NO.735 JUNE 2017
Hemp WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COOKING WITH
Plus:
APERITIVO HOUR
n
DARK BEER
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THE FUTURE OF POS
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Editorial
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was recently having lunch with a friend, who upon making the booking informed the venue that she’s a vegetarian. The day before our catch-up, the restaurant – offering a set menu – called to confirm and once again, her dietary requirement was noted. I think you know where this is going. The first dish? Bonito. Granted, the meal was quickly substituted with something plantbased and equally delicious, and we ended up having a lovely time, but this inefficiency is sadly not that uncommon in hospitality. It's frustrating, because mistakes like it are so easy to avoid. It’s just a matter of being process-driven, and embracing the technologies that are readily available for today's hospitality operators. This June issue touches on a few of those technologies. In our point of sale feature (head to page 20), leading suppliers explain how POS can be utilised to customise the dining experience and make it far more seamless. It can develop and maintain loyalty programs, and in the not too distant future, will use customer photos to connect diners with their credit card details, stored electronically alongside notes on their birthday and most common wine selection. A recent report by Oracle Hospitality (check out page 4) says that by the year 2025, 57 percent of restaurants will be using voice recognition as part of the ordering process. Eighty percent of operators think robots will be cleaning restaurants in the next decade and 66 percent say guests will be paying by wearable technology. There’s no point burying your head in the sand and pretending these advancements won’t impact your business. And why would you? Technology is a disrupter – yes – but once you get your head around the changes, it can only mean good things for the efficiency and profitability of your business – not to mention the diner experience.
Danielle Bowling dbowling@intermedia.com.au
June Contents
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4
In focus
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Openings
8
Flavour of the month
16
10 Trends 11 Best practice 12 Fast casual 14 Drinks 15 Column 16 Cover story 18 Chocolate 20 POS
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24 Shelf Space 25 Diary 26 5 minutes with…
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PUBLISHER Paul Wootton pwootton@intermedia.com.au
PRODUCTION MANAGER Jacqui Cooper jacqui@intermedia.com.au
EDITOR Danielle Bowling T: 02 8586 6226 dbowling@intermedia.com.au
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JOURNALIST Madeline Woolway T: 02 8586 6194 mwoolway@intermedia.com.au ADVERTISING NATIONAL Dan Shipley T: 02 8586 6163 F: 02 9660 4419 dshipley@intermedia.com.au DESIGN Kea Thorburn kthorburn@intermedia.com.au
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June 2017 Hospitality
3
in focus
By 2025...
57% of operators predict they will be using
voice recognition in one or all of their restaurants
Emerging technologies to reshape hospitality
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New technologies will see the hospitality industry transformed by 2025, with drones, 3D printing and virtual reality all holding the potential to disrupt.
estaurant 2025, a global research study conducted by Oracle, has identified key consumer attitudes to emerging technologies, including voice activation and recognition, wearable technology, robots and drones. Voice recognition and wearable technology led the charge, with 57 percent of restaurant operators predicting they will be using voice recognition in one or all of their restaurants by 2025, while 50 percent said they believe wearable technology will be in use. The performance of voice recognition and activation technology has improved significantly since the 1990s, and companies like Domino’s and Starbucks are leading the way by updating their apps to include enhanced voice activation capabilities, while McDonald’s is working, to improve its drive-thru experience. Late last year, several businesses in the San Francisco area began testing a Google-supported system that incorporated voice and face recognition to identify diners and charge their accounts accurately. Like voice recognition technologies, wearable technology has already began to permeate many facets of life, allowing users to input data and granting them real-time access to information. Of the operators surveyed, 66 percent said guests paying by wearables will be mainstream by 2025, with staff scheduling, training and activity monitoring also set to be affected by the technology. Conversations about robotics are dominated by concerns about them replacing human workers and 50 percent of consumers said they would not like to be served in a restaurant by a robot. However, 80 percent of operators said they think robots will be cleaning restaurants within the next decade. While half are unwilling to be served by robots in a restaurant setting, 62 percent of consumers said they would like the option of having food delivered to their homes by drones, and 48 percent of operators think that drone-delivery will be mainstream by 2025. In November 2016, Domino’s Pizza announced it had completed the world’s first pizza delivery by drone – landing a pie at a customer’s home in Auckland, New Zealand, after a five minute flight – proving that the development might not be that far off. Whether these technologies yield success will depend on careful implementation. With recognition and personalisation likely to drive future technologies, consumer privacy will need to be respected, and simplified interactions between technology and user will be essential. Overall, new technologies should help improve diner experience, but “human touch” will remain an integral part of the hospitality industry. n 4
Hospitality
June 2017
66% said guests
paying by wearables will be mainstream
50%
of consumers said they would not like to be
served by a robot
but 80% of operators said they think robots will be cleaning restaurants within the next decade.
48% of operators think
drone-delivery will be mainstream
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Openings
1
Some of the latest venues to swing open their doors in Australia’s foodservice scene. 1
Cha Li Boi
Sydney, NSW Former operator of MissChu, Nahji Chu has opened her first new venture for 2017 – a 750sqm reimagined Yum Cha hall in Bondi Junction. The venue pays tribute to Chu’s grandfather and Chinese heritage, and is situated above the East Leagues Club.
2
Hana
Melbourne, VIC Located on Little Collins Street, the venue is inspired by the coastal town at the eastern end of Maui, and Hawaiian born head chef Mario Manabe has created a menu that follows the seaside theme, focusing on raw seafood, with just a handful of the savoury options served hot.
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2
Kisumé
Melbourne, VIC This three level contemporary Japanese restaurant is the latest venture from Chris Lucas (Chin Chin, Hawker Hall, Kong BBQ) and comprises a sushi bar and restaurant space, an omakase-style dining area seating 12, two dining rooms and a Chablis Bar.
4
The d’Arenberg Cube
McLaren Vale, SA Established by the winery’s current chief winemaker, Chester Osborn, The d’Arenberg Cube has Brendan Wessels as head chef and his wife, Lindsay Dürr, working in research and development.The restaurant will offer seasonally changing degustation menus, with an extensive wine list featuring a selection of imported wines, and both current vintage and museum releases from d’Arenberg.
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6 Hospitality June 2017
5
5
Koi Dessert Bar
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Sydney, NSW Located in Ryde, the new Koi Dessert Bar functions as a production and catering kitchen for the flagship Chippendale location. It will also host in-house cooking classes and staff training. A small café is also attached to the venue.
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Neptune
Windsor, VIC The brainchild of Nic Coulter and Simon Blacher (Hanoi Hannah, Tokyo Tina and Saigon Sally), together with David and Michael Parker (San Telmo and Pastuso), Neptune’s ground level houses Windsor’s largest bar, offering a selection of cured meats, along with a menu including grazing and more substantial items from the early afternoon into the evening.
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8
The Pine Kitchen
Brisbane, QLD The latest addition to Bowen Hills’ new dining precinct, King Street at the Brisbane Showgrounds, The Pine Kitchen offers a modern Australian twist on Middle Eastern cuisine, with the menu comprising tapas-style share plates.
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Silvester’s
Sydney, NSW This contemporary Australian restaurant is part of the Sydney Harbour Marriott hotel’s $15 million renovation. Seating 120, the restaurant has Raphael Szurek as head chef, delivering a contemporary Australian menu, which features starters including Yellowfin tuna poke, quail egg, soy and ginger; and mains, which utilise Cone Bay barramundi, free range spatchcock and Byron Bay Berkshire pork belly.
8 June 2017 Hospitality 7
Flavour of the month The most popular apple in Europe, the Kanzi is a new variety to Australia and is coming to the end of its short season.
Kanzi apples T
he Kanzi is a European variety originally developed in Belgium that has been licensed to a limited number of Australian growers who now have a quantity sufficient for national distribution through major grocery retailers and green grocers. Kanzi means ‘hidden treasure’ in Swahili. It is the most popular apple in Europe and interestingly enough, America recently sent a box of Kanzis into space in an unmanned space craft for the crew of the orbiting space station.
SOURCING Kanzi apples are grown in every state of Australia, in all major apple growing regions such as Stanthorpe, Orange, Batlow, the Mornington Peninsula, Yarra, Adelaide Hills, Manjimup, Perth Hills and Huon. It’s a new apple variety to Australia and the young trees are now reaching critical harvest mass to be able to supply all of Australia for their short season – this year from the end of April to the end of June.
WHAT’S THE APPEAL? Red and cream in colour this fragrant fruit is a natural cross between a juicy Gala and a tangy Braeburn apple. They have a refined sweet, yet tangy flavour combined with the juiciness of a pear and a crisp crunch. In Australia they are never frozen 8
Hospitality
June 2017
nor stored long term. Kanzi apples were originally bred as a dessert variety, so they are also suitable for fresh eating. Eating them straight, in salads, on cheese plates or cut up into fresh snacks showcases their juicy crunch. But that crunch also gives them excellent cooking characteristics.
FLAVOUR MATCHES Kanzis pair well with white, creamy cheeses as well as strong cheeses like gorgonzola and fruits such as figs. Similarly, their flavour profile lifts remoulades and spikes cabbage side dishes, hot or cold. As Kanzis keep their shape and juiciness after cooking, they also make excellent baking apples for delicate tarts or pies, and dried Kanzi apple chips work well as an accompaniment or garnish.
TASTY APPLICATIONS • Duck liver with spiced Kanzi apple and red cabbage • Kanzi apple, fennel bulb and celeriac remoulade with grilled trout • Grilled Kanzi apple eggplant and a haloumi cheese stack • Kanzi cake or bread • Fresh Kanzi with a cheese board
STORAGE Kanzi apples love the cold and keep best in cool rooms, enhancing their crunch and juiciness. They are very stable apples and are slow to discolour when cut. n
Trends Aperitivo is an age-old tradition, but venues are now pushing the boundaries and adapting the European custom to suit the Australian milieu.
Aperitivo
hour
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one right, aperitivo should achieve two things – stimulate the appetite and relax the mind. The drinks are usually dry, with vermouth, Aperol and Campari often associated with aperitif, while the food is snack-sized, and tends to lean toward salty, fatty flavour profiles. “It’s basically catching up over a refreshing beverage and a snack to finish your day, start your night or both,” James Hird and Monty Koludrovic told Hospitality. Hird and Koludrovic recently introduced an aperitivo hour at Surry Hills venue The Dolphin, which has seen a hit list of guest chefs, sommeliers and wine-makers from around the country take up one-night residencies. “We love the irreverence of such a simple concept existing in a venue based around such high quality product and service. It’s a great chance to engage with our friends, fellow chefs, winemakers and customers,” they said. While they acknowledge that happy hour has been on trend for a long time, both Hird and Koludrovic feel that the vibe is beginning to change. “As our venues transition over time, from classic Aussie pubs, to welcoming open and friendly F&B outlets, the incorporation of super approachable offers suit the occasion.” The transition from stereotypical happy hour to a more laid-back, food-oriented aperitivo hour that honours the tradition’s social roots is welcomed by Joe Vargetto, owner of Massi in Melbourne’s CBD. “When I look at a menu and see bourbon and Coke, that’s not aperitivo,”
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Hospitality
June 2017
he said. “I have seen a lot places using it as the equivalent of happy hour with half price drinks encouraging people to drink until they’re crawling on the floor. That’s not what it is. They’re just using it as an alternative name. “[In Europe] you meet at your favourite bar, have something very simple [to eat] and have a chat about life. You don’t get drunk. The food fills you up only to point, so you can still fit in a substantial meal and the drinks are usually bitter, aren’t high in alcohol and are normally made with spices. What the Italians have noticed is that those spices open up your appetite.” Although aperitif has a different vibe to happy hour, it can also be used to get diners through the doors and increase spend per head. “It’s more contained to bars in Italy, rather than restaurants. At Massi, people will come in for aperitivo, sit at the bar and then continue to sit there until they have their meal, maybe an hour later,” said Vargetto. “So they get one drink, like our prosecco spritz, and we send out a selection of three to four small snacks like arancini, crostini, small bruschetta, or mortadella, for a set price of $20.” At The Dolphin, salty, crunchy, big flavour bites that go well with high acid, bubbly chilled drinks are on offer between five and seven on Sunday through Thursday evenings for $5 or $7 each. A broad demographic, from lone rangers to groups of 20, have been drawn in by the aperitivo hour, said Hird and Koludrovic. “It’s a real leveller, nothing too scary, nothing too intense, nothing too expensive.” n
Snacks from The Dolphin
Massi offers a foodoriented aperitivo hour
An aperitif from Massi
Aperitivo at The Dolphin is on offer from Sunday to Thursday
best practice
How to get a better deal from your suppliers Making a few small changes in how you interact with your suppliers can make all the difference to your bottom line, writes Ken Burgin.
Serving suggestion.
Y
our suppliers are running a business, just like you, and facing the same pressures of rising costs, uncertain orders and staffing issues. Plus a challenge that most hospitality businesses don’t face: bad debts. In the midst of this, many restaurants run their price negotiation on a weekly or daily basis, but this is not how you get the best long term deals. The price that suppliers charge you is a combination of their cost of goods, plus admin and distribution costs, plus their profit margin. There’s often room to move with the admin and distribution, and the savings can be passed on to you. Here are a few ways to start some profitable negotiating:
1. ORDER MORE, LESS OFTEN Ask how you can eliminate delivery surcharges. But weigh this up against the pilfering and spoilage problems that come with carrying excess stock. Order in the pack sizes that the supplier receives, so they don’t have to break them down, and guarantee a minimum quantity that you will buy over six to 12 months, allowing for seasonal factors.
2. THINK ABOUT RETURNS Obviously faulty products must be replaced, but sometimes returns are for trivial reasons that cause unnecessary cost. Be flexible about substitutions, especially for seasonal produce such as fruit and vegetables. Can substitution be done automatically by the supplier, but within agreed guidelines?
3. SIMPLIFY THE PROCESS Can ordering be done electronically? Most suppliers aren’t great with this, so put on the pressure if it works for you. Agree to order well in advance – the best deals will come when it’s not ordered the night before.
4. OFF-PEAK DELIVERIES? I was recently told of a club that now gets a three percent discount on their fruit and vegetables because they have it delivered at 3pm instead of the morning – it just needed some reorganising. You’re also in a much stronger negotiating position if you agree to pay more quickly, and at least on time.
5. FORGET THE EXTRAS Don’t worry about the extra uniforms, aprons and knick-knacks. Just ask for a good price. But there are some services that will be genuinely useful: training with coffee, cleaning chemicals, HACCP record keeping, new liquor products – leveraging these is a subtle but important way to build the relationship. This may also include promoting the supplier’s brand, but do it discreetly; not like some coffee and alcohol suppliers that seem to take over completely. Put a value on the promotion that you will give in return.
6. TURN SUPPLIER PRODUCT INTO CASH For example, a supplier may not be ready to give a further discount on coffee, but will throw in a pallet of mineral water that you can sell. Or support your charity promotion with free product for a mention in the marketing material.
7. GIVE THE SUPPLIER ALL YOUR BUSINESS You will get a much better deal on vegetable orders worth $200,000 per year than if you only give them $100,000 and another supplier $100,000. Ken Burgin is founder of Profitable Hospitality. profitablehospitality.com
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fast casual
Healthy profits Australia’s largest sushi retailer, Sushi Sushi laid the groundwork for its growth long before the Japanese staple became an obsession Down Under.
O
At a glance When was the business established?
Gavan Meadows
ver the past 20 years in Australia, COMMUNITY CULTURE 1998 sushi has evolved from being an As Australians’ appetite for sushi has increased, Number of locations? More than 120 obscure dining occasion to one of of course so too has the number of brands nationally the most popular on-the-go options. competing for the same dollar. Rather than The rise of health consciousness and growing seeing this as an obstacle, Meadows said he’s Number of staff? Around 1,200 staff interest in Asian cuisines has seen sushi's encouraged by the strength of the sector. nationally plus our franchised stores popularity skyrocket, and today there’s no “I embrace it because it just means that Best selling menu item? Cooked shortage of foodservice outlets specialising in there’s demand … We just have to be the best, tuna and avocado, teriyaki chicken and hand rolls, nori and sashimi. we have to be the freshest and we have to be avocado hand rolls Australia’s largest sushi retailer, Sushi the highest quality.” Biggest challenge facing the business Sushi has enjoyed extensive growth over the Coupled with this commitment to quality is in 2017? Keeping up with franchising two decades. Since launching in 1998, the a marketing strategy that positions Sushi Sushi enquiries, building and opening new Victorian-based franchise has launched more as an advocate for healthy lifestyles. stores, evolving our menu items and than 120 sites and is expanding across the Following its record breaking sales at the pushing the boundaries to deliver nation with 2017 marking Sushi Sushi’s entry Australian Open tennis tournament earlier this innovative flavours into Adelaide and Tasmania. year, Sushi Sushi recently announced a major “From a franchising perspective, we haven’t partnership with the Melbourne Vixens netball Growth plans for the year ahead? even scratched the surface with NSW yet,” said team and Netball Victoria. Open 12 new stores this year including Gavan Meadows, Sushi Sushi’s franchise sales “Where else can I go and get 5,000 mums our first location in Adelaide and marketing manager. “There are around 60 and kids in one spot? Also, it’s about the health stores in Victoria … we’ve got four in Canberra, and fitness. These ladies [players] are just 17 in Brisbane, 16 in Perth, we’re about to open amazing. They approached us – they didn’t want our first and second in Adelaide and we’ve just opened one in Tassie as to partner with a brand that was full of sugar and didn’t represent health well, in Hobart.” and quality. We’ve formed a fantastic partnership with these guys and Sushi’s popularity may have exploded in recent years, but the growth it’s been very successful,” said Meadows. of Sushi Sushi has been slow and steady. Each Sushi Sushi store is also expected to support community initiatives “It’s been quite consistent. Since 1998 Sushi Sushi has opened 120 as part of their local area marketing campaigns, and Meadows encourages stores. I think that’s testament to the fact that we don’t want to rush in and all small business operators – franchises or not – to do the same. try and have 400 stores in two years. We have a slow, methodical approach “Become the king of your community. That’s the most important thing,” [when launching a new site] to ensure that there is a proper appetite, he said. “It might be sponsoring the local footy club, or it might be the there’s the proper demographic, and we have the proper franchise partner. mothers group or something at a local school – donating a platter or doing “We make sure that every location has its best chance,” Meadows said. gift cards. Whatever it might be, just become the king of your community. Around 70 percent of the company is franchised, and while it’s very “One of our stores sponsored a little soccer team – a girls’ team and pragmatic about its expansion, demand from potential franchisees is the winner of the Best on Ground got a free hand roll. We love that. through the roof. Mums feel good, kids feel good. That’s what we’re about. “We were company store heavy but over the last two or three years “You’ve just got to look for ways to be relevant to your customers we’ve really worked hard to franchise off a lot of our company stores,” and potential customers. You’ve always got to have that level of he said. “It’s purely because of the demand; we can’t build them quickly exploration with the customers who aren’t visiting you at the moment. enough. And so what we’re doing is selling company stores to get We want them. We want to grab them because once we’ve got them quality people into our network.” we know they’re converted.” n 12
Hospitality June 2017
Like any business, drinks retail is based on meeting your customers’ needs.
But what do your customers really want? The answers are here in the Consumer Drinking Habits 2017 report. Based on the survey results of over 1,000 consumers, the report highlights: • Who’s drinking what and where • What your customers want to drink more of • What they’re drinking less of • Frequency of household purchasing for different products • How important brand preferences are to your customers • And much more.
Australian Consumer
Drinking Habits 2017
Preferences and Trends Market Analysis Report
Take the guess-work out of running your business. Order the report today and start basing your business decisions on what your customers actually want. Email Paul Wootton at pwootton@intermedia.com.au for more details.
drinks
Dark times While dark beers can be enjoyed any time of year, there’s no doubt that winter is the best time to get your stouts out.
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asta, red wine, roast dinners – some things are just better when it’s cold outside. Dark beers are no different, with heavier styles like stouts, brown ales and porters seeing a seasonal spike in the cooler months. “There’s something primal in beer drinkers as the weather changes that creates a craving for the dark elixir,” said Jesse McDermott of The Woodlands Hotel in Coburg, Melbourne. Kyo Tando of Quarrymans Hotel in Sydney agrees, putting dark beer’s seasonal popularity down to its flavour notes. “Dark, roasted and caramelised grains and malts give some chocolatey, roasty smell and taste and that somehow satisfies drinkers more when it’s cold outside,” Tando explains. “And some barrel aged imperial stouts – with a higher ABV of eight to 12 percent – give you a whisky-like taste that warms you from inside.”
“Lots of people who claim they don’t like beer change their mind when they drink something like a stout.”
POPULARITY RISING
But that’s starting to change, thanks in large part to the growing craft beer culture. Melbourne’s The Alehouse Project, which opened in 2012, started an annual dark beer festival in its first year. It runs every July over two weeks and showcases dark beers from around 40 different breweries. The event features one-off beers made specifically for the festival, new releases and beers that have been cellared for 12–24 months. “It is by far the most popular event we run,” said director, Alex Summers. And just as there are mainstream beer drinkers finding gateway beers into more adventurous craft beer styles, there are easy-drinking dark beers for first-timers. “A good entry level style would be a dark ale, which is usually lighter in taste than a porter or stout,” said Tando. “A milk stout or vanilla porter is also easier to drink, as they both contain lactose that gives some sweetness.” Willcock agrees that a lot of people who try a dark beer for the first time are generally surprised by how easy they are to drink. “Lots of people who claim they don’t like beer change their mind when they drink something like a stout. The coffee and chocolate aromas are really recognisable and satisfying.” n
With our comparatively bearable winters, dark beers haven’t enjoyed the popularity in Australia that they have in Europe and North America.
This article was originally published in Australian Hotelier.
STYLE FILE Like any other beer, dark beer comes in a range of styles with different flavour profiles and ABVs. Brown ales and porters are generally lighter and more sessionable than stouts and imperial stouts, which can be heavy-hitting in terms of alcohol content. At The Woodlands Hotel, McDermott has found that the stouts and imperial stouts are popular with beer fanatics, but that chocolate porters also do very well with those who like more sweetness. Tando agrees that the easier-drinking options do well, with milk stouts and vanilla porters the big sellers at Quarrymans Hotel. 4 Pines Brewing Company’s chief brewer, Chris Willcock said there’s one dark beer style he hopes will get more attention this winter – the Extra Special Bitter. The ESB is a higher-ABV Bitter, with a better balance and is more malt-driven in flavour. Like most other dark beers, it has a lower carbonation. “The ESB is a bit of a forgotten hero. It has such a special blend of flavours from malt, hops and yeast that all come together perfectly. I’d love to see it get some more air time. A dark ruby pint of ESB is hard to walk past without taking a few deep sips.”
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Hospitality June 2017
column
WOMEN: they're beyond the pass When you’re talking about the world’s best chefs, women are outnumbered – you can’t argue with that. But perhaps it’s time we looked outside the kitchen for inspiration, writes Elizabeth Meryment.
A
mid the cacophony of congratulation and selfcongratulation that erupted during this year’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, a sole voice dared to shout down some of the excess cheering. Writing on the American food website Eater, Ryan Sutton described the list as part of a “troubling narrative”. “That narrative reveals itself very clearly when you spend literally half a second looking at the data,” wrote Sutton, Eater’s chief New York food critic. “The World’s 50 Best list, routinely criticised for its lack of female-run restaurants, its European focus, and its abundance of exorbitant tasting menu spots, has produced yet another list of male-dominant, European-heavy, expensive tasting menu restaurants.” And to wit, the two Australian restaurants on the list – both, by pure coincidence no doubt, located in Victoria where the awards were this year held in a “coup” underwritten by Tourism Australia and Visit Victoria – are male-run and offer expensive European-style tasting menus. Case closed. Sutton’s take down of the world’s most famous food list was itself criticised for not pointing out the obvious reason for the poor representation of women – because few, or apparently no, women run restaurants of the calibre of this year’s winner, the New York institution Eleven Madison Park, or 2016’s victor, Italy’s Osteria Francescana. So perhaps the larger question is not why aren’t women better represented on the list, but why aren’t they better represented in venues that are world beating, inventive, expensive and creative? The more brutal question might be: are women lesser chefs than men? These are questions I last year put to Nadine Levy Redzepi, the wife of Danish chef Rene Redzepi – a man who topped the list twice before this year closing his Copenhagen venue, Noma – when she was in Australia for Noma’s Sydney pop-up. “The only reason why women leave [highend restaurants] is because they have children,”
Ana Roš, 2017 World's Best Female Chef
“The more brutal question might be: are women lesser chefs than men?” she replied frankly. “You don’t want to be away from your children. If you work in the kitchen, if you start at 10 o’clock in the morning, you’re still not home until 10 o’clock at night. If you can’t see them, then why have them?” It might not be easy to hear that women leave the profession to care for their offspring, while men continue to endure working conditions that are neither family nor life-friendly, but it’s a bald fact and we might as well accept it, or work to correct the imbalance. Or possibly it is time to start looking outside the commercial kitchen and to elsewhere in the food and hospitality industries for our heroes, and, yes, heroines. Lately I have been working with a number of food businesses that are not restaurants, helping them with content and strategy, and something interesting has occurred to me: this is a sector almost universally dominated by creative, talented and ambitious women. These are women who are disinterested in
the burden of running restaurants, but who instead, pour their talents into other areas of the food industry – growing, creating, manufacturing and importing beautiful, high quality food products, running farms or properties and owning and managing small to large businesses that produce products and services that keep restaurants afloat. None of them do it for fame or accolades, but because they love what they make, enjoy the businesses they run, and usually manage to get home in time for dinner with their families. While there are a few schemes supporting women in small business, there is little support or media around women in small food business. There should be. I guarantee most of these women will still be running their businesses long after many restaurants on the World’s 50 Best list have disappeared. n Elizabeth Meryment was a Daily and Sunday Telegraph food critic for eight years. June 2017 Hospitality 15
cover story
Back to the future:
hemp is here The hospitality industry is no stranger to red tape, but in 2017 the scissors are out and hemp is in. Madeline Woolway found out what the future holds for the ancient crop.
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n 28 April, Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) announced the decision to permit the sale of low-THC hemp seed products as food. The development has been praised by many in the foodservice industry, with a number of high profile chefs already preparing to include hemp foods on menus when they become legal from November this year. Although the sale of low-THC products as food is not permitted in Australia or New Zealand until the changes come into effect, the crop is already legally grown in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania, under strict licensing conditions and chefs can get a head start on planning by looking to other countries where hemp foods have been legal for a number of years. 16 Hospitality June 2017
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW While hemp (Cannabis sativa) is a cannabis plant species, it contains very low levels of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the cannabinoid associated with marijuana’s psychoactive properties. Additionally, hemp has low levels of cannabidiol – the active component of cannabis extracts used for medicinal purposes – and therefore does not have therapeutic effects. The FSANZ decision will impose strict limits on the levels of THC and cannabidiol in hemp foods, as well as strict guidelines around marketing and labelling the foods to prevent any suggestion that hemp foods will have psychoactive or therapeutic effects, or branding that references still-illicit cannabis. Although there are no therapeutic effects, hemp is known for its nutritional profile. The seeds are high in protein and are a rich source of B vitamins, minerals and polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly omega-3. It’s important to note that FSANZ’s decision is limited to the sale of hemp seeds, and does not extend to the leaves. Australian and New Zealand will now join countries like the USA, Canada and many in Europe, where hemp seeds and oil are used in a range of foods.
Hemp products also enjoy popularity in South Korea and Japan, where Hemp Foods Australia distributes hemp seeds, oils and protein powder through sister company Hemp Foods Japan.
WHY YOU SHOULD BE INTERESTED According to Hemp Foods Australia, the international market for hemp foods is currently estimated at $1 billion annually, with founder and CEO Paul Benhaim predicting that the demand for Australian hemp foods will quadruple in the next few years. “In the US it had a 44 percent growth increase last year. So even in the biggest market it has an enormous growth rate,” said Benhaim. Hemp plants are popular among farmers and often used as a rotation crop that is beneficial to soil health. Along with farming benefits, hemp is considered by many to be a ‘superfood’. It’s a combination that bodes well for diner interest, with sustainable and healthy choices now crucial menu inclusions. “There are obviously a lot of superfoods with very unusual tastes and qualities. Hemp is definitely unique, I can’t say it tastes like
cover story
“The seeds can also be ground up with water and turned in a non-dairy milk or cream that is wonderful in desserts.”
anything else, but it is very similar to other fatty seeds and nuts. It’s a new taste, but it’s very versatile,” Benhaim told Hospitality. “It tastes creamy and nutty, like a cross between pine nut and sunflower seeds. It’ll have broad appeal.” A number of venues have already expressed interest in hemp seeds, including The Fink Group, which operates popular diners including Otto Ristorante in Sydney and Brisbane, as well as Sydney’s Quay, Bennelong and Firedoor restaurants. “They’ve visited our facility and have very forward-thinking chefs,” said Benhaim. “They’ve said they’ll put a hemp menu together when November comes.” Natural curiosity is responsible for Sydney-based Jared Ingersoll’s experiments with hemp seeds. “It’s an amazing plant with multiple uses and the fact it’s related to a controlled substance has cast a bit of a shadow over it,” he said “In my experience, the uptake of new things always comes from curious and creative people in the industry. You generally see it emerging first in parts of the industry that already have similar processes to support those new ingredients. That’s why I’m putting my money on the beer industry. Using hemp to make a beer is not that different from their current methods. “I think it’s a really beautiful relationship. We have these chefs that are really pushing the boundaries with new ingredients. The real hope for hemp as a food is to get people curious.”
HOW YOU CAN USE IT Hemp seeds can be processed and used in a number of applications, with many options suitable for the hospitality industry. “It’s harvested like any other seed or grain, then cleaned and the husk is taken off,” said Benhaim. “When we first started we had lots of crunchy parts from the husk in it, which takes away from the awesome texture of the seed meat. But now we’ve learnt how to separate that really well. The crunchy part is enjoyed in parts of Europe, but it has niche appeal.” The seeds can be cold-pressed into oil, which works well as a dressing and drizzled on soups, or ground up into a meal, which can also be turned into a protein powder. “The powder is very fine and can be used in a couple of ways. One is to add depth and texture to sauces and reductions. Second, it can be used in baking. You wouldn’t completely replace your regular flour, you would use it in a small percentage, maybe 20 to 30 percent,” said Benhaim. “The seeds can also be ground up with water and turned in a non-dairy milk or cream that is wonderful in desserts.” Benhaim has also seen hemp seed products used in a multitude cuisines, across Europe and Asia. Japan in particular has seen an eager uptake among chefs, with hemp seeds mixed into onigiri and included in popular seasoning shichimi togarashi among others. Chefs closer to home have also been experimenting, Ingersoll among them.
“At the moment I’m doing research into different applications. It’s really early days for the hemp food industry in Australia but there is definitely really huge potential,” he said. “You can roast them, put them into cereals, toss them through a granola, or in a dessert when you want a nice crunchy texture. “We’re still mapping out how the flavour profile moves through different applications, but it works quite well in braises and stocks. It gives them some nice bitterness that you can juxtapose with caramelised veg and stuff like that. It imparts a really nice flavour. “We’ve also done a lot of smoking, incorporated it into salts and used it as a seasoning; like as a dry rub before smoking the meats. Although it hasn’t had a huge impact in terms of flavour, they are very delicious. And I’ve been mucking around with Lebanese-style pickles. When you steep them it’s got quite a noticeable bitter flavour, very similar to hops.” While hemp is a versatile ingredient, with many uses already discovered and plenty of potential to find more, there is also at least one limitation. Benhaim cautions against cooking with hemp oil at high temperatures for long periods of time, because of the fatty acid content. Other than that, the world is your oyster. “It’s used throughout the world. I’ve been working with hemp for 23 years now and have seen it used in a multitude of restaurants,” said Benhaim. “Hopefully Australia will catch up now.” n June 2017 Hospitality 17
chocolate
QUAY’S EIGHT TEXTURE CHOCOLATE CAKE
Sweet dreams When it comes to creating desserts that walk out the door, chocolate is a no-brainer – it’s indulgent, familiar and versatile enough to give chefs plenty of creative license. Here, we look at three chocolate creations that have garnered cult-like followings. By Danielle Bowling.
One of the signature dishes at Quay in Sydney, the Eight Texture Chocolate Cake has remained unchanged for almost a decade, representing approximately 30 percent of the fine diner’s dessert sales, second to another iconic Quay dessert – the Snow Egg – which takes the cake with 40 percent of sales. “The chocolate cake started life about 18 years ago when I was at De Beers Restaurant at Whale Beach, and it was a three texture cake," executive chef, Peter Gilmore said. "It was basically a chocolate base, chocolate mousse and I think it was chocolate ice cream inside. Then it went to a five texture cake, and it’s been an eight texture cake for about nine years." Using a combination of Amedei Chuao dark chocolate and Valrhona milk chocolate, the cake today comprises a chewy chocolate base, a rich chocolate mousse, a chocolate caramel ganache, chocolate meringue, a chocolate whipped cream and a layer of milk chocolate with caramelised puff pastry and hazelnuts. The cake is then topped with a tempered chocolate disc, and the final element is introduced in front of the diner. “The very last layer is poured at the table – it’s a hot chocolate ganache that sort of sinks through a little hole that we create in the cake. It gives the illusion of chocolate sinking through the cake, which is what the cake is known for,” Gilmore told Hospitality. The dish is of course indulgent, but it’s also lighter than you’d expect from eight layers of chocolate. “It’s interesting – when it went from five textures to eight textures, it got less rich and more complex. There are crispier textures in there that actually lighten it up. The milk chocolate whipped cream also lightens the whole thing up. If you removed any of the textures you would notice a difference texturally, on the palate.” So will the cake continue to evolve? Can we expect a Nine or 10 Texture Chocolate Cake any time soon? “I think it’s gotten to the stage now where it’s almost impossible to improve further,” Gilmore said. “I think you could probably add too much and then it would be lost. It just seems to be the perfect balance of soft, rich, light, crunchy and a little bit of indulgence with the hot chocolate ganache. It just seems to work and that’s why it’s become a signature dish on the menu.”
WASABI’S CHOCOLATE SORBET WITH BLACK KINAKO MILK GELEE Located in Noosa, Queensland, Wasabi offers an omakase menu, rounded out with one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes – a dessert comprising chocolate sorbet, freeze dried cherries and a jelly made from the milk of black kinako (roasted soybean flour). 18 Hospitality June 2017
Quay's Eight Texture Chocolate Cake
chocolate
Wasabi's Chocolate Sorbet with Black Kinako Gelee
What initially got the ball rolling, some two years ago, was a special batch of mirin. “We got it from a Japanese supplier and the mirin is actually aged for four years, so it’s got a really nice flavour to it. That was probably the start of it, and we knew it would match up with chocolate,” said Zeb Gilbert, Wasabi’s head chef. The dish comprises a Lindt chocolate sorbet, the black kinako jelly, chocolate meringue, barrel aged mirin gel, sour cherries that have been steeped in sake, a vanilla tuile, a chocolate snap and grated freeze dried cherries on top. The dish also comprises organic cacao nibs, an ingredient that’s proving popular on both sweet and savoury menus around the country at the moment. Cacao beans that have been roasted, separated from their husks and broken into smaller pieces, cacao nibs have a dual purpose in Wasabi’s best performing dessert. “We use it as a textural element and we also use it for the bitterness, to match up with the sweetness of all the other elements on the plate,” Gilbert said. “It’s being used a lot now, [but] I probably started using cacao nibs about six years ago … The texture is like a fine gravel, and you can grind it down to make it finer, or you can leave it quite chunky. We grind ours down a little bit more, just so it’s more palatable. But it comes in quite a chunky form – you can get it in most organic shops nowadays.” Gilbert acknowledges that a number of ingredients listed on Wasabi’s menu would be foreign to diners, so its structure and wording is very important. The chocolate dessert is a prime example – the chocolate sorbet is listed as the first component and many are comforted by its presence around the more unfamiliar elements. “A lot of the ingredients in that dessert,
people would be unfamiliar with, so adding chocolate makes it a bit more familiar. The first thing they see would be chocolate sorbet, or chocolate elements, and I think they’re more willing to try it [because of that],” Gilbert said.
LÛMÉ’S CACAO POD A sharing dessert on the very first menu at Melbourne’s Lûmé restaurant, the Cacao Pod represents chef Shaun Quade’s determination to get diners thinking about where food comes from. “I’d actually wanted to do a dish that was reflective of the chocolate that we were using, showing it from a bean to bar, essentially. So we were using Michel Cluizel Maralumi chocolate, which is from Papua New Guinea. The whole thing was presented as a raw cacao pod, like the actual fruit off the tree.” Inside the pod was a collection of petit fours. “The flavours represented the nuances of the finished chocolate. So we had ice cream made from the raw beans and caramelised milk, we had a smoked tabacco whiz fizz, diced apple which we soaked in strawberry syrup, little banana crisps, orange crema catalana, and banana cooked in a clove syrup. So all those [elements] reflected the flavour notes of the chocolate,” Quade told Hospitality. But it was the dessert’s presentation that made it so memorable. “We had chocolate moulds in the shape of a full sized cacao pod, so we tempered the chocolate, brushed it into the moulds to make a cacao shell and then we’d basically plate up [the other elements] inside one half of the shell, then we’d get the smoke gun onto it, get a bit of smoke in there, and put the top on and seal it off. Then it was presented at the table, we’d explain the dish and its purpose, and smash it open with a little hammer.”
Lûmé's Cacao Pod
The dish was on the menu for about 14 months before the Lûmé chefs decided that despite its popularity, they’d had enough. “We were just sick of making it. We still have people asking for it but our kitchen runs on innovation and constantly putting new things up and trying new ideas, so I can’t think of anything worse than doing the same dish for like two years,” said Quade. Chocolate is always on the Lûmé menu in some way, shape or form, and at the moment Quade is working on another dish that he hopes will help diners reconnect with what they’re eating. “We’re playing around with the idea of people eating with their hands … I’m trying to break down that stuffiness – sometimes in western cuisines we’re very prim and proper and we’ve kind of lost that connection of what food feels like and where it comes from. So I want to do a dish where basically you eat with your fingers. So the diners aren’t given any cutlery. Instead of them using their fingers, I’ve actually made a mould of my fingers, which sounds really creepy, and I set ice cream in that – I’m thinking a roasted chestnut ice cream – and then that’s coated it in chocolate. That’s their cutlery,” he said. “So we’ll be serving the fingers with a bowl which at the moment I think will include pears with vermouth and a chocolate custard with roasted chestnuts.” While the dish is still in development, chocolate will definitely be a feature, as like Gilbert says, its familiarity makes diners more willing to try out more obscure flavours or concepts. “You don’t want to alienate people. Obviously the main thing for me is that it tastes delicious … But I always try to have an element of surprise – we kind of want people to come in and not know what they’re in for.” n June 2017 Hospitality 19
point of sale
The
POS D forecast
How will your point of sales system revolutionise your business in the future? We asked some of the industry’s leading suppliers.
evelopments in point of sale technology have come an incredible way in recent years. Operators using their system to its full potential have invaluable insight into the inner workings of their business – and key areas for improvement. And things are only going to get better. Leading suppliers in the industry are continuously working to introduce functionalities that allow restaurateurs to work smarter, not harder. Cheers to that, we say.
where they purchase over-priced hardware to run their businesses. The key will be in software with tablets being the product of choice. They are both aesthetically appealing and loved for their space saving functionality. Further, the modern and astute business operator will embrace technology. They will make the most of food delivery services supplementing their income. Today, some are already adding another 30–40 percent to their revenue based solely on food delivery services.
PETER LING, DIRECTOR, ABACUS
What advancements is your company currently developing? Abacus has the most integrated solutions all on one platform. Whether it’s POS, loyalty, rostering, or a self ordering kiosk, it all comes under the one account. A native solution means less reliance on third parties and thus more stability. Abacus is also the leading developer on the new ANZ Blade set to hit the market this month. It allows business owners to take orders from the customers while seated at the table from the device, or while they are in a long line at lunch time.
What will be the most significant changes in POS technology over the next 10 years? In the next 10 years, or even less, everything will be seamless. Customers can arrive at the POS and not even reach into their pockets. The server will be able to see a photo of the customer, and charge them to a credit card held on file with sir or madam’s permission. Wait staff will be able to place orders without having to press buttons. They or the customers themselves will be able to merely speak their order. Labour will always be one of the more expensive components in any business, thus the use of technology will make some of the human requirements redundant. How will these changes influence the way restaurateurs operate their businesses? Restaurants will no longer run legacy systems 20 Hospitality June 2017
Is there a feature of your POS system that restaurateurs are underutilising? Abacus has developed a new advanced labour and inventory management system. Using complex algorithms, for the first time, business owners can use their historical four
point of sale
weeks of trading data to predict the future four weeks. It takes the guesswork out of rostering and stock ordering and instead relies on scientific formulas. What has been the most significant development in recent years? We are currently witnessing one of our biggest shifts in POS technology with more and more businesses switching over from their legacy systems to tablets. These have been reserved more for the corner shop cafe, but they are now under the microscope of some of the bigger companies and franchises. In today’s era, information is vital. People want their data in real time. Cloudbased POS allows them to do that directly from their smart device.
EDWIN TASLIM, SALES EXECUTIVE, UIC AUSTRALIA What will be the most significant changes in POS technology over the next 10 years? The most significant change will be integration with the Internet of Things. It already affects us so much, from social media to cloud-based services – it’s become another channel for businesses to make
sales. The real world and the digital world have become so interconnected, you just cannot separate the two anymore – so much so that access to the internet is now considered a basic need. How will these changes influence how restaurateurs operate their businesses? As technology and the internet open up new avenues of opportunity, you will find that the modes of service that restaurateurs are able to provide become more diverse, and previous barriers become less of an obstacle. Nowadays, it is possible to integrate most aspects of a business into the one system – loyalty programs, staffing, inventory, delivery, and so on – which means increased efficiency, reach, consistency, and an improved customer experience. However, there is a definite lean towards experimentation with different kinds of devices, like wireless tablets for ordering and POS, which is very exciting. Not only will this streamline the layers between customers and businesses, the ease of statistical tracking which comes with a fully integrated system will allow business owners to respond to customer trends quicker than ever.
What advancements is your company currently developing? Our business model really emphasises POS as a service. As such, we are seeking to improve integration with technological trends. For example, we are working on improving payment integration security, connectivity between devices, and of course the user experience. This includes staff members, who are the ones in constant contact with the system. A bad interface design tends to exponentially increase errors, and so this is definitely something worth addressing. Is there a feature of your POS system that restaurateurs are under-utilising? Data reporting is now a staple of every POS system, but many people don’t realise how powerful it can be. A lot of people study reports in a very general sense, which may lead to subtle errors in identifying correlations between trends. In our system, it's possible to view individual transactions, as linked to customers, items purchased, and so on, so that for each view, you have a different focus. For example, if you see a spike in popularity of a particular menu item, you can then go and check individual records to get a
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point of sale
better understanding of the circumstances surrounding its sales. This means that you can identify and capitalise on new trends, using less time and effort. The other feature we feel is under-utilised is the membership function, which can be used for formulating a loyalty system. What has been the most significant development in recent years? As technology becomes more accessible, computing costs are plummeting. The mass adoption of smart devices has expanded the market and brought in a number of highlyspecialised disruptive software vendors. We have now reached a point in which entire business models revolving around hardware, software, payment, delivery, loyalty and value creation are shifting, both technologically and philosophically. This is great news for industrial merchants, as they can acquire more powerful solutions with ever-increasing functionality, at continually decreasing costs. The big wave we are riding right now is the integration of loyalty programs, payment, and social networks. You can see this in individually developed and branded mobile apps, where customers can book tables, order delivery, and even pay for their orders on their phones. Small merchants in particular tend to have trouble getting their loyalty programs off the ground, and this is an area where we can leverage our own networking for their benefit, with potential cross-industry cooperation.
WILL GREENE, VICE PRESIDENT OF ENGINEERING, REVEL SYSTEMS What will be the most significant changes in POS technology over the next 10 years? By using RFID, Bluetooth or Wifi technology, customers can now walk into a restaurant, place an order through their smartphone or via the venue’s self-serve kiosk, and the POS will be able to identify who the customer is and where they are sitting. This means that the first interaction that a customer has with staff is when their meal is brought to their table. In a recent customer site visit, I saw how machine vision is being used for customer recognition, employee recognition, and for item recognition on checkout. This allows the on-premise experience to become more personalised by freeing up staff to engage with customers. It also makes the purchase and transaction experience more automated. Biometrics are being mixed in with everything now which again allows for an improved merchant and customer experience. This can include everything from security, for example ensuring that the correct employees are logged in and
working, to being able to identify customers for loyalty purposes. How will these changes influence how restaurateurs operate their businesses? They will increase efficiencies, reduce human error and enhance the customer experience. Taking all of these things and marrying them to more and more non-personalised data sharing around things like weather, season, time of day, and generalised behaviour modelling provides business owners with the opportunity to step away from spending time on the POS transaction, and focus more on providing extremely valuable, rich and differentiating journeys for each of their customers. What advancements is your company currently developing? Revel has been working on trying to tap into AI (artificial intelligence) and predictive algorithms to better understand the data going through our POS ecosystem. At the most basic level, Revel would be able to answer simple questions like, where should I open this type of restaurant to get the most ROI?; How much stock do I need to carry seasonally and by time of day?; and when do I need to have these items prepared?” Is there a feature of your POS system that restaurateurs are underutilising? Revel has a feature which calculates the employee profit, and allows the restaurateurs to figure out by each employee if it was a good hiring decision or not, as well as use the metrics to generate improvements and incentive-based compensation plans. What has been the most significant development in recent years? The most exciting development has been watching the movement from the traditional on-premise POS, to hybrid and cloud-based offerings. This movement has opened up endless potential for data mining, personalisation, and the migration away from a basic on-premise solution, to an end to end management ecosystem inclusive of everything from employee management to accounting as well as POS functionality. Delivery management is another area that has changed dramatically. If you look at the traditional food delivery management systems, there are gaps in terms of delivery optimisation, kitchen optimisation and customer satisfaction. Soon we’ll be able to use technology to connect delivery cars into the merchant POS, which will allow the kitchen to produce meals in a more timely manner, increase customer satisfaction and continue this voyage of changing the customer experience. n
POS as a service It just makes sense
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June 2017 Hospitality
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shelf space
1. You say potato
Brasserie Bread has launched an artisan potato bun, made from single origin wheat flour from the Flinders Ranges. The bun’s denser crumb and pillow-like texture means it complements heartier, sauce-heavy burgers such as those comprising brisket, pulled beef and pork. According to the bakery, the product was developed in response to the lack of high quality savoury buns in the Australian foodservice market, which has been dominated by sweeter varieties. brasseriebread.com.au
3. Goose has landed
American craft beer, Goose Island has arrived on Australian shores and is launching its Midway 4.1 percent IPA Down Under. Local brewers are also working with Chicago Goose Island to make the internationally renowned Goose IPA available. Goose Island Midway IPA is available on tap at venues in Sydney and Melbourne, with a national roll-out expected in the coming months. Packaged Goose Island will also be available later in the year. gooseisland.com
2. Wine not?
UK’s Belvoir Fruit Farms has released its ‘without the hangover’ range of alcohol-free drinks in Australia. Comprising Shiraz, Chardonnay and Rosé, Belvoir blends the grape juices with other fruit juices, herbs and spices to produce a beverage that emulates the texture and sensation of drinking wine. All three varieties have no added sugar and are free from preservatives. Belvoir’s range is not fermented and therefore does not need to go through the de-alcoholising process, which strips out much of the flavour of the wine. thirstforlife.com.au
4. Taste of Tassie
A new range of gins from Southern Wild Distillery, Dasher+Fisher, has been released comprising three varieties: Mountain, Meadow and Ocean. Each one features the ‘Tassie Trio’ of ingredients – native pepperberry, lavender and wakame – dialled up and down and combined with other botanicals to create different layers of taste. southernwilddistillery.com/gin 24
Hospitality June 2017
For the diary Upcoming events in the hospitality industry. Find out more at hospitalitymagazine.com.au Sydney Good Food and Wine Show 23–25 June, 2017 Hosted at the ICC Sydney, this three day event will showcase the wares of leading food and wine suppliers from around Australia and the world. Show highlights will include the Good Food Theatre where local and interstate chefs and restaurateurs including George Calombaris, Colin Fassnidge and Luke Nguyen will cook on-stage, as well as the Wine Selectors Cellar Door, The Barossa Experience, Taste of Korea, the Vinomofo Adventure Park, and the Good Food Village. Perth’s Good Food and Wine Show will be held on 14–16 July, and Brisbane’s will be on 27–29 October. goodfoodshow.com.au
Brisbane Good Food Month 1–31 July, 2017 The month long program will feature event such as Brisbane’s Young Chefs Lunch and a twist on old festival favourite, the Hats Off Dinner, now known as Hat Swap. New events to this year’s program include Laneway! Streetfood! Music! presented by Beer the Beautiful Truth, and the Good Food Month Launch After Party. The Night Noodle Markets will return for 12 nights from July 19–30, with the Cultural Forecourt at South Bank transformed into an Asian-inspired hawker market. goodfoodmonth.com
Restaurant Leaders Summit
Fine Food Australia
31 July, 2017 After a successful inaugural year in 2016, Hospitality magazine’s Restaurant Leaders Summit will return at a new venue – the Grand Ballroom at Royal Randwick Racecourse. The Restaurant Leaders Summit will once again offer restaurateurs, chefs and other foodservice professionals a day full of advice, inspiration and operational best practice with topics including Innovative Ways to Drive Sales Monday-Wednesday; Proven Strategies for Keeping Costs In-Check; and How, When and Why to Franchise. Early bird tickets for restaurant trade (operators, managers, chefs, etc) are on sale until 30 June 2017, priced at $249 + GST. restaurantleaders.com.au
11–14 September, 2017 Being held at the new ICC Sydney, Fine Food Australia is the country’s largest tradeshow for the foodservice industry and this year will showcase the latest food, drink, ingredient and equipment innovations. It will include event favourites such as the Australian Culinary Challenge, the Café Stage, the Nestle Golden Chef’s Hat Competition, the Talking Food Stage and The Official Great Aussie Pie and Sausage Roll Competition. A new addition for 2017, and running alongside Fine Food Australia, will be the Commercial Drinks show, Australia’s new event dedicated to the buying and selling of liquor for the onpremise industry. finefoodaustralia.com.au June 2017 Hospitality
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5 minutes with...
Ronni Kahn, founder, OzHarvest
She’s championing the movement to eradicate food waste, inspiring countless restaurants to donate surplus produce to those in need, and her charity organisation, OzHarvest, has also just launched Australia’s first rescued food supermarket. The most exciting developments, however, are still to come.
O
zHarvest is going to be 13 this year and if I look back at the key milestones, one of them would be the delivery of our first hospitality training course. We take vulnerable kids in as part of our Nourish Program and put them through Cert 1 and 2 with a commitment to help them find a job. It’s a major part of our purpose to nourish our country and it [aligns] with our organisation’s four pillars: rescue, educate, engage and innovate. Nourish is for youths between 16 and 25, and it’s completely free. These kids have never had a positive learning experience and are severely challenged, but after six months they leave the program as different people. It covers core hospitality training, but it also teaches life skills. They get mentored, and it’s about confidence building – it helps them develop every skill-set they need to face life. Our chef ambassadors are crucial to endorsing what we do. All of the ambassadors
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Hospitality June 2017
– we have over 40 or 50 – are people who are fully aware of not wasting food, of repurposing it, and they believe in what OzHarvest does. So while they may not necessarily supply us, their endorsement allows us to have brand credibility and it adds to our value. Then, of course, there are the 2,000 businesses that do give us their surplus produce, and it’s fantastic because it’s a service to them as much as it is to us. Thirty percent of the food going to waste comes from the hospitality industry. We’re working with government and key stakeholders on a national target to reduce food waste by 50 percent by 2030, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We’ve made many businesses more efficient, and that’s fabulous, but we’ve got a long way to go considering that $20 billion worth of food goes to waste every year in Australia alone, of which $10 billion is credited to business. So clearly there are many millions of dollars to be saved. n
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL
The restaurant sector’s premier conference returns! MONDAY 31 JULY 2017 ROYAL RANDWICK RACECOURSE If you’re in the business of running restaurants or cafes, this Summit is specifically designed for you! Early bird tickets available until 30 June.
www.restaurantleaders.com.au SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Interested in being an event sponsor and getting in front of the industry’s key influencers? Contact Dan Shipley on 02 8586 6163 or email dshipley@intermedia.com.au
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