espresso November 2012 by mediaweb

o s s e r se p

www.espressomagazine.co.nz | November 2012 | Volume 01 | Issue 07

e r u t l u c é f ca & d o o f t fas

Don’t forget to wipe your top lip Moustache – Page 24

The heart of the affair page 20 Summer drinks page 22

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single serve take away tubs for customers on the go, with a spoon under the lid

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editorial

lture & café cu fast food

look at cafés and other food providers in a whole new light, of course, now that I am editor of a food magazine. This is a whole new industry for me having previously only written about food in the context of restaurant reviews for a lifestyle magazine or as a brief description in a side bar when I wrote travel stories. Now, as well as hugely upping my coffee intake, I find myself observing every aspect of a food business. I pay a lot more attention to the cabinet and now check out the availability and presentation of items I don’t choose for myself; I find myself noticing the dust and dirt in lazily swept corners; I am somehow less tolerant of excessive kitchen and coffee making noises; more interested in the type and age of the magazines offered; and more critical of service. Service is one of those things that we complain bitterly about when it is bad – although mostly doing nothing about it – and never applause when it is good. But it is a critical element in the success of any business in any sector and we should protest when it is bad and we should comment on it when it is good. I find myself half-way at a local café. The coffee is variable, never bad but not always that great, and the table service is not that sharp. The noise from the kitchen is horrific at times but there is only one other café that is nearby and the coffee there has never been to my liking. So, for want of a better option this is the café I patronize in this suburb. Not really much to recommend – it is a reasonable

jobbing café. But the staff is so darn nice. Their affable and polite approach goes a long way in redeeming the sometimes mediocre coffee. Oh well, I smile to myself, as some sweetly awkward youth puts the coffee down with his version of a flourish. I forgive him the coffee because he gives me that goofy grin like a puppy waiting for praise. The staff changes fairly often – they are of that student-needing-a-part-time-job age – so I guess the owner feels there is not much point in training them properly if they are only going to leave. But I wondered if they would leave so readily if they were formally trained? If a bit of serious direction might make them more serious about the job, increase their pride in their work and see that sort of work as a viable option? The owner obviously has the knack of choosing personable and courteous staff – what a shame he doesn’t develop their service skills. Jane Warwick, Editor editor@espressomagazine.co.nz

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contents

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3-9 News 10

café culture

MONIN Barista of the month – Espresso Café Aarron Jiang loves his job at Espresso Café in the Auckland Suburb of St Lukes. So does his boss, Wendy Zhou who thought long and hard before she bought the café.

Café of the month – Verdict 12 The defunct North Shore District Court now echoes with the sound of the coffee tamper, not the rap of the gavel as Wazim Shah gives new life to one of the old courtrooms.

A super fruit for a super cabinet 14 The New Zealand avocado season is now underway and every

café and bakery owner should be aware of the versatility of this remarkable fruit and how it can spice up the cabinet.

Jumbo price for coffee 15 What do coffee and elephants have in common? More than you could possible imagine.

The heart of the affair 20 Sometimes life throws you a curve ball. If you’re lucky you find it’s

dipped in chocolate. Stu Jordan’s redundancy turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him.

fast foods

Don’t forget to wipe your top lip 24 One of the strongest memories of childhood is a delicious glass of

cold milk and a hot cookie straight out of the oven. Deanna Yang is making sure it’s not just a memory and Olivia Hadlow and Aston Wainhouse are more than keen to investigate.

pizza pasta

Pasta of the month – Pasta Mia It’s a long way from Bologna to Taupo but Michelle and Angelo Tredicucci have figuratively narrowed the gap by setting up a successful artisan pasta-making business based on authentic Italian recipes from Antonio’s grandmother. Pizza of the month – Domino’s pizza chef If you only ever download one app, make sure it is this one. Domino Pizza’s new Pizza Chef app brings takeaway pizza to a whole new level.

chit chat

How to improve profit and cash flow 31 Sue Hurst discusses the seven key financial drivers of profit and cash flow.

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Market place/Events

FEATURES Summer drinks – A long tall glass of summer There’s nothing like pouring a cool drink down a hot and thirsty summer throat. We seek out this summer’s new and best beverages to complement and enhance your fridge.

26 Refrigeration and display cabinets – Keeping it cool

20 2

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in summer Sue Fea checks out the latest in refrigeration and reminds you of the health obligations in regards to chilling your cabinet.

Training – You’re only as good as your staff 28 Kathy Ombler talks to café owners about staff training. | November 2012

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2012 Huhtamaki New Zealand Coffee Awards – Winners List Huhtamaki NZ Supreme Coffee Award: Vivace (Christchurch) for its Vivace F/T Blend Huhtamaki Best Espresso – Gold: Kreem (Auckland). Silver: Karamu (Hawke’s Bay), Roma (Auckland), Essenza (Morrinsville), Labyrinth (Auckland), Toasted Espresso (Auckland). Bronze: IncaFe (New Plymouth), Karajoz (Auckland), Avalanche (Auckland), Caffé Prima (Auckland), Cigana, Ciro (Auckland), Jed’s (Auckland), Ozone (New Plymouth). Meadowfresh Best Flat White – Gold: Jungle (Auckland). Silver: Jack’s (Auckland), Karajoz (Auckland), Bach (Auckland), Pomeroys (Nelson). Bronze: Ambition (Auckland), Summit (Taupo), Chiasso (Auckland), Fat Cat (Dunedin), Orb (Auckland).

Bernard Smith (right), founder of Vivace Espresso, with General Manager Paul Baker (left).

Huhtamaki New Zealand

Coffee Awards Entries into this year’s Huhtamaki New Zealand Coffee Awards, in its ninth year, were at the usual high standard according to Instaurator*, the internationally renowned roaster and coffee expert. After two days of judging the entries, Instaurator, who flew in from Sydney to be a judge, said there were some real standouts among the entries. He added that the awards were proof

that New Zealand’s coffee industry continues to be among the finest in the world, thanks to the continuous, on-going high standards from roasters and baristas country wide. Around 270 coffees were entered by 65 roasting companies. The Supreme Award for New Zealand’s Best Coffee was Vivace Espresso, which roasts at its Tuam Street premises in Christchurch.

Instaurator is the nom de plume of an Australian coffee and business consultant with a world renowned reputation for his coffee tasting and management expertise. He has been a specialty coffee roaster for 26 years and has established roasting businesses in Vancouver Canada, Tokyo Japan and in Sydney Australia. He established his own wholesale specialty coffee factory and retail chain of coffee shops now known as Danes Gourmet Coffee, prior to founding Michel’s Espresso in 1999 which has 350 espresso bars. As Chairman of the Australian Coffee & Tea Association he was instrumental in establishing the barista training standards currently used by Government Registered Training Organisations nationally.

Breville Best Ethically Traded – Gold: Vivace (Christchurch). Silver: Piazza D’Oro (Auckland), Altezano (Auckland), Jungle (Auckland). Bronze: Barista Empire (Auckland), Switch Coffee (Napier), Volt (Auckland). Sherpac Best Organic – Gold: Coffee Lab (Auckland). Silver: Ozone (New Plymouth), Espresso Workshop (Auckland). Bronze: Ristretto (Wgtn), IncaFe (New Plymouth), Global (Auckland), Essenza (Morrinsville), Rush (Wellsford). Espresso Mechanics Best Supermarket Plunger – Gold: Chiasso (Auckland), Incafe (New Plymouth). Silver: Rush (Wellsford), Coffee LaLa (Coromandel). Bronze: Pomeroys (Nelson), Wildcat (Wanganui), Jed’s (Auckland), Matakana Coffee, CPR (Blenheim). Starline Best Supermarket Espresso – Gold: Caffe Prima (Christchurch). Silver: The Grind (Upper Moutere), Matakana Coffee (Matakana). Bronze: Robert Harris (Auckland), Hawthorne (Havelock North), Karajoz (Auckland), CPR (Blenheim), Pomeroys (Nelson). John Burton Ltd Best Decaffeinated – Gold: Coffee LaLa (Coromandel), Hawthorne (Havelock North), Veni Coffee (Auckland). Silver: Bionic Coffee (Napier), Gravity (Auckland). Bronze: Coffee Lab (Auckland), Excelso (Tauranga), Vivace (Christchurch). Z Energy Best Foodservice Plunger – Gold: IncaFe (New Plymouth). Silver: Espresso Workshop (Auckland), Altura (Auckland), Ambition (Auckland). Bronze: Chiasso (Auckland), Veni (Auckland), Barista Empire (Auckland), Excelso (Tauranga).

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New Zealand Café of the Year winner

Auckland seaside café Paper Moon in Mairangi Bay has been crowned the top café in the country in the inaugural NZ Café of the Year competition. The eatery got a huge thumbs-up from the public, receiving hundreds of votes in the nomination stage of the competition and has received further endorsement from an expert team of judges including hospitality industry guru Kerry Tyack and New Zealand’s first Master of Culinary Arts, Mark Gregory. Paper Moon claims the title of NZ Café of the Year 2012 and will feature on the popular primetime TV segment Food in a Minute later this month showcasing its soon-tobe-famous Beans & Bacon dish. The dish pairs Wattie’s Baked Beans with pan-fried chorizo and onion, blended with a smoked tomato relish, served on a toasted bagel, layered between slices of Kiwi Middle bacon. It’s topped off with a poached egg and drizzled with hollandaise sauce. The Food in a Minute episodes will screen on TV1 and TV2 from 26 November. In addition, Paper Moon’s recipe is emailed to the Food in a Minute database of more than 100,000 fans and will feature on recipe cards in-store at supermarkets. It also appears on the Food in a Minute and Café of the Year websites and Facebook pages. Chief judge Kerry Tyack said Paper Moon has a lively atmosphere, exceptional service and “a comprehensively mouth-watering menu”. He said this package provided a memorable experience regardless of whether you are a regular from the local community or a travelling guest. The winning dish was “generous, innovative and down-right Kiwi. Definitely worth a visit just to try this dish.”

Around 400 cafés entered and more than 24,000 votes were lodged by the public, who last month determined the 15 regional finalists. The cafés were then put to the test by the experts, judged on appearance, atmosphere, service, meals and overall experience. As well as taking out the regional price, Paper Moon is also the regional winner for the Upper North Island. Other regional winners are: Central North Island – Bosco Café, Te Kuiti Bean to Bosco – Hand-made hash browns, stacked with Kiwi middle bacon, a dob of homemade aioli and served with poached eggs and Boston beans on toasted Vogels. Lower North Island – Mcfarlanes Caffe, Inglewood, Taranaki Kiwi Pork and Beans – Wattie’s Baked Beans, removed from their traditional sauce and enveloped in the café’s own secret sauce,

then placed atop a thick slice of locally made Vienna and dusted with chopped Kiwi streaky bacon. Upper South Island – ARTISAN by Rangiora Bakery, Rangiora Kiwiana Eggs Benedict – Bacon wrapped around beans on homemade potato hash, nestled on a bed of spinach then topped with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce. Served with oven-roasted tomatoes for breakfast and a side garnish of salad for lunch. Lower South Island – The Roost Café, Oamaru Kumara & Bean Patties with bacon skewers - A twist on the kumara pattie with a salsa and bacon accompaniment. (Westport swim instructor Toni Menzies was the winner of the $5000 prize that was up for grabs to members of the public who voted in the competition).

The finalists were: Upper North Island: Chocolate Brown (Warkworth), Urban Soul (Botany, Auckland) and Paper Moon (Mairangi Bay, Auckland). Central North Island: Bosco Café (Te Kuiti), Capers Café (Rotorua) and Corogate Café (Thames). Lower North Island: Mega Café (Masterton), Café Ahuriri (Napier) and Macfarlanes Café (Inglewood). Upper South Island: Maggies Kitchen (Greymouth), Artisan by Rangiora Bakery (Rangiora) and Luciano Espresso Bar (Christchurch). Lower South Island: The Roost Cafe (Oamaru), Jagz of Village Green (Invercargill) and The Green Room Café (Gore).

CONGRATULATIONS WINNERS The winner of Casual Cooking by Annabel Whites is Claire Duncan of Couplands Bakery (Christchurch). The winner of a set of GoVino glasses is Anglea Kilmister of Huka Falls Cruise (Taupo). Thank you to all who entered – there was a great response.

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Getting canned Although in New Zealand we have access to very fresh fruit and vegetables, research has been released that suggests that canned foods should not be knocked as an affordable and convenient way of getting key nutrients such as fibre, protein, folate and Vitamins C and A. This is good news says the New Zealand Nutrition Foundation (NZNF) because it proves that canned foods are a viable option for sound nutrition and that you can still eat well on a limited budget. This is also good news for cafés and other food outlets that are serious about offering a tasty and nutritious cabinet during a time when money is tight both for your business and your customer. The NZNF said that in making dietary recommendations, especially for fruit and vegetables, including canned varieties and not just fresh can make needed nutrients more accessible to consumers, particularly those with limited storage, preparation facilities, limited time, skill or interest in preparing foods. It said the research goes a step further than work done in New Zealand 10 years ago that found canned foods were comparable to fresh in nutrient quality, because it also addresses the very household-relevant issue of affordability and convenience. This is not only about the cost of buying the food, but also preparing and cooking it. The study revealed it was almost 60% more expensive to obtain dietary fibre from fresh tomatoes as from the same portion of canned; and canned corn offers the same amount of dietary fibre as fresh at a 25% saving. The Foundation stresses that the message is not antifresh foods, but rather canned foods are a great pantry staple and offer an excellent nutritional, tasty and natural

alternative if your budget doesn’t always stretch to fresh foods, especially out of season fruit and vegetables. “Canned foods are a good way to stretch more expensive ingredients. For example, add a can of tomatoes, beans or corn to winter soups and casseroles. Through winter months you can increase variety and get an extra serving of fruit by using canned pears and peaches on breakfast cereal or for dessert,” says Foundation Dietitian, Sarah Hanrahan. The new research is from Tufts University in the United States and was funded by the Canned Food Alliance, a consortium of food companies, steelmakers and can makers, that promotes the nutritional and convenience benefits of canned food. The study included canned beans, corn, mushrooms, peas, pumpkin, spinach, tomatoes, peaches, pears and tuna and can be found in full online at omicsonline.org/2155-9600/2155-9600-2-131.php?aid=5226. It’s a long address but quicker than navigating the OMICS website. Otherwise contact Sarah Hanrahan at NZNF Ph: 09 489 3417.

BOOK GIVEAWAY Celebrate by Pippa Middleton This month – and just in time for Christmas – we have a copy of CELEBRATE by Pippa Middleton to give away. In case you have been out of the loop, Pippa Middleton is Prince William’s sister-in-law. She has had a lot of media coverage since she was bridesmaid at her sister’s wedding, not least because of her backside. Being famous for your supposedly pretty bottom is not really a very good way to start the public’s fascination in everything you say and do and Pippa has perhaps not been taken seriously because of it. However, whatever you feel about Ms Middleton (and her bottom) her first book, CELEBRATE, is a useful volume to have. It has over 400 pages

of recipes, activities, crafts, ideas for children’s parties, ideas for adults’ parties, picnic menus, and games. The ideas are as basic as a sack race and as detailed as a Christmas menu you can start making up to six months in advance. The camping ideas may be a bit more refined than the rough and tumble most Kiwis consider a camping holiday, but all in all, it is a book in which everybody should find something of interest. Your name and address, please, in an e-mail to editor@expressomagazine.co.nz with CELEBRATE by Pippa Middleton in the subject line. The winner will be announced in the September issue.

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Everybody should go nuts Late last month, the 23rd October to be precise, was National Nut Day. Squirrels loved it. But seriously, food providers should take a long and serious look at nuts because they are becoming an increasingly favoured part of the everyday diet. A few packets of nuts on your counter could be well-received by your more health conscious customers as well as adding interest to your cabinet. Nuts, say researchers at the University of Otago, are a natural powerhouse of different vitamins and minerals, and that a diet high in nuts can be beneficial in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, promoting weight loss and even reducing fine lines and wrinkles. The New Zealand Nutrition Foundation recommends a daily intake of a handful of nuts (or 30g), which costs as little as $1 a day. Thirty grammes of nuts equates to around 20 almonds or 15 cashews. All nuts contain less than 5.5g of saturated fat per 30g and are easy to carry around which makes them the perfect guilt-free snack. Sue Pollard, CEO of the New Zealand Nutrition Foundation, says including a variety of nuts in the diet is

a good idea for optimal health. “Nuts are a nutritionally dense food and mixing up the types you eat will provide you with different health benefits. The great thing about nuts is you only need to eat a handful to get a wide range of antioxidants, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. “With such a large selection of nuts available, there is a type of nut available for everyone. Nuts are the ultimate fast food; tasty, convenient and affordable,” she says. Nut providers, Alison’s Pantry and Mother Earth have great ideas on how you can include nuts in your cooking. See recipes at alisonspantry.co.nz and on the Mother Earth Facebook page at facebook.com/MotherEarthNZ.

Fruity Nutty Balls

A very tasty and nutritious snack or dessert. 2 cups Alison's Pantry Whole Dessert Almonds 1 cup Alison's Pantry Dates (cut up with scissors) 1 cup Alison's Pantry Premium Sultanas or Seedless Raisins 1 cup Alison's Pantry Choice Turkish Apricots ½ cup Alison's Pantry Fancy Shred Coconut ½ cup Alison's Pantry Sesame Seeds 1 drop of pure vanilla essence (optional) Method Put all the ingredients in the food processor and whizz until they are all in small pieces. If you find it too dry, add sultanas, dates (or any other dried fruits for variety) to make it stick together. Cut or shape according to your desire. I roll them into balls about 25g each or about the size of a ping-pong ball, and cover with coconut. Storage: They don't last long in our house! Store well sealed in the pantry for 2-3 weeks. Nuria McLeod Orewa

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When it is in bloom, the coffee tree is covered with 30,000 white flowers which begin to develop into fruit after 24 – 36 hours. A coffee tree can flower eight times in any one year – depending on rainfall. Actually, this seems to be the basic need of the human heart in nearly every great crisis – a good hot cup of coffee. Alexander King – American Author

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Kaldi and the dancing goats The discovery of coffee as a drink is said to go like this….A n Ethiopian goat herder, Kaldi, had a flock of goats that drove him mad after they had nibbled at the bright red berries of a particu lar tree. They say it’s impossible to herd cats, but Kaldi was having one heck of a time trying to keep his goats in line after they snacked on these berries. Why humans had previously never snacked on them is not recorded, but back to the goats.... The goats had so much energy they danced and bucked all over the place and Kaldi was worn out trying to control them. Wearily he sat in the shade of one of the berry-laden trees while his goats ran amok. Eyeing up the berries Kaldi wondered if he, too, ate some maybe he would get the same energy boost his goats were enjoying. So he did and he did. That is, eating the berries gave him the same energy his goats possessed.

Excited, he took some to a nearby monastery but the holy man disapproved of the effect and threw them into the fire. The aroma that was then carried on the billowing smoke made him change his mind and the beans were retrieved. For some reason not explained, the holy man then decided to grind the roasted beans, steep them in hot water and make a drink. And that’s the story of the first cup of coffee. It really doesn’t matter if you believe it or not, however it was discovered the end result has been good news for the rest of the world since then. Even those who don’t drink coffee, benefit from the trade of the bean in one way or another even if it is because they work for a company that makes paper cups. So as a sweepi ng general isation , in the tale of Kaldi and the Dancing Goats, most of us live happily ever after. The End.

Great gluten-free recipes Tania Hubbard is known to many Kiwis through her Sunshine Coast café, Husk & Honey, which Tania and her husband and business partner, Eric opened just under three years ago. Here she developed a shortbread recipe that is now locally famous among those who suffer from Coeliac disease. Fans were further pleased when she released her cookbook gluten free grain free – food we love which offers 150 pages of gluten-freegrain-free recipes including her world famous yeast-free-gluten-free-grainfree-sugar-free no-fuss bread. The book is now available to New Zealand buyers on-line from glutenfreegrainfree.com.au/ new-zealand-ordering/. Cost is NZ$49.50 and includes postage. Tania also says she hopes to begin shipping her bake@home range of products to New Zealand in the New Year.

Not too big, not too small, just right If you’ve got a liquor licence for your café, here’s a good idea – a picnicsized 500ml bottle of Mission Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2011 and Mission Syrah 2011. Each bottle contains four glasses of wine. The small bottles are more affordable for the customer and result in less wastage for the café. Available from supermarkets, fine wine retailers, the Mission Estate cellar door, and online at missionestate.co.nz. RRP $9.99 - $12.99

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Makin’ Bacon

Wendy’s new Streaky Mozzarella Baconator, features two fresh New Zealand prime beef patties, parmesan sauce, mozzarella cheese and that thick cut, Manuka-smoked streaky bacon. It available for a limited time for $10.60.

Supremely good taste

Wendy’s New Zealand says it is the only major fast food company in this country to use local instead of imported bacon in its burgers. The 100% New Zealand bacon replaces a Hickorysmoked version previously sourced from the United States and Canada. It is thick-cut Manuka-smoked streaky bacon farmed mainly in the Waikato, provided by award-winning Magills Butchery of Te Awamutu and the main ingredient in Wendy’s special new Streaky Mozzarella Baconator burger. Wendy’s CEO Danielle Lendich says the move means over 95% of its food ingredients now come from within New Zealand. “Wendy’s uses only premium quality New Zealand beef and chicken. Our free-range eggs are from Kiwi farms, our cheese from a maker in Christchurch and our tomatoes, onions and lettuces are all grown locally. Even our sauces and syrups are locally made,” she says. Photo caption: Wendy’s CEO Danielle Lendich with Magills Butchery owner Mike van der Hoeven.

For truly discerning coffee drinkers, there is a real depth to the drink beyond that first aromatic mouthful. And especially so in the new Kenyan Tegu Washed from the Tekangu Farmer Cooperative Society offered by Coffee Supreme. The Tegu, says coffee supreme, is unmistakably a product of its African origin with a lively complex profile with elegant sparkling acidity and drinkers should look out for caramelised orange, white grape, lime, blackcurrant, Swiss chocolate, and jasmine notes. Kenyan Tegu is available from Coffee Supreme locations and on-line. RRP $16 per 250grams.

Nosh takes on the Mount Nosh Food Market opened its seventh store late last month at 35 MacDonald Street in Mt Maunganui. It is the third outside of Auckland for the company. Previously The Good Food Trading Co, the outlet is also the first franchise store for Nosh. Franchisees Jo and Jamie Blennerhassett said they had worked closely with Nosh for the past year on a range of campaigns and the decision to join the group was a really easy one. “We found we shared the same vision around what we wanted to deliver to customers and the greater brand recognition and buying power of a combined force had to be a good thing for both us and our customers,” says Jamie. Another franchised store will open on Auckland’s North Shore later this month.

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The good oil Telegraph Hill scooped ‘Best in Show’ for their ‘Leccino’ Extra Virgin Olive Oil at the Hawke’s Bay Olive Oil awards late last month. Andrew Taylor (the convenor) commented that this oil is a winner for its usability. It’s not an oil with huge pungency and pepperiness, usually demanded by the fervent olive oil eaters, but one which has wide appeal to all palates. Leccino is an Italian variety that grows well in Hawke’s Bay. It loves the cool winters and traditional hot summers. Meanwhile at the New Zealand Gourmet Oil Competition in Christchurch, the clear winner was Rangihoua Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil ‘Waiheke Blend’. Waiheke is on average two or three degrees warmer than Auckland with around 30% less rainfall. These factors make it perfect for both olives and grapes alike.

It’s Christmas Cookie Time again Cookie Time’s Christmas buckets are now on sale but with a difference this year. Completing the refresh of its two-decade old brand – begun in September – this year’s buckets feature Cookie Muncher complete with Santa hat and a Merry Christmas Cookies message. Bucket colours have been rethought to align with the three flavours (Chocolate Chip with a chocolate coloured lid, Apricot Chocolate with an orange lid and Cranberry White Chocolate with a cranberry lid) and Christmas Cookies images have been turned into Christmas decorations. The company says competition for a place on the selling team was especially fierce this year with over 750 university students applying for just 73 places spread across the country. Each seller is allocated a geographic area and operates as an independent business over the seven weeks of the campaign, helping to fund their studies while learning invaluable business management and operational skills. Christmas Cookies has also teamed up with Kiwi band dDub to support local music this year, giving away a complimentary dDub CD with every three Christmas Cookies buckets sold. The CD is a mix of dDub's two albums (Awake at Dawn, Medicine Man), plus a couple of unreleased tracks. Part of the proceeds go to the Cookie Time Charitable Trust, which is a principal sponsor of the Dyslexia Foundation of New Zealand. Make sure your business is visited by calling 0800 XCOOK IE (0800 926 654) or cookietime.co.nz/xc_mustvisitlist_12.html

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Discover ultimate recipes on: www.MONIN.com

Credit: www.mediaweb.co.nz/services/photography

Barista of the month

Espresso Cafést Lukes A

arron Jiang loves being a barista. “It’s a fun job and making coffee is such an art. I have been working here for two years and three months and still like every day. “Not many people realise that it is quite a physical job and when it is really busy I feel quite harassed but then I laugh and get over it.” And he laughs again. Latte art is something Aarron is keen to get much better at. If it is not busy he concentrates on a cartoon drawing but when time is tight he sticks to the easier but nevertheless popular heart and flower designs. Then it gets busy and Aarron is called back to the counter and our talk ends. It’s good that Espresso Café is busy because owner Wendy Zhou is a first-time café owner and it was a big decision to buy the business. She and her husband found it quite difficult to find a job when they first arrived from China and initially set up a cleaning business. It wasn’t a something they

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wanted to do long-term but options were limited and they really wanted to work. They had considered opening a Chinese restaurant but that would entail hiring staff, as neither she nor her husband was professional cooks. Then they looked at fashion but thought with all the competition that might not prove very economic. Then there was the café option and it looked like a good choice. “People need to eat every day,” says Wendy, “so as long as we did a good job of it and provided a good product, we were guaranteed customers.” They were lucky that the previous owners were also Chinese and understood the task of setting up in a new job in a new country. “They taught us a lot and allowed us to call them any time we had any questions for quite some time after they sold the business to us. There was so much to learn – how to make tea, how to make coffee, how to serve. We could see it was a very Kiwi-style café,

café culture

Flavoured Latte’s courtesy of MONIN Add some life to the everyday latte with a range of complementary avours from MONIN. MONIN is crafted from only the best natural ingredients and will allow you to meet your customers expectations for quality and avour uniqueness this Christmas. MONIN White Chocolate Syrup: Vanilla and creamy cocoa avour with aromatic buttery notes. Perfect for Christmas! MONIN Gingerbread Syrup: Flavour of gingerbread cookies with the aroma of cinnamon and spices. A Christmas favourite! MONIN Vanilla Syrup: Vanilla pod avour with an aromatic hint of brandy MONIN Caramel Syrup: Sweet candy avour with an aftertaste of caramelised sugar MONIN Hazelnut Syrup: Fresh hazelnut avour with a subtle touch of almond and vanilla

C R E A T I V I T Y

Caramel Latté

All it takes is a double shot with three circles of Caramel on top of the milk and our customers are happy.

• • • •

20ml MONIN Caramel Syrup MONIN Caramel Sauce Shot of coffee Milk

Wishing you a Merry MONIN Christmas!

Add 20ml MONIN caramel syrup to a jug of milk and steam. Pour over espresso latte style Garnish with MONIN caramel sauce on top Note: you can substitute Caramel Syrup with any of the above mentioned avours Contact your Stuart Alexander sales representative for more information or call Consumer Services, phone 0800 188 484

with customers mostly asking for the plain things – coffee and a sandwich, tea and a savoury. So we kept everything the same then we always know what we have to get in or make. Keeping it the same was also quite important for us to keep the existing regular customers. Most people don’t like change so we haven’t changed much at all. We do introduce new items and we try to get our regulars to try something else. But mostly they just stick to what they always have. We can’t even get some of them to try something new for free,” she laughs. “Our regular customers like our illy coffee. The most popular Monin syrup we use is caramel. All it takes is a double shot with three circles of Caramel on top of the milk and our customers are happy. It is nice and sweet, but not too sweet. It satisfies our customers’ expectations.”

Discover ultimate recipes on: www.MONIN.com

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Credit: www.mediaweb.co.nz/services/photography

Café of the month

The jury is

definitely in

five dollar egg breakfast is beyond a bargain these days but Wazim Shah knows it is the bargains customers are looking for. And when a café is a wee bit off the main road in a mostly corporate environment with new cafés opening closer to the retail strip, a café has to be pretty savvy to be competitive. But the increasing competition and the general downturn in global finances hasn’t deterred Wazim, it has merely encouraged him to sharpen his skills when it comes to marketing. And it is working, for despite being sited in a spot more accessible to weekday office workers, his weekend breakfast and brunch traffic is steady, due in part to his pro-active marketing

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at the nearby Sunday morning markets, handing out flyers to shoppers reminding them exactly where his café, Verdict, can be found. Auckland’s North Shore District Court has shifted to bigger premises and it is one of the old courtrooms that is now Verdict. It had already been outfitted as a café when Wazim, a chef by trade, took it over. He had a decade’s cheffing experience in Australia and New Zealand under his toque and he was looking for a new challenge. He freely admits that he has subsequently found there was a lot he didn’t know about being an owner/ operator, particularly that he now doesn’t cook as he would like, spending more time on administrative chores instead, but it

is still the place he loves to be. There are times, he says, when it has got a bit scary and that it is tough working and owning a company. There have even been times when he might have given up in the early days but he kept on going because every morning when he opened up he knew this was where he wanted to be. And, of course, things have evolved. He inherited a long cabinet that he really didn’t need because of the extensive blackboard menu. So he swapped that out for a smaller one and in the space left he has installed a bar, offering New Zealand wines and local craft beer (Deep Creek from Browns Bay) on tap. He has a strong commitment to local food producers and his

café culture

Ensure you’re ready for a busy summer this year with Mediterranean ■ Versatile Products; use as a dip, spread on sandwiches, pitas, burgers, or use as a sauce or dressing ■ Original Hummus & Tzatziki are authentic style Mediterranean recipes

first choice is always to buy from them. This is, he feels, a good point of difference from other nearby cafés. He also began with a more traditional menu but now is more confident about trying new versions or completely new dishes. This gives him a good margin in which to try new recipes and keep his cheffing skills up. The Verdict plays on its past as a courtroom. Its coffee loyalty card is The Jury Club, available both online and offline. Holders earn demerit points for which they are fined. Except in this case, accumulated fines are a good thing, as they can be redeemed for coffee. Wazim also has some old prints of the court in its heyday, which

will soon be hung on the walls. The décor is elegant, in keeping with the demeanor of a courtroom, which is also one of the things that draws local business people using Verdict for coffee meetings as a sort of auxiliary boardroom. Some really good corporate customers are the core of the Verdict’s clientele, which is when being close enough to the main street to be accessible and far enough away to be quiet is a bonus. And talking of bonuses… Verdict is one of the few cafés in Takapuna that catches the afternoon, rather than morning sun, says Wazim. 12 Huron Street, Takapuna ■ verdictrestaurant.co.nz

■ Babaganoush is a Kiwi twist on a Mediterranean favourite in a Hummus format ■ All in strong, sturdy resealable tubs with tamper evident tabs For more details please contact your local Wattie’s Foodservice Sales Representative or freephone

0800 653 050 November 2012 |

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café culture

A super fruit for a super cabinet The New Zealand avocado season has just begun so we investigate this amazing fruit that The Guinness Book of World Records says is the most nutritionally complete fruit in the world.

vocados – there’s not much you can’t do with them from eating them straight out of their skins to making them into chocolate mousse. Yes, chocolate mousse and before you wrinkle your nose at the very idea, you should just try it. It’s rich and dark and a whole lot healthier than traditional mousse. Better still, you can whip it up in five minutes. It’s a cheap and easy recipe that will save you time and money, enhance your cabinet and please your health conscious customers. And it’s the health aspects of avocado that encouraged Masterchef winner Nadia Lim to become ambassador for New Zealand Avocado over the 2012/2013 season. Nadia has developed four avocado recipes exclusively for New Zealand Avocado, two of which she demonstrated at the official avocado season launch held at Main Course in Auckland at the season’s start on November 1. She says avocado is one of the most simple, yet versatile ingredients you can use in the kitchen and she hopes to encourage people to try new and delicious flavour combinations. “Avocados can be used in all types of cooking – from smoothies, to salads, on toast, pizzas, omelettes and even cakes and desserts. They’re also a great substitute for butter, margarine and mayonnaise. I personally love avocados and I’ve just recently returned from France where avocados - ‘avocat’ - are eaten regularly and feature daily on restaurant menus. More and more Kiwis are now discovering how healthy avocados are and my goal is to inspire people to try new recipes and incorporate this wonderful fruit into their everyday diet. Avocados are so good for you; they should be a staple food item in every Kiwi kitchen this summer,” she says. You can buy your week’s supply of avocados at the same time, just chose them

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NADIA’S TIP This should be Mrs Lim’s tip really. Although it is recommended that cut avocado should be sprinkled with lemon or lime juice or white vinegar and placed in an airtight container to prevent it going brown, Nadia says her Mum just runs cold water over the cut avocado, shakes off the excess and puts it into the fridge. We tried it and the next day the avocado was as unblemished as the day before. Worked for us! at different stages of ripening so that they last over the week. First, never, ever squeeze an avocado to see if it is ripe, although this is what most of us do. Sure, it does tell us about the state of the fruit, but it also damages the flesh inside. Chose by colour instead. If the fruit is bright green it is not ripe. Buy some of those for use later on. Don’t put them in the fridge but leave them in a fruit bowl until they turn brown-green. Put bananas and apples in the bowl as well, as these two fruits help to ripen the avocado. (Added bonus: Put the fruit bowl where your customers can see it looking tempting with fat yellow bananas, shiny red and green apples and glossy avocados. Makes a great decoration and also looks so very healthy, which is a good image for your café). Buy a few olive green avocados as well and these will be ready to eat in two-three days. Store them in the fruit bowl as well. The brown avocados with a hint of green showing through are the ones ready to eat right now if you want to slice or dice them especially in or on bread and in salads. Store these ones in the fridge to keep them firm. Dark brown avocados are just right for

mashing, spreading or using in dips. Keep them in the fridge. If the avocado is black, it is past its best and should be discarded. Avocados must be one of the most costeffective ingredients you can have in your kitchen. They add colour to your cabinet and variety to your menu. Nadia’s Asian Avocado Prawn and Orange Salad is a perfect example of using the fruit. Everything in the recipe can be prepared in advance, stored in the refrigerator and assembled on request by the customer, which means there is no wastage or leftovers thrown out. You use only what is asked for. See next month's issue of espresso for the recipe. Avocados also work on the kid’s menu. Not many cafés offer food for babies, but you can cut an avocado in half and using the fruit’s own skin as a bowl, spoon the flesh directly into the infant’s mouth. Avocados are considered a perfect first food for babies going onto solids, says New Zealand Avocado. You can find lots of good ideas and recipes at addanavocado.co.nz or on Nadia’s own website, nadialim.com

Chocolate Avocado Mousse Serves: 12 Preparation: Five minutes Ingredients: 2 avocados 1 banana 10ml vanilla extract 150g cocoa powder 120ml maple syrup Method: Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Pipe or pour evenly into serving glasses or bowls. Chill. How easy is that?

Credit: Black Gold

Jumbo price for coffee

here is an expression that has become common these days that refers to ‘the elephant in the room’. The mammal is not actually there but a problem the size of it is; there is something that everyone knows about but is unwilling to acknowledge or address. Black Ivory coffee is a bit like that. The coffee itself is said to be floral and chocolaty, containing notes of milk chocolate, nuts and earth, with hints of spice and red berries. So far, so good. But what about that elephant in the room – that thing people are reluctant to talk about? Well, the elephant in the room actually is an elephant and although it is not physically there, parts of it are. Because Black Ivory coffee beans have been picked by elephants. Not only picked but eaten and digested…and excreted. Black Ivory coffee comes from elephant dung. Unless you are under ten and predominately male (yes, we know we are not supposed to make these sexist generalisations in these PC days but it usually little boys who are inordinately obsessed with anything that comes out of any orifice of the body) you will be making eeewwww! and gagging noises and here’s something else to disturb you. Black Ivory coffee retails at USD1,100 per kilo, that’s nearly NZD1,400 for a kilo of elephant poo. (This is nothing to the up to USD65 per gram for ambergris, which is vomited up or excreted by whales – but that’s another story for another magazine).

But there is no point sneaking off to your local zoo in the dead of the night armed with a scoop and an old sack – there are no coffee trees in any elephant enclosures in New Zealand. At time of writing there are 50 kilos of Black Ivory Coffee available for sale and they are mostly in Thailand. The brew is only available through Antara Hotel properties, which began the Golden Triangle

café culture

The balancing siphon coffee maker consists of two canisters. One is metal for heating the water and the other is glass for brewing the coffee. The two are joined by a small thin pipe. The ground coffee goes in the glass jar and water just below boiling point goes into the metal canister. A small alcohol burner sits under the metal canister to continue heating the water. When the water boils, it flows through the pipe and into the jar with the coffee grounds. When the water canister boils dry, a balanced lever tips it to extinguish the burner. The coffee brews in the glass jar and when the metal canister cools it creates a vacuum. This sucks the brewed coffee back through the pipe and into the metal container, which has a tap or spigot at the bottom. There are no filters. Asian Elephant Foundation, a charity that rescues the elephants from whose butts this unusual coffee erupts. Black Ivory coffee begins with the picking of the best Thai Arabica cherries gathered from an altitude of 1,500 metres. Approximately 10,000 beans or 33 kilograms are needed to produce one kilogram of Black Ivory Coffee. After the elephants have eaten the cherries and excreted the beans, the mahouts and their wives retrieve the beans from the dung by hand and dry them in the sun. Once dry, the beans are ready to go. They are ground at the table in front of the customer and brewed in a balancing syphon coffee maker, to a method developed in Austria over 170 years ago. This takes four minutes and results in a very clean and flavourful taste, says exponents. Currently Black Ivory coffee is only available at selected Antara Hotels in Thailand, the Maldives and the UAE.

The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation has, to date, rescued 30 elephants and their mahouts and families from the streets. Eight per cent of the profits from the rare coffee are donated to GTAEF to help fund a specialist elephant veterinarian to provide free care to the elephants. Additional funds will also be used to purchase medicine as well as to build a new laboratory and provide income for the wives of the mahouts to help cover health expenses, school fees, food, and clothing. See more at helpingelephants.org

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Credit: Pasta Mia

Pasta of the month

! a t s a p a l o m a i c c a F (let’s make pasta) When a successful engineer and stylist get together with some flour and water, it’s no wonder the medium was putty in their hands. Or should that be pasta?

hen Angelo the architect and Michelle the hair stylist took a complete change of direction in their lives, it was bound to be a success. After all, they chose pasta – something they both knew a lot about, he being Italian and she having lived for many years in Italy. And, as those who are fond of pasta know, there is much more to the dough than thin strips of spaghetti so who better to handle pasta than one who can engineer and one who can style. Angelo and Michelle Tredicucci, via England and Italy, moved to Taupo from Bologna for family reasons in 1992. There’s not a huge demand for engineers and stylists in Taupo and while looking for something to occupy themselves, they

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became aware of a gap in the market for fresh artisan pasta. This, then, was going to be their new project and in 1994, after a Be Your Own Boss (BYOB) course, they began Pasta Mia with the intention of providing the best artisan pasta to New Zealanders. The hardest part of setting up the business, says Michelle, was taking the knowledge of making fresh pasta and putting it into a commercial context. “We wanted to get the product just right and it took many months of trialling ingredients, shapes, texture, equipment, packaging and shelf life. Also there were not the range of ingredients that are available now, such as good parmesan, ricotta etc. It has also taken quite a few years for people to realise the difference between good quality pasta (whether fresh, dry or frozen) and not so good pasta and also for people to include pasta in their diet on a regular basis.” The easiest part of setting up Pasta Mia was that the couple had such a passion for their product and were determined to succeed with it, which is probably why their business has continued to expand over the last 18 years. They had also brought with them all the recipes passed on by Angelo’s aunties and parents, which they were itching to put to good use. Michelle explains that the difference between Pasta Mia and other brands is that they use only the very best ingredients.

“We source premium quality durum wheat, fresh eggs, fresh parmesan and hand-made cheeses. Every thing that we make is from scratch. We peel, mince, mash and cook all of our premium ingredients to make our filled pasta fillings, which is why they taste so fresh and flavoursome. We have kept our recipes simple and followed Angelo’s family recipes to give the authentic flavour, adding a few of our own through the years. We do not use any artificial colouring, preservatives or pasteurisation to prolong the shelf life. Our product is bronze extruded rather than laminated, which means that it is passed through a bronze shape, which gives it its thin and rough texture and allows the sauce to adher to it. This process is an ancient Italian technique for making artisan durum wheat pasta as opposed to pasta made with white flour.” The day begins at 6am at Pasta Mia. Pasta maker Chris, trained by Angelo starts the first mix with the rest of the crew, Kelly, Angelo, Michelle and John all contributing to making the pasta, fillings and sauces and getting the orders packed and despatched. It is a hugely busy day. In her spare time Michelle loves cooking and entertaining, and iyenga yoga. Angelo has just run his first off road marathon and plays soccer. They both love travelling and hope to do more of it when they have time. ■ www.pastamia.co.nz

pizza pasta

Pasta Mia products are dispatched nationwide to delis and restaurants. The fresh pasta is made to order and has a shelf life of four weeks. The filled pasta is made each week and free-flow frozen to avoid using preservatives and to allow portion control. The company has a wholesale range of fresh, filled and dry pasta available for restaurants and cafés and a retail range of fresh, filled and dry pasta and a range of sauces for retail outlets. The sauces have an eightweek shelf life.

Credit: Pasta Mia

Michelle says her favourite fresh pasta is Tagliatelle as it reminds her of all the lovely meals when living in Bologna. Tagliatelle is the most widely used long pasta in Bologna, not spaghetti Bolognese as many people think. “My favourite filled pasta would have to be the Ravioli Classico as it reminds me of Angelo’s Zia Olga making it in Fano. It’s so versatile, too, and can be cooked in broth or with a tomato, creamy or oil based sauce. Angelo’s favourite would have to be the Black Truffle Tortelli just with a knob of butter and grated parmesan. Angelo could definitely eat pasta every day even after working with it for so many years, so could our two sons Luis and Eros who although both born in New Zealand, have Italian appetites and will never refuse a plate of our pasta.”

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Credit: Domino´s Pizza

Pizza of the month

A triumph of technology I

t had to happen, of course. We haven’t sat through generations of fancy gadgets used with careless abandon on Star Wars, Star Trek and Doctor Who to be really very surprised that it is now possible to bake a pizza on your iPhone or iPad. Domino’s new Pizza Chef App is a lot of fun – it’s almost a letdown to have to finally push the send button and ask for delivery. Almost, not quite - because while customers are waiting for their order, there are games and other amusements to while away the time. Domino’s has, it is said by those who monitor new technology, to be one of the

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few companies who actually ‘get’ the power of the Internet and how that power can be harnessed. In fact, technology guru Adam Turner, former deputy editor of the business IT section of Melbourne’s The Age newspaper and the Sydney Morning Herald said that “Domino’s is clearly doing something right. The Domino’s HD iPad App shows just how far we’ve come. It's slick, intuitive, flexible and visually impressive. Even if Domino’s pizza isn't to your taste, it's worth downloading the free iPad App to take a look.” Domino’s on-line marketing director Michael Gillespie said the new App was a fundamental pillar in building the

Domino’s Pizza employs more than 21,000 team members across Australia, New Zealand, France, Belgium and The Netherlands and makes more than 60 million pizzas a year.

company’s digital future in New Zealand. He said it took around six months to develop the App. “The biggest thing was waiting for the time to build it, waiting for the right time to present it to the market. We also needed to have enough ideas to make it different to other systems. It had to be a lot different to a mobile App, more visually rich. To make sure we understood the whole picture our development unit consisted of both internal and external teams. Apps are never cheap and cost a lot to develop, but it is worthwhile developing such technology because electronic and mobile commerce is increasing. Domino’s has a commitment to investing in quality

pp Apps to give the customer better service.” The App begins by identif ying the nearest Domino’s pizzeria to the customer and gives them an estimate of when the order will be ready. The user can adjust the time and even the day, and can create an order to be fulfilled up to a month in advance. A choice of pizza bases appears on the top of the screen to be dragged onto the screen’s desktop. A selection of toppings follows, all of which also get dragged down, this time to cover the base. This includes various cheese types, sauces, herbs and spices. Domino’s reckons there are 1.8 billion combinations. A tally of ingredients used lists down the left-hand side of the screen and allows the customer to change their mind by simply tapping the ingredient on the list that they want to remove. Any combination is possible, although espresso has it on good and rueful authority that one should not get carried away by the power of being able to create your own pizza and one should be very certain that the ingredients one chooses do, in fact, complement each other taste-wise. Once the pizza is created and on its way to the oven, an information screen comes up detailing the cost of the order. Any extras are listed so you can be sure you don’t overspend. It is still possible at

Domino’s says that currently more than 50% of sales are via online, with mobile devices making up 40% of the digital business but with the new App it is confident of increasing online sales to 80% of the business within the next three years. As well as using Pizza Chef, the App allows customers to view the full Domino’s menu, access the latest deals and view their order process through a new version of Pizza Tracker, which includes an interactive and themed experience. The Domino’s iPad app can be downloaded for free from the App store.

pizza pasta

Traditional, perfectly dried pasta, in a large variety of shapes including Penne, Linguine, Fettuccine, p g e andd Orzo. Spaghetti

Available in 500g and 3kg packs.

this stage to retrieve and refine your order. Specials are also listed. Once the request is placed a selection of extras become available including desserts, bread and sides, as well as drinks. Choose coffee and the screen mists over and you have to wipe it away. Choose chocolate and a brown deluge rolls down the screen. Choose Coke and a bubbling mixture fills the screen. There are also video’s to watch while waiting for the order and games to play. For more details visit dominospizza.co.nz

PIZZA CHEF FEATURES • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Cash and Credit Card payment options available Pizza is customised and delivered in a customer-specified time More than 1.8 billion pizza combinations Receive deals and offers while ordering Ordering can be faster by the creation of an account where favourites can be saved until next time GPS to locate the nearest store for Pick Up orders All Domino’s Value Range, Traditional Range and Premium Range pizzas and vouchers are available on the iPad App Easy to navigate ordering process ‘My Order’ at the bottom of every screen shows the accumulated order and dollar value, to keep track of exactly how many items have been ordered and what it costs Order tracked by customer with the Domino’s Pizza Tracker, guiding them through each step of the pizza making process Themed Tracker experiences when ordering certain products The Domino’s ordering experience can be rated on the Pizza Tracker Page An Entertain Me section showcase all Domino’s videos, which customers can watch while waiting for their pizza

Made in Italy Imported by

Prodotti d’ Italia AVAILABLE AT LEADING FOOD DISTRIBUTORS

www.pdi.co.nz November 2012 |

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Credit: www.mediaweb.co.nz/services/photography

profile

The heart of the affair S

tuart Jordan likes chocolate….a lot. So it was lucky, in an initially miserable sort of way, that he was made redundant from his job as national retail manager of a large international company. He realised that he had been totally sucked into what now he recognises was a soulless corporate world and for a while wondered just who he was as, his selfworth had been so aligned to his highpowered job. And sometime in those long unemployed months he hit some dark personal wall. Hitting that wall hurt, but it also knocked some sense into Stuart – the realization that now he knew what the wall was like, he was no longer afraid to jump. He realised he had actually been given a gift. He had been given a second chance at establishing himself but this time he would do what he wanted to do, not what people thought he should do, despite his law degree and subsequent success in the world of electronics. He had always had a secret ambition to be involved in chocolate and really, who wouldn’t? So he did. He set up The Sweetest Little Chocolate Shop in Auckland’s Mid City Arcade and felt truly content…for a while.

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Never be afraid to jump. Never be afraid to try. If it works, it’s sweet. If it fails, at least you tried instead of wondering for the rest of your life. Not that he fell out of love with chocolate. Oh no, no chance of that! But he decided the chocolate world in New Zealand was a little bit small and for his business to succeed he would need to have a real point of difference – he needed to add some chocolate to his stock that no-one else could offer. He really needed to be making chocolate. In fact, beyond needing to, he really wanted to be making chocolate. He franchised his shop and used the money to set up. First he packed himself off to the Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School in Melbourne and under the tutelage of master chocolatier Paul Kennedy he learned all the techniques. But, says Stuart, although learning the techniques is

imperative, all it gives you is the technical ability. The creativity comes from within and you either have it or you don’t. “Luckily for me, I seem to have it. I can’t paint or draw but I can create chocolate. That’s when I really come alive.” So there he was, all trained up and raring to go. Now he needed a brand. The Sweetest Little Chocolate Shop was, well, too sweet to be the brand for the sort of chocolates Stuart intended to make. And he wanted something that was uniquely New Zealand. New Zealand, he reckons, could position itself as the chocolate centre of the world. After all, the current centre is generally accepted to be Belgium, a country that is smaller than New Zealand. And, like New Zealand, cocoa bean trees cannot grow there. So why couldn’t New Zealand take over the world title? Stuart set out to make that a possibility. “I’m not in it to be competitive with other New Zealand chocolate-makers,” he says. “I’m not after a slice of the pie – I just want to increase the size of the pie. The artisan chocolate business in this country has been the same for 20-30 years. There are a few little companies that have plugged away but despite their great chocolate the

industry is dominated by the big commercial brands. I want to evolve and change the industry so that all chocolate makers get a bigger look in, because when we do food in New Zealand, we do it well. And there is always room for those who offer a good product, even in markets that might seem to be already a bit crowded.” The new brand name he came up with was K ko. In effect, with the permission of the guardians of Te Reo, he coined a new word. This, it was decided, was how ‘cocoa’ would be written and pronounced in Maori. Next he needed equipment. He knew what he wanted and what task it had to perform, such as a spray booth for the exceptional finish he wanted to achieve. This meant his machinery had to be custom-made. He also had to import the azo-free food colouring from Belgium, because one of the unusual things about Stuart’s chocolates is their bright colour and high sheen. It was an expense but it was worth it, because already, just eight months into the business, K ko Chocolates has an international profile. As part of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, her grandson and his wife visited the Pacific. As part of this event, someone from New Zealand went to Honiara and took a colleague a box of K ko chocolates. The recipient was

delighted and asked that Stuart send up more, to be offered as favours for other VIP officials at the Jubilee celebrations. Better still, they asked that larger boxes be sent for William and Kate, to be placed in their accommodation. The passionfruit heart-shaped morsels, with their bright white-chocolate sheen and blush of red colouring were a great success. More accolades followed when the passionfruit delicacy – Stu’s very first K ko chocolate – was a finalist in the 2012 NZ Food Awards. So it could be said that this product is the heart of Stuart’s success. “I don’t know if you can taste love in a product, but that is my aim. My job is to create harmony and balance in the flavours and this is the ‘x’ factor, the specialness of the product. It’s beyond just eating a chocolate – it’s really all about the experience. In the passionfruit hearts it’s about the first sweet taste of the white chocolate, then the explosion of tart yet sweet passionfruit.” He’s not kidding. For the first time in my life I was satisfied with just one chocolate. There is 40% real pulp in the passionfruit filling and it shows. Rather than take another chocolate, I let the taste of the first linger. It even makes my mouth water to write about it now. But, enough of my avarice… Chocolate, says Stuart, is a moment

of escape, a moment of happiness. “My philosophy is to indulge. Live life, enjoy life. The measure of success in not money, but happiness and contentment.”

It takes three days to make a batch of K ko chocolates. First they are hand-formed and then sprayed with colour in a special booth to give them a beautiful sheen. No preservatives are used and all ingredients are natural. Currently flavours are – Passionfruit Sorbet, 42 Below Vodka and Feijoa, Caramel Vanilla, Rum & Coconut Truffle, Dark Raspberry Ganache, Blueberry & Vanilla Vodka, Caramel Vanilla Latte, Strawberry Crème, Caramelised Almond Cluster and Caramel Cupcake. There is also an Apricot, Almond, & Cranberry bar; Milk, Dark (53%), and White chocolate in the Mayan Gold tablet range; and Vanilla Bean, a white chocolate tablet infused with Heilala Vanilla.

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feature:

Summer drinks

A long tall glass of The weather forecasters have promised a long hot summer (fingers crossed) and should nature agree with them there will be a queue for cold drinks. Here are some of the new tastes for summer that will give your fridge the edge.

f you want to draw attention to your drinks cabinet there are some real show-stoppers from MM Marketing. Mike Moot has imported a whole range of retro drinks in good old-fashioned glass bottles with real crown tops. The look alone will draw customers to your fridge. Mexican Coke is one of the hottest recent discoveries for foodies in the U.S. The secret is in the ingredients. Mexican Coke uses sugar as its sweetener and U.S. coke uses corn syrup. “The taste difference is stark, but absurdly, Coke world headquarters insists there is none,” says Mike. “Any good Mexican food joint in L.A. will carry its home-nation’s Coke in those sparkling Spanish-covered glass bottles.” Jarritos are another popular Mexican soft drink, imported by Mike. They are made with 100% natural sugar, so no high fructose corn syrup. Flavours include Mandarin, Lime, Strawberry, Mexican Cola, Pineapple, Tamarind and Toranja (grapefruit). The kids will love Brain Wash from its gruesome skull and crossbones label to its cobalt blue colour. It’s a good brew though with Ginseng, Echinacea, Ginkgo Bilboa, Ginger, Guarana and Gotu Kola included in the ingredients. Smart packaging to get them to drink something other than the sugar-laden fizzy drinks they usually desire. And there are several other drinks available with truly disgusting names that kids will be falling over themselves to have, all with great labels that will no doubt become one of the collecting items of the summer. Mark Dillon has learnt how to convert the gorgeous white elderflower that grows on his family’s Christchurch farm into sparkling drinks and delicious syrups for the New Zealand market. “Aroha Drinks are ‘natural-only’ beverages that use a special pasteurizing technique that doesn’t

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| November 2012

summer

compromise the fruit flavour,” says Mark. There’s the original Elderflower Sparkle, as well as Rhubarb, Blackcurrant and Feijoa; plus cordials in Classic Elderflower, Tart Rhubarb, Ginger & Honey, with Quince & Lime just out on the market. Mark is especially excited about the Edlerflower Rhubarb cordial and reckons it’ll turn any person who doesn’t like rhubarb into a fan immediately. “It looks pretty and pink in the glass and for a lovely, healthy summer drink that’s simple and delicious, just add soda water and a squeeze of lemon.” Mark was keen to reduce the alcohol content of beverages on the market and make non-alcoholic drinks more appealing for those who don’t want to drink alcohol. “Elderflower has heritage and although it faded for a while, there has been a resurgence of interest. People want more connection with what they eat and what they drink.” ■ arohadrinks.co.nz Mercedes Allgood, supervisor of The Corner Bar at Hotel DeBrett in Auckland says that although it is not new she is picking Elderflower cordial will be a big summer hit. Mixed with something still or sparkling, it’s light, refreshing and healthy and is an ideal mocktail ingredient. “Other strong sellers are Gladstone’s organic ginger beer, Tequilaflavoured agave nectar, and rose and ginger syrups. And for the definitive fresh summer drink, you can’t go past incorporating fresh fruit, such as summer berries and stone fruit.” If you want to serve something you’ve concocted yourself, try something special like a clarified tomato mix such as the one on the new menu of Wellington’s famous and revamped Matterhorn restaurant and bar. It takes a week to make, though, and goes like this. Fresh tomatoes are infused with fresh chilli, fino sherry, horseradish, salt, pepper and fresh lemon, and then rested for a week. The juice is then passed through cloth to produce a beautiful clear liquid

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Summer drinks

Feijoa Cider Giveaway Isaac’s Cider with Feijoa blends feijoa wine into a cider base in a fresh twist to a classic drink. The result is a delicate, aromatic and dry cider. It is something everyone should be looking to add to their drinks cabinet because Lion craft beer brand manager Hayden Harvey says that there has been a huge growth in cider in the last three years. The limited edition brew is available now and throughout the rest of summer in 6-packs (RRP $17.99) and 12-packs (RRP $28.99). We have a 6-pack to give away. Your name and address by December 5 please in an e-mail addressed to editor@espressomagazine.co.nz with Feijoa Cider Giveaway in the subject line. with a full ripe tomato taste. If you have the time and inclination to make something like this you’ll have customers coming back for more. You will have noticed the tasting panel in last month’s espresso when our trusty crew sampled Macario Retro Drinks, brewed in Italy and distributed here by Mediterraneo. The bright and funky bottles make a great and elegant display and are something different that adult customers in particular will like as they are not as sweet as most children prefer, with sharper and more sophisticated flavours. Flavours include Gassosa (classic lemon soda), Tonica (tonic), Chinotto (Italian Cola), and Aranciata Rossa (Red Orange) in a mixture of cans and glass bottles. ■ mediterraneo.co.nz And then there’s water, the most common substance on Earth, made up

of very basic molecules that we simply cannot do without. KVELLA Water is bottled at source in the South Island from a 239 foot deep confined aquifer located in a remote country side of the Canterbury Plains. It undergoes more than 80 years of natural underground filtration before flowing out of the ground and is bottle into BPAfree PET bottles. No chemical substance is added. It contains essential minerals with sufficient quantity of silica and has a pH of 7.8 which helps balance the overall body metabolism and other digestive functions. The naturally alkaline water also aids in re-balancing a typically acidic body. KVELLA water has a royal blue label that looks as crisp and cold as the source of the water, which will probably encourage customers on a hot summer’s day. ■ kvella.com

Old fashioned lemonade 9 large lemons, washed 1/2 cup caster sugar 6 cups boiling water Ice cubes and mint leaves, to serve Method 1. Peel the rind from the lemons with a vegetable peeler, avoiding the pith. Squeeze and strain the juice to make 1 1/3 cups. 2. Put the lemon rind in a large, heatproof bowl and add the sugar and boiling water. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Cover and let stand for half an hour. 3. Strain the lemon liquid into a jug and stir in the lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for about two hours until the lemonade is well chilled. 4. Put ice cubes in tall glasses or a large jug, add lemonade and decorate with the mint leaves. 5. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. Don’t store with iceblocks still in it as when they melt they will dilute the juice.

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fast foods

Don’t forget to wipe your top lip The smell of baking is drifting around central Auckland. It smells just like freshly baked cookies. Olivia Hadlow and Aston Wainhouse investigate.

eanna Yang loved biscuits and milk when she was growing up. She loved baking, too, using it to raise money for charities such as World Vision. Through a spray of cookie crumbs her friends would tell her she ought to open her own shop. Well now she has, just up the hill from Queen Street in central Auckland. Moustache is a sliver of a shop, which has proven no obstacle to doing good business. “Everyone has taken the concept on board,” smiles Deanna, “I’ve barely had to go out and sell the idea.” And what was the idea? It’s to sell plain milk and cookies, the comfort food of nearly everyone’s childhood and a particular fond memory of Deanna’s.

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| November 2012

“So far I’ve had huge mix of customers although particularly university students and business people. But it appeals to all ages and in the weekend many families come in.” She had an idea of how she wanted her shop to look but got help from Miguel Machado and Monica Lal, of Mimo Inc, who helped her turn her ideas into reality, including that of using old glass milk bottles for light fixtures. Now the bottles have brass fixtures and hang from the ceiling in an impressive cluster that will surely be copied by some admirer. In fact, the concept was by far the easiest thing in the setup of Moustache. Being creative is one of Deanna’s strengths and comes naturally to her, so determining the concept, its identity, the fit out and the menu was fun and exciting. Which was just as well because the project that should have taken six weeks

stretched out to three months. There were council compliances and sourcing the right equipment for the shift from baking a couple of trays of cookies at home to having to provide hundreds for the masses. Most of the recipes she has had since childhood but she enlisted two more bakers to help her develop the flavours further. The strategy was for mass-making simple but flavoursome cookies and in this she has succeeded in the few months Moustache has been opened. Her two best sellers lately have been the classic chocolate chip cookie of her childhood and a biscuit using Snickers Bars called the Snookie – one old, one new. Another new recipe nevertheless has connections with her childhood. Her Nutella cookie has a huge dollop of the hazelnut butter baked inside the dough, a gooey delicious treat reminiscent of Deanna’s

If you are wondering why it is called Moustache, look in the mirror next time you drink a glass of milk

Credit: Olivia Hadlow

fast foods

early love of eating spoonful’s of Nutella from the jar instead of spreading it thinly on bread. Another big seller is the Black Forest, a dark chocolate and berry concoction. All the cookies are baked on site and come with a cup of flavoured milk in which to dunk them. Kohu Road icecream can also accompany the cookies. Beverages include milkshakes, coffee

from Coffee Supreme and Harney & Sons tea. Moustache has only been open for just over two months and already there is interest in having another store open elsewhere in Auckland. “But I need to focus on this store first,” laughs Deanna. “One is quite enough for me right now.” 12 Wellesley Street West, Auckland ■ Moustache.co.nz

Moustache has a really funky atmosphere to it, with old milk bottle lights and shelves displaying chocolate, cups and jars. When I was served a milkshake in a jar, I immediately thought what a simple but cool idea it was. It wasn’t just in a glass and it went on to complement the theme of the shop. But what was perhaps the most important – the cookies. I was given a chocolate chip cookie to try and on my first bite the whole cookie made my insides melt; the chocolate to cookie ratio was perfect. For the whole time I was in the cookie bar, never once did the staff get a chance for a breather. There was a constant flow of people coming in to buy the delicious cookies and get their own version of the amazing taste experience that I had had. Olivia Hadlow

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November 2012 |

espresso

Keeping it cool in SKOPE Food Display

With summer rolling in and temperatures hopefully rising café operators know it’s extremely important to stay cool on the job. Sue Fea finds out more.

s the heat turns up in the kitchen good refrigeration systems and safe food handling practices are vital so fridges and display cabinets must be up to the change in temperature. This is especially important where customers and staff are constantly opening and shutting doors reaching for drinks and other cool treats. Chilled drawers are becoming more popular, but the latest hot thing off the ice would have to be blast chilling and shock freezing. This retains the quality of freshly cooked food by reducing the temperature quickly, preventing food from deteriorating or drying as it cools. SKOPE has recently released the IRINOX Rolls Royce range, the MF-Plus multi-function centre, which has the ability

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| November 2012

summer

to not only blast chill and shock freeze but to low temperature cook, thaw, regenerate, pasteurise and even to proof breads. It allows operation from minus 40˚C through to 85˚C in the same cabinet and you don’t have to be there. SKOPE’s IRINOX product manager Richard Bennett says smaller operators may balk at investing $15,000 in a blast chiller, but in a year they could save up to $25,000. Meat cooked traditionally then refrigerated loses up to 15 percent of its volume and weight. This low temperature cooking method can reduce that to 2 or 3 percent retaining the look, taste and flavour. It allows for planned production on one day of the week instead of three days a week, reducing labour costs and wastage. “After a normal day’s use you can load the cabinet with meat, chicken or fish portions, slow cook, auto blast chill and/ or shock freeze overnight or hold at 65˚C serving temperature,” says Bennett. This new dream machine even has HACCP data records cycles, with an in-built 5-sensor probe. The data can be downloaded and presented for food hygiene inspections. Southern Hospitality’s Otago Southland regional sales manager Mark Latham says blast chilling minimises bacteria,

The first household refrigerator produced by General Electric in 1911 was based on a design by a French Cistercian monk and physics teacher named Marcel Audiffren. The monk’s sulfur dioxide refrigerating process took the form of a wooden refrigerator named the Audiffren. It cost $1000, which was twice as much as an automobile. prevents weight loss and retains moisture and flavours. A large pot of mince mixture cooked on a stove-top could take hours to cool in a cool-room and would chill from the outside putting temperatures at dangerous levels for bacteria. “If this mixture is cooled quickly then it’s not only safe, but you can work with it faster cutting down on prep time and overall labour costs.” The main advance in shock freezing is how water crystals act as key to the freezing and regeneration of a product. The longer time it takes to freeze a product the larger the water crystals are that are formed. The product then becomes “soggier” on thawing.

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By purchasing larger quantities of in-season meat or produce when prices are low operators can win out and minimise wastage. Top chefs are raving about the blast chillers but warn operators to do their research before they buy. By using a blast chiller and getting the core temperature down to 3˚C quickly you extend the life and freshness of the product. A roast chicken reheated the next day is a good example. Normal chicken reheated the next day would be dry, but by getting the core temperature down to 3˚C that retains its integrity for reheating. It’s important to meet Health Department regulations and ensure safe food practises. The new Food Bill is expected to become law by the middle of next year and is being welcomed by environmental health staff working for local authorities around the country. Cafés and restaurants are embracing it, with

Refrigeration and display cabinets

many already signed up and successfully operating voluntary food control plans. Good operators say they’ve been running similar rigid controls in their kitchens for years and regularly recording temperature checks and monitoring safe food practises can only be good for the industry. Dunedin City Council environmental health team leader Ros MacGill says they’ve had excellent buy-in under the voluntary plans in Dunedin. “It’s been very successful. Over 60 percent of those who can register have and we’re noticing a marked change in the standard in a lot of premises.” MacGill says operators and staff are taking pride in what they do and checking temperatures. The changes make for better management practise and mean risk is managed more effectively on a day to day basis. “Operators are taking control. I don’t think the systems have changed, it’s more how they’re managing it,” she says.

The largest collection of refrigerator magnets belongs to Louise J. Greenfarb also known as The Magnet Lady, from Henderson, Nevada, USA. Her world record was included to the Guinness World Records with 19,300 items as of 1997. According to the British "Book of alternative records", it grew to 29,000 as of February 2002, and later up to over 30 000 items. Over 7 000 magnets from Greenfarb's collection are exhibited at the Guinness Museum in Las Vegas. Fridge magnet collecting has become a big hobby for many people who refine their collections with on-line swap sites.

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Training

You’re only as good as your staff It is all too easy to think that just because you are a small café you can get by with supervising your staff instead of training them. And if you are a big busy café, no matter how good your product is, lack of trained staff could easily bring you down. Kathy Ombler investigates. Blair Clements, Joe’s Garage “What’s most important with regards to our training is we systemise everything to the point that any staff member can pull out our instruction manual and it will explain how we do things, even the way we clean our toilets. You can pull out a manual and follow that. Some say our systems are overthe-top intense, but that’s how we work.” “The biggest mistake food outlets make

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| November 2012

is having no systems and letting staff do things however they like; then you have problems with consistency. The worst thing is when the customer comes in asking who’s in the kitchen because they like the way one person cooks. It should be consistent no matter who’s in the kitchen.” “All new staff receives one full week of training before they are exposed to the job. Induction includes running through

the policies and procedures for everything we do in the café; the order of service, how we treat customers. “We are very anal about our coffee. Our head barista is qualified by our coffee supplier to be a trainer so we have a certified trainer on board at all times.” “If staff wants to further their skills we’re happy to pay for any formal training if they commit to a certain period of work with us. We recently put one through the Step Forward supervisory programme. He was already skilled in most of what was covered - for example budgeting, rostering and food costing - but he wanted a qualification. He also now has a very clear understanding of why we do things.”

Derek Stainton, St Paul’s Café “When we hire staff we ask what their long term goals are and how long they want

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At Coffee Supreme, espresso training is one of the most important parts of what we do. It's the culmination of all of the hard work that has been done to get our great quality beans to our customers; and by giving people the tools to improve the quality of the coffee in the cup, they can improve not only their own reputation but also their turn-over. To better control your product, you need to be able to explicitly understand it, along with the machinery you are using. We offer our customers a range

to be in the industry. If their goals fit our goals we look at upskilling them, and we always encourage our staff to get extra credits, working through HSI and other providers. Encouraging our staff to upskill has helped retain them long term. “The first thing is everyone completes a Food Safety course. It’s a council requirement for half of your staff to have this training; we train everyone so if anyone is off sick we have people to cover. It pays to multi-skill your staff. ''Good coffee staff is vital for our business. We are well known for our coffee and our quick service; a lot of our clients only have time to call in quickly and they need

Training

of trainings, not only for their new staff, but also refresher and advanced sessions, up-skilling tips and tricks as well as troubleshooting sessions. We can also help with front of house interactions. As a professional barista, your responsibility is not only to produce outstanding espresso, but also to make your customers feel welcome and taken care of. The simple act of warmly greeting someone over the coffee machine can go a long way. Basically, investing in training and skilled baristas is one of the most valuable things a café owner can do.

their coffee fast. All front of house staff train with our supplier, Burton Hollis and we aim to have them certified as quickly as possible. “Most important is to hire staff who are actually capable of learning!”

Teresa Yee, Finc Dining Room & Café “The key thing in a business our size is making sure systems are in place before you even start training. Ensure they are easy to follow and can be understood by someone with absolutely no experience whatsoever. “For us the entire business is based on mise-en-place; for the office person upstairs, front of house, everyone. It highlights each person’s responsibilities and

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Training

Training is not a one off event – it’s an ongoing process – in successful cafés it’s embedded into the culture. – Coffee Supreme

the manager’s job is to check the mise-en-place daily, to make sure all those systems are ticked off. That way we can identify immediately where the gaps are, which team member is responsible and management can react to fix it. “The big challenge for a business like Finc, open 105 hours a week, is that the ‘boss’ can’t be there all the time, so having this system in place enables someone to step up to manage. “When we are training staff we ensure they get to know each section as thoroughly as possible. There are so many elements, even in front of house – for example barista, cashier, runners, wait staff – we work section by section so our staff gets to know each one thoroughly, not be average in all of them. “The key thing is keeping staff interested and giving them goals. In an industry noted for its high staff turnover this helps to keep them longer and that eliminates costs. “As well as barista training we offer opportunities for our staff to complete HSI certificates and unit standards. We make an agreement that we will pay for their training and if they decide to leave we retrieve the cost from their final wages, so whatever happens they go away with that training.” “Above all, get your staff to understand and believe in your goal. Our customers variously want to be entertained, left alone, or interact with friendly staff – ultimately staff has to be able to integrate all that in a professional, business-like manner.”

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| November 2012

The merger of three industry training organisations (ITOs) and review of national hospitality qualifications will benefit all sectors, including small foodservice operators, says HSI chief executive, Ken Harris. From January 1, the current Aviation, Tourism and Travel Training Organisation (ATTTO), Hospitality Standards Institute (HSI) and Retail Institute will merge into the new Service Skills Institute. “There are already close links between the three sectors and the merger will provide opportunity to get best practise across all three. A lot of course skills working across hospitality, retail and tourism are core skills, focused around customer service,” says Harris. While the actual transition to the new Service Skills Institute is expected to take a few months, Harris promises minimal impact on existing customers. “We don’t envisage a change as far as customers are

concerned initially, apart from a bit of marketing/ branding collateral. “During 2013 we will be looking at best practise across the three organisations and doing some integration, of back office functions and data bases, for example, and then customerfacing operations.” Overlapping the ITO merger is the development of new industry qualifications, following the government instigated Targeted Review of Qualifications (TROQ). The new qualification structure promises to be far more manageable, says Ken Harris. “At this stage we have registered 17 new hospitality and tourism qualifications with the NZQA that we have worked through with representatives from providers and industry. This is a reduction from the 178 previous qualifications so the new structure will be much simpler and clearer for people coming into the industry.”

chit chat

How to improve profit and cash flow There’s an awful lot of small print in a business and some of it is very hard to understand. Sue Hirst of CFO On-Call makes it a little easier giving you seven key financial drivers of profit and cash flow Small Business Owners are constantly grappling with ‘truck loads’ of information. I ‘d like to share with you how to ‘cut through’ the financial information - to show you which numbers are really important to understand, drive and manage your way to better profit and cash flow. Following is an example of how a business with turnover of $100,000, can improve their cash flow by over $10,000, without increasing revenue. Current 1. Cost Of Goods reduction 1%..........................................................$ 981 (70%) 2. Overheads reduction 6%...................................................................$1,922 (30%) 3. Accounts Receivable Days reduction 11...............................$3,221 (53) 4. Inventory or Work in Progress days reduction 10...........$ 2,049 (42) 5. Price increase 2%......................................................................................$ 1,827 Total improved Cash Flow.................................................. $10,000!!!!

4. Overheads Percentage

5. Accounts Receivable Days

Each improvement requires a project to achieve the outcome. The cost of achieving these changes is nowhere near $10,000. The corresponding increase in profit would be about $6,000! Here’s the numbers.

1. Revenue Growth Percentage Most people think selling more is the way to fix a cash flow problem. Selling more can actually make cash flow problems worse. When you make a sale you need to ‘fund’ that sale i.e. you need to pay for the stock/labour to deliver the sale – sometimes well before you’ve been paid by your customer. If you have a cash flow problem prior to sales growth it will get worse if you don’t concentrate on the other ‘Drivers’.

2. Price Change Percentage This means a price increase, decrease, or discount. Many small business owners think they can’t increase prices because they will lose customers. You can’t keep selling at the same price for years, absorbing increased costs, and be profitable. Most people understand prices go up. Wages and fuel go up constantly. You must monitor margins to see when it’s time to increase prices. It’s reasonable to factor a small, regular increase into contracts. Use the opportunity of supplier increases to pass it on to customers. You don’t have to advertise that you’ve increased prices. CPI ranges around 2-3% and is hardly noticeable. If you don’t increase prices regularly, you will notice it when gross profit has reduced by 10% after years selling at the same price.

3. Cost of Goods (COGs) Percentage

This ‘Driver’ is probably the most impactful. A small change here can have as much impact as a large increase in Revenue. When you sell more you incur more costs, stock, customers time to pay and jobs in progress prior to invoicing. When you reduce COGs it goes straight to your bottom line. I would recommend putting aside time to focus attention on reducing COGs and achieving efficiencies.

Overheads are different to COGs, they occur all the time e.g. rent, wages etc. COGs generally occur when you sell something, like a product or service. Overheads can ‘eat away’ at profitability if not kept in check. There’s one word for the solution here: budget. There’s no better control than to put a budget into your accounting system and report every month on actual versus budget. You can quickly identify issues and fix them to save yourself thousands of dollars rather than leaving it to the end of financial year, for tax accounts. We regularly review overheads at CFO On-Call and the first time it resulted in approx $250,000 of savings!

This is the number of days ‘on average’ customers are taking to pay, if offered credit terms. This is different from the terms offered e.g. 30 days. It’s not uncommon to see this result up to 120 days. There’s many ways to get customers to pay on time and regular efficient follow ups is one –see last month’s article.

6. Accounts Payable Days

This is the number of days ‘on average’ taken to pay suppliers, if terms are given. It’s common to see this number at less than the Accounts Receivable Days number. This means suppliers are paid quicker than collections from customers. Not many people like chasing money, but are easily prodded into paying before terms allow. In this scenario –cash is going out to suppliers faster than it’s coming in from customers – result cash squeeze!

7. Inventory and Work in Progress Days

Inventory Days is the number of days ‘on average’ stock sits in store waiting to be sold, Work in Progress Days is the number of days jobs are in progress prior to invoicing. Think of stock as dollar bills piled up on the stock room floor, and Work in Progress as dollar bills piled up on the work room floor! You need to have stock ready to sell when customers are ready to buy, but not for too long – sucking up working capital. Sales forecasts and managing customer requirements is one way to minimize Inventory Days. Work in Progress is made up of wages paid to staff/contract labour and materials on jobs. The longer it takes to complete jobs and invoice, the more working capital is needed. Speeding up job management and reducing Work in Progress days will have a positive impact on cash. A great way to speed up jobs is to use systems, checklists and templates ensuring consistent quality. These tools reduce mistakes and wasted time. Improved Customer Satisfaction also speeds up payment.

For more details on tactics to improve the ‘Key Financial Drivers’ order your copy of ‘The Seven Key Numbers that Drive Profit and Cash Flow’ by calling us on 1300 36 24 36 AU or 0800 180 400 NZ www.cfooncall.com.au ./ www.cfooncall.co.nz November 2012 |

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Marketevents

2012 –Served–

All Year November

22 29

Craft Beer Sunday Taupo

eventfinder.co.nz

2013 January

Enjoy an Evening With Bevan Smith From Riverstone Kitchen

Dunedin

www.judith-cullen.com

December

Wild Food Festival

1 1 8

Whakatane

www.eventfinder.co.nz/user/ taparareidhiakita

Winton

www.winefestival.co.nz

If you have an event you’d like us to highlight just email

editor@espressomagazine.co.nz

Auckland

www.thebarrier.co.nz

Tauranga Boutique Seafood Festival Tauranga

www.seafoodfest.co.nz

The Marlborough Wine & Food Festival Blenheim

www.marlboroughwinefestival.co.nz

www.southernfete.co.nz Christchurch

Great FitzRoy Mussel Fest 2013

February

Southern Artisan Christmas Fete

New World Wine & Food Festival

Marketevents

May

7-9 18-21

SIAL CHINA 2013 Shanghai

National Restaurant Association (United States) Show 2013 Chicago

www.restaurant.org

with the details.

November 2012 |

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