and that would be easy for staff to clean at the end of a busy service that can see the brigade turning out up to 300 covers for

Eco Experts

lunch and again for dinner. The bulk of the main cooking equipment is by Electrolux. In Ptacnik’s main service kitchen he has a four burner stove, a flat top, two target tops and three pasta boilers. “The flat top we are using for steaks and then the burners are good for pan work,” Ptacnik says. “Then we have the target tops that are good for things like braised dishes, and sauces.” Ptacnik says his new pasta boilers have proved particularly versatile. “We have two in the main cooking line and we use them for a lot of things — when you are not very busy you can use them like a bain marie — for things like the purees,” he says. “Or for sous vide.” Another pasta cooker has replaced gas burners in the garnish and dress section. “A pasta boiler is very consistent, the water basically boiling consistently all the time and you can be using it to blanche vegetables and the temperature doesn’t drop too much when you chuck things in so it’s very versatile. Using the latest Electrolux combi ovens, Ptacnik says he’s noticed a real step up in the efficiency of the newer technology compared to his previous combi, as well as increased ease of use. “It is much easier and you can do so much more stuff,” he says. “You can con-

‘We can do things a lot faster during service because we have the right equipment, and more versatile equipment.’

trol the humidity, you can cook overnight and when you come in in the morning you have meat that’s cooked perfectly. It’s so much more precise.” One of Ptacnik’s favourite new toys is his new Bradley smoker. “It is amazing, you can smoke anything — you can do cold smoke, hot smoke,” he says. “We’ve done venison, King Salmon, baby barramundi. And the flavour you can get is incredible. “We are using hickory or maple for now and you can infuse them, I did a venison rack with thyme and rosemary — a cold smoke for an hour and 40 minutes and then basically we just sear it in the pan and cook it in the oven and it’s got a light smoke and the texture was amazing. Ptacnik says he quickly noticed how much more efficient the team was with the new equipment. “We are able to do things a lot faster during service, because we have more equipment and also more versatile equipment,” he says. “And the combination of the burners and the target tops really has meant we can work a little bit faster.” “The chefs’ lives are a little bit easier because we have the right mix of equipment. That’s pretty important when you are doing up to 300 covers. It means we are able to be more confident having this equipment that we can really depend on.”

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Moffat 1237H

insidekitchens

New arrivals for your kitchen Want to get your kitchen in shape ahead of the busy summer season? Here’s some of the latest new equipment to arrive on the market.

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1 Garland Master Series Garland’s new Master Series Modular Series Range of cooking equipment features a modular design that allows you to create an optimised custom workflow to fit any sized kitchen and menu. The range features a full lineup of range-top and range-base configurations, along with fryers, broilers, and more. The Master Series modular approach combines the convenience of custom kitchen design with proven, premium-quality components to deliver world-class functionality. Contact: Comcater 2 Cobra combi ovens Moffat has launched the new range of Cobra combination oven steamers. Available in five, seven or ten tray capacity, the new ovens introduce the concept of an easy to use combi with a reduced footprint and high performance levels. They provide a simple, effective system of cooking, for all sized sites from small to mid-size kitchens from entry-level restaurants to cafes. Contact: Moffat 3 Houno CombiSlim Oven The Houno CombiSlim is a quality combination steam oven that measures only 51.5cm wide so fits in small spaces. It comes with the Houno quality

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hospitality | october 2011

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promise of a four year parts and two year labour warranty period. As well it’s sleek design incorporates a high degree of easy to clean stainless steel to make the brigade’s job a whole lot easier. Contact: Spyral 4 Electrolux 900XP Electrolux Professional has launched its new range of high performance modular cooking equipment. The market’s need for greater cost efficiency has led to the development of the new 900XP and 700XP ranges. Innovations in the new XP range include the new PowerGrill, a high performance grilling system that achieves high radiant power providing top productivity and improved quality of cooking, the 1200mm-wide 900XP Fry Top, with its new extra large 20mm-thick mild steel cooking surface, and the XP Ref-freezer base can be set as a refrigerator or freezer at temperatures between minus 20C and 10C and can be combined with any top appliance, as well as the new XP gas pasta cooker. Contact: Electrolux

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9 5 Frymaster oil saving fryers Frymaster's new Frymaster OCF — Oil Conserving Fryers — use 40 per cent less oil with no reduction in production capacity or food quality. Oil life is maximised because the smaller fry pot maintains a favourable ratio of fresh to used oil. This higher ratio of fresh oil slows down the accumulation of breakdown products that shorten oil

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life hence extending the oil life. With less oil to fill and longer times between fills, operators save more than 40 per cent on oil costs. Contact Comcater 6 Renova Drawer Warmers Renover offers a variety of counter static food warmers, with doors or trays and electric warming surfaces, that allow food to be kept naturally, to have a reserve of food ready to serve at all times in order to deal with and resolve any situation, problem or emergency. They are a valid alternative for keeping trays always warm and are ideal for those that need or want transportable heat. Contact: Scots Ice 7 Vollrath induction cookers Working with top chefs from around the world, Vollrath has manufactured a range of induction cookers which provide optimum performance using the latest technologies and offering all of the benefits that induction cooking can deliver from the precision of temperature settings to great energy efficiency and performance. Plus using equipment like Vollrath induction buffet warmers removes the occupational health and safety risks and inefficiencies of flammable fuels under chafing dishes at hotel buffet stations. Contact: Comcater 8 Zanussi cooking range The new Zanussi EVO modular cooking equipment line features a range of hi-tech innovations that

mean it both looks good and is more efficient in terms of productivity, energy consumption, and waste minimisation. It includes pasta cookers, grills, gas convection ovens, induction, and braising pans. Contact: JL Lennard 9 Silex T-Class The new Silex T-Class offers doublecontact grilling in a third of the time of conventional cooking methods. Its features include a housing made from highest grade stainless steel, multi-timer for exact degree adjustment of seven cooking times, and easy-to-use manual thermostat for regulating grilling temperatures. Contact: Piotis 10 Drop In induction The new FSM Drop In Induction Y1000 unit offers simple functionality and the same output as more powerful models. The 1Kw will maintain food temperatures without wasting valuable energy and is the economical yet reliable alterntive. Contact: FSM hospitalitymagazine.com.au

finefood2011

Fine Food 2011 The Australian hospitality industry’s largest trade event Fine Food Australia hit Sydney last month.

F

ine Food Australia closed its doors for another year last month after four giant days that saw more than 23,000 visitors pass through the doors at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. They were there to experience the latest and best in gourmet food, bulk foodservice products and cooking equipment to hit the market. Now in its 27th year, this year’s Fine Food Australia featured more than one thousand exhibitors from Australia and 30 other countries, and as

usual created a vibrant gathering place for members of this ever-dynamic industry; a forum for buyers to review and sample products alongside special events and visual demonstrations. Visitors came from all states of Australia as well as 38 other countries, making Fine Food Australia a truly international event. Celebrating excellence in the food industry, the Annual Fine Food Australia New Product Awards saw a panel of industry experts award five prizes this year. And, for the first

time, visitors were part of the judging process by casting their vote. As well as exhibitors, features of this year’s show were some of the culinary and baking competitions happening live on the floor of the event.

Hospitality magazine was there with bells on both with our stand and also wandering the halls for four days seeking out some of the best on show. Read on for some of the highlights of Fine Food 2011.

Chef team shows off the talent in clubs Crocker tops The Hellenic Club in Canberra’s executive chef Stuart Walsh and his team made a big point when they took the top prize at the culinary showdown at Fine Food.

Stuart Walsh , David Lockwood and Joshua Gill claim their prize.

FOR STUART Walsh, the executive chef of the busy Hellenic Club in Canberra, it was a very sweet victory. Walsh, with his team of chef David Lockwood and apprentice Joshua Gill, took out the $10,000 top prize at the Australian Culinary Federation’s Restaurant of Champions live cooking competition that headlined the Sydney Culinary Challenge program at this year’s Fine Food. Walsh, who’s no stranger to culinary competitions, said it was a satisfying feeling to be able to show off the talent that is in Australia’s clubs. “There is that attitude that, well you only work in a club, our restaurant is better, but it’s an even playing field when you’re competing,” said Walsh. “It’s good to be able to say I work for a club and look what I can do.” Walsh even had a bit of a fun with hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Not so classic club fare: The team’s winning main course.

the rivalry with the design of his menu. “I had a name on the menu, the ‘Not So Classic Club Fare’ having a dig at that notion that people think that the food in clubs is all rubbish.” The menu that wowed the judges included an entree Salad of Poached WA Rock Lobster, Caviar, with Sweet Pickled Daikon, and Foie Gras Parfait followed by a main of Crown of Pheasant Pot-au-feu with Black Winter Truffle and Sage, Zucchini Flowers and Chive Tempura, and Japanese style Roasted Garlic Custard. “I think when you are competing you have to try and demonstrate as many skills as possible — it’s a cooking competition,” he said. “But the plate that you present also has to look beautifully simple when it’s finished — good solid food with good solid skills.”

Walsh said he enjoys the demands of a competition. “I really like that challenge and having your peers look at your food and say whether it’s good, bad or otherwise,” he said. “It’s good to keep you on your toes. It’s a great way to learn and challenge yourself, especially when you have apprentices like young Josh — it was his first ever competition so it was good for him. Everyone brings their best to the table and its nice to see how you measure up against other people in the industry and see what you’ve got. “It’s great professional development being part of competitions and of course it’s always nice to pick up a bit of cash.” Walsh said the club was planning to spend the prize money on some culinary focused professional development trips for the kitchen team.

on the floor ONE OF Australia’s young upcoming stars of the restaurant floor Kate Crocker scored another victory when her talent won her gold and the top prize in the Front of House competition that was part of the Sydney Culinary Challenge at Fine Food. Crocker, and her team mates from the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Shehzad Athar and Ricky Nguyen, showed off their superior front of house skills waiting on the diners who took advantage of the Restaurant of Champions competition to dine on the food the chefs were creating. Twenty-year-old Crocker, who in her day job works at both SCEC and three hat restaurant Quay, this year also won the national leg of the World Skills apprentice competition. Earlier this month she took her talent to the World Skills global competition in London where she competed against other young waiters around the world. Crocker said the secret to being a top front of house performer was to want to do well. “You really have to want to excel and to deliver the best experience possible to the people that your are serving, “ Crocker told Hospitality magazine just hours before she was due to fly out lat month to London.

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Innovation on show Innovation in new products for the hospitality industry was recognised once again at Fine Food Australia with the running of the show’s Best New Product Awards. We present this year’s winners and finalists. Winterhalter’s RoMatik XS unit fitted to a glasswasher.

releasing the aromas of the olive oil which hasn’t been modified with any additives. Caviaroli has a bright yellow colour and clean transparency, and is made using a new technique which surrounds olive oil drops with a thin layer of water with sodium alginate. The drops then go into a calcium bath which creates a thin layer of gelatine around the olive oil drop.

Award-winning Adande Refrigerated Drawers.

Best New Hospitality Equipment Award There were dual winners in this category — the judges couldn’t separate them! Winner: Adande Refrigerated Drawers — Stoddart These patented refrigerated drawers take refrigeration technology and turn it on its head, said the judges. The equipment’s insulated drawer design was originally developed by two consulting design engineers to meet the demands of chefs working on North Sea oil and gas rigs for fridges and freezers that would hold temperature in high use situations. The drawers are now being used in restaurants world wide delivering effective refrigeration and energy savings of up to 40 per cent. The design ensures that when the drawers are opened the cold air is retained because it’s forced down onto the food, rather than escaping into the 40

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outside air. Even during prolonged openings the drawers’ high ambient air integration is minimal. The high standard of chilling also delivers a longer shelf life for food. Another advantage is the option for the drawers to be set at different precise temperatures to suit the contents from -22C to up to 15C. Winner: RoMatik XS — Winterhalter A lot of value in a small package is Winterhalter’s new RoMatik XS, a reverse osmosis device which makes it possible for operators to achieve the optimum cleaning results for glasses and dishes that reverse osmosis delivers, but in a small area. The unit — that can be fitted to any glass or dishwasher — stands just 469mm high and is 142mm wide. The compact RoMatik can be installed standing up beside the warewashing machine or on top of it. It means labour

Ferran Adria endorsed Caviaroli.

and cost savings particularly in the case of glassware. It comes out of the machine fitted with the RoMatik spotlessly clean and sparkling, eliminating the need for hand polishing that is time consuming and can result in costly breakages. Finalists: Gram “Green” Refrigerator — Maurice Kemp & Associates Ultimate Glass — ARC Distribution

Best New Foodservice Product Award Winner: Caviaroli — Apromo Trading Caviaroli is an olive oil “caviar” that was unveiled by superstar chef Ferran Adria late last year at a Science and Cooking seminar at Harvard University. It features high quality Spanish olive oil inside a “caviar” membrane that easily bursts in the diner’s mouth

Finalists: Tropical Chocolate Spring Rolls — Crazy Dragon Sweet Glass Pastry — Ready-Bake

Best New Bakery Product Winner: Astor Portion Cutter — W&P Reedy A boon for bakery businesses the Astor Portion Cutter attracted the praise of the judges because of its ability to accurately cut baked products, including slices and cakes in trays. It produces extremely straight, sliced edges as a result of the pnuematic hand knife used. It’s also simple to use so any staff member can produce a quality finished product. Finalists: Speedy Bake Artisan Wurzel Onion Twist — GWF Red Velvet Cupcake — Denovo Trading hospitalitymagazine.com.au

finefood2011

Product smorgasbord

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There were hundreds of products on the floor at this year’s Fine Food. Here’s just a handful that grabbed the eye of the Hospitality magazine team. 1 Gegenbauer vinegars The acetic gold of vinegar brewer Erwin Gegenbauer was on show at this year’s Fine Food and the passionate man himself was on hand to take showgoers through his range of high quality artisan vinegars. Gegenbauer produces more than 70 kinds of vinegars made from ingredients like tomatoes, asparagus, melons, figs or beer in his small factory in the Vienna district Favoriten. See www.gegenbauer.at

2 2 Speedy Bake Wurzel Onion Twist This product is part of GWF’s foodservice range of par-baked artisan breads and was named a finalist in the Best New Bakery Product Awards at Fine Food. The onion flavoured twisted bread rolls can be served as a rustic roll or sliced for canapés. Contact: GWF 3 Red Velvet Cupcake Indulgence is what this product from

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Award winning washing. The Winterhalter way. Recently awarded Best New Hospitality Equipment at the Fine Food Show Sydney, the Romatik XS reverse osmosis water filter gives unparalleled cleaning results when matched with our UC series glasswasher, removing the need for glass and cutlery polishing. Reduce labour, energy, and breakage costs by washing the Winterhalter way. Contact Winterhalter Australia on 02 9643 7270 for further information about our award winning washing solutions. www.winterhalter.com.au

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

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10 5 It is not chemically modified and contains no artificial additives, preservatives or anti-oxidants. Sweet Street Desserts is all about. A finalist in the Best New Bakery Product Award it’s a Red Velvet cupcake with chocolate “notes” injected with a pocket of chocolate truffle filling and a swirl of marshmallow icing. Contact: Denova Trading 4 Ultimate Glass The Ultimate Glass is designed to meet the growing demand by pubs and clubs for a stronger and safer glass and it’s positioned as the strongest pint glass on the market. When an impact results in the other shell being broken the glass breaks into small pieces which are blunt to touch. Contact: ARC International 4 Tropical Chocolate Spring Rolls These decadent spring rolls feature chocolate, banana and honey wrapped in pastry and were developed by Crazy Dragon with the aim of creating something unique and something that would be a hit with a wide audience. A finalist in this year’s Best New Foodservice Product award, the product contains no preservatives or artificial flavours or colourings with all ingredients from locally grown products in Julatten in tropical north Queensland. Served deep fried with cream, ice cream and fruit they are a taste sensation. Contact: Crazy Dragon 5 Wagyu Oil Wagyu Oil is a unique oil extracted from Wagyu Beef developed and made by Australian company York Foods. It’s 100 per cent natural, high quality, cream coloured cooking oil, which is finely textured and has a satin-like appearance. Its low melting point, typically 33C, contributes to a desirable mouth feel and flavour. 42

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6 Meander Valley butter Tasmania’s Meander Valley Dairy has launched its premium butter brand Saint Omer with the aim of establishing an Australian butter to rival some of the top European butters. It’s a cultured French style butter with a creamy, rich and delicate flavour. It has a low moisture content which makes it a premium product ideal for the table and cooking. 7 FLAT technology for tables This new FLAT Technology product means no more wobbly tables, the problem that’s long been the bane of cafe and restaurant operators. Its unique design allows operators to adjust the alignment of a table base and ensure a level and stable platform on any floor type or surface. Contact: Cafeideas 9 Sweet Glass Pastry Ready Bake has developed a new type of pastry called Sweet Glass Pastry that once baked becomes a delicious sweet pastry that breaks apart like glass. A finalist in the Best New Foodservice product at Fine Food, it’s a simple stylish and cost effective way to bake and serve pastry that can be presented as a plated or buffet dessert base. Contact: Ready Bake 10 On Micro Clogs These latest new clogs from Rossi Boots feature a new exterior fabric that promises to deliver high performance to meet the demand of the hospitality market. They use on-micro, an exterior technical fabric that goes beyond being a water repellent leather, is antibacterial, washable, lightweight, and ecological and extremely abrasion resistant. Contact: Rossi Boots hospitalitymagazine.com.au

management

Clubs power up with food Australia’s licensed clubs are upping the ante when it comes to the food they are serving, writes Ken Burgin.

‘Most people assume clubs only serve roasts and schnitzels, but the hidden talent in club kitchens is increasingly finding an audience.’ FOOD and beverage is really coming into its own in the Australian club industry, with some club restaurants and bistros now seriously competing with pubs and owner-operated restaurants for the tourist and fine dining dollar. Most people assume clubs only serve roasts and schnitzels, but the hidden talent in club kitchens is increasingly finding an audience. Good chefs are seeing clubs as no-longer a ‘black mark’ on their CV, but offering a much wider range of career options, attractive benefits, firstclass facilities and serious management support. As restaurants struggle and economise, clubs are chasing variety, new concepts and expansion. While gambling is a significant source of cash, good food and service will always be ‘the heart of the house’. Clubs have always focused on training: seeking fresh and new hospitalitymagazine.com.au

ideas, insights, inspiration, information and network widely within the broader hospitality industry, and the kitchen is now an active part of this development. There are many interesting, creative and fun packed ways of learning, such as the recent two day Food and Beverage Management Summit, which I organised in Sydney for the Club Managers Association of Australia. In its fifth year, this summit was designed to put chefs and the back of house team up front and demonstrate to attendees the latest ways to develop and promote a productive, efficient catering profit centre. I love creating opportunities to release this passion and in March 2012, for the fourth year, will be organising the Profitable Hospitality Food and Beverage Tour to Melbourne, coinciding with the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (MFWF). Participants visit some of Melbourne’s best restaurants, clubs and food and beverage operations. They meet with chefs, managers, experience back-of-house tours and participate in selected MFWF events. Last year’s tour generated some impressive results. One stand out was one of the participants, chef Greg Wilson of Toronto Diggers Club in the Hunter Valley who designed a “Diggers Degustation Menu” based on six of the dishes he enjoyed at Melbourne restaurants: Carrot and Maple Soup served in a shot glass, first tasted by Greg at The Living Room Restaurant in Malvern, Red Spice Road chef John McLeay's Watermelon topped with Sticky Pork & Prawn Relish was the inspiration for Greg's second dish, while a delicate pasta dish of Tiger Prawns, Zucchini, Mint and Olive Oil was a speciality of Italian chef Giuseppe Uva at Society Restaurant. Back to the Living Room Restaurant and a delicious interpretation of Snap-

per with Mussels, Chorizo and Pan Juice Vinaigrette, before Greg's stunning version of guest chef Chris Salans' Lamb Rack with a CocoJus, Porcini and Field Mushrooms. Chris was guest chef at Crown Casino’s No.8 Restaurant for the MF&W Festival. Greg chose Chris’ Chocolate Ricotta Mousse with Espresso Froth as the basis for his own dessert offering. Describing his four day tour as one of the best experiences of his professional life Greg said Melbourne was a “whole new world for food and beverage”. “In my opinion, the restaurant scene is well ahead of Sydney in regards to freshness, variety and culture,” he said. “The opportunity to see behind the scenes in some of Melbourne’s leading restaurants and clubs, to speak with some very creative chefs, as well as tasting and reviewing some extraordinary dishes, has inspired me to make some exciting changes in my own kitchen.” In addition to the restaurants mentioned above, and following a stand out breakfast and backof-house tour of The European, The Supper Club and rooftop Siglo, Greg and the rest of the group visited The Frankston RSL Club. This club breaks through most of the usual stereotypes, with a hugely popular restaurant and an innovative wine list featuring growers from the the Mornington Peninsula and Margaret River. Greg’s enthusiasm on the tour and since, resulting in this impressive transition, shows what is possible, when progressive senior club managers and a supportive board of directors, encourage staff training beyond the usual narrow requirements.

Ken Burgin is a leading hospitality industry consultant. To find out more visit profitablehospitality.com or call 1800 001 353.

The FIA continues to raise the bar for the foodservice industry and connects people to allow for business and social events.

FOODSERVICE FORUMS Our Foodservice Forums are educational and always interesting with great speakers. Fred Harrison, CEO Ritchie Stores will be presenting “Why Independent’s Need to Exist” on Thursday 13 October 2011 in Melbourne. www.foodserviceindustry.asn.au/content.html

At Fine Food in Sydney, a joint Foodservice Forum was held with the FIA NSW, Food SA, FIA WA and the FIA Vic/Tas. This event attracted a HUGE audience with close to 200 guests in the room. A fantastic group of speakers presented and we extend our thanks to everyone who attended.

These awards are exclusive to FIA Vic/Tas and will be presented on Friday 18 November in Melbourne at the iconic NGV International, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.

25 YEAR CLUB The FIA has created a special club for those in our industry who have served 25 years in foodservice. Do you know someone who should be in this club? Please let us know so that we can applaud their long service in our industry and give them the recognition they deserve. Interested to join the FIA, please contact us for a special offer to assist your business to connect with the foodservice industry.

Bringing Foodservice Together For further information: Carol on 03 9527 8635 or 0414 367 888 E: foodservice@ihug.com.au www.foodserviceindustry.asn.au

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management/comment

doctorhospitality

This goes with that Good food and coffee are being served up in all sorts of places

My partner is very shy, and questions how much information about the business owners we should put on our website? Anything you do to show the warmth and ‘personality’ of your business will build loyalty and interest. Short biographies of owners and key staff, friendly photos of people working and recent events. It’s also builds trust, so add a few lines about your commitment to quality food and service, safety, and support for the local community. Add information about favourite suppliers or a recent charity event. Most restaurant and hotel websites show nothing about the owners, as if they’re run by robots. Your friendly touches will really stand out from the crowd. I’ve just been given notice by my long-time manager who’s my right hand. He says he wants a bigger challenge. Have a stiff drink, a little cry and remember life goes on. If you’re objective you’ll find plenty of things you couldn’t do while the manager was in control. And chances are you can now find someone cheaper to do the same job — the savings go straight into your pocket. Be nice but get him out as soon as he’s written down the work lists for all the things he handled. Spend an hour writing a job description for the next person, and put the advertisement online and on the noticeboard. This way the staff see that you’re in control and stronger than ever. We’re looking to lease a restaurant space of 88 metres. How do we work out seating capacity? Some liquor licensing authorities work on a ratio of one person per square metre, so that’s a good benchmark to use. Twenty-five to 30 per cent of your total space will be taken up with cooking and service areas, so you are back to approximately 60 square metres for 60 people. If it’s a casual concept, you may be able to fit a few more in, depending on table and chair size. Try and find a large space (eg a hall) where you can plot out the space with chalk lines and boxes to get a proper feel for the space – it’s an important reality check. Make sure you’re also realistic about the income you can earn from such a small operation – it will involve constant owner involvement. Our meat supplier has asked us to do a ‘local produce dinner’. Can this work for us financially? It can work for your reputation and shows you up as a marketing innovator, especially if your customers love quality meat. Chances are the meat company has a budget for promotion that will help with product and marketing costs. Your job is to come up with a menu and wines to showcase the product, and promote it to your customers. Make sure your ‘brand’ gets at least as much promotion as that of the supplier. Keep the price similar to your normal meal prices, and don’t expect to make a fortune. If the first few are small, don’t cancel them but take advantage of the intimacy – plenty of good discussion can happen over a table of ten, and these people will bring friends next time.

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

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with exciting results for foodservice, writes Tony Berry. OVER the years one of the most pleasurable ways I’ve found of idling away welcomed and rare downtime has been to mosey down to my local caff. It is, however, no ordinary coffee and snack place as a considerable part of the premises is crammed with books. A bookshop? Yes, but again not your ordinary bookshop as it combines the second-hand with the new. And the second-hand are predominantly books bought from customers who are paid with credits to buy still more books – old or new. Helping set this place even more apart from others is that while eaters and coffee-sippers are having their meals and snacks, they can also take a book from the shelves and have a free read. The cafe section is as varied as the books, ranging from muffins and friands through to sandwiches, panini and baguettes, to cooked meals from the small kitchen out the back. It oozes pleasure. It’s a successful combination of two of the greatest delights — eating and reading, and especially doing both at the same time. The atmosphere is further enhanced by the fact that like attracts like. This ensures the customers tend to be people who truly love books and thus there is a collective projection of enjoyment in the overall ambience. It seems to be such a recipe for success (although not if you charge at the level Borders attempted and failed) one wonders why there are not more such combinations, especially in times that are variously described as economically challenging, hard or slow. One premises – two businesses. This enables a splitting of overheads over two income streams that aren’t necessarily going to be in the doldrums or booming at the same time. Staffing and rostering can be more creative and flexible. Although books and caffeine are an ideal mix, the possibilities don’t stop there. In the same area there are upmarket car showrooms combined with an equally upmarket shortmenu bistro, furniture retailers with a classy coffee and cake section and a fabrics emporium using a snack bar to entice customers into longer browsing. In recent travels I encountered two long established businesses — a pharmacy and a struggling cafe — moving locations to come together under one roof where one outlet merges into the other. And nearby an artists’ supplier and picture framer expanded into a larger space to make room for its cafe add-on. In times of contracting economies these were expansionary moves; operators seeking new ways of growing while pruning costs. Further along the street is a hardware store with a long-established first-floor cafe that’s rarely less than full, and a bookshop with a similarly popular set-up. Our larger department stores have long maintained in-house foodservice outlets. In the beginning there was the much-loved Coles cafeteria which has morphed over the years to today’s massive Myer restaurants to the chic food halls in David Jones. And then there’s Ikea, where the low-cost cafeteria is probably a loss leader rather than a contributor to profits. In the UK there is hardly a supermarket without its moderately priced restaurant operating through breakfast and lunch and afternoon tea in mostly bright and cheery surroundings. These are, of course, adjuncts to the main business and more of a service to customers than straight-out foodservice ventures, but they still serve to demonstrate how retail activities can combine and feed off each other. Foodservice is not exclusive. Eating and drinking are not pursued in isolation. More and more in this so-called time poor society they have become necessary activities engaged in while doing something else. So catering (excuse the pun) for this double need would seem to be a way towards increased custom and revenue. But more than that, food and drink can be used as a lure; the bait that draws customers into a supplementary or complementary business — like books, furniture, cars and even, as already shown, the dispensing of pills and potions. There is almost no limit. The key, however, is not in what is done but in how it is done. It is not simply a matter of setting aside a corner of the store for a Gaggia and a few cakes, but of creating an ambience that says “this goes with that”. And, as ever, a management that considers customers’ needs before its own will be the real key to success. Go on, mix ‘n’ match and set yourself apart from the opposition. 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 1

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1 New in foodservice. After much success in the consumer kitchenware and tableware categories internationally, Zimba has launched its Zimba Professional Food Service Equipment range in Australia including the Thermalloy range of stainless steel cookware. The Thermalloy range from BrowneHalco has a range of features and heavy duty construction to suit the tough environment of the commercial kitchen. They include a limited lifetime warranty, “stay cool” hollowcast handles, induction capability and a 6mm aluminium sandwich bottom. For more head to zimba.com.au 2 Are you being served? Rosseto Serving Solutions has unveiled its latest serving product that offers a range of benefits including product visibility, larger capacity that means less refilling while keeping product fresh between uses, keeps air out and freshness in, hygienic portion

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

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control ideal for inventory management, dispenses efficiently yet gently to protect food from breakage, transparent containers make a visual and useful display, save costs on expensive fillings, keep counters clean and inviting, increase sales, reduces waste. For more at topshelfconcepts.com.au 3 Smart loyalty. Point of sale vendor RedCat has launched a new integrated mobile phone application designed specifically for the hospitality industry that allows hospitality outlets to have their own branded iPhone application as well as working as a web application on other mobile devices. It provides restaurants and franchises the opportunity to extend their brand into the mobile platforms that consumers have quickly come to rely on. It also offers the ultimate in convenient ordering, allowing customers to prepay and pre-order food at their desired time directly

from the application. Purchases can be paid for using loyalty points, pre-paid gift cards or credit cards. Customers can simply register either on-line or via the application. They can then access their points balance, check their member status and display a barcode that can be scanned for rewards. Customers can also search for their nearest site by using the integrated GPS or postcode search function. Find out more at redcat.com.au

salad bars and even wineries. Nectar uses melon scented and pheromone impregnated glueboards — attractive to the fungal gnats as well as flies — together with the patented Synergetic UVA-Green light to attract the insects. In addition, Nectar has two trays designed to hold a liquid attractant (such as wine or vinegar) which further enhances the performance of the unit. See insectomatic.com.au

4 Pest season approaching. With summer and “fly season” just around the corner a new product from Insect-o-matic has arrived just in time — the new Nectar unit to discreetly control fruit flies and other flying insect pests. Nectar is designed to offer protection specifically against fungal gnats (commonly called fruit flies or vinegar flies) and other flying insects in bars, restaurants, deli and butchery counters, bakery counters,

5 Glow for summer. Floating in a rooftop pool at a new iconic Sydney venue is just one of the premium locations you’ll find a piece from the illuminated Glow range. Suitable for indoor and outdoor use, this versatile collection of illuminated furniture and entertaining wares are lit from within by remotely operated LED (light-emitting diode) lamps and make a distinctive statement wherever they are used. Find out more at ledglow.com.au

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what’son

hospitalitydiary OCTOBER 24 National Savour Awards for Excellence; Restaurant and Catering Australia announced the winners of its annual awards celebrating the best caterers and restaurants in a vast number of categories. Who will be named Restaurant of the Year? For more see restaurantcater.asn.au

continued from page 8 done within one week of receiving a request and the employee must be paid at overtime rates. Can an employer require an employee to work additional hours? A business can require full-time and part-time employees to work additional hours as long as the hours are reasonable. The employee may refuse to work additional hours if they are unreasonable. To determine whether additional hours are reasonable or unreasonable, the following must be taken into account: (a) whether there is any risk to employee health and safety from working the additional hours; (b) the employee’s personal circumstances, such as family re-

27-29 Hotel, Hospitality & Food Sri Lanka; Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre Colombo. A new exhibition catering for the growing demands of hotel and restaurant supplies in the hospitality and tourism industry in Sri Lanka and South Asia. To find out more see hhf-srilanka.com.

NOVEMBER

sponsibilities; (c) the needs of the workplace or enterprise in which the employee is employed; (d) whether the employee is entitled to receive overtime payments, penalty rates or other compensation for, or a level of remuneration that reflects an expectation of, working additional hours; (e) any notice given by the employer of any request or requirement to work the additional hours; (f) any notice given by the employee of his or her intention to refuse to work the additional hours; (g) the usual patterns of work in the industry, or the part of an industry, in which the employee works; (h) the nature of the employee’s role, and the employee’s level of responsibility; (i) whether the additional hours are in accordance with averaging terms included in a Modern Award or enterprise

agreement that applies to the employee, and (j) any other relevant matter.

4-6 Good Food and Wine Show; Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. The Good Food and Wine Show is Australia’s largest and most exciting consumer food and wine exhibition. Held each year in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane, it features demonstrations from local and international chefs,

Penalty rates Penalty rates also apply to employees required to work on weekends and public holidays. For example a casual employee required to work on a Sunday under the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2010 is entitled to a penalty rate of some 175 per cent including the casual loading. Unfortunately, these incredibly high penalty rates have resulted in many small businesses no longer trading on weekends and public holidays which not only reduces turnover for businesses but pay packets for employees. Restaurant and Catering Australia is lobbying for changes to the penal-

and hands-on food and wine classes. See goodfoodshow.com.au

MARCH 2012 11-13 Fine Food Queensland; Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre; Fine Food Queensland is the largest food industry event in northern Australia. See finefoodqueensland.com.au

ty rate provisions under Modern Awards in order to recognise the 24/7 environment of the industry and the need to remove restrictive regulations of working hours by allowing employers and employees to reach mutual agreement on ordinary working hours on any day of the week. Unless these workplace reforms are made soon, consumers may find less and less businesses open for weekend and public holiday trade and therefore reducing the variety of culinary venues that Australians crave. This article was written by the Workplace Relations Team at Restaurant & Catering Australia. For more information call us on 1300 722 878.

P R O D U C T

Simply purchase a unit of Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise and fax a copy of your invoice to 1800 011 275 to receive a free gift.

S Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise – the worlds No.1 mayonnaise based on total global sales value.

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hospitalitymagazine.com.au

hospitalityjobs To see the latest jobs available visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au, which is updated daily. EXECUTIVE CHEF Location — Whitsundays, QLD Company — Coral Sea Resort Description: Award winning Coral Sea Resort Airlie Beach Whitsunday seeks an Executive Chef to lead our kitchen team. This challenging, diverse and very hands on role is an exciting opportunity for the right candidate. The department consists of an award winning a la carte oceanfront restaurant, room service to hotel rooms, suites, apartments and penthouses, extensive conference facilities including the Nautilus Conference room which caters for up to 300 people, significant events and a strong wedding business. Coral Sea Resort, in the exclusive sea side enclave of Airlie Beach, is an oasis of luxury and tranquillity just moments via seaside boardwalk to Abel Point Marina or the enchanting Airlie Beach resort village that abounds with shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. This deluxe award winning resort is situated just 30 minutes from two major domestic airports or 25 minutes from the national highway. Combining first class facilities with award winning legendary hospitality, Coral Sea Resort rates as one of the most appealing deluxe luxury resorts in the magical Whitsundays. To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au CHEFS Location — Whitsundays, QLD Company — Hilton Surfers Paradise Description:You get just one or two truly great opportunities in life. This is one of them. If you work in the hotel and hospitality industry, you'll want to work at the Hilton Surfers Paradise. Set in the heart of the Gold Coast, moments from the region's stunning beaches and natural environment, the Hilton Surfers Paradise offers world-class services and facilities. Existing team members are among the best in the business. Training is first-class and sets the benchmark for Hilton's celebrated service. This isn't a job advertisement. It's a career opportunity. Here is your opportunity to work with one of Australia's leading restaurateurs and celebrity chefs, Luke Mangan. Current positions available include Chef de Partie, Demi Chef, Commis Chef, Sous Chef. Grasp your opportunity to join the world's best-known hotel company. To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au CHEF, BELGIAN BEER CAFE LOCATION — Perth Company — Belgian Beer Cafe Description:The Belgian Beer Cafe is looking for a chef to join its creative food team. Flexible working hours promoting a work/life balance, city centre location close to public transport. Career advancement prospects in a national company for the ambitious applicant. The suitable applicant with have: full chef qualifications, sound food skills and knowledge, a passion of the industry and creative flair, and willingness to work to the common goals of the business. To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au or email Peter.bottcher@alhgroup.com.au HEAD CHEF LOCATION – Perth Company – The Garden Leederville hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Description:The Garden in bustling Leederville is a high-volume restaurant and al fresco beer and wine garden currently seeking an experienced head chef with a passion for delivering high quality food in a fast paced environment. We are ideally looking for a creative & 'with it' professional who can bring their own unique style to an already popular venue. The person we are seeking will have a passion for food, an outgoing personality and strong communication and organisational skills. Through working with a reputable company and working with the industry’s best, this opportunity will give you further career progression. Please note that only suitable candidates and those with the ability to work and live in Australia will be contacted. To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au SOUS CHEF Location — Tooradin, VIC Company — Tooradin & District Sports Club Ltd Description:The Tooradin Sports Club is seeking an enthusiastic qualified sous chef to work with a dynamic team. Reporting to the Head Chef you will be responsible for maintaining the day-to-day high standards and will lead the team in the absence of the Head Chef. This is an exciting career and lifestyle opportunity for an up and comer who is looking to expand his/her knowledge and level of responsibility. To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au or email info@tooradinsports.com.au QUALIFIED CHEFS AND FOOD AND BEVERAGE PROFESSIONALS Location — Sydney Company — David Jones Limited Description: When it comes to department stores, there are none in this country with the same prestige, heritage and professionalism as David Jones. As home to the most famous names in fashion, cosmetics, home ware and electrical, David Jones is Australia’s premier shopping destination. The environment is dynamic, the challenges ever– changing, the opportunities limitless. And everyday, every person on the team upholds our famous reputation: There’s no other store like David Jones. We are seeking qualified Chefs or Food and Beverage professionals who are passionate about providing superior customer service and satisfaction in our restaurants and eateries and selling our exclusive premium brands. This is your chance to work in our dynamic retail environment where passion and drive to achieve results are rewarded. For a career that’s like no other, and the benefits you expect, join the team that brings Australia’s premier department store to life. To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au ARE YOU A FINE DINING FOODIE? RESTAURANT MANAGER – 5 STAR ISLAND RESORT Location — SYDNEY Company — AA Appointments Description: Due to an internal promotion we are searching for an outstanding restaurant manager to join the award winning team. Your previous management experience in a 5 Star/fine dining restaurant environment will ensure you

have outstanding customer service and an understanding of the financial side of the business. It is essential that you have excellent staff supervision and motivation skills, be able to think on your feet and possess excellent attention to detail. You will also require management experience in a large fine dining restaurant or F&B outlet and have an understanding of the financial side of the business. If you are ready to make the move to sunny Queensland and take on this new challenge then we want to hear from you. Applications are closing soon so send your resume through today. Australian citizens and permanent residents need only apply. This is aother fantastic career opportunity with AA Appointments — the awardwinning travel and hospitality recruitment specialists. Dedicated to matching your personal experience and career ambition with only the best industry partners. For this and other great temporary, contract or permanent travel positions speak to AA Appointments today. All applications are confidential. To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au or email apply@aaappointments.com.au FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANAGER Location – Regional NSW Company – AA Appointments Description: We are searching for an F&B superstar to take the reins of this awardwinning hotel as food and beverage manager. You will be developing and overseeing a competent F&B team, working with marketing team to maximise F&B revenue for the hotel, overseeing multiple F&B outlets within the hotel and overseeing staff management while ensuring exceptional 5 star service is delivered at all times. For this and other great temporary, contract or permanent travel positions speak to AA Appointments today. All applications are confidential. To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au or email apply@aaappointments.com.au GROUP GENERAL MANAGER Location – SYDNEY Company – AA Appointments Description: Our client, a growing international group, is looking for an experienced, dedicated and driven group general manager to lead and guide their growing team. Reporting to the company directors you will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the property, leading a capable management team and focusing on driving customer service, profit maximisation while maintaining brand standards at all times. Experience with strata management and body corporate is an advantage. If you are an experienced hotel general manager who can articulate both your success and your passion for the role, join a national group who can offer you a long term career with variety. Another fantastic career opportunity with AA Appointments — the award-winning travel and hospitality recruitment specialists. Dedicated to matching your personal experience and career ambition with only the best industry partners. For this and other great temporary, contract or permanent travel positions speak to AA Appointments today. All applications are confidential. To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au or

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

email apply@aaappointments.com.au RESTAURANT MANAGER — 5 STAR ISLAND RESORT Location — QUEENSLAND Company — AA Appointments Description: Due to an internal promotion we are searching for an outstanding restaurant manager to join the award winning team. Your previous management experience in a 5 star/fine dining restaurant environment will ensure you have outstanding customer service and an understanding of the financial side of the business. It is essential that you have excellent staff supervision and motivation skills, be able to think on your feet and possess excellent attention to detail. You will also require management experience in a large fine dining restaurant or F&B outlet and have an understanding of the financial side of the business. If you are ready to make the move to sunny Queensland and take on this new challenge then we want to hear from you. Applications are closing soon so send your resume through today. Another fantastic career opportunity with AA Appointments - the award winning travel and hospitality recruitment specialists. Dedicated to matching your personal experience and career ambition with only the best industry partners. To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au or email apply@aaappointments.com.au RESTAURANT MANAGER Location — Melbourne Company – Sails on the Bay Description: Located on the sands of Elwood beach and Foreshore Reserve, Sails on the Bay is a well known and regarded dining and event venue that has operated under the same owners for the past 17 years. Our success in operating a critically acclaimed restaurant and event centre as well as beach front cafe terrace and private dining room is a credit to the many talented and creative people that have long been a part of our committed team. Our restaurant manager is leaving us for travels abroad after seven years at the helm, opening an opportunity for an ambitious professional to join our senior management team. As the head of our front of house operations, your past experience and success is as important to us as your engaging personality and desire to be an active participant in the ongoing growth and development of our business. You accept nothing short of exceptional service and recognise the importance of a warm welcome. You will also have a proven track record in leading, motivating and inspiring teams, an exceptional attention to detail, superior organisation and planning skills and a flawless knowledge of food and wine. You are computer literate and your experience in RIVA and ResPAK will be an advantage. In return, an excellent remuneration package is on offer as well as the opportunity to enjoy Christmas and New Year with your family and friends — a rarity in this industry. If you have the experience and drive to take this role to the next level, we’d love to meet you for a confidential chat. To apply for this role, please visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au or email monicaf@bigpond.net.au

hospitality | october 2011

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TODAY HOSPITALITYMAGAZINE.COM.AU CONTACT HUSSEIN ON 02 9422 2851 OR EMAIL HUSSEIN.AZZAN@REEDBUSINESS.COM.AU

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