Restaurant & Café Magazine | March 2022

March 2022 Vol 15 Issue 3

$10.95

TODAY’S MILK IS

The

ALTERNATIVE

A simple way to add plant-based to any menu.

VEGETARIAN CHARGRILLED PIECES SALAD Add these versatile HARVEST GOURMET Chargrilled Pieces to add delicious plant-based protein to salads, wraps, pizzas and more!

Use the HARVEST GOURMET SensationalTM Burger patty whole or roughly chop it up into a burrito bowl with a salsa mix for a tasty Mexican inspired plant-based dish.

JACKFRUIT CURRY Add a fragrant vegan curry to your menu using CHEF Vegetable Liquid Concentrate.

WE HAVE GROWN OUR VEGAN AND VEGETARIAN OFFERING SO YOU CAN GROW YOURS TOO!

Visit our ‘Grow With It’ online hub for more information nestleprofessional.co.nz/growwithit or contact your local Nestlé Professional representative on 0800 830 840.

editor’snote

MicroMenu Tania Walters Publisher tania@reviewmags.com

With staff shortages, rising ingredient and labour costs and supply issues, it makes sense to condense menus.

Even a change every few weeks to update with seasonal ingredients or what is available will help keep costs down. Analyse sales against the menu, keep customer favourites and kick off anything that hasn’t been ordered in a while or has high or rising ingredient costs.

With the opening of the border, everyone is bracing for the unknown. While incoming tourists will help turnover, it is better to have a plan in place should another wave of infection hit.

Prepare for different scenarios, talk to your team about the “what if ’s”. Keeping good lines

contents 10

of communication open with staff, while not giving surety, gives everyone a sense of some control over their future.

2022 is the year to adapt. From menus to staff rosters, shortened opening times, table layout, and adapting outdoor spaces for use during Winter, it's time to take

another look at what you can do to improve margins and lower overheads.

tania@reviewmags.com

March 2022

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5 News 10 FISH & CHIPS Feature 12 FISH & CHIPS: Sweet Seafood 14 FISH & CHIPS: Everyone's Favourite

16 FISH & CHIPS: United Fisheries 20 PLANT BASED Feature 22 PLANT BASED: Milking the Alternatives

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24 PLANT BASED: Say 'Hello" to your . . .

25 PLANT BASED: South Australia . . .

27 Meet the Chef 28 RATs

RESTAURANT & CAFÉ SUPPORTS 100% OWNED

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Chairman: Peter Mitchell, peter@reviewmags.com Publisher: Tania Walters, tania@reviewmags.com General Manager: Kieran Mitchell, kieran@reviewmags.com Group Managing Editor:Sarah Mitchell, sarah@reviewmags.com Editor: Caitlan Mitchell, caitlan@reviewmags.com Senior Editorial Associate: Sophie Procter, sophie@reviewmags.com Advertising: Caroline Boe, caroline@reviewmags.com Senior Designer: Raymund Sarmiento, raymund@reviewmags.com Graphic Designer: Debby Wei, debby@reviewmags.com

ISSN 2422-9601 (Print) ISSN 2744-5968 (Online) RESTAURANT & CAFÉ: Retail 6, Heards Building, 2 Ruskin Street, Parnell, Auckland 1050 PO Box 37140, Parnell, Auckland Tel (09) 304 0142 or Email: edit@reviewmags.com This magazine is published monthly under license. Please direct all enquiries and correspondence to Review Publishing Co Ltd. This magazine is a platform for the industry and may include content that expresses views and opinions by contributing writers. Content is attributed to the author, and these opinions and the view/s are those of the author/s. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organisation, employer or company. The opinions and material published in this edition are not necessarily those of the publishers unless expressly stated. All material appearing in the magazine, website and social media platforms is copyright and may only be reproduced with the written consent of the publisher. Copyright 2022

news Food Delivery in Hot Demand in New Plymouth People around Taranaki are definitely not going hungry as demand for food delivery services surge. With the noticeable downturn in trade in central New Plymouth has come a sizeable increase in orders being delivered to people’s front doors, according to the director of one company operating in the city.

Delivereasy director Nick Foster said its fleet of drivers was busier than ever, with an increase in orders around Taranaki. It was a trend across Aotearoa too. He said this had been especially noticeable in the last three weeks, once the Omicron variant of Covid-19 began to spread in the community.

The Ultimate Toastie Taste Test is Back!

The Great NZ Toastie Takeover is back for a fifth year with organisers again on the hunt for the country’s supreme toasted sandwich.

With free entry, the popular competition has gained momentum year on year, in 2021 attracting more than 120 entries and serving up a whopping 80,000 toasties over the duration of the search.

The competition’s grand toastmaster and McClure’s Pickles founder Joe McClure will then visit the finalists to sample the entries and liaise with head judge Kerry Tyack to determine New Zealand’s top toastie for 2022.

“This is one of my favourite times of the year, both for me and the McClure’s team as we see what interesting flavour combinations come through from our Kiwi friends”, said McClure.

New Third Party Delivery Player Knocking on NZ’s Door

Launching in New Zealand as early as next month, US fooddelivery service DoorDash is set to shake up third-party delivery.

It has been reported that DoorDash is actively recruiting staff on LinkedIn and that the brand aims to offer restaurants and food suppliers a channel significantly cheaper than existing fooddelivery services, such as UberEats, Menulog and local company Delivereasy. With takeaway and delivery still king in the foodservice space, a new player could help innovate the game.

New look, same great taste.

For over 40 years we’ve been providing top quality products for all our trade customers, so we thought it was time to update your favourite Gilmours House Brand with new packaging and an exciting range of new products too.

Don’t worry, you’ll still get the same great results, just now with a whole new look. gilmours.co.nz

House Brand March 2022

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news

REGISTRATIONS NOW OPEN FOR THE NESTLÉ GOLDEN CHEFS HAT AWARDS If you’re an apprentice or junior chef, this is an incredible opportunity to show off your skills and take part in Australia’s longest running and most prestigious culinary competition. You’ll also have the chance to: *WIN up to $20K in prizes

*Get noticed by the hospitality industry *Learn new skills and techniques To register visit: https://restaurantandcafe.co.nz/registrations-now-open/

One Small Step for Mankind

The World Association of Chefs’ Societies has partnered with the Space Club Kitchen and the Frankfurt event and festival agency BigCityBeats GmbH. As part of the “BigCityBeats Space Club Kitchen,” the whole world will cook a complete meal together with ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer on the International Space station ISS in March 2022.

To allow everyone the opportunity to take part and prepare the dish together, an internet stream from the ISS and more than 50 global dinner events will appear on humanity’s most iconic monuments such as the pyramids, while also being broadcast on television.

“I think this is the biggest thing that can happen. Music, food, everything together is the perfect combination to unite people and bring them closer together,” expressed Thomas Andreas Gugler, VP of a multi-billion-dollar organisation and President of Worldchefs.

Next Level Finger Lickin’

A KFC drumstick dusted in gold and sprinkled with quinoa. That’s right, the La Di Da Drumstick (aka Fried Gold) is just one of the 11 unique dishes Aussie KFC fans can experience as part of the fast-food giant’s world first degustation restaurant in Sydney.

Developed in partnership with chef patron and owner of Sydney’s nel. restaurant, Nelly Robinson (aka Australia’s degustation king), KFC fans will be taken on a very different culinary journey that sees the Colonel’s finest feeds elevated to new heights in theatrical and playful ways.

Celebrity Chef Fundraising for Tonga

Two months on from the devastating volcanic eruption, Chef Robert Oliver has joined forces with Unicef and launched a life-changing auction to raise money for Tonga.

“We cannot forget Tonga. After a disaster of this scale, we know that the complex needs of communities are ongoing and require significant support,” Oliver said. “It’s not just about fundraising, it’s also about keeping Tonga front of mind.”

Oliver has worked with Unicef in the Pacific for many years. Unicef Aotearoa chief executive Michelle Sharp said the charity was extremely grateful to Oliver and his friends for their help.

“Supporting children, families and communities in Tonga would not have been possible without generous supporters and partners from around Aotearoa.”

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STODDART REINFORCES COMMITMENT WITH BRANDS ENGINEERED FOR NEW ZEALAND

Stoddart entered the New Zealand market directly in 2018 and as Australia’s premier supplier of food service equipment and metal fabrication, our approach then, and continues today, is the ability to combine high level customer service with the complexities and technological demands of commercial kitchens in the New Zealand marketplace.

S

toddart is family owned and managed and for three generations, Stoddart has walked the talk. From simple beginnings over 60 years ago with two brothers, Tom and Albert, Stoddart is Australia’s one stop shop for exclusively manufactured and distributed brands. Employing over 500 people in the Karawatha facility in Brisbane where at over 100 employees have been with the company for more than 10 years – that’s quite an achievement with workforce disruption inherent in manufacturing today.

Stoddart has continued to invest in innovation and manufacturing in the Karawatha facility with significant investments in new technology for local manufacturing which is at the forefront of the

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Stoddart philosophy.

One of the latest innovations is the new Airex Refrigeration brand.

The Airex range of refrigerated products has been developed to cover both front and back of house requirements as well as hot and cold food displays. Airex is quickly becoming the must-have brand for hospitality venues in New Zealand and Australia - with features for improved performance and consistent temperature control as well as food safety and quality.

The design of Airex continues the innovation from a manufacturing base that Stoddart has always focused on - pushing the boundaries to deliver the results in the kitchen with patented technologies bringing cost, time, and space savings.

Stoddart NZ has continued to

invest and has recently moved into a much larger warehouse and showroom facility to demonstrate the range of products more effectively. This has allowed for a much larger range of products

to be stocked, with increased stock levels and improved supply chain management with facility to accommodate larger containers.

Additionally, Stoddart NZ has increased investment with the employment of Adam Dickson as Chef/Sales Specialist to support the new showroom and facilitate with training and demonstration of equipment. Dickson brings 28 years’ experience in the hospitality industry having worked throughout the world in kitchens from hot dog stands to fine dining establishments.

His more recent background has been teaching up-and-coming Chefs at MIT in Auckland to Level 3 & 4 students and was involved with the Restaurant Association mentoring apprentice chefs in mid to end of apprenticeship assessments as he firmly believes in encouragement of on-the-job training.

With all the Covid lockdowns and restrictions that have affected the entire country and impacting the hospitality sector greatly, Stoddart NZ along with others have been assisting through Hands up for Hospo auctions to fundraise money to assist struggling hospitality businesses. While this is only a drop in the bucket and nowhere enough to benefit the entire hospitality sector, it has gone someway in alleviating the stress to some.

With more new products to come into the market over the next months, it shows that Stoddart has been working on innovation and development despite the Covid situation. The Stoddart factory has not closed during the entire time and has been adapting and shifting to suit the market, changing capacity to suit.

DESIGNED AND ENGINEERED IN AUSTRALIA TO MEET AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND STANDARDS Airex’s extensive range of refrigeration and display products, exclusive to Stoddart, has been designed and tested in Australia to master the elements of its diverse climate.

Airex’s innovative and sleek line-up will fit seamlessly into any commercial setting, in retail, commercial kitchens, cafés, in either front or back of house applications.

Providing outstanding food safety standards, hygiene and high-quality components, Airex sets a new standard for refrigeration and display within the food service market.

MASTERING THE ELEMENTS

fish&chips

FISH & FRIES A Kiwi Favourite Fish and chips remain a firm Kiwi favourite, despite competition from an array of food choices consumers now have at their fingertips.

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erhaps it is the simplicity of the dish, and its early ties to the ‘every-man’ that is responsible for its universal appeal.

Fish ‘n’ chips have moved far beyond the traditional “greasies”, wrapped up in newsprint. A new wave of shops have gone upmarket, offering a wide variety of fish species cooked to order, often attractively served in boxes with condiments.

We are incredibly lucky to have access to some of the best kai moana in the world and New Zealand’s seafood industry plays a key role in the country’s economy, employing more than 13,000 people who provide New Zealand and the world with high quality, nutritious and great tasting seafood.

Fish and chips is the perfect dish to show off locally sourced ingredients on your menu.

NEW ZEALAND'S Take your fish and chips to the next level with Aotearoa’s favourite species all in one place B U Y O N L I N E O R C O N TA C T U S N O W AT M O A N A .C O. N Z

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A LITTLE HISTORY ON A HUMBLE DISH Here in New Zealand, it is our colonial history that saw fish and chips arrive on our shores.

Some credit the ultimate origins of fish and chips to a melding of cooking traditions brought to England by refugees: frying

fish in batter, brought over by Jewish immigrants fleeing from Spain and Portugal, and frying chipped potatoes in fat, brought over by Huguenot refugees from France. Both items, fried battered fish and fried potatoes, were sold separately in the streets of London.

The combined dish emerged

during the industrialisation of Britain. The first Fish and Chip shop appeared around the early to mid 1860s. By the 1900s, fish and chip shops were becoming common in urban areas of any size in England and Scotland and by 1910, there were about 25,000 fish and chip shops in the UK, mostly run by families, which provided

lunches and early evening meals to working class people.

Food historians have not been able to pinpoint exactly when the meal became an established part of New Zealand cuisine but all recognise it came to New Zealand with British settlers in the 19th century.

Great Value, Great Taste, Lean Protein.

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Contact your nearest representative on 03 343 0587 or ask your local distributor.

March 2022

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fish&chips

SWEET SEAFOOD: The Top Trends in Kiwi Seafood Cuisine

While classic fish and chips is a beloved dish, Kiwi consumers are experimenting more with their taste-buds and are looking for something new and unique from their dining experiences.

K

eeping classics on the menu is important, but it’s also important to have fun and innovate to keep things fresh, why not try some of these top Kiwi seafood cuisine trends on your fish and chip menu.

Aged Fish When aged, the flesh of many fish, and especially oily fish, will develop more complex flavours, often in the savoury profile. For sashimi and curing, oily fish

allowed to age will often produce stunning flavours.

Top fish to age are kahawai, trumpeter and groper but the technique can be trialled with all fish types. Kingi, a popular Auckland seafood restaurant, serves aged kahawai. They hang it in their chiller before eventually serving it raw.

Using the Whole Fish Not only is using the whole fish a good way to maximise the resource, but you will also get a

G UP N I N E H FRESUR MENU? YO EASY. TOO e ser vic food lit y sive a u lu c q x ium ur e re Tr y o e of prem to prepa . rang t is easy k o o ha oc d fi sh t d q uick t h selec te d r g an h rou hat Sealo t le w ab yo u r r Avail tors . See o f om an do ibu dist r ser vice c .sealord .c Fo o d s a t w w w es bu sin

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greater range of flavours. Fish heads, for example, have a lot of flavourful oils in them and some big chunks of flesh and split and smoked fish heads make a great finger food, but be sure to serve with plenty of napkins.

In restaurants the use of fish collars has become quite popular as they can be eaten like chicken wings, another great finger food full of flavour.

The Use of Coastal Succulents Foraging is increasing in popularity and customers like a menu built on locally sourced ingredients.

You get fresh flavours and often high levels of nutrition from wild foraged herbs and coastal succulents (such as ice-plants).

Many are used as garnishes with seafood or make a tasty side salad.

Key coastal herbs to use are wild fennel, Italian parsley and native celery. Beach spinach and native

spinach often grow wild along our coast too and have a stunning salty flavour with a crisp texture. Native ice plant (horokaka) is also very nice as a wild succulent to add into salads with seafood and it can also be pickled in vinegar to enhance its flavour.

Seaweeds for Flavour We are lucky to have a diverse range of edible seaweeds in New Zealand waters. The top five edible seaweeds are wakame, kombu (Ecklonia radiata), sea lettuce, karengo and in some areas for those that dive, sea grapes.

Many of the seaweeds are ideal to lightly blanch and mix in together with sesame oil and seeds to make a seaweed salad.

While brown in colour when fresh, seaweeds will go a vibrant bright green colour when heated up.

February 2022

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fish&chips

Everyone's Favourite Side: Fries!

Fries, Pomme Frites, French Fries, Hot Chips, whatever you choose to call them, the humble fried potato is still one of the most ordered menu items for Kiwi consumers.

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f course, the ultimate question when it comes to delivering fresh fries to hungry consumers is how to keep them crunchy.

The hot, crispy qualities that make the hot chips dish so delectable also makes them challenging to prepare for the growing off-premise consumer market in commercial foodservice and non-commercial alike.

Consumers want their off-site dining experiences to match onsite food quality levels.

Keeping fries hot and crispy as they travel is more of a science than an art and thanks to innovations in both products and packaging, foodservice operators have more ways than ever to get hot chips out the door quickly without sacrificing quality.

THE CRUNCH FACTOR Not all fries are created equal in their ability to maintain texture and temperature between the operator’s kitchen and the consumer’s table. With preparation of carryout and delivery fries, operations need to consider how long the product will be in transit.

Choosing a product that is coated or battered, rather than

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a traditional uncoated fry, helps fries retain heat longer. Thickbattered fries provide top heat retention and a crispy crunch while thicker-cut fries which have more solids and a lower moisture content allow for a faster turnaround and hold onto their heat longer during travel time.

The enemy of crispy hot chips? Moisture and heat loss.

Styrofoam and plastic takeaway packaging have a long history of success for many foods, but these enclosed containers will encourage steaming and condensation, which leads to wilted, soggy fries.

Instead, use paper or cardboard packaging with ventilation, so the container can breathe, and steam can get out.

Make sure that vent holes in the container are large enough to allow adequate airflow but are not so large that the fries get cold.

FRY NOT TRY AN ALTERNATIVE TO POTATO? While potato fries are the classic favourite, and definitely shouldn’t be going anywhere, if you want to get a little creative with your fish and chips dish, why not try an

alternative vegetable as a side?

We all know how well kumara fries go down, but there are plenty of other veggies that can make for great fries, perhaps becoming

seasonal special menu items throughout the year. Here are our top three picks:

Eggplant Fries • Eggplants (or aubergines) make great fries and pair well with an Italian-style tomato sauce (think a snack-sized version of eggplant parmigiana).

Crispy Parmesan Green Bean Fries • A delicious lighter alternative to traditional potato fries, coated in bread crumbs and baked, rather than fried.

Courgette Crisps • Courgettes are perfect for creating a scrumptious looking side that’s a little different.

Perfect paired with a chipotle aioli sauce.

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March 2022

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fish&chips

UNITED FISHERIES Adding to Its Fisherman’s Basket

United Fisheries is excited to announce it has taken over the distribution of Independent Fisheries within New Zealand, a natural culmination of two Kiwi family businesses that have already been working side by side for a long time.

“T

hey’re both Christchurch family owned businesses and they’ve had a strong relationship over the last 40-odd years,” expressed Jason Saré, United Fisheries National Sales Manager.

“It’s exciting because it adds Independent’s product range to our fisherman’s basket of what we can offer, from retail through to foodservice and gives us the man power to be able to provide this New Zealand-wide.”

United Fisheries has grown since 1974 from modest beginnings to become one of the top ten seafood companies in New Zealand. The company has a highly knowledgeable and experienced team of fishing, marine farming, production, marketing and administration personnel and is one of the largest employers in the Christchurch area.

Independent Fisheries Ltd has a rich history as one of New Zealand’s largest deep-sea fishing companies, catching and processing a huge variety of species from the abundant waters of the great southern oceans and delivering them to customers around the globe.

With the addition of Independent Fisheries’ products, United Fisheries is in an even better position to meet the needs of its customers.

“It strengthens us to meet all markets, form the fish ’n chip shop to the fine dining restaurant and diversifies what we can offer our customers - which is of great benefit to the foodservice industry,” continued Saré.

The new partnership will also strengthen United Fisheries’ ability to support smaller, local suppliers of kaimoana, and help keep it local.

Both companies are extremely proud of their

New Zealand-owned history and local heritage, and having worked together for so long, are closely connected, making this move a natural progression for both brands.

“There is a deep bond between both family companies,” concluded Saré. “And this will only help us deliver the very best seafood to customers around New Zealand.”

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plantbased

PLANT-BASED PROTEIN’S POPULARITY IS STILL GROWING

The rise in popularity of plant-based protein is one of the most significant and noticeable food-based trends of the past few years. Even more noticeably, the popularity of flexitarian and reductionarian diets is no longer just among the super-health conscious.

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onsumers want fun and indulgence with their plant-based options, hence the rise of plant-based protein being added to the menu of fast-food restaurants and quick service chains all around the world.

Exploding in innovation over the last few years, brands are hitting the mark when it comes to plantbased protein items that closely imitate the texture, feel and taste of animal-based meat. Pizzeria operators are embracing plantbased toppings like pepperoni, meatballs, sausage and non-dairy cheese alternatives and breakfast dayparts are being invigorated by menu items with plant-based bacon.

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The biggest factor for success is the ability to adapt and change, it is no longer a question of whether or not plant-based proteins are a passing fad, they are a lasting trend, a tectonic shift in consumer preferences you would be foolish to miss out on.

Another major benefit of plant-based options is the lower ingredient costs. In some cases, protein-rich plant-based food can offer a longer shelf life than animal products and less price volatility.

The plant-based foods market is predicted to comprise 7.7 percent of the global protein market by 2030, worth USD$162 billion.

While animal-based protein may still be king in much of the foodservice space for some time to come, it is clear that plant-based isn’t going anywhere.

What’s Next for Plant-Based Protein?

Burgers and sausage patties may have pushed plant proteins squarely into the mainstream, but these days, suppliers and operators are rapidly moving into other products. And it seems like consumers’ appetite for meat, dairy and egg alternatives is only increasing.

Plant-based poultry has grown more than 8 percent in menu mentions year over year and continues on an upward trajectory, but it’s the egg that’s seeing the most surprising growth in the plan-based sector.

Eat Just, the US-based company that launched its first liquid plant-based egg product in 2019, debuted its JUST Egg Sous Vide at retail in 2021. The high-protein egg bite is available in four varieties showcasing Indian, Mexican, Japanese and American-style flavour profiles.

“We have sold the equivalent of over 80 million eggs since we launched,” said Matt Riley, Senior VP of Global Sales for Eat Just.

According to the Good Food Institute, vegan eggs were the fastest growing plant-based category in 2019. As with alternative burgers and chicken, early adapters were vegans and vegetarians, but currently, 90 percent of those purchasing Eat Just’s products have traditional animal proteins in their shopping carts as well.

These shoppers are similar to restaurant consumers of plantbased proteins, most of whom

are flexitarians, choosing these as a healthier or more sustainable option on occasion. With the breakfast category one to watch for 2022, it might pay to get on the plant-based egg bandwagon now and be ahead of the curve.

TODAY’S MILK IS THE CREAM OF THE CROP.

Crafted for café Uniquely blended for a neutral flavour & unrivalled taste Dairy free Perfect texturing & canvassing for latte art NZ Barista Champion, Sam Low says that he was

“amazed at the ease of steaming and pouring latte art with The Alternative Dairy Co. The range contains only good ingredients with very low sugar content, which allows the brews full flavour to shine through.”

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plantbased

MILKING THE ALTERNATIVES

Plant-based milk alternatives represent the gateway into plant-based food for many consumers who are looking to reduce consumption of animal-based products. With USD$18 billion in global retail sales, the category continues to be propelled forward with new innovations and opportunities.

SUPER MATCHA SMOOTHIE

their consumption of animalbased products, with many consumers citing that they have limited their dairy consumption for digestive health reasons. This is far ahead of ethical reasons, including environmental concerns.

Alternative Ingredients: What’s Trending

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ccording to Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Consumer: Health and Nutrition Survey (2021), 42 percent of consumers globally said they are restricting

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While manufacturers keep coming to market with new products made from a variety of plant-based sources (hemp and barley for example), there is no denying the explosive influence oats have had on the plant-based dairy category.

Oats have become a winner for their sustainability, as well as their neutral taste - a crucial aspect in the coffee arena as it doesn’t

overpower the flavour of the coffee.

Meanwhile, British supermarket chain, Waitrose recently released its 2022 Food and Drink report, predicting that potato milk will be the biggest dairy alternative milk trend of 2022. This is exciting news for New Zealand’s thriving potato industry. Potato milk has a much lower carbon footprint than other alternative milks, adding to its consumer appeal.

want the option of alternative dairy products and when it comes to flavour, the most popular alternative dairy in the fast casual segment is almond milk, as it’s an easy swap-in for drinks like smoothies and lattes.

One of the earliest plant-based milks to appear on retail shelves, almond milk has seen a steady rise on restaurant menus for more than a decade, despite a number of other alternatives popping up.

Why Restaurants Should have Alt-Milks on their Radar

Almond Milk Menu Inspiration

The plant-based trend’s journey on menus has been extraordinary, with that term growing more than 3000 percent on menus in the past four years. Consumers

Super Matcha Smoothie made with matcha green tea, blueberries, banana, spinach, chia seeds, agave and almond milk.

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plantbased

SAY ‘HELLO’ TO YOUR NEW PLANT-BASED CUSTOMERS AND ‘GROW WITH IT’ Did you know that one in three New Zealanders are actively reducing their meat consumption?

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hether it’s a lifestyle choice or driven by rising demand for healthy ways to eat out, plant-based proteins are here to stay. They’re also offering an exciting category and new level of sophistication for chefs to work with.

Gone are the days of limited plant-based protein choices such as tofu or tempeh. Today’s alternatives are proving to be a flavour, taste and texture sensation.

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While this trend largely took shape in fast food outlets, these products are now widely accepted in different channels around the world. It all adds up to an exciting opportunity for both you and your diners.

So, say ‘Hello’ to your new customers and find out who they are, who’s eating what and why, and how you can best meet their plant-based needs.

With Nestlé Professional’s ‘Grow With It’ resources, you’ll have all the answers at

your fingertips. You can learn more about vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian and a whole lot more.

There’s also a wealth of information about how to add more plants to menus and cater for flexitarians. Plus, there’s a handy recipe book packed with 16 delicious dishes that your customers will love.

Make sure you also check out Nestlé Professional’s range of plant-based products like the HARVEST GOURMET range

and discover just how easy it is to make the most of this exciting trend.

Head on over to www. nestleprofessional.co.nz/growwith-it today, dig in and get growing.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA TO BECOME PLANT PROTEIN POWERHOUSE Positioning South Australia to become a major supplier of plant proteins and generating up to 8500 jobs in the state, a newly announced $378M project to construct three new plant protein processing facilities will be the largest investment in Australia’s plant protein sector to date.

T

he project is a joint venture amongst Australian Plant Proteins (APP), Australian Milling Group and Australian meat company and one of the country’s largest family-owned food businesses, Thomas Foods International.

While many Australian plant-based meat manufacturers have expressed a desire to purchase and use more Australian grown plant proteins in their products, APP is the only commercial scale pulse protein extraction facility currently producing such ingredients in Australia.

The new venture will significantly expand domestic plant protein supply and export opportunities, quadrupling existing production in South Australia and supplying 25,000 tonnes of pulse protein per year.

For APP co-founder and director Brendan McKeegan, the new venture is a significant boost for the company’s manufacturing

capabilities and the country’s ability to compete in global markets as demand for new sustainable proteins grows. “It puts us on a global scale and a level playing field with Canadians, who are the world leaders. We’ll be able to compete with them internationally through supplying plant protein products and ingredients to global markets,” he explained.

“For the first time we’ll be able to supply to scale plant protein for Australian manufacturers.” Thomas Foods managing director Darren Thomas said the time was right to expand into the plant-based industry.

“The market for plant-based products is expanding rapidly and we see great opportunity to leverage our experience and expertise into this exciting new (industry) for local farmers and consumers across the globe.”

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25

meet thebrewer

Where to From Beer?

Much has been penned on the topic of impacts of COVID-19 on the hospitality sector. It’s probably one of the most reported on sectors when it comes to the difficulties being endured by what is predominantly small business owners. But the

By Dylan Firth, Executive Director, Brewers Association of New Zealand dylan.firth@brewers.org.nz

S

o how does it all line up?

For hospitality businesses who brewers supply to, essentially it’s akin to a lockdown but much worse.

There is limited government support, culminating with landlord assistance no longer being available after two years of reduced rents and continued overhead costs due to being open that are not accumulated when closed by a lockdown. Debt at levels that are no longer sustainable with houses being mortgaged to keep businesses alive. This all puts pressure up the supply chain.

In my role with the Brewers Association, I have the absolute privilege to speaking with a range of brewers. From our biggest

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operators, right down to new start-ups. While these people are the most passionate individuals you will find when it comes to beer. They are also facing huge distribution and supply chain pressure, rising material costs, reduced incomes through channels to market with hospitality businesses either closed or facing reduced demand.

Many brewers are doing everything they can to assist the hospitality sector as they have been for the past two years with stock returns, extended credit and support in marketing campaigns to get people back out there. But they too have limits.

Taking a step back from the current pandemic, there are still a range of factors the brewing sector is facing in the medium to long term. Most of which will take significant investment if regulatory change is enacted.

The Government is currently considering, indicating reviewing,

impacts of Omicron and the new settings New Zealanders find themselves adjusting to - selfisolation, widespread transmission - are being felt in a different way than before. Particularly for those supplying the hospitality businesses.

or deciding whether to consider, a number of changes. These include but are not limited to; a mandatory container deposit scheme which would add 20-30c cost per container, changes to labelling requirements for mandatory energy labelling, reviewing the ability to make claims around carbs and sugars and a potential review of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act. We are also about to see alcohol excise tax increased by

the highest level in 30 years due to record levels of inflation. Amongst a difficult trading environment, these changes will likely push some businesses to the edge.

It’s been a hard few years and there is still more to come.

However, the beer will continue to pour. For now, more of it from a bottle or can than a pint.

This column has been edited for length, you can read Dylan Firth’s full column online.

meet thechef

Samantha Bosco The Grounds NZ

Samantha Bosco, the head chef at The Grounds NZ, began her hospitality career washing dishes at a pizzeria in Italy when she was just 15 years old.

B

osco was a professional skier for nearly two decades, but a series of devastating injuries soon cut her career short.

“Between 18 and 21, I broke my legs three times, so I couldn’t continue pursuing skiing.

I had no idea what to do with my life and felt very lost.”

After a year of studying, she took a break, travelled all over Italy, and then made her way to London to learn some English.

Bosco later moved to Sydney for a year before finally making her way to Auckland at the start of 2018 to work with award-winning chef Ben Bayly at Baduzzi. She then left Baduzzi and

relocated to The Grounds.

The Grounds is a contemporary family eatery and kids adventure park located in the beautiful Waitākeres owned and led by Bayly. In 2021, Bosco was promoted to Sous Chef and then to Head Chef.

Bayly has been a mentor for Bosco, a role she would now finds herself in with the less experienced staff she works with.

“Ben’s support and guidance over the past four years has been invaluable. He is knowledgeable, kind and has always been there for me. A great mentor to turn to when I need advice.

“There are two people in the kitchen right now who are quite young, just starting out, but are such hard workers, the learning will come by itself and I’m there for them all the time.”

Bosco loves experimenting with a wide variety of cuisines and broadening her skills as a chef.

“When I moved to Sydney, I worked at two Italian restaurants but knew I wanted to expand my knowledge and skills, so I began asking to change sections every week.”

“I thought I can’t keep cooking pasta for the rest of my life. I wanted to get confident and comfortable with other cuisines, such as cooking fish and vegetables in a woodfire pizza oven.”

At The Grounds, sourcing local ingredients is an integral part of their business.

“Our goal is to celebrate New Zealand’s vibrant produce with our menu. That’s why we go to great lengths to find small, local suppliers who share our passion for perfection.”

“It’s also why we cook with only the best, freshest ingredients, making our food look beautiful, but most importantly, taste incredible.”

In all of Bosco’s 18 years as a chef, she has

never worked in an open kitchen environment until coming to The Grounds. She said she feels much more connected to the restaurant, customers, and the local community there.

Like almost everyone in the hospitality industry, the pandemic has taken a toll on The Grounds. For four months, the restaurant was unable to open, and the team pivoted to offering takeaways for the first time. With the restaurant back open now, they are still struggling to rake in customers due to rising cases and lockdown restrictions.

With the border closed there has also been a staff shortage and finding good staff with experience is almost impossible.

“The guys we are working with now are so nice and hardworking but it’s difficult to hire people with experience as every restaurant and cafe is desperate for them.”

Bosco loves the rush of a busy night, and can’t wait for the Kiwi hospitality scene to get back to those busy days and nights filled with happy customers.

“I love the pressure and excitement of a busy night.”

In the future, Bosco plans to apply for a visa and stay in New Zealand without restrictions and then open her very own restaurant.

“My dream is to open an Italian place that is affordable so everyone can have the opportunity to indulge in delicious Italian food.”

March 2022

27

rats

RATS - THE NEW BUSINESS ESSENTIAL

Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) are vital to keep your business running through this Omicron outbreak and beyond. As we learn to live with COVID-19, RATs will become a part of the new business-as-usual.

R

ATs give reliable results in only 15 minutes. With no lab personnel or equipment needed, these tests eliminate traditional barriers to access, enabling businesses to stay ahead of the spread of COVID-19, even in the face of emerging variants.

CLINITEST Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Tests come in 5pc packs and 20pc packs and Du Bray & Associates have created a discount code for Restaurant & Café readers! Use the code

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restaurantandcafé.co.nz

RESTAURANT for 10% off CLINITEST products for new customers. Valid for the month of March.

Du Bray & Associates also offer Bulk Pallet lots of RATs. Should you require pallet bulk pricing over 432 packs of 20 tests or 1530 packs of 5 tests, please email RATS@dubray. com with your quantity and product.

With hundreds of thousands of tests in stock, Du Bray & Associates can get large quantities for customers in 10-12 days, plus free shipping!

Don’t waste time, future-proof your business today, visit www.dubray. com/rapid-antigen-tests.

How to use a Rapid Antigen Test

3 March 2022

Test instructions vary depending on the brand. Many rapid antigen testing kits generally follow the instructions below, but not all. Please follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Collecting a sample 2

1

Remove a nasal swab from the pouch.

Insert the swab into one of your nostrils up to 2-3cm from the edge of the nostril.

Slowly roll the swab 5 times over the surface of the nostril. Using the same swab, repeat this collection process in the other nostril.

Testing the sample 5

6

4

3

Check the kit box instructions to confirm the correct time frame to read your result. This may vary depending on the kit.

Reading your result 360º

7

Negative One line next to the C indicates the test is negative.

Positive Two lines, one next to C and one next to T (even faint lines) indicate the test is positive.

Peel off aluminium foil seal from the top of the extraction vial, which contains the extraction buffer.

8

Place the swab into the extraction vial.

Rotate the swab vigorously at least 5 times.

9

Remove the swab by rotating the swab against the vial, while squeezing the sides to release the liquid from the swab.

10

Invalid Result No line next to C indicates the test is invalid. With an invalid result you should retest. Follow manufacturer guidelines on how long to wait.

Reporting your result You need to report your result. This can be done on My Covid Record.

Log into mycovidrecord.health.nz or call 0800 222 478 and press option 3.

Close the vial with the provided cap and push firmly onto the vial.

Mix thoroughly by flicking the bottom of the tube.

Turn vial upside down and hold sample over sample well. Squeeze vial gently. Allow the required drops according to the kit instructions, to fall into the sample well.

Please check on the kit instructions and follow the confirmed time to check for your test result.

If you are in the Close Contact Exemption Scheme, you should advise your employer of your result.

The Knowledge You Want, The Experience You Need Review Publishing Co Ltd is a leading B2B publisher across a range of titles from fmcg to fashion, hospitality to hotels.

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