Hospitality Magazine March 2012 by Hospitality Magazine

No.681 March 2012

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At Tip Top Foodservice we are dedicated to providing foodservice professionals with a wide range of quality baked goods that are cost effective, convenient and versatile. Our nationwide network of bakeries produce over one million baked goods a day to ensure that product is delivered daily to you. Our extensive bread portfolio ranges from everyday to premium, par-bake to snacking, and even a range of cakes. Whether you’re providing sandwiches at a café, or catering for a large event, we have a product to meet your needs from trusted brands your customers know and love. That’s why we’re Australia’s bakery. For more information about our products, visit tiptop-foodservice.com.au or call 1800 086 926.

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No.681 March 2012

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

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accommodation

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Table talk The Bridge Room’s stunning table looks PLUS 9 new products to add style to any table

Wakey, wakey We investigate the latest trends in breakfast

Unfair dismissal Industry argues for law changes

The staff challenge

Print Post Approved PP349181/00109

Finding good staff - and keeping them

The magic of McConnell What’s the secret behind Andrew McConnell’s Midas touch?

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

But oh the disappointment when I saw those words that strike horror into the soul of a hungry diner whose heart is set on a particular restaurant – not open Mondays. It was the same tragic story at the next Mexican place on my list. But gut wrenching as it is we all accept that if you’re going to close for a night Mondays are best so I was able to accept this disappointment and move on with my life - and to a very nice local Thai restaurant. One of the things that also

I HAD a moment of disappointment a few days before writing my note to you for this issue. A family member was visiting Sydney and she LOVES Mexican food (we have fond childhood memories of chowing down on The World’s Best Enchiladas at Mexican Micks in Byron Bay). Yay, I thought, I know just the place. My first choice was an old favourite - it’s big and always joyfully packed full of punters there for the atmosphere, the tasty fresh food - and the margaritas.

grabbed my notice though while looking at the details of opening times for the first restaurant was the message that it also wasn’t open onpublic holidays. None. But as extreme as this sounds this could be something we’re going to see more and more as the pressure on foodservice businesses caused by penalty rates makes them weigh up whether it’s financially worthwhile to open on public holidays. It’s been an issue in the news of late thanks to George Calombaris and the focus on the current review of the Modern Award covering hospitality. It’s also top of mind in South Australia where the industry there is fighting against plans to add two

more half day holidays that would apply on New Year’s Eve and Christmas Eve. Restaurant and Catering Australia’s workplace relations director Greg Parkes says this would blow out labour costs and result in less cafes and restaurants trading. And it’s not just SA. Parkes said a recent survey by the R&CA of its members revealed 70 per cent planned to reduce staff over the next 12 months if labour costs continued to rise. How deeply sad if we ended up with public holidays going the way of Mondays. A restructure of the penalty rate system for hospitality is vital.

Rosemary Ryan

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

contents 6 News

12 Secret ingredients

Getting ready for the carbon tax. New tourism accreditation system rolls out.

Q&A with Fratelli Paradiso’s Marco Ambrosino.

16 Hospitality chef The restaurant genius of Andrew McConnell.

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

8 Openings Latest restaurant arrivals.

20 Imbibe We investigate the growing trend of Australian wines turning green.

10 Mystery diner Our reviewer heads to Queenscliff’s 360Q. FACEBOOK.COM/hospitalitymagazine TWITTER.COM/hospitalityed hospitalitymagazine.com.au

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

Tips for finding and retaining great staff.

Staff dismissal regulations not so fair.

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accommodation

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beverage

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management

Table talk

Wakey, wakey We investigate the latest trends in breakfast

Average Net Distribution Period ending September 11 13,677

Unfair dismissal Industry argues for law changes

The staff challenge

Print Post Approved PP349181/00109

Finding good staff - and keeping them

hospitality | march 2012

Smart foodservice operators tap into changing diner tastes for breakfast.

ON THE COVER:

The Bridge Room’s stunning table looks PLUS 9 new products to add style to any table

The tabletops of Sydney hot spot The Bridge Room are good enough to eat. PLUS We round up some of the latest new products on the market guaranteed to inject some extra style into the look of your tables.

No.681 March 2012

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foodservice

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.

21 Tables with style

27 Wakey, wakey

31 Burgin

12 Workplace

Features

The magic of McConnell What’s the secret behind Andrew McConnell’s Midas touch?

On the cover of this issue is Andrew McConnell the Melbourne chef and restaurateur that seems to have the magic touch when it comes to opening successful restaurants that have customers - including lots of other admiring chefs - queuing out the door to get a seat. McConnell has been credited with having changed our perceptions of dining out with his Melbourne restaurants that combine great design with fresh seasonal creative food and top, top service.

Having recently bedded down his third Melbourne restaurant and now consulting on the development of a new food focused pub in Melbourne, McConnell found some time to chat with us revealing that it’s being a chef and cooking that motivates him most rather than a quest to build a culinary empire. He says that for the moment he has no plans for further restaurants but leaves us with the delicious prospect that he just might change his mind. Head to page 16.

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news

Carbon tax

Businesses urged to prepare for carbon tax Hospitality operators should be getting into action to implement strategies for their business to minimise the impact of the carbon tax on their bottom line. Your energy bills are a good place to start! WITH the switch on Australia’s new carbon tax scheduled to be flicked on in July hospitality business operators are being urged to start getting their business prepared for the impact it will have. The cost of energy will be one of the biggest immediate effects businesses will have to cope with, with predictions that energy bills will rise by up to 15 per cent in the months following the introduction. But there are many steps hospitality businesses can be taking now to minimise the damage that the increased costs threaten to wreak, says Energy Action, a Sydney company that’s specialising in helping businesses operate more energy efficiently with strategies that can range from the very simple, like ensuring cool room doors are closed and air conditioning equipment is well maintained, to investing in new energy efficient equipment and lighting systems and in-house power generation systems. Edward Hanna, business development director at Energy Action says his advice to companies who are unsure of how the tax will affect them and what they should do to prepare is to just “do anything” that will help reduce their energy use. “The starting point when we talk HOSPITALITYMAGAZINE.COM.AU

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Source: hospitalitymagazine.com.au February 27 - March 2, 2012 6

hospitality | march 2012

to companies is to first understand exactly how far down the energy efficiency or price control journey they are,” said Hanna who has been working with a range of hospitality businesses from hotels and clubs, to restaurants. But for a lot of our customers our first advice is just do anything. Just start. “It’s surprising the number of businesses, big ones and smaller ones that still have their heads in the sand on this issue. I think that businesses will find it difficult and any

investment now in lowering your energy bills is a strategic investment. “There is a lot that companies can be doing straight away to get control over energy bills and it’s not all pie in the sky – a lot of the new technologies out there are robust and well proven and very low risk – if you do it right. “All businesses, and hospitality businesses in particular, need to be looking at how they can reduce their energy costs by using their energy more wisely or using less of it.”

Hanna said the first step is for operators to get very familiar with their energy expenditure. “Have a look at your energy bills and get your energy contract under control – make sure you are not paying through the nose,” he said. “Find out about ways you can buy your energy contract better.” One of the services Energy Action is offering is its Australian Energy Exchange which involves it collecting the energy usage information from a business and then putting its energy contract up for energy retailers to bid for. “We typically expect to deliver savings of up to about 80 per cent by taking them through that process,” Hanna said. “For smaller customers as well there’s good opportunities – they often have either been door knocked to death and have given up [on choosing a new energy supplier] or they haven’t made contact with the energy market at all and haven’t realised there are benefits for them in taking their energy contract under control.” One of the services Energy Action has launched is a free online carbon tax calculator that can work out the cost impact of the new scheme on the energy bills of Australian businesses. See it at energyaction.com.au

Accor Hotels joins T-QUAL as Moran prepares to promote HOTEL giant Accor has become the first major tourism operator to become accredited under the new Australian accreditation program T-QUAL. With the addition of Accor Hotels, 12,600 operators are now T-QUAL accredited. The announcement of Accor’s support for the new national program, launched last April, comes ahead of a soon to launch marketing campaign starring chef and restaurateur Matt Moran that will showcase T-QUAL accredited businesses and services around Australia and aims to increase public and industry awareness about the new program. Moran will launch the “T-QUAL Tick” campaign this month at an event at his Sydney restaurant Aria, which already has T-QUAL accreditation. The campaign will involve Moran travelling around Australia experiencing accredited tourism products including hotels and restaurants and sharing these experiences primarily via online media.

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news

Restaurants

Neil Perry turns Italian The ever expanding restaurant group of Neil Perry and partners prepares to add another new brand - starting with a Crown Melbourne site. THE BUSY Italian restaurant market in Melbourne will get a high profile new competitor in six month’s time with the latest planned addition to the restaurant empire of Neil Perry. Perry has announced plans to open his ever growing restaurant group’s next venture - an Italian restaurant at Melbourne’s Crown. With a launch date for the new, as yet unnamed , 120 seat restaurant set for early September, Perry has a series of trips to Italy planned, starting this month, to gather ideas and suppliers for the new operation. “The sort of restaurants we’ll be eating at [in Italy] will be the ones that are really about the heart and soul of Italian cooking - more the sort of restaurants that are serving the kind of food your nonna would cook rather than what a contemporary Italian chef chasing Michelin stars might be cooking,” Perry said. “[The new restaurant] will be rustic but really in the sense that it will be what I would think of as sophisticated simplicity. We’ll be doing really beautiful and sophisticated food yet the quality of the eating will be wonderful crafted cooking that hopefully will appear effortlessly simple.” The new restaurant will join the seven venues with eleven chefs hats between them that Perry already operates with business partners Trish Richards and billionaire businessman David Doyle. And, as he has done with his other brands Rockpool Bar and Grill and Spice Temple, there could be opportunities to expand the new brand. “We always focus on getting the initial one right,” Perry told Hospitality. “I suspect it will be fantastic because we have some great plans for it, then yes we

Smoke free in 2015 Smoking in commercial outdoor dining areas in NSW will be banned under new tobacco reforms announced by the NSW Government - but not until 2015. Minister Jillian Skinner said the government’s pre-election promise to Clubs NSW prevented the bans from being implemented in outdoor dining areas until March that year. Other parts of the new NSW Tobacco Strategy includes bans on smoking in public sports grounds, public transport stops and entrances to public buildings. These are expected to be in place by the middle of this year.

Proud to be a Chef winner

will have an Italian brand in our portfolio that will be ready to go anywhere its needed.” Perry said he saw it as a challenge launching a Italian in a city like Melbourne that already abounds in top Italian restaurants. “I’m always humbled by the amount of great Italian restaurants that there are in Australia and every time we open one we focus on getting the best out of ourselves,” he said. By Rosemary Ryan

Marx apprentice award launch

Acclaimed chef Thierry Marx was in Australia to host the launch of the 2012 Thierry Marx Career Development Award for apprentice chefs. A who’s who of Melbourne’s restaurant world gathered at a lunch at Crown’s Culinarium featuring a special menu designed by the 2011 winners of the award Madlen Toumbourou, from PM24, and Tony Kulafi, from Epicure Catering (both pictured with Marx), under the guidance of Thierry Marx senior chefs who created the menu using techniques and dishes featured at Marx’s Paris restaurant Sur Mesure. Entries for this year close May 4. Head to restaurantcater.asn.au

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

in brief

Shanghai bound HOSPITALITY magazine is very pleased to announce that Michelle Guberina is the winner of our Hotelex Shanghai competition. Guberina, general manager, procurement at the Trippas White Group, as well as the owner of Sydney patisserie Patisse, is Shanghai bound next month after her entry was selected by the judges. It’s the third year we’ve run the competition in conjunction with UBM Sinoexpo International, the organisers of the giant trade event. The prize is airfares for two people and four nights accommodation in Shanghai, plus entry to the event. Find out more about Hotelex Shanghai at hotelexchina.com

Apprentice chef Sonja Dawson from The Bathers Pavilion in Balmoral Beach has claimed an international culinary sponsorship after winning this year’s Fonterra Foodservice Proud to be a Chef award. Dawson, a third year apprentice from Ryde TAFE, was awarded first place while Nathan Freeman from TAFE SA and Georgia Ramsay from Margaret River Education Campus grabbed second and third place respectively. The program is designed to recognise the dedication and commitment of apprentice chefs.

Jamie Oliver expands Oz presence to reduce obesity On his whirlwind trip to Australia earlier this month UK chef Jamie Oliver announced he was extending his Jamie’s Ministry of Food operation here. He’s joined with the Victorian Government to launch the cooking and nutrition education program there following its successfull roll out in Queensland. It’s part of the program targeting obesity, the Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise (VHEE).

Train with free webinars Don’t miss the first of Hospitality magazine’s free webinars that we’re offering our readers in conjunction with leading hospitality industry consultant Ken Burgin. It’s happening on March 28 with Controlling Costs the first topic. Head along to our website for more details. You’ll find us at hospitalitymagazine.com.au

hospitality | march 2012

openings

The Apollo The Apollo is the first venture of Jonathan Barthelmess in partnership with experienced restaurateur Longrain’s Sam Christie. The Australian Greek restaurant draws on their shared heritage with a focus on the flavours of the Mediterranean, simplicity, freshness and an absence of pretension, say the partners and old family friends. Barthelmess (ex Coast and the Manly Pavillion) and Christie have been planning this collaboration for many years. The name comes from Apollo who was the ancient Greek god of many things including light, music, poetry, and healing. He was also apparently a gun at predicting the future and was the best-looking god on Olympus. Opened: February Head chef: Jonathan Barthelmess Owners: Sam Christie & Jonathan Barthelmess The food: On the menu are simple and fresh dishes that give a contemporary edge to some classic Meditteranean favourites from the taramasalata white cod roe dip, and the smoked and veal and sweetbread meatballs, to the smoky charred octopus from the Zesti grill and the wild weed and cheese pie. Address: 44 Macleay Street, Potts Point, Sydney P: 02 8354 0888 W: theapollo.com.au

Ortolan on Bayswater

Mr Hive Kitchen & Bar

One inner western Sydney suburb’s loss was the inner city’s gain when the acclaimed restaurant Bistro Ortolan reopened in larger premises in Potts Point that was once home to the famous Bayswater Brasserie restaurant. Ballymore House-trained chef and owner Paul McGrath has quickly established the new place’s presence with some strong reviews.

The space at Crown’s Metropol hotel, previously home to Gordon Ramsay’s Maze and Maze Grill, has been transformed into this new operation with John Lawson heading up the kitchen. The new set up also features an open until late designated dessert bar run by pastry chef Daniel Fletcher.

Opened: January Chef: Paul McGrath Owners: Paul and Jenny McGrath The food: Well the food you’re eating depends where you choose to sit. Up front in the casual brasserie section there’s steak and chips, and a large charcuterie selection including 13 pates, rillettes, terrines and galantines. Or choose oysters, garlic prawns, crumbed lamb’s brains or steak tartare. Meanwhile, in the posher dining room, there are signature dishes from the original Ortolan like a crepinette of pink snapper, or an assiette of beautiful Melanda Pork. Address: 32 Bayswater Road, Potts Point P: (02) 9331 7464 W: theortolanonbayswater.com.au 8

hospitality | march 2012

Opened: February Owners: Crown Executive chef: John Lawson Seats: 120 The food: The menu is a tribute to some of Lawson’s favourite British dishes which have been re-invented and modernised for 2012. Signature dishes include a modern twist on the nursery favourite of boiled egg and toasted soldiers, featuring a duck egg with sourdough toast, as well as roasted Canadian scallops on cauliflower puree with toasted wild rice and spice, and 16 hour slow cooked Gippsland raised saltbush lamb belly. Address: Level 1, Crown Metropol, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank, Melbourne P: 03 9292 8300 W: crownmetropol.com.au hospitalitymagazine.com.au

review

360Q, Queenscliff Our mystery reviewer this month heads to 360Q the regional Victorian restaurant that combines a great dining experience with an awe-inspiring location and 360 degree views of Queenscliff, Bellarine and Mornington Peninsulas. Plus you get the chance to visit the state’s first lighthouse to be built in 80 years.

mysterydiner THERE HAS been much work put into the Queenscliff side of the ferry service going across Port Phillips heads with most of it centred on the marina and surrounds. If I can draw my attention away from the two huge stingrays in this harbour that come up for feeding, I see there are a few shops for the nautical folk to expand their ‘Gant’ wardrobe. There is also a reasonable fish and chip shop and a seafood providore, but the jewel is the circular building at the end of the walkway with the lighthouse like viewing platform above. It’s called 360Q and is under the management of the Rathbone Wine Group, better known for its involvement with Yering Station’s winery and restaurant and a couple of fine labels in Chateau Xanadu. They’ve installed the well travelled and excellently credentialed Colin Swalwell as chef, in a sea change from the Yarra Valley. The wine list isn’t terribly long and, as expected, is chock full of company labels. On this warm evening we can’t go past the Yering Station ED Rose ($37). Decorated simply, the room is all blonde wood and minimalist. Expanses of glass surround the dining room to make the most of the views. Inspection also shows the management has been very clever in its strategy to keep the noise under control. The room is filled with hard surfaces, yet the sounds are muted – and I couldn’t work out why until I discovered acoustic insulation pads fixed to the underside of the chairs. A smart innovation; simple and unobtrusive. A minor gripe was that when we booked several days earlier, we were promised a window table; only to find ourselves in the centre of the floor, close to the serving station. Not a huge problem, but keeping promises is important in this game. The menu features a couple of share plates that can be starters as well as traditional entrées and mains on the night we were there. We whet our appetites with a Scallop and Prawn Sausage ($9.50) done as you would with a boudin blanc, poached in a plastic wrap before cutting into four fat slices and presented artfully with flecks of dill and a dab of chutney. It was a lovely fresh start, which I followed with a deconstructed Prawn Club ($19.50) that I loved. Imagine a series of elements from left to right along the centre of a plate – prawn, crouton, bacon, boiled egg, tomato and Cos lettuce leaf. These elements were held up and together by a thick mayo slick on the plate. It was sensational, both in presentation and flavour with excellent prawns (fat and crisp), 10

hospitality | march 2012

Experiences inside and out at 360Q. croutons that were scone width and a centimetre thick, and crispy streaky bacon. The egg and tomato were sliced and the Cos leaf presented as tender tips. A very cool dish. My eldest had the entrée ravioli and tonight’s was smoked salmon ($19). This was ravioli, but not as we know it. The case was not pastry, but slices of smoked salmon formed into a decent sized disc that was filled with a luscious mixture of more salmon with herbs. It also had a couple of asparagus spears for garnish and two toasted bread slices. Centred on the plate and with all texture bases covered, it was terrific warm weather food. The menu at 360Q isn’t long, but it does provide broad choice and there is a welter of sea found options befitting a restaurant that overlooks a flotilla of boats. However, the small folk are hard to sway from the duck ($34), cooked perfectly pink and served as three slices across a square of potato torte with more asparagus and sprigs of rocket. It’s tender and moist and complemented by a drizzle of sweet concentrated jus on the edge of the plate. My salmon ($34) comes two ways; one piece pan fried with a lightly bronzed outer and translucent middle, the other done in a veil of tempura batter, light as air and crisp as a Canberra morn-

ing in June. These are pointed skyward on a burnished rosti potato, with some more asparagus spears and a salad of shredded bacon and greens completing the dish. Desserts proved more difficult to define and describe. My beloved had meringue ($15) shaped like a turban which hid a compote of diced fruit in its empty belly. It was, however, an exceedingly crisp version that took some force to break into bite sized pieces. Sharing the plate was a sorbet of the tartest lemon. It lacked balance as a dish with the elements struggling against each other for dominance. My eldest’s bavarois ($15) was a greater success, and as with all the desserts, the presentation was wonderful. I had the cheese plate which included a piece of sensational Shadows of Blue from Tarago and some English cheddar and while the blue was a thing of beauty, the cheddar seemed unusually lifeless and cold. Unusual in a restaurant of this quality. 360Q left me with several contradictions that may well be put down to the ‘seaside dining’ experience, but I found hard to reconcile in a place with high expectations. Mixed drinks done properly with bottle splits on the side was at odds with cheap paper napkins; a stark room with fine views, monogrammed Plumm glassware and a notable chef but waiters in denim shorts and runners. 360Q isn’t far off being an excellent place to while away an evening, as the setting sun bounces off the nearby boats, but it could do with a couple of minor tweaks as the food was, in the main, very good.

The details 360Q 2 Wharf Street, Queenscliff, Victoria P: (03) 5257 4200 W: 360q.com.au Head chef: Colin Swalwell Owners: Rathbone Wine Group Open: 360Q has a seasonal opening schedule. Head to the website to get details. The verdict: 360Q is a really pleasant destination restaurant to while away the hours. Chef Swalwell’s food is good but the overall experience of the restaurant could be improved with some tweaking. Full points to the clever method of keeping the noise levels under control.

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newsextra

secretingredients Popular Sydney restaurant Fratelli Paradiso has just celebrated ten years in business and is still packing them in. The partners behind the business also recently extended their operation, opening a stylish bar that’s also become a local favourite. We grabbed one of the partners Marco Ambrosino to pick his brain about the secrets of their success. Can you give us a brief outline of your career so far, the path that has brought you here? Pain, love, tears, passion, purpose, food and wine. You’ve just celebrated your tenth anniversary at Fratelli Paradiso? What’s the secret to your longevity and success in a market like Sydney? Love what you do. What was your plan, your vision when you first opened Fratelli Paradiso? How has that changed over the years? No vision can ever be perfectly realised. It’s organic, it has evolved, we have grown up. You’ve also opened Bar 10 William Street? Why did you decide to expand into a bar and how would you describe the experience you are trying to give your customers there? We wanted to try and pry people away from the ‘pub’ bar experience. There is a great need for alcohol served in sophisticated environments, with integrity, not just a beer swilling cess pit. What’s next on your business agenda? Any more openings planned? Yes. City, interstate. The world. What inspires you? Where do you get ideas for your menus and your business? Travel. Open yourself to the world. Our parents gave us the passion. What’s your favourite dish on your menus? Ragu, risotto, lasagne. Apart from your own, what’s your favourite restaurant? It hasn’t opened yet. Rockpool Bar and Grill is great for its service/food balance. Amazing.

hospitality | march 2012

Fratelli Paradiso’s braised lamb shoulder with reduction, purple baby basil leaf and crushed peas 6-8 pieces lamb shoulder, on the bone, cut to portion size 1 brown onion, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 2 celery sticks, peeled and chopped 1 garlic heads, peeled and chopped 1 sprig rosemary 1 cup white wine 2 cups lamb stock Salt Pepper 4 tsp olive oil Heat olive oil in large frypan and seal the pieces of lamb shoulder. Place meat in a large baking tray and add the rosemary, garlic, onion, celery and carrots. Braise in an oven at 200C for up to 1.5 hours, uncovered. Add white wine and stock. Braise for another hour at the same temperature. Serve over red wine reduction, with peas and purple basil shoots. Buon!

What’s your pick of the menu there? Meat and prawns. What’s been your most memorable food experience? Making salsiccie/sopressa and passata with relatives in the early years, before being a teenager. What do you think is the most overrated ingredient being used on menus at the moment? There’s no such thing as over rat-

ed. Each ingredient is true to itself only. Some ingredients are overused/ abused by some in their desperation to be unique. What do you think will be the next big foodservice trend? Who cares? Let’s just see where it goes. What do you see as the biggest challenge ahead for restaurants? Bureacracy, government regulation,

wage structures, no skilled staff, the press. What do you think is the key to keeping staff motivated? The $$$ - paid to an amount that’s equal to the individual skill set, and a sense of pride of place. What would be on the menu at your last supper? Wine. Fish, Meat. Ragu. Cheese. Fruit hospitalitymagazine.com.au

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workplace

Not so fair when it comes to dismissals for small businesses With unfair dismissal claims on the rise Restaurant and Catering Australia’s Workplace Relations team puts its case for changes to the legislation including increased exemptions for small businesses. A CLAIM of unfair dismissal is generally complex, stressful and ultimately costly for any employer even if the claim is defeated and the employer exonerated. Leading up to the introduction to the federal Fair Work Act 2009, Labor’s Forward with Fairness implementation plan promised a simpler, faster, fairer, unfair dismissal resolution process which specifically vowed to reduce unmeritorious or groundless claims against employers. However, under the Fair Work Act the number of unfair dismissal claims has increased and the adverse effects of groundless or unmeritorious unfair dismissal claims are still being felt by employers particularly small businesses. The number of unfair dismissal claims has increased significantly under the Fair Work Act compared to the former Workplace Relations Act, principally because the small business exemption has been reduced to businesses employing less than 15 staff. Regarding a ‘simpler, faster, fairer’ system, the report cited reductions in the timeframes for resolution of claims, however the process is still onerous, requiring formal employer response, conciliation, and ultimately a formal hearing if the matter is not settled. This process can be daunting, especially for small business employers with limited human resource or legal resources, and in practice is a far cry from the informal, simple process envisaged by the Forward with Fairness proposals. The Fair Work Australia Annual Report 2010-11 highlighted that 80 per cent of unfair dismissal claims were being resolved at conciliation, a ‘voluntary’ facilitated conference between the parties with the aim of early settlement. Though this step facilitates swifter resolution, it still generally burdens an employer with significant costs. A 2007 survey research paper by Freyens and Oslington found that the average cost to an employer for settlement prior to hearing (not including payout) was $9780. Where the dispute escalated to a hearing, the same paper found the average cost to the employer was $11,661. These values highlight the truly costly nature of the process, especially 14

hospitality | march 2012

‘Coupled with the potential costs associated with a full hearing, business owners see offering go away money as “simply a good business decision”.’ when compared with Fair Work Australia statistics that suggest 58 per cent of successfully settled claims awarded employees with less than $4000. Importantly, Forward with Fairness promised to stop employers being pressured to settle unmeritorious or groundless unfair dismissal claims, seeking to prevent deceitful demands for ‘go away money’. However despite this promise, according to leading employment law academics Professors Anthony Forsyth and Andrew Stewart, go away money is still a feature of the unfair dismissal system under the Fair Work Act. They indicate that the general lack of access to costs orders when an employer is exonerated provides no incentive to fight unmeritorious claims, and when coupled with the potential costs associated with a full hearing (as stated above), business owners see offering go away money as ‘simply a good business decision’.

In concluding, the current Unfair Dismissal process under the Fair Work Act is complex and costly, and though the Forward with Fairness implementation plan promised a simpler, faster, fairer, unfair dismissal resolution process, it seems that the effects of groundless or unmeritorious claims are still adversely affecting employers. Restaurant and Catering Australia has lodged a submission to the Fair Work Act Review Panel seeking to increase the exemption for unfair dismissal to companies that employ less than 25 employees. Restaurant and Catering Australia will be lobbying for other significant changes to the Fair Work Act to restore the balance in workplace relations. This article was written by the Workplace Relations team at Restaurant and Catering Australia. For more information call them on 1300 878. hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Portrait of the chef Andrew McConnell.

Packing them in: McConnellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cumulus restaurant.

First baby: Andrew McConnellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cutler & Co.

hospitality | march 2012

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hospitalitychef

McConnell’s Midas touch As Melbourne’s culinary genius Andrew McConnell turned his attention to the opening of his fourth restaurant operation in Melbourne, Danielle Bowling investigates what’s at the heart of this industry leader’s magic touch when it comes to creating places diners love.

“I

’d like to think I’m still a chef, because I enjoy cooking, and it’s what motivates me more than anything. If I didn’t enjoy cooking there’d have to be an easier way to make a living, surely.” So says Andrew McConnell, the man behind one of Victoria’s, and possibly the country’s, most impressive restaurant empires comprising fine diner Cutler & Co, the more casual all day eateries Cumuls and Golden Fields, and now also the Builders Arm Hotel, which will reopen after renovations next month. McConnell could be described as a business man, an entrepreneur or at cringingly least a ‘celebrity chef’ but when push comes to shove, all McConnell wants to be known for is his cooking. Why then didn’t he stop with Cutler & Co, which he opened three years ago, rather than letting it prompt a chain of time consuming, yet hugely successful restaurant launches? For McConnell, it all comes down to the people who work for him, and fostering their careers so he can do what he loves most. “I enjoy cooking and I really enjoy the people I work with,”McConnell says. “I’ve had a lot of long term relationships in my management team and I’m really happy to see these people step up and be part of the company so we can move forward together. So that’s been key to me, but I think what I enjoy about what I do is the fact that I’m still fortunate to be able to cook a couple of days a week, because I’ve been able to work with people I trust and who have ownership over the businesses.” The Builders Arms Hotel will be the only venue where McConnell won’t have a hands-on role, however he will be involved in the fit-out and in a consultancy role helping put together the basic, but tasty menu that McConnell believes all pubs should boast. “We’re trying to avoid the tag of ‘gastropub’,” he says. “We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, we just want to do very good quality counter meals. We’ll try ageing a lot of our meats and we want to have a world-class porterhouse, that’s the key for a pub meal, hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Inside Golden Fields, style and substance.

that’s how I judge a pub, by its steak. It’s got to have a good steak or hamburger. “One thing we’re doing is putting in a wood-grilled rotisserie in the courtyard where we’ll be doing whole suckling pigs, chickens, quails and various game birds cooked over coals,” he says. “So instead of having an obligatory chicken parmigiana we’ll possibly be serving a half a free range chicken that’s been slowly cooked over Malleyroot [wood].” Being well experienced in restaurant openings, McConnell says restaurateurs don’t need to insist on offering a unique, never-seen-before experience but should focus their energies more on quality. “Niche is not the most important thing,” he says. “Quality is probably more important. I think people would rather eat something that’s good quality and of a good standard than eat something that’s new and niche and trendy but not very good. Of course at the same time people are looking for something that has

Andrew’s picks Favourite food related book? Oxford Companion to Food. Favourite restaurant? GigiBaba in Collingwood. Favourite place to shop for ingredients? Victoria Street Richmond. Favourite meal experience? Fresh seafood and champagne on any beach.

hospitality | march 2012

hospitalitychef

Andrew McConnell’s Apple confit 7SYXL %YWXVEPME GETMXEP SJ %YWXVEPMER WIEJSSH ;SVPH[MHI 7SYXL %YWXVEPME MW VIKEVHIH EW XLI GETMXEP SJ %YWXVEPME´W ½ WLMRK ERH WIEJSSH MRHYWXV] [MXL XLI WTIGXEGYPEV ERH TVMWXMRI )]VI 4IRMRWYPE ERH SXLIV ³GPIER ERH KVIIR´ VIKMSRW ;I TVSHYGI [SVPH GPEWW WIEJSSH TVSHYGXW WYGL EW 7SYXLIVR FPYI½ R XYRE EFEPSRI TVE[RW QYWWIPW QEVVSR GVE]½ WL GSGOPIW WQSOIH WEPQSR ERH S]WXIVW ERH EVI PIEHMRK WYTTPMIVW XS XLI JSSHWIVZMGI XVEHI 8S QEXGL SYV YRMUYI IRZMVSRQIRX SYV WXEXI´W WIEJSSH MRHYWXV] MW XEOMRK SR WYWXEMREFMPMX] ERH IRZMVSRQIRXEP TVEGXMWIW [MXL E JI[ RS[ GIVXM½ IH F] XLI 1EVMRI 7XI[EVHWLMT 'SYRGMP 17' 3ZIV X[IRX] 7SYXL %YWXVEPMER WIEJSSH GSQTERMIW EVI QIQFIVW SJ *SSH 7% [MXL QER] EGGIWWMRK SZIVWIEW QEVOIXW JSV TVIQMYQ I\TSVXW XLVSYKL SYV 'LMRE ERH .ETER SJ½ GIW 3YV QIQFIVW MRGPYHI %RHIVQIP 1EVVSR %RKIPEOMW &VSW %97%& %YWXVEPMER 7SYXLIVR &PYI½ R 8YRE -RHYWXV] %WWSGMEXMSR &PYI 7O] *MWLIVMIW 'SSVSRK ;MPH 7IEJSSH (SZIV *MWLIVMIW *IVKYWSR %YWXVEPME +SSP[E 4MTM ,EVZIWXIVW ,SX (SK *MWLIVMIW ,YSR %UYEGYPXYVI /ERKEVSS -WPERH +SPH /MROE[SSOE 7%*'30 %YWXVEPME 7SYXL %YWXVEPMER 3]WXIV +VS[IVW´ %WWSGMEXMSR 7SYXL %YWXVEPMER 4VE[R 'S ST 7SYXLIVR 6SGO 0SFWXIV 0MQMXIH 7SYXLIVR ;EXIVW 1EVMRI 4VSHYGXW ERH 8SR]´W 8YRE -RXIVREXMSREP 4X] 0XH (MWGSZIV QSVI EFSYX XLIWI QIQFIVW ERH XV] SYV 7% 7IEJSSH 4EIPPE VIGMTI EX [[[ JSSHWE GSQ EY

Apple confit with burnt butter ice cream & oat biscuit

Serves 10 10 apples, Granny Smith 60 ml lemon juice 1 vanilla bean/split and seeds scraped from the pod 60 ml brandy 250g sugar Zest of 1 orange 60 ml melted butter With a pastry brush, butter a terrine form with one tablespoon of soft butter (not melted). In a heavy pan melt 150g of white sugar over medium heat. When this reaches a light caramel color pour into your terrine form coating the entire base. When the caramel is cool, line the inside edges with baking paper. In a bowl whisk together the brandy, 100g sugar, lemon juice, orange zest and vanilla bean. To assemble the terrine take an apple and peel it, halve the apple, remove the core with a small knife and slice each half into 3mm slices. When the first apple is sliced, toss the slices in a small bowl with one tablespoon of the brandy sugar mix and two teaspoons of the melted butter. It is important to do this one apple at a time as it stops the apples from discoloring. After the apple slices have been tossed in the brandy sugar mix layer in the terrine form. Place the apple slices closely together, creating a snug fit. Repeat the process with the next apple, layering as you go. When you reach the top of the terrine continue to stack the apples evenly above the edge. This may reach almost 2cm above the edge of the terrine. Ensure the apple is spread evenly and doesn’t begin to form a pile in the middle of the cake. When all the apples are sliced and layered cover the apple stack with grease proof paper and foil to secure. Place in an oven at 180C for 30 minutes, reduce heat to 150C and cook for 30 minutes, remove the foil and reduce the oven temperature to 140C for a further 1.5 hours. At this stage a knife should be able to pierce the cake easily and most of the excess cooking liquid reduced/evaporated. When cooked remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. Lay a piece of greaseproof over the apple confit, then place another terrine form with a light weight of approximately one kilogram on top. The gentle weight on the confit ensures the apple fuses together as a solid cake as it cools in the fridge. When cool and well rested carefully run a knife around the edge of the cake. Submerge the cake in a sink filled with about 2cm of hot water to help soften the caramel to turn the cake out. To serve: Turn out the apple confit onto a chopping board. Slice into 2cm thick slices and transfer to serving plates. Spoon half a tablespoon of salted caramel over the slice of apple confit. Arrange a piece of oat biscuit next to the terrine and place a scoop of burnt butter ice cream on this. To get the recipes for the other elements to the Apple Confit dish that Andrew McConnell serves including the burnt butter ice cream and oat biscuits - head to our website at hospitalitymagazine.com.au

hospitality | march 2012

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hospitalitychef

a creative element but when I go out to eat I just want to be fed well. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always have to go out to be challenged or thrilled, I just want to be satisfied.â&#x20AC;? So how hard is it to continue to come up with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;satisfyingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; yet â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;creativeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; menus for different venues with different cuisines and different diner demographics? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We change dishes individually, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty much dictated by the seasons, by what produce is available through dialogue between us and the growers we work with, and the ideas we have that we would like to explore and develop. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Inspiration comes from many different places. It may come from eating somewhere. It may come from travel or reading. It might come from a mistake youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made at home. These ideas come from various places and the next step is sourcing good produce, which is a big thing for us. It directs dishes.â&#x20AC;? Being pro-active rather than reactive with food trends and seasonal produce is also a focus at McConnellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s restaurants. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We always know whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coming into season...the people who grow our vegetables deliver them, so we talk,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For example, we know that the peach season is winding down over the next three weeks so weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve started to work on the next dish thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to replace that. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And once a month we meet with our fishmonger and talk about the season, whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s available, what we should or shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be using, whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best in various states not just in local waters, and this is not just educational but beneficial for us in structuring our menu and forward planning.â&#x20AC;? Although it might make sense for McConnell to share staff across his venues, each one is run as a separate business with its own personnel. And providing

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Quality is probably more important. I think people would rather eat something thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good quality and of a good standard than eating something thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new and niche and trendy but not very good.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

training for his 150-odd member team is very important to this chef. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We like to offer career development for people who come on board and work with us. I think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really important. I want people to improve and develop and see a course for themselves. I think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also something we can offer as part of our recruitment package, as an incentive,â&#x20AC;? he says. McConnell provides both in-house and off-site training with Eldred Hospitality, which does courses on topics like food cost control, recruitment and selection, and improving profit, and sees himself as lucky that the majority of his front of house staff consider their work to be a career rather than a means to an end or a way to fund a university degree. He concedes, however, that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll always have a certain number of transitional staff members in his restaurants, but this isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily a bad thing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is probably not enough career staff to fill all the places that are required, so thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always going to be an element of part-time and casual-based waiting staff available that we have to accept,â&#x20AC;? McConnell says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The flip side to that is being a seasonal industry to a degree, we will always need to have those casual and part-time staff-

ing levels where we can staff-up and staffdown throughout the year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sure, it would be great if all 80 of our front of house staff were career, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not in a position to put them all on full time either,â&#x20AC;? he says. It is the full time, upper echelon of McConnellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staff, however, who take the reins and share his vision, allowing him to continue to open and manage such innovative and successful businesses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People speak to me about running four businesses,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been asked that question before by journalists, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve thought about it and I actually donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t run four businesses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have a management team in the business who I work with but they are in power to make decisions and rarely do I get phone calls where I have to make decisions for people. I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important that people have perimeters where they can make decisions about certain things and they can wear them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So the challenge then for me is not running four businesses, but actually having time to work with the management team and also the chefs that have come to work for and with me.â&#x20AC;? So with so much on his plate already, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d think McConnell has reach his restaurant quota, right? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enough, absolutely,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But I can never say never...â&#x20AC;?

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hospitality | march 2012

imbibe

Touch of the green Vintage? Grape? Region? Sustainability? A wine’s green credentials are becoming increasingly highlighted by many Australian producers as they adopt more environmentally friendly practices, writes Christine Salins. ed wine might be good for your health, but going green allows you to drink with a conscience. Winemaking is a thirsty business that uses precious resources to produce the drink that gives people so much pleasure. Increasingly, however, winemakers and vignerons are looking for ways to reduce their impact on the environment. Among the initiatives they are adopting are lighter and more environmentally friendly bottles and packaging, solar energy, water recycling, composting and vineyard mulching, minimising pesticide use and offsetting carbon emissions. Clare Valley producer Taylors Wines worked with Provisor, a consultancy specialising in the wine, food and beverage industries, to produce what is claimed to be the world’s first carbon-neutral wine range. The Eighty Acres range includes a Chardonnay, Shiraz Viognier, Classic Dry White and Cabernet Shiraz Merlot, retailing for around $13 to $14. Taylors hired Provisor to help it develop a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model that complies with ISO 14044, the standard required by Australian authorities for products that claim to be carbon neutral. The standard expects a product’s carbon footprint to be measured at every step in its life cycle, which in the case of wine, begins in the vineyard before harvesting and ends with the consumption, disposal and recycling of the finished packaging. To reduce its emissions, Taylors moved its Eighty Acres range into new lightweight bottles that are almost 40 per cent lighter than the bottles it was previously using. It then offset its carbon emissions through the non-profit organisation, Carbon Neutral. Taylors’ chief executive Mitchell Taylor said the company was committed to reducing its impact on the environment but recognised there was more it could do to achieve that. Other initiatives it was taking towards environmental sustainability included water recycling, composting and vineyard mulching, river regeneration and, in its head office, using energy from 100 per cent renewable sources. Taylors uses Lean+Green lightweight bottles launched in 2009 by O-I, Australia’s largest manufacturer and recycler of glass packaging. Barossa producer Peter Lehmann Wines

hospitality | march 2012

Swinging Bridge co-owner Tom Ward.

began moving its popular Art Series and Clancy’s range into the lightweight bottles in 2009, while Cheviot Bridge has also adopted them, a move that it says has reduced its energy use by 20 per cent. Deakin Estate now not only delivers a lot of bang for its buck but an environmental message as well, with a revamp that includes the new Lean+Green packaging. Its just-released 2010 Shiraz and 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, easy-drinking wines retailing for around $10, have new livery including a coloured vine motif, bold metallic trim and, on the back, a QR code that links to a tasting note. Not only are the bottles 18-21 per cent lighter than those Deakin Estate previously used, but they are narrower as well, so the carton is smaller, further reducing the weight and making them more efficient to transport. NSW producer, Cumulus Wines, will produce all of its Rolling and Climbing wines in the Lean+Green bottles this year. First off the rank is the 2011 Rolling Chardonnay, which retails for around $18 and is drinking magnificently. Winemaker Debbie Lauritz thinks it is quite possibly the best fruit they have ever produced, thanks to a cool growing season in the Central Ranges and Orange

‘It is a natural progression for us, and with the huge support from other winegrowers in the region, a relatively straight forward one.’ which led to slower ripening and a lower alcohol level. Cumulus was one of the first NSW producers to achieve full membership of Entwine, a voluntary program launched in 2009 by the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia to enable winemakers and vignerons to receive formal certification of their environmental practices. Cumulus has consistently taken steps to reduce its environmental impact, using initiatives such as a solar-powered irrigation system, composting and recycling, and computer-monitored soil testing to optimise water usage. South Australia’s Yalumba wine company has long been at the forefront of the move towards sustainable winemaking, with a brand stewardship program that includes an Environmental Management System and the Vitis program, an holistic approach to vineyard management. Continued on page 34 hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Tables set with style

Designing the look of their table settings was a labour of love, but came with some hard decisions for The Bridge Room’s Ross and Sunny Lusted.

efore diners at the Sydney dining hot spot The Bridge Room restaurant get to savour the brilliant menu of chef and owner Ross Lusted, the stylish design of the space starts whetting their appetite for the experience ahead. Ross and business partner and wife Sunny carefully planned the look and ambience of the restaurant ahead of its much anticpiated opening last August injecting their own personal style and taste to create a space that they wanted to have a very personal and “residential feel”. Playing a starring role in creating that look are the elements of the tabletops, from the ceramics carrying the food, to the army of little succulents that get rotated between the restaurant and the Lusted home if they are looking a little exhausted from the long hours on duty. As well as an acclaimed chef Ross is a sculptor and furniture maker with a passion for design and artisan craftmanship. It’s a side to him that’s strongly reflected in the

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choice of the tableware from the custommade dinner plates to the quirky dishes for holding condiments, and the cutlery. “The starting point was really choosing an aesthetic that we both related to and that we love,” said Sunny. “We feel that if you personally love something then everyone else will too. That’s within reason of course - if you are into really funky, off beat stuff then you have to be considerate of making sure it’s still really accessible to people.” The actual tables lay the foundation for the look with their tops of American oak, and works of art in themselves. All custom made in Sydney by Wizards with Wood, each tabletop is crafted from one piece of wood. They are uncovered for both lunch and dinner service but protected by charcoal coloured felt placemats. “Ross makes a lot of furniture himself and does a lot of work with wood for our house and we really love bare wooden tables so that was the starting point for us,” she says. “They are made from one plank of wood

with beautiful wide boards and have lovely rounded edges that curve under the table - they work both aesthetically and practically.” When it came to choosing the variety of tableware needed, Ross had plenty of experience up his sleeve - ahead of opening his and Sunny’s long planned restaurant he was head of food and beverage development for the exclusive Aman Resorts. It was a role that saw him heavily involved in the opening of new resorts which included responsibility for the custom designing of the restaurant tabletops. “He would be heading to the location before it was built and working out what food should be on the menu and designing a unique tabletop that related to that destination,” says Sunny, who also worked at Aman. “Everything had to be bespoke and unique, and relevant to the location so when we started developing The Bridge Room we wanted to do a similar thing.” Sunny says the couple set up a tabletop in hospitality | march 2012

Great food deserves great tableware.

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

tableware

Australia’s most recognised and respected brand in cutlery has become even more affordable. Stanley Rogers continues to live through generations providing traditional quality and classic style.

their home for several months ahead of making the final decisions. “One thing that was important with every choice was that as well as looking beautiful it had to be functional,” she says. “How does it look and feel but also how does it work, for diners and for us? Is this going to be damaged in one month’s time?” Ross designed the prototypes for the ceramics that range from the large dinner plates and bowls down to small round salt holders and dishes for condiments, and had them made for him by an Italian studio he’d worked with when he was with Aman. “There’s a range of different ones, with different textures, from the little condiment dishes to the beautiful ceramic sugar bowls and milk bowls,” says Sunny. “With [the milk bowls] we went through eight designs experimenting with the shape of the pourer and making sure it didn’t splash or dribble. And we have a really gorgeous dish that Ross designed to serve our Creme Catalan - it’s slightly Spanish inspired to reflect the dish and is ceramic but really quite fine.” Cutlery was a much considered choice, says Sunny, afterall it’s what diners are holding and eating from. It was custom-made by the acclaimed Italian company La Tavola owned by the Sambonet family. “The cutlery has a honed look - not shiny - and is really beautiful and weighty,” she says. “But there’s also a bit of softness to it.” For glassware the Lusted’s chose Schott Zwiesel stemware as well as the company’s Gentle range of glasses for spirits. Water is served in rose coloured Bribe glasses. “We have a range of sizes of wine glasses depending on the wine being served,” Sunny said. “They really are beautiful to drink from, very special. A good glass is such a part of the experience - everyone knows how different it is to drink out of a lovely fine lipped glass.” hospitalitymagazine.com.au

With a heritage of over 80 years, the superb craftsmanship and expertise has made Stanley Rogers an iconic, Australian brand proudly found in the commercial market. Bring classic, understated style to your venue with our selection of best-selling cutlery designs.

Albany®

‘How does it look and feel but also how does it work? As well as being beautiful it had to be functional.’

Baguette®

Bristol®

Clarendon®

Libra®

Light is something that can’t be ignored at The Bridge Room with its large windows ensuring sunlight floods the room during the day. At night though stylish pendant lights spotlight each table. The Coco pendant lights are from Australian designer Katie Stokes and feature turned wood combined with spun aluminium. All are on individual dimmers that means the level of lighting can be adjusted to suit each tables requests. There’s candlelight too on each table from tea lights sitting in ceramic holders also designed by Ross. “I think if you have spotlighting you almost can’t go wrong. You can have a little bit of moodiness in the restaurant but the guests can still see what they are looking at. And on a stormy day we might have the lights a little bit warmer to give the room a beautiful glow.”

Pistol Grip®

Grecian®

Cherry Hill®

Troser®

Freecall 1800 252 360 www.crowncommercial.com.au

hospitality | march 2012

tableware

Tabletalk We round up some of the latest and greatest tableware products on the market to add an injection of style and flair to impress your customers. 1 Stylish heritage. The new Royal Doulton 1815 range has a contemporary look that’s influenced by modern al fresco dining trends. The subtle looking tableware is colour dipped by hand, giving each piece an individual signature. Tapas sets and wooden items complete the range that aims to deliver a refreshing new look for tables. As well as crockery the range includes coloured glassware that’s unique and eye catching. See wwrd.com.au 2 Natural selection. The idea behind the Evolution tableware range from Dudson was to produce ceramic hospitality tableware with the lowest carbon footprint of any other on the market. The amount of carbon produced in its manufacture is 79 per cent less than that of equivalent porcelain products. It’s made using lead free ThermEco glaze and uses a once fired technology that reduces the environmental impact. It comes in sand, black and pearl. See dudson. com/evolution 3 Practical colour. Add a touch of colour to tables with the new Country Colours Collection tumbler range from Libbey

hospitality | march 2012

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tableware

The lowest carbon footprint of any ceramic hospitality tableware manufactured anywhere in the world

International Foodservice. Good looking but also practical and affordable, the range is eye catching and versatile - use them as glasses or as a candle holder. Available in five colours they have a crisp clear appearance. See philliplazarus.com.au 4 Universal design. While new looks come and go the classic cutlery designs from Stanley Rogers remain at the top of the best seller list for the hospitality industry. The company’s Baguette, with its subtle raised central spine, and the slim, tapered Albany, were launched decades ago but they continue to remain the strongest sellers in Australia, says distributor Crown Commercial. See crowncommercial.com 5 Plates with personality. Leaders in porcelain, German company Bauscher allows you to really inject some personal style with eye catching patterns created by its designers. See spyral.com.au

• Renowned strength and durability of Dudson products • Protected by 100% leadfree ThermECO glaze

6 In the round. The Enjoy range of tableware from German company Bauscher features a range of cups, saucers and plates with an appealing round shaped design. It has an international

• Lifetime edge chip warranty (conditions apply)

style that makes it suitable for everything from casual cafes to up-market restaurants. See spyral.com.au for more. 7 Limitless looks. The flying buffet Emotion range from Bauscher last year grabbed the Red Dot design award for its looks and versatility. It features five porcelain pieces with distinctive designs that set food off brilliantly. See spyral.com.au 8 Go anywhere glass. The Govino range of stemless glassware is made from a food safe 100 per cent BPA free polymer that reflects the wine’s colour and aromatics much like crystal. It’s available in three styles and is shatterproof, reusable and recyclable. See glassnomore. com.au 9 Wine with a twist. Sydney butcher, Victor Churchill, has collaborated with Riedel to produce this free blown limited edition decanter with its quirky design featuring a shape like a pig’s tail in pink crystal. It’s designed by Georg Riedel in collaboration with Victor Churchill’s Anthony Puharich. the man behind Victor Churchill. See victorchurchill.com

*79% less carbon than that produced in the manufacture of an equivalent porcelain product – independent research carried out by Endeka Ceramics Ltd

Dudson International 5 Bradford Street, Alexandria NSW, Australia 2015 Tel: 02 9317 3706 Fax: 02 9317 2150

Discover the story for yourself at www.dudson.com/evolution 26

hospitality | march 2012

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Wakey, wakey for breakfast Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day but not all are created equal. Danielle Bowling spoke to chefs who are winning loyal followers with their early morning offerings. Mattt Wilkins Mat l inson’ on’’s bbake akedd bean eanss rate with breakfast diners.

re you a lover or a hater of the Big Breakfast? Do you cringe or drool at the sight of mounds of bacon, toast and mushrooms accompanied by two googy eggs with plenty of crispy hashbrowns? Regardless of your degree of gluttony, the classic breakfast dish is still a top seller at many foodservice venues across the country. But there’s plenty more on offer with clever chefs and restaurateurs thinking outside the square when it comes to the first meal of the day. Perth’s The Beaufort Street Merchant last year was named best breakfast restaurant in the Savour Australia Restaurant and Catering’s Awards for hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Excellence. With a breakfast waiting list on most mornings and more than 300 covers turned over on weekends, owner Angie Taylor says breakfast is a huge focus, and while she’s not too happy about it, the big breakfast is a big favourite. “The big breakfast is still around, unfortunately,” Taylor says. “It can’t go. We call ours the Big Belly Breakfast”. Taylor’s two pet hates in the industry are venues that claim to have fresh juice when in fact it’s not squeezed on-site, and also breakfast menus that are egg dominant. “We try and run 50 per cent of our breakfast menu as non-egg related,” she says. “Our new breakfast menu has a baked ricotta dish on it, which is

baked ricotta with a potato through it and then it’s got vine-ripened tomatoes, rosemary mushrooms and it’s served with ciabatta. Those sorts of things tend to be popular with us. We’ve always tried to have those options available.” The Beaufort Street Merchant also offers bircher muesli in summer with passionfruit, fresh wholegrains and almonds, porridge in the winter, and a chocolate and banana bread that Taylor says is “world famous...if we take that off we’re in trouble.” Move east and at Pope Joan in Victoria’s Brunswick East, having an egg dominant menu is one of the only criticisms chef Matt Wilkinson receives, but to him, that’s what breakfast is all about. Having said that though, one of hospitality | march 2012

breakfast

Pope Joan’s best selling breakfast dishes is Wilkinson’s creamed rice pudding with seasonal fruit, which about 40 diners a day order. He serves it with different fresh fruits such as blueberries, mango, strawberries and rhubarb. Wilkinson prides himself on having a “quirky” breakfast offering inspired by his English heritage with dishes that include traditional English gammon with two fried eggs and a pineapple chutney and black pudding with crumbed, fried coddled egg and an anchovy salad. “I’ve put a new dish on, it’s black pudding and pig’s ear with a green tomato and apple compote with sauce gribiche, a salad and poached egg,” he says. “It’s amazing how much of that sells.” “Another dish that sells crazily is one that I had on at Circa [Circa the Prince, St Kilda] and it’s a smoked tomato aioli with shaved raw zucchini that’s been salted, falafal and poached egg and it gets a pine nut salad over the top. That’s delicious. We probably sell about 150 to 200 over the weekend.” With so many different breakfast spots around the country, Wilkinson says Pope Joan’s point of difference, other than its

Breakfast bites Tip Top Foodservice is one foodservice supplier that knows about breakfast. Hospitality magazine spoke to Tip Top’s national account manager, Darren O’Brien, also a chef and pastry chef, about trends he’s noticing. Here’s what he reported. 1 Every hospitality group, from hotels to QSR franchises and cafes are focusing on breakfast as a growth market. 2 Speed, familiarity, price point and ease are the most important factors when people are buying breakfast during the working week. They don’t want to wait, the food must be easy to eat and hold and it should be something familiar to them. On the weekends people are more experimental and willing to try new menu items.

4 Hotels and cafe chains are increasingly buying in ready-made products. For example, venues are buying packets of pancakes which include two to three serves each, allowing the venue to save on labour and time.

6 Breakfast used to be all about ‘I’m coming in to fill my gut’ but now it’s “I’m coming in for a dining experience”.

hospitality | march 2012

Pope Joan

3 Venues are moving towards breakfast packages like coffee with raisin toast, or coffee and a muffin.

5 At the same time, hotels and cafes are moving towards more “indulgent” ingredients. Where they used to order in standard white or brown breads, they’re now preferring gourmet styles like turkish bread and ciabatta.

On the menu at Beaufort Street Merchant.

Creamed rice pudding at

‘Really it should be on the menu for $13 but I’ve only got it on for $7, so it’s better not to sell sides.’

English-inspired left of centre dishes, is that sides aren’t really a menu feature. He makes his own baked beans but only recently put a few other sides on the menu. He says ingredients like good salmon and bacon are expensive for restaurateurs, but diners expect them to be affordable addons to their main breakfast dish, making sides a costly investment, for everyone. “I’ve only just put on bacon, sausages and smoked salmon,” Wilkinson says. “But a side of bacon is $6 and you get two rashers. I used Regal smoked salmon from New Zealand and it’s beautiful, but it costs me $45 a kilo so 100 grams is $4.50 at cost, and I serve 100 grams on a plate as a side. Really it should be on the menu for $13 but I’ve only got it on for $7, so it’s better not to sell sides. The food costs just don’t add up.”

SERVICE SELLS Wilkinson says there are three things a cafe needs to get right for breakfast to ensure its diners keep coming back, and at the top of the list is service. “The three most important elements are service with a smile - that welcoming that’s at the top, then comes the food, and the coffee, but the aesthetics and feel of the place comes before the food,” he says. “In the hospitality world, the food can be average but if the service is very good and there are smiles then it’ll be busy.” At Rigoni’s in Adelaide, the clientele is largely corporate with the bistro only open Monday to Friday, and a lot of business people either popping in for a quick bite before work or killing two birds with one stone by conducting work meetings over breakfast and a coffee. Tony Bailey, head chef, says breakfast diners are more critical than those at other meal occasions, especially when they’re in hospitalitymagazine.com.au

breakfast

Matt Wilkinson’s Baked Beans The FIA continues to raise the bar for the foodservice industry and connects people to allow for business and social events. The FIA has expanded its membership and has over 150 companies involved in the foodservice industry. In 2012, the FIA has focused on expansion into other states to work with local organisations and to offer value to our existing members with a range of events to cater to all levels of the industry. Café N Chat events have proven to be fantastic networking opportunities for B2B discussions, meeting new contacts and working with each other. These events are hosted in Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart and Launceston. Foodservice Forums - One of the most popular activities with special guests speakers and interesting topics that add value to the industry knowledge or simply inspire us to grow as people. Forums have been held in Melbourne, Sydney, Tasmania and now to Queensland.

Foodservice Training – a FS specific training program to assist Sales Managers, Account Managers, Sales Representatives and also Tele-Sales. With highly qualified trainers that have extensive knowledge in the market place, these courses will fill a great niche in our industry. Member Only White Papers – we value the research being done by our universities & other organisations to understand more about our industry and the sustainability of business models at all levels. We will share these reports with the FIA members. Executive Roundtables – these are held with leaders in the industry discussing pertinent issues of the day and also include guest speakers. Community – special events are arranged to support a range of charities. Membership is open to all companies working in the foodservice sector.

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

hospitality | march 2012

a hurry, so it’s important for service at Rigoni’s to be fast but also very friendly. Part of good service is catering to people’s requests and getting their orders right every time, he says. “Breakfast is one of those meals that people are the fussiest about. They’re very fussy about what they want and they want it exactly the same every time. We’ve got people that come in and want Vegemite on toast every morning. They sit at the bar, have their Vegemite on toast with their coffee, they read the paper then they go to work.” While many corporates want the same, simple breakfast day in day out, others don’t and Bailey can often be surprised by the dishes that sell well during breakfast hours. “We have eggs Napoli which is poached eggs in Napoli sauce so we boil the Napoli sauce, put the eggs in, poach them in that and it gets served with basil pesto, mozzarella and toasted ciabatta, and that’s really popular summer or winter,” he says. “I would have thought it would just be a winter dish but we actually tried to take it off for summer and people complained.” “We [also] did smoked trout crepes for breakfast at one stage with watercress, horseradish and asparagus and we did it with pesto and a salad and I didn’t think it would sell but it flew.”

HUNTER HIGHS In the picturesque Hunter Valley, head chef at Restaurant Cuvee in Petersons Champagne House, Chad Pridue has noticed two interesting trends in how people are enjoying breakfast these days. The first is a spike in the number

Serves 6 150ml olive oil 1 white onion, sliced 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp fine sea salt 1 tsp ground allspice 1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground turmeric 2 tablespoons tomato paste (concentrated purée) 100g sugar (any type) 235ml red wine vinegar 2 x 400g tins crushed tomatoes 1 tin of water (use an empty tomato tin) 750g cooked white beans Heat the olive oil in a saucepan (measuring at least 26 cm/10.5 inches in diameter by 10 0 cm/4 inches deep) over medium heat. Add the onion and gently sweat. Once the onion n has started to go translucent, add all the spices and cook out for 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook out for 3 minutes. Add the sugar and vinegar and reduce by one-third or until sticky. Add the tomatoes and water and bring to the boil. Continue to cook for Recipe and images from Mr five minutes on full heat, stirring Wilkinson’s Favourite Vegetables continuously. published by Murdoch Books. Turn the heat back down to medium, add the beans and cook until the beans have started to absorb the tomato and flavours of the sauce, about 15–25 minutes.

of people requesting gluten free ingredients, either because they are gluten intolerant or simply because that’s what they prefer. While this can add another level of stress on the kitchen staff, it must be carefully managed, Pridue says. “If there is a food allergy we have to be so careful with it,” he says. “So we can’t actually offer hashbrowns - what we do is offer them on the side and just let them know that it is cooked in the fryer and there’s been flour in the fryer prior to that. You can’t cook anything on the flat top because we cook all our toast on it, so you’ve got to have special pans for all the gluten free, special tongs and all that sort of stuff. It’s a big task to make sure that your gluten free products do go out as gluten free.” Overlooking the vineyards, one of Restaurant Cuvee’s most popular breakfast dishes is its ‘Magnum’ which is made up of bacon, free range eggs, sausages, grilled tomato, hashbrown and thick cut toast. The picturesque venue also offers classics like pancakes and

eggs benedict, but according to Pridue one of the most popular offerings is the Champagne Breakfast, which comes with eggs, bacon, mushrooms, spinach, tomato, hashbrown, toast, chocolates and a glass of sparkling. Since 1995 Peterson House has been producing sparkling wines so having a little bubble with breaky is often too hard to resist at Restaurant Cuvee, not only for the relaxed diners who’ve just rolled out of bed, but also for the more adventurous holidaymakers. “We have hot air balloons go up and then come back for breakfast every morning and have a champagne breakfast,” Pridue says. “When the balloons come down they all have a glass of wine because it’s a celebration of the flight, but a lot of people [also] have a glass or a bottle of pink blush or cuvee. I suppose because you’re in the wineries a lot of people do feel that ‘You know what? I don’t do it every day so when I’m here I’m going to have a nice glass of sparkling wine.’” hospitalitymagazine.com.au

management

The staff challenge Finding good staff and then keeping them is one of the key challenges

The HMDA is the professional development arm of the Club Managers’ Association Australia (CMAA) serving management in the wider Hospitality Industry

for hospitality operators. Read on for Ken Burgin’s tips.

IT’S JUST too hard - staff with attitude, no shows, and abrupt departures without notice! How can you run a successful business faced with the reality of unreliable and transient employees? Add to this spiralling wage costs due to increasing penalty rates, lack of training or career opportunities, a highly competitive market place and you have a potent recipe for disaster. Recruiting and retaining good staff is one of the biggest challenges to success, as any hospitality business operator knows. Unless, that is, you have a sound strategy in place to manage the HR side of your operation. One person who has focused without deviation on successful staff recruitment and retention, and built a thriving business as a result is Jean Francois Celerier. Jean Francois, or JF, as he is known to the 170 past and present employees of the iconic Nathania Springs reception centre in Melbourne’s Dandenong Ranges has a good formula. JF has no doubt about what has contributed most to his business success; loyal and happy part-time employees, who are anything but part-time in their commitment and ‘stickability’. “HR management must work hand in hand with the operational side of the business,” he said. “Marketing is linked very closely with HR – from the time I opened the doors more than a decade ago, it took me three years to build the business and staffing to an acceptable level. “While food costing is very important, at Nathania Springs it takes second place to human resources. People are what costs a business most and what will also make you the highest profit. At the end of the day food costs are far easier to control than people costs.” With just two full time staff - an apprentice chef and head chef Paul Smith - maintaining staffing levels for a business hosting a minimum 150 weddings a year is a challenge. And weddings, particularly in the Dandenongs, are very seasonal. Very competitive pricing during the winter months ensures regular work for the staff, even if profit margins are reduced down to break-even. hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Better this than the very high cost of finding and training new people when the busy season starts each year (and everyone else is recruiting). According to Jason Deacon, who started working for JF as a waiter in 2004 and finished up building and managing the award-winning Nathania Springs website, JF’s secret to retaining his staff – averaging 35 year round – is by tapping into the talents of the team. JF makes use of their interests and professional skills. Bored staff can become disruptive, less productive or leave (as every operator knows). Six of Nathania Springs’ team Emily Deacon, Matt Hillman, Rachael Sinclair, Megan Fleming, Kyle Pasalskyj and Tim Werner started setting up the room, cleaning the yard or washing dishes and are now event managers or supervisors and contribute significantly to winning forward sales. Others like Zoe Eley or Jemma Radocaj get involved in interesting spin offs such as candid photography for weddings. Daniel Jackson, who started at Nathania Springs ten years ago as a dishwasher, manages property maintenance and OH&S… and shows off dancing with Emily. A most accomplished all-rounder is Julian Brennan who writes code for the website and turns his hand to bartending, DJ services or candid photography service when he is not a waiter, a headwaiter or even still, on odd occasion, the dishwasher. Starting as a 15-year-old, Rob Pitcher (now 24) is now completing a Masters in Economics, but still appears regularly as a maintenance relief, a dishwasher, a kitchenhand or bartender. “You need to be committed and relatively confident that you have chosen the right person for the job and culture of your business,” JF said. “The actual cost of training and re-hiring is 13 shifts before a new staff member achieves Level 1 or in other words, is fully functioning.” There are many ways in which JF looks after his staff – a long standing practice. As food and beverage manager at the Brussels Hilton Hotel in another life, some of the team reporting to him earned more than he did when the service charge was distributed. He saw the value of rewards and recognition for all staff, and actively puts this into practice now. * On April 24 Hospitality magazine readers will have the opportunity to discover first-hand how JF manages to retain part-time staff on average for at least 2.5 years. JF Celerier will present for the first time a FREE hour long Recruitment and Retention Webinar with Ken Burgin, specially for Hospitality readers. Ken Burgin is a leading hospitality industry consultant. To find out more visit profitablehospitality.com or call 1800 001 353

‘I have benefited both personally and professionally in my career through education and training. HMDA offers all managers that same opportunity’ Ralph Kober Executive Officer

DID YOU KNOW?.... If you are a Chef, a F&B or Catering Manager, a Hotel Manager or a manager within a hospitality venue you are eligible to join Australia’s premier hospitality management association, the CMAA, & take advantage of a range of education opportunities, representation, and networking with similar professionals. Go to www.cmaa.asn.au to find out more.

MAY Wedding & Events Management Summit May 22-23 Online Marketing Competition 2012 May 22 (launch)

JUNE 2-Day Chefs Hands-On Workshop June 5-6

JULY Food & Beverage Workshop July 25 OR Webinar Series July 25 (start) - September 5

AUGUST ADVANCED Online Marketing Workshop August 8 OR Webinar Series August 8 (start) - September 27

SEPTEMBER Sales & Marketing Summit September 19-20 Go to www.cmaa.asn.au and click on the CMDA tile.

THE CMAA GROWS THE PEOPLE WHO GROW YOUR BUSINESS For further information: Ph: 02 97464199 E: training@cmaa.asn.au W: www.cmaa.asn.au

hospitality | march 2012

management/comment

doctorhospitality Our restaurant training budget has been cut, despite the great results. How do I fight this short-sighted policy? What training results does your owner actually want, and how they will be measured? She’ll be anxious about the time taken by training and the need to release people. Does she want whole areas eliminated, or everything done in less depth? You may have to run activities in smaller chunks, during shifts, or train supervisors to do some of the coaching. Use suppliers – they have resources and are often keen to help. There are also subsidies for certificate courses, which always appeal to owners. When training is treated like this, it’s a reminder to keep showing management the very real ROI you produce. I’m in deep trouble with my wife because I cancelled a 10 day holiday – we are so short-staffed that I can’t leave. Help! The rollercoaster ride is what you both signed up for when you started the business – if you’re spending most of the time at the bottom of the slope, it may be time to think about another business. The plus side is you have the freedom of running your own show, but if profits aren’t there, you can’t afford a good team to operate it while you take a break. This is a ‘tap on the shoulder’ to think about future directions. Our new chef is doing a great job, but I don’t think he’s properly qualified. Does it matter? Usually a qualified chef is proud to show their ticket, so possibly he only did part of a course but didn’t finish. He can request a copy of his qualifications from the TAFE he attended. If this is about being paid for qualifications that are not held, it’s worth pursuing. The alternative is to find one of the many on-the-job courses available to help him complete his qualifications, gaining you respect, appreciation and a more skilled worker. I want a fresh look for summer uniforms, but it needs to be cheap. What’s the latest at cafes these days? It also needs to be cool, very washable and ideally noniron - and still look good if thrown into the wash with new jeans. Bars and pubs lead the way with modern uniforms. Check uniform catalogues and talk to several of your suppliers about sponsorship. Your name should be in the top spot, but there are sleeves and backs that could show their logo. The alternative is a funky t-shirt, with a different colour version you can also sell as a souvenir. Another day, another new alcohol product - should I bother with these trends in our country pub? What appeals to the demographic you serve, not just the staff, or the crusty regulars, but the customer segment you want to attract? It’s easy to be swamped with alcohol brands, but they can be organised as your ‘cool brand of the month’ or as part of a monthly cocktail special. City and country people watch the same TV and read most of the same magazines, so it’s good to hitch onto these campaigns. But use the promotion for your ends. Do you have a burning question for the good doctor? Email it to him via the editor Rosemary Ryan at rosemary.ryan@reedbusiness.com.au

hospitality | march 2012

The slow night blues A slow night in the hospitality game can be a depressing thing for everyone but don’t forget to give the customers you do have the best service possible, writes Tony Berry.

‘Avoid the trap of being so pleased to see them that too much time is spent chatting and displaying the friendliness that is their due.’

AS SLIM DUSTY reminds us when he sings the Gordon Parsons adaptation of Dan Sheahan’s poem “there’s-a nothing so lonesome, morbid or drear than to stand in the bar of a pub with no beer”. That may be so. Running in a close second in the dreariness stakes, however, must surely be almost any of our thousands of suburban restaurants on your average Thursday night. To gaze upon such places is more often than not to view a forlorn and sad scene about as cheerless as Sydney airport after the last flight has flown. It is an expanse of emptiness; a still life of tables, chairs and place settings devoid of any human being apart from a couple of languid would-be hosts hoping against hope that someone, anyone, will walk through the door and ask to be seated. In such an unlikely event they would snap to attention and spring into action quicker than a couple of SAS squaddies. On a really good Thursday night you might be fortunate to espy the presence of diners at maybe two – but certainly not more than three – of the tables. Inevitably they will be couples, mute and slumped in their chairs, numbed by the surrounding atmosphere in which even a whisper sounds like a shout. They would rather be anywhere else than seated in this mausoleum convinced that any dish put before them must be a rushed or reheated concoction necessitated by their unexpected presence. But it is a special day – the anniversary of a birth, marriage, engagement or divorce, the celebration of an achievement or the consolation for a disappointment or setback. And the deed had to be done on dreary Thursday rather than much livelier Wednesday, Friday or Saturday. These are nights that every restaurateur must live with and dread. Operators need to console themselves that they are not indicative of falling business or poor marketing but merely a fact of life. No amount of special deals, discount offers or two-for-ones will dig them out of the Thursday trough. The answer, in modern parlance, is “get over it”. Accept it. The answer also lies in how you get over it; how you dispel the gloom and turn a negative into a positive. As one who has often been compelled by circumstance to dine out on many a dreary Thursday I have seen the pervading gloom as both conqueror and conquered. It is on such occasions that the ever-important aspects of service and ambience become paramount and the food is almost secondary. The meet and greet has to strike a perfect balance with no signs of relief at gaining a customer nor any apology for the lack of other diners. Rather than use the old trick of guiding them into a window table in the hope of luring other punters, give them the choice of seating. After all, you have plenty to spare and can afford to be generous. Beware of rushing the process of handing out menus, offering drinks and bringing glasses of water. Pace it. Operate as if the restaurant is close to capacity yet pay them all the attention two lone diners would expect. Avoid the trap of being so pleased to see them that too much time is spent chatting and displaying the friendliness that is their due. They are a couple, not a threesome. 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

1 Revolutionising the revolutionary. Comcater and Rational Australia the inventors of the combi-steamer - have launched the long awaited new SelfCooking Centre Whitefficiency to the Australian foodservice market. The new range promises to deliver yet another milestone in the development of thermal cooking appliances combining greater efficiency and simplicity to minimise kitchen management resources such as time, labour and energy. The SelfCookingCenter Whitefficiency features up to 30 per cent greater load plus guaranteed food quality and 20 per cent reduction in consumption of resources. Get more at comcater.com.au 2 Tea like coffee but healthier. The company behind the new product Red Espresso markets it as “tea that plays by coffee’s rules”. First pioneered in South Africa it combines the sophistication of coffee with the healthful attributes of Rooibos tea. Naturally caffeinefree, Red Espresso is made from

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

the high quality Rooibos tea leaves and ground to a patented espresso grind so that, when expressed in an espresso machine, it delivers a rich, smooth shot of Rooibos tea espresso – complete with crema – that is not only concentrated in taste and flavour but in health benefits too. One shot of Red Espresso is equivalent to drinking five cups of green tea in terms of its antioxidant properties. See redespresso.com 3 Winter calls for gluhwein. As the weather starts to cool the range of products from Australian-owned company Pichlers Tiroler Gluhwen are gearing up for a busy season. With delicate hints of cinnamon Pichlers’ syrups are designed to be added to red wine and water to create a traditional tasting gluhwein to serve. One bottle makes 4.5 litres of gluhwein. Or you can use Pichlers range of “brew bags” to make individual serves. See pichler.com.au 4 Back in the flesh. Foodservice operators can now put McCain’s

Cream Flesh Fries back on their menus with the product returning to the market after production had to stop temporarily last November. The fries are made from the Innovator variety of potato which is exclusive to McCain, but a lower crop yield due to the January 2011 floods meant the company had to cease production. But now that new crops have matured, production is starting up again and McCain Cream Flesh Fries in both 10mm and 13mm Straight Cut are again available. Par-fried in 100 per cent vegetable oil, McCain Cream Flesh Fries will fry quickly from frozen and suit a wide variety of menus – making them an ideal choice for takeaways, restaurants, clubs and pub bistros seeking a premium quality fry. For more see mccain. com.au 5 A well priced Scot. The new Legendary Scot blended Scotch whisky embodies the character of the best malts in Scotland, but at a very affordable price point. This well

rounded, flavoursome scotch is the result of carefully selected malt and grain whiskies, expertly blended and botted at the Tomatin distillery, Inverness, Scotland. Smooth and well-rounded on the palate, Legendary Scot has prominent malt on the nose and subtle fruit notes including apple, with a light, smoky finish. See purebeverages.com.au 6 New from Convotherm. Moffat’s new range of user friendly Convotherm easyToUCH combi steamers is expected to be in hot demand. It’s easy touch functionality and other new features are the result of years of research and testing to ensure it meets the demands of today’s chefs. The system has been developed around a colour touchscreen, with an easy to use interface offering an unlimited number of cooking or baking programs that can be set. As well the oven’s Easy Eco cooking system can deliver a 25 per cent saving in energy because of its outstanding heat retention. Head to moffat.com.au for more.

hospitality | march 2012

management

hospitalitydiary APRIL 9-12 Hotelex Shanghai; Shanghai. One of China’s leading exhibitions for the hospitality industry, Hotelex Shanghai sets new records each year for attendance and exhibitors. This year’s show will feature more than 1100 exhibitors supplying to the hospitality industry, and is expected to attract 48000 visitors over the four day event. As well there’s a packed program of culinary and

barista competitions and seminars to catch. Get all the details at hotelex.cn

the Global Pizza Challenge. Head to foodserviceaustralia.com.au

new event showcasing artisan food and drink directly to the hospitality industry. See more at specialityfoodanddrinkfair.com.au

AUGUST MAY 27-29 Foodservice Australia; Royal Hall of Industries, Sydney. Don’t miss out on this major trade event for the hospitality industry. Along with exhibitors there’s a full seminar progam, the running of CHEF 2012 and the world finals of

Touch of the green Continued from page 20 Dr Cecil Camilleri is employed specifically to manage Yalumba’s Sustainable Wine Programs. Not only has South Australia’s Banrock Station invested an enormous amount of resources in restoring the wetlands around its Riverland vineyards, but the winery has also supported a broader cause by donating to environmental projects around the globe. It was also quick to adopt the lightweight glass bottles. As well as individual wine companies doing their bit for the environment, some wine regions are taking a regional approach. The Cowra Regional Vineyards Association has completed the first phase of its Sustainable

6-7 Lunch!; Royal Hall of Industries. Sydney. A new trade event for Australia aimed at the growing quality lunchtime food-to-go market. Find out more at divexhibitions.com.au 27-28 Speciality Food & Drink Fair; Sydney Convention Centre. This is a

Wine Partnership and president Jason O”Dea says they are pleased with its success. The partnership includes groups such as the Winemakers Federation, The Lachlan Catchment Management Authority, Charles Sturt University and the Cowra Shire Council. Green waste, previously viewed as a problem by the council, has been provided to vineyards, allowing them to save water and reduce their chemical use. Since 2005, there has been a 30 per cent reduction in the quantity of spray used on Cowra and Canowindra vineyards, and a 50 per cent decrease in the number of different sprays used. The region has seen a widespread move towards organic practices, with Wallington Wines the latest to gain organic accreditation. Swinging Bridge is set to gain accreditation this year. “It is a natural progression for us, and with

SEPTEMBER 10-13 Fine Food Australia; Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Australia’s largest hospitality trade event is on again, this year in Melbourne. For details head to finefoodaustralia.com.au

the huge support from other winegrowers in the region, a relatively straight forward one,” said Swinging Bridge co-owner Tom Ward. “There is a great deal of knowledge on biodynamic and organic practices in the area and everyone is eager to share their experience and show where grape quality has been increased.” Other projects being undertaken in the Cowra region include salinity measurement, tree planting and the development of a community compost facility. Whether it be at a company level or a regional level, it is clear that steps need to be taken to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint. Like other industries, the wine industry is expected to show its environmental credentials. Retailers, restaurants and consumers can all play a part by supporting producers who are doing their bit for the environment.

P R O D U C T S 34

hospitality | march 2012

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

hospitalityjobs To see the latest jobs available visit www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au, which is updated

CASUAL QUALIFIED CHEF Location – Gold Coast Company – Southport Workers Community Club Description: The Southport Workers Community Club is currently looking for a casual qualified chef. The successful applicant will have experience in the front line grill and in production in a large volume establishment. If you feel you are the right person for this exciting position please email us. To apply visit hospitalitymagazine. com.au or email chef@southportworkers.com.au DEMI CHEF AND COMMIS CHEF POSITIONS Location – Melbourne Company – Langham Hotel, Melbourne Description: The Langham Melbourne is renowned for quality, timeless luxury and genuine service. Featuring 387 elegantly appointed guest rooms and suites, dining, meeting and function facilities, and the lavish haven - Chuan Spa, the Langham Melbourne reflects Langham Hotel International’s philosophy of elegance in design, innovation in hospitality, genuine service and captivation of the senses creating a uniquely enchanting experience. We are currently looking for enthusiastic and motivated staff to fill the following positions: 1 x commis chef – pastry and 1 x demi chef - pastry. If you meet the criteria and want to work in one of Melbourne’s premier hotel, then apply now! To apply for this role visit hospitalitymagazine.com.au CHEF DE PARTIE - BRAND NEW 4 STAR HOTEL AUCKLAND AIRPORT Location – Queensland Company – Sudima Auckland Description: Sudima Hotel Auckland Airport is the latest addition to Sudima Hotels New Zealand. Just minutes from the airport it is a 153 room four star property which will take Sudima Hotels to the next level. Be a part of a hospitality leader who seeks professionals who strive to ‘shine’ in the industry. hospitalitymagazine.com.au

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

Under the guidance of a professional executive chef you will be performing the real arts and techniques of culinary on earth to perfection. To apply for this role please visit hospitalitymagazine.com.au CHEF D’PARTIE & PASTRY CHEFS - THE HERITAGE BRASSERIE, BAR & BOARDROOM Location – Perth Company – Private advertiser Description: The Heritage Brasserie, Bar & Boardroom is based on the grand cafe’s of Europe and due to open in the Royal Insurance building of St Georges Terrace in April 2012 as part of the C2 complex. With previous experience within a similar high volume, brasserie style restaurant, the successful applicants will be looking to expand their skills by managing sections and developing their teams. If you show a passion for food and an enthusiasm to work in the industry you will benefit from support and guidance from our highly professional senior kitchen management team. It is imperative that you are a team player with a cool head, an ability to work quickly and cleanly under pressure and are able to cope with high volume kitchen production. To apply for this role visit hospitalitymagazine.com.au SOUS CHEF - BLUE MOUNTAINS & CENTRAL WEST Location – Orange Company – Lolli Redini restaurant Description: Experienced chef required to join small passionate, family-run business in regional NSW. Restaurant is ten years established with a strong commitment to serving French and Italian influenced food using mostly local produce. We have a team of six in kitchen plus kitchen hands running six nights and one lunch shift. We need a capable, intelligent and mature chef with a professional ethos and commitment to assisting management in maintaining strict kitchen discipline. Will be running kitchen in chefs

absence (two to three nights per week)-pass section. Remaining shifts will be on pans/stoves section. Need to be able to do pastry and larder on odd occasions and be able to supervise these sections in terms of directing junior staff when they are having difficulties. Only serious and passionate chefs need apply as this is a job where commitment to the role is paramount. Previous experience in hatted restaurants preferred unless you have exceptional talent and need a more challenging role. To apply for this role visit hospitalitymagazine.com.au SOUS CHEF - LUXURY PRODUCT IN REGIONAL NSW Location – NSW Company – AA Appointments Description: Our client, a luxury product catering to the rich and famous is searching for a talented and ambitious sous chef to join their award winning brigade. Working closely with the executive chef you will work in various sections of the 5 star kitchen, assist with menu design, manage and mentor junior staff, ordering and stock take while ensuring outstanding brand standards are delivered every meal. If you fit the above requirements and looking to join one of Australia’s most exclusive hotels then we want to hear from you. To apply for this role visit hospitalitymagazine.com.au HEAD CHEF Location – Darwin Company – MD Hospitality Description: Are you looking for a different kind of job? We’re a different kind of company seeking someone who is passionate about cooking and has experience with Mexican cuisine. The ideal person lives, breathes, and eats with enthusiasm! Ours is a unique venue which you will be both challenged by and enjoy at the same time. If this sounds like you please forward your resume and cover letter. To apply for this role visit hospitalitymagazine.com.au

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hospitality | march 2012

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