Hospitality - No.729 October 2016 by The Intermedia Group

NO.729 OCTOBER 2016

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NO.729 OCTOBER 2016

Why

sugar

is my salt PASTRY CHEF LAUREN ELDRIDGE ON BAKING BY HER OWN RULES

Plus: CHEF COLLABORATIONS

SUMMER COCKTAILS n FESTIVE SEASON PLANNING

Editorial

triving for a gender split in the kitchen of 50/50. Giving chefs three days off each week. Allowing them to work in the kitchens of your competitors. Cross-training front of house staff so they’re fluent in marketing, admin, customer service, point of sale, and maybe even some elements of food prep. Increasing the tips allocated to kitchen staff. These are just a handful of the tried and tested methods for attracting and retaining talent in the hospitality industry, shared at the first ever Restaurant Leaders Summit recently. It was a gargantuan effort by the Hospitality magazine team, and we'd like to think that on the day, we delivered a conference that gave the 250-odd attendees a number of relatively easy to implement, but incredibly effective techniques for improving business. Your staff turnover might be too high, or perhaps the engagement on your Facebook page has fallen flat. Maybe you want to open your second site, but don't know where to start, or you don’t know how to best take advantage of the thousands of email addresses you’ve collected over the years. All these topics and plenty of others were addressed at the Summit, where more than 30 of the industry’s most successful chefs, restaurateurs and business managers agreed to impart their expertise on-stage. Of course distance, busy businesses and the fact that the event took place on day one of the NSW school holidays meant not everyone could be there on the day, so we’re working to share the insights from the Restaurant Leaders Summit with our national audience. We’ll be offering video footage of the highlights and will share details of how you can get your hands on them soon. Thank you so much to everyone who came along and to our sponsors for supporting a brand new industry initiative. We can’t wait to make it bigger and better in 2017.

Danielle Bowling dbowling@intermedia.com.au

4 Hospitality October 2016

October Contents 6 In focus

8 Openings 10 Flavour of the month

12 Best practice 14 Fast casual 17 Drinks

20 Trends

22 Cover story 26 Restaurant Leaders Summit 28 Festive season planning 32 Kitchen equipment 36 Shelf space 37 Diary 38 5 minutes with …

17 14

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

HEAD OF CIRCULATION Chris Blacklock cblacklock@intermedia.com.au To subscribe please call 1800 651 422.

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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DISCLAIMER This publication is published by Food and Beverage Media, a division of The Intermedia Group Pty Ltd (the “Publisher”). Materials in this publication have been created by a variety of different entities and, to the extent permitted by law, the Publisher accepts no liability for materials created by others. All materials should be considered protected by Australian and international intellectual property laws. Unless you are authorised by law or the copyright owner to do so, you may not copy any of the materials. The mention of a product or service, person or company in this publication does not indicate the Publisher’s endorsement. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Publisher, its agents, company officers or employees. Any use of the information contained in this publication is at the sole risk of the person using that information. The user should make independent enquiries as to the accuracy of the information before relying on that information. All express or implied terms, conditions, warranties, statements, assurances and representations in relation to the Publisher, its publications and its services are expressly excluded save for those conditions and warranties which must be implied under the laws of any State of Australia or the provisions of Division 2 of Part V of the Trade Practices Act 1974 and any statutory modification or re-enactment thereof. To the extent permitted by law, the Publisher will not be liable for any damages including special, exemplary, punitive or consequential damages (including but not limited to economic loss or loss of profit or revenue or loss of opportunity) or indirect loss or damage of any kind arising in contract, tort or otherwise, even if advised of the possibility of such loss of profits or damages. While we use our best endeavours to ensure accuracy of the materials we create, to the extent permitted by law, the Publisher excludes all liability for loss resulting from any inaccuracies or false or misleading statements that may appear in this publication. Copyright © 2015 – The Intermedia Group Pty Ltd

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in focus

Eating Out survey shows a $45 billion market

o one has ever measured the size of Australia’s entire eating out market – until now. Intermedia, publisher of Hospitality magazine, has conducted a major new survey of the industry in Australia, from fast food to fine dining, and sized the market at $45,328 billion annually. That’s $94 a week for every household in Australia, though as we saw in the Tourism Australia survey earlier this year, international visitors account for more than 10 percent of the total. And the household average does not account for the fact that some people eat out often, and others not at all. There are just under 82,000 places in Australia to have a meal – fast food outlets, cafés and coffee shops, clubs, pubs and bars, and restaurants – which means each of them takes in on average $533,000 a year. This varies enormously of course, from small cafés to vast suburban pokie palaces. The report, Eating Out in Australia 2016–17, is based on a survey of over 1,000 consumers, and a separate survey of over 1,000 venues, conducted in August. It also analysed industry and Australian Bureau of Statistics data to determine market sizing and structure. It will be no surprise to anyone that the biggest problem facing

the industry is staffing – recruitment, retention, training and pay rates. Respondents to the venue survey, which comprised mostly of owners and senior management, consistently mentioned staffing issues as their biggest problem. The infographic below shows some of the survey’s key findings, which are summarised in the report as 10 top trends. These include the fact that consumer tastes are shifting towards healthier foods and less formal dining, and some cuisines, such as Chinese and Italian, are in decline. There is a trend towards home delivery, though this seems to not be as strong as some may imagine. When it comes to getting bums on seats, marketing is important. Online is big, but the most important thing is still an attractive and appealing shopfront. The world may be moving to the web, but dining out remains a physical experience. The Eating Out in Australia 2016–17 report is the most comprehensive analysis ever conducted of Australia's foodservice sector, in all its facets. It will be available from Intermedia in October. For more information on the report, contact Hospitality’s publisher Paul Wootton at pwootton@intermedia.com.au

Eating Out in Australia 2016-17 The industry comprises

$45,328 billion was spent on eating out in Australia in the 12 months to 30 June 2016. This includes

takeaway

and delivery, and beverages consumed with meals.

6 Hospitality October 2016

20,503 cafés, and 21,953 restaurants

Two-thirds

Online bookings are growing – but

58% of people would

rather eat healthier use the phone. of diners are trying to

36.7%

of venues say they couldn’t live without

social media

37.4% of restaurant owners say people are

much ruder becoming

advertorial

Flavour with finesse

Why a favourite sauce has stood the test of time.

erfecting a recipe can take years – generations, even. Finding the right balance of flavours and textures requires considerable skill and patience, but when done well, the end result is unforgettable. That’s what makes a classic a classic, right? McIlhenny Company’s Tabasco brand is a great example. The range of sauces is iconic around the world, and for over 140 years the Original Red Sauce has been made in exactly the same way. In fact, all of the Tabasco pepper sauces are still made in same place the brand was founded: the beautiful Avery Island, Louisiana. The attention to detail that goes in to creating Tabasco’s suite of pepper sauces, which ranges from the mild Green Sauce to the spicy Habanero Sauce, is second to none, and that’s why chefs around the world consider Tabasco an essential part of their kitchen arsenal. Perhaps the most important thing for chefs to note is that when not overused, Tabasco sauces enliven the flavours of food, without masking them. When used in cooking rather than as an optional extra once plated, the heat level of the pepper sauces mellow, leaving the deep and distinctive Tabasco sauce flavour. This was key to chef Regan Porteous’ decision

when incorporating Tabasco in dishes at the recently opened Tequila Mockingbird in Sydney’s Paddington, which serves up contemporary Latin American flavours. “Heat and spice play a massive role in Mexican and Peruvian cuisine but we have to work very carefully and tone down the heat for the Australian palate, so that flavours are not outshone by the impact of the heat. Balance is very important here,” said Porteous. Tequila Mockingbird’s Whitefish Ceviche, a Peruvian dish, is a perfect example of a dish boasting delicate flavours that should be enhanced but not overpowered by intense spice or heat. “I’ve chosen to use the Tabasco Green Sauce for the Whitefish Ceviche, as it’s a lot milder than the red and complements the delicate slices of paper thin raw fish with a subtle spice.” “I’ve also matched the Tabasco Chipotle Sauce with a crisp soft shell crab taco – its rich, smoky flavour holds well with the strength of the crab meat and pickled onions.” For both of these recipes, head to hospitalitymagazine.com.au. If you’d like some inspiration on how to use the Tabasco range and the new 1.89L bottles that are now available to foodservice businesses, head to tabascosauce.com.au.

White Fish Ceviche with Tabasco Green Sauce Ingredients: 50g Hondashi 300g milk 200g Aji Amarillo 100g Tabasco Green Sauce 300g white onion 100g coriander 200g lemon juice 100g sashimi grade white fish (cubed) 1 red onion finely sliced Method: 1. Place the Hondashi, milk, Aji Amarillo, Tabasco Green Sauce, white onion and coriander into a blender. Blitz till smooth and add the lemon juice to taste. 2. Store in the fridge until ready to go. 3. To assemble the ceviche, simply toss the whitefish through the Tabasco Green Sauce dressing and season with salt and pepper. 4. Pour into a serving vessel, top with the fresh sliced red onion, garnish with coriander and served with crisps on the side.

October 2016 Hospitality 7

Openings Some of the latest venues to swing open their doors in Australia’s foodservice scene. 1

Atlas Dining

South Yarra, VIC Led by chef Charlie Carrington, Atlas Dining’s food and beverage menus will change three times per year. The first cuisine, Vietnamese, will be on offer until the end of December, and it will be followed by an Israeli menu in January. The 50 seat venue offers four and six course menus with a selection of smaller plates available at the bar.

Dust

Sydney, NSW Boasting a giant woodfired oven, Dust is the brainchild of third generation baker, Cesare Salemi and forms part of the new Tramsheds Harold Park food district. On offer is a selection of bread, schiacciata, slow fermented woodfired pizzas, as well as cakes and pastries. The site also has one of Sydney’s first on-site stone mills, nicknamed Heidi and handmade in Austria.

1 2

The Croft House Town Kitchen & Bar

Brisbane, QLD The Croft House offers cafe-style food during the day, becoming a bar with bistro-style table service, shared plates and drinks at night. Head chef Richard Mellor aims to showcase regionally sourced, seasonal produce on the modern Australian à la carte menu, which (for lunch) includes slow-cooked beef brisket on a soft milk bun with aged cheddar, spicy sauce and fries, as well as a selection of salads and sandwiches.

The Crux & Co

Melbourne, VIC After the launch of The Crux & Co in South Melbourne in June, the brand has opened The Crux & Co Patisserie at 25 Little Collins Street. Owned by Kevin Li and designed by EAT Architects, the patisserie seats 40 and has a similar offering to that of its older sister, but with a focus on coffee and sweets treats.

8 Hospitality October 2016

Cirrus Dining

Sydney, NSW With a focus on sustainable seafood, the latest opening from the Bentley team offers a menu with dishes including Moreton Bay bugs with house-made XO; Northern Territory mud crab with green garlic and tarragon; whole flathead and chips; and a take on the humble Caesar salad – grilled cos lettuce, whipped mullet roe, cured egg yolk and Ortiz anchovies.

Hot Sauce Laneway Bar

Melbourne, VIC Located in the QT Melbourne, this dinner and late night drinking den offers a fusion of Korean and Japanese street food alongside a large selection of cocktails, Korean and Japanese beer, and rare Japanese liquors. Menu options include bao with crispy fried chicken, hot sauce, kimchi and American Yellow Mellow cheese; and the Taiwanese Hot Dog within a Dog with a crisp sticky rice bun, mustard greens and crisp shallots.

Paddington Inn

Sydney, NSW Solotel’s Paddington Inn has relaunched after undergoing a complete overhaul, which included the appointment of a new head chef (Justin Schott), a redesign, and the introduction of a new dining room and bar.

Pickett’s Deli & Rotisserie

Melbourne, VIC Located in Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market, the European-style deli is open seven days a week from 7am through to 11pm, serving as a casual morning or lunchtime pit stop as well as an evening wine bar. The deli showcases quality produce from Victoria, particularly from surrounding neighbours at the market, and at the heart of chef Scott Pickett’s latest venture is a rotisserie and charcuterie station, which acts as a floating communal island for up to 36 people.

8 October 2016 Hospitality 9

Flavour of the month There’s no other vegetable that signifies spring like asparagus. The fleshy root system of the plant lies dormant during winter, and as the weather warms up the asparagus crown reawakens and sends up spears, growing at up to two centimetres per hour.

Asparagus SOURCING More than 95 percent of Australia’s asparagus is grown in Victoria. The main growing areas are Koo Wee Rup and Dalmore (65km south-east of Melbourne) and the Sunraysia region including Mildura (542km northwest of Melbourne). Australian asparagus is available in spring and summer with most produced in spring. Green asparagus is by far the most popular variety in Australia and is available as thick, medium or mini spears. A very limited amount of purple asparagus is available from mid-October to mid-December. White asparagus is not currently produced in large-scale commercial quantities due to the high costs of production and limited demand.

FLAVOUR MATCHES Asparagus pairs especially well with: • Eggs • Cheese • Bacon • Prosciutto • Salmon • Mushrooms • Hazelnuts • Olive oil • Lemon

TASTY APPLICATIONS Asparagus is quick and easy to prepare. Simply remove any woody ends by running a knife along the stalk until it meets less resistance, and cutting the ends off at this point. Asparagus is loved for its fresh herbaceous flavour and also for its versatility. It’s delicious in soups, salads, frittatas, 10 Hospitality October 2016

tarts, risotto, pasta, pizzas, burgers, fritters, wraps, toasted sandwiches, dips, pesto and much more. It also suits most cooking methods including blanching, microwaving, steaming, roasting and stir-frying. Try it in: • Breakfast dishes with, haloumi, soft poached eggs and hazelnut dukkah • Asparagus and smoked salmon rolls with horseradish cream • Asparagus, rockling and cannellini bean soup • Fragrant asparagus, chicken and prawn laksa • Chargrilled asparagus and chicken with barley risotto • Asparagus and beef red curry stir-fry • BBQ asparagus nicoise salad • Asparagus and prawn rice paper rolls

STORAGE Maintenance of the cool chain is vital to prevent continued growth of the spears and deterioration in quality and storage life. Once received, good temperature management of between 0°C and 2°C must be maintained. Store asparagus in the original boxes and remember that asparagus behaves somewhat like cut flowers so keep up the humidity. If necessary, cover boxes with clean damp tea towels. Avoid storing near the airflow in your cooler.

LOOK OUT FOR When selecting asparagus look for firm, bright smooth spears of uniform size with closed, compact tips. When you snap freshly harvested asparagus, it should be crisp, moist and juicy. Credit: Australian Asparagus Council

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best practice

12 ways to make more sales Making sales isn’t always easy, but there are some simple steps that can be taken to increase your odds. Ken Burgin shares some of the most effective tricks of the trade.

s every part of your business tuned for selling? Business owners can no longer avoid the role of ‘chief sales manager’. And just relying on social media will only get you half way to success.

1. CAN YOUR STAFF SELL?

Most can’t, until you show them how – they need to learn and practice scripts, build confidence and receive prompt feedback on results. Many customers leave with change in their pocket – how are the sales of side orders, second drinks, desserts and bar snacks? Are coffee customers always asked if they would like another when the cup is cleared? Do staff automatically suggest mineral water to go with wine purchases?

6. HOW WELL DO YOU TURN EMAIL INQUIRIES INTO SALES? When the request comes in for a party menu or booking date, there’s an expectation of a same-day response – better still, same-hour. How many of these turn into paying customers?

7. DO THE WALLS SELL? There may be signs and posters if it’s a big space, or social media invitations – anything to make a connection when guests are looking around. It’s surprising how many venues don’t have their name visible inside – sometimes guests forget where they are!

2. PROMOTE THE SALE OF HIGH-PROFIT ITEMS

8. ALWAYS PROMOTE GROUP BOOKINGS

Not the high priced items, but your house-made lemonade (sugar, lemon concentrate and water) instead of bottled drinks, juicy pork ribs instead of expensive steaks, or raspberry mousse (with frozen berries and pre-mix) instead of bought-in cakes.

Have information on the menu or a short version of the party options available at the counter or in a stand. People will help themselves – who knows what they have in mind?

3. HOW WELL ARE PHONE CALLS HANDLED? When I rang for a dinner booking recently and asked about parking, the young dude who answered told me "it’s a bit of a nightmare in this area." Bad answer – it may not be easy, but that is not the right script! How are calls answered out of hours, and how many phone inquiries turn into firm bookings? Mystery phone calls can be illuminating.

4. IS YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA FOCUSED ON ATTRACTION AND SALES?

9. CAN CUSTOMERS ORDER WITHOUT TALKING TO ANYONE? This could be booking online, emailing through a catering order or buying a gift certificate. Here’s a test: how easy is this to do after 11pm?

10. DO YOU KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOUR REGULAR CUSTOMERS? A short email, a postcard, or a menu in a hand-written envelope will nudge customers who’ve forgotten you.

Pretty pictures are not enough, neither are endless promotional banners. Every post needs a call to action, and a link through to the menu, entertainment or booking page. Post more often (twice a day) and respond quickly to social media messages.

11. ARE THE COMMUNITY GROUPS YOU SUPPORT RETURNING THE FAVOUR?

5. DOES YOUR WEBSITE TURN BROWSERS INTO CUSTOMERS?

12. FINALLY, THE BUSINESS CARD

Does it have a strong sales message, tonnes of information and an attractive layout? Or is it cool and intimidating? Or just old fashioned? It needs to be mobile-friendly (where 70 percent of your traffic comes from) with three essentials immediately obvious: phone number, opening hours and a map/directions. 12 Hospitality October 2016

They may need reminding that your big heart is based on commercial reality. How many are regular customers?

The tiny brochure that should be on every counter and every bill, with phone, web and social media details. Give away hundreds of them and the business flows back.

Ken Burgin is founder of Profitable Hospitality, profitablehospitality.com

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fast casual

Outback to the future The global Outback Steakhouse brand has serious expansion plans for Australia, aiming to capitalise on its family-friendly reputation and the diner's growing appetite for casual, high quality food offerings.

or the most part, what you see is what you get at Outback Steakhouse, and that's certainly not a bad thing. It’s pretty obvious from the name that the menu is protein-driven, and the locations and layout make it clear that families are the target market. It’s a familiar, comfortable concept that has grown slowly but surely since launching in Australia in 2001. What is surprising, however, is the business’ commitment to being as hands-on as possible with its produce. It hasn’t always been the case, but as Australian diners have become more sophisticated, so too have the back of house processes at Outback Steakhouse. “We’ve asked all our chefs to almost be butchers in their own right,” said operating partner, Manny Rosenberg. “We bring in the sub-primals and we cut all our own steaks, except for the T-bones; we’re not bringing in our steaks cut for us. We do everything in-house now. “We make all our own sauces, all our own dressings, and all our items for the salads … We’re very serious about our flavours and we’re very serious about our food. A lot of people say they’re bringing freshness to the table, and a lot of people are. We are too. Freshness is really the word for what we do.” Of course it's essential that the business turns a profit, but this can’t be at the expense of flavour, Rosenberg said. While, in some cases, it would make sense to buy certain ready-made products in bulk, it’s a risk the management team isn’t prepared to take. “I’ve tasted some of our competitors’ ranch dressing, and you can taste the difference. If you had them side by side – actually, you wouldn’t even need them side by side, you could have them weeks apart – you would know the difference. 14 Hospitality October 2016

“Saving money drives our business, absolutely. But you need to weigh it up against the quality of the product. Sometimes we have some items on the menu that aren’t making as much as we’d like them to, but we’re a steakhouse and we must have certain products on our menu. Pork ribs is one example. The price has gone through the roof, but the customers know our pork ribs and we can’t take them off just because they don’t meet our return to net. So we take a little hit on that; we don’t make much money on it, but those people [ordering ribs] aren’t coming in by themselves,” said Rosenberg. The more sites the business opens, the better its buying power. Outback Steakhouse deals directly with its meat suppliers and sets a price for its beef for the year, giving the restaurants both consistency and security. In order to get the most benefit from this arrangement, however, chefs need to eliminate as much wastage as possible. “The benefit is certainly that we can buy it in at a better price, but the key is making sure your cutting percentages are accurate. Our chefs need to be able to trim and cut the product without loss. If we’re miscutting or mistrimming, we’ve given up any profitability that was there. As you know, there are very fine lines in our industry.”

WHERE TO NEXT? Outback Steakhouse’s expansion plans are focused on south east Queensland, with the business recently announcing it had signed a lease with AMP Capital to take on a 635sqm site at the redeveloped Pacific Fair, Broadbeach, on the Gold Coast. “We have quite a lot of shopping centre developers approaching us now, which we previously haven’t had,” said Rosenberg. “And there are

fast casual

“You need to find the right location, and it needs to have parking. When people say ‘location, location, location’, to us it’s ‘parking, parking, parking.’”

At a glance Business name: Outback Steakhouse When was the business established? 2001 Number of locations: Seven Number of staff members? 455+ Most valuable asset in the business? Our success is based on the fact that our people want to be part of something they can be proud of, is fun, and that includes and values them. These commitments extend to our suppliers and the communities where our restaurants operate. Plans for the next 12 month? Next confirmed opening is set for mid-December in Pacific Fair, Broadbeach, Gold Coast. Several other new restaurant openings will be announced soon, the majority of which will be in the greater south east Queensland trade area.

two parts to that. One is our reputation; we have a good reputation in the community. And two, the shopping centres feel that’s what they need to drive foot traffic … So while we didn’t consider that in the past, we’re strongly considering it as an opportunity now." Shopping centres will only form part of Outback Steakhouse’s growth strategy. The business is in lease negotiations with six other sites, none of which are located within broader complexes, and there’s also a couple of sites the business is hoping to buy. The clincher when consider a new site, Rosenberg said, is parking. The restaurants target families and large groups of diners, so if a location offers anything less than 100 car spots, it’s disregarded. “We need a site that’s at least 600sqm. Six hundred and fifty is the average. We need the right size, we need the right traffic flow, we have a big demand for parking, which is where some of our searches has

fallen flat – even though the rent was great, the site appeared great and the visibility was great. “It would be great to be in certain spots towards the northern beaches in Sydney, but you need to find the right location, and it needs to have parking. When people say ‘location, location, location’, to us it’s 'parking, parking, parking.'” Considering that there are about 950 restaurants around the world, including 700-odd in the States, Australia is a relatively small market for Outback Steakhouse, but this may not be the case for long. Rosenberg said the business hopes to double its presence here over the next 24 months. “Over the past 15 years we haven’t expanded as quickly as others, and that’s because we’ve been conservative and deliberate,” he said. “But now we’re ready to explode.” n October 2016 Hospitality 15

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drinks

Get ready for the warmer weather with a look at some of the latest spirit trends. By Vanessa Cavasinni.

Summer sippers

ith summer – and the industry’s busiest patronage period – just around the corner, let’s take a look at the upcoming trends in simple serves and cocktails. There are some consumer behaviour trends that have had legs for a while now, and look like they won’t run out of steam any time soon; like the resurgence of gin and consumers giving branded calls rather than asking for generic drinks. But what else will be popular over the warmer months? We asked various mixologists what their establishments will be serving up over the next few months, which spirit categories will soar and what operators can do to ensure their business stands out from the crowd.

DARK SPIRIT REVELATIONS While dark spirits don't generally garner the same attention that clear spirits do in summer, it seems that the premise that dark spirits should only be drunk in cold weather is being turned on its head, thanks to their inclusion as a base for summer cocktails. Dark rum has received a lot of interest on-premise in the last 12 months, starting with the tiki craze of summer 2015/16. The tropical flavours of rum will continue to be a big hit this time around, with cocktails like Mai Tais, Piña Coladas and Hurricanes expected to be big hits in the balmy weather. But where the rum category has gained even more popularity is specifically in the spiced rum category. “Of late, the growth of spiced rum has been enormous. So much so, we have produced our own using Havana Club 7 year old as the base, which is served in all Merivale venues,”

said Paul Mant, group bars manager. Also a surprise inclusion in upcoming cocktail menus are American whiskey based cocktails. The slightly smoother and sweeter characteristics that differentiate whiskeys from their Scotch cousins, make for a great base to build upon for a fruity or refreshing cocktail. Grant Shearon, brand ambassador for Jack Daniel’s, has been touring venues across Australia as part of the celebrations for the Tennessee whiskey’s 150th anniversary. During his tour, Shearon has been making the ‘1866’ cocktail featuring Jack Daniel’s, ginger Merivale’s Pavilion Piña Colada uses its house spiced rum

beer and a blackberry and peppercorn shrub, that had been received extremely well across the country.

1. JUST HOW I LIKE IT The Martini is a classic cocktail that is protected from the peaks and troughs of trends, but as James Bond has shown, there are various ways it can be made, and each customer has their own preference. Woollahra Hotel, a Public House Mangement Group (PHMG) venue, have just introduced a Martini List, so that every customer can enjoy one, just the way they like it, with the branded spirits they like and at a suitable price point. The list starts with a ‘Bartender’s Selection’ of five variations of the cocktail, before moving into the customised section, where patrons can pick their own gin or vodka, a specific vermouth, their garnish of choice and which style of martini they prefer – dry, extra dry, wet, dirty, with bitters or an absinthe rinse. “A modern twist on the Martini classic, our bartenders can now produce unique cocktail offerings for patrons at their request. Gone are the days of the only option being shaken or stirred, now patrons can request everything from their preferred gin to their preferred garnish,“ said Kurtis Bosley, group mixologist for PHMG. Kate Powell, PHMG’s group marketing and events manager, believes that the Martini List also helps to create a boutique bar experience that many patrons are now looking for in pubs. “The introduction of a boutique bar experience was a natural progression for The Woollahra Hotel, with patrons now able to enjoy beverage options catered to their required taste. PHMG, across all venues, October 2016 Hospitality 17

drinks

has a focus on premium beverage offerings, however the introduction of the Martini menu means patrons can now choose from a range of gin and vodka offerings placed at different price points.”

2. ICE COLD Alcoholic slushies and blended drinks have a reputation for being a little tacky and the stuff of 18 year old birthday parties, but this summer they’re making a comeback. Kevin Peters, bar manager for Sand Hill Road’s Garden State Hotel in Melbourne, is ready to lift the reputation of these frozen drinks using some great ingredients at the CBD pub. “I love frozen drinks – there I said it – but they get a bad rap. Using fresh ingredients and high quality spirits and liqueurs you really can make some amazing blended drinks.” Peters also believes these kind of drinks are great for creating a vibe or transporting you to another environment that’s relaxed and inviting. “I am the biggest sucker for drinks that remind you of a place or a time, such as having a tropical style cocktail you would have on holiday. Let’s just say keep your eyes out for a Miami Vice on our menu.” Slushies and blended drinks are also expected to be a big hit this summer at The Newport on Sydney’s northern beaches, with Mant suggesting that a section of the drinks menu will be devoted to them.

3. NOT JUST FOR JUICING Every pub, bar and restaurant operator is looking for a point of difference these days, and at Sydney small bar, The Swinging Cat, it comes in the form of cold-pressed spirits. Owner Pete Fischer was inspired by the cold-pressed juices trend, and also by the methods of chef Heston Blumenthal, who as we know both dehydrates and rehydrates

ingredients to increase the intensity of flavour. Fischer had to look as far as the United States to find an industrial cold-press machine that would withstand constant use with various fruits and nuts. He and his team now infuse various dried fruits and nuts with complementary spirits for periods of between three and 10 days, until most of the alcohol has been absorbed, before they are then cold-pressed to create unique spirits. Currently on the menu at The Swinging Cat are cold-pressed spirits like an apricot gin, a banana dark rum, a peach bourbon and a tropical fruits rum. “We wanted to offer our guests a completely unique drinking experience, like no other,” said Fischer. While the cold-pressed spirits work well as simple serves – such as an apricot gin and tonic – they are also very popular served within cocktails. “One of the cocktails that we have on the cold-pressed menu is the ‘Elysian Fields Ave’, which is our modern twist on the classic Mai Tai. We use tropical dried fruits

The Swinging Cat’s Elysian Fields Ave

18 Hospitality October 2016

like pawpaw, papaya, pineapple and mango and soak them in Pampero Anejo dark rum. After soaking the fruits for a few days they are cold-pressed to produce an amazing alcoholic tropical nectar. “We then make our own version of an alcoholic almond milk from almonds soaked in Pampero blanco white rum, which are then also cold-pressed. From there we shake these ingredients with lime juice and a dash of fresh orange juice and serve over crushed ice.”

4. BITTER SWEET The Australian on-premise scene has fallen head over heels with the European custom of aperitifs, with lighter alcoholic beverages like spritzs making a big comeback over the last 12 months, as well more bitter slow-sipping cocktails like Negronis. The logical next step is the introduction of digestifs. Jackson Thornton is the brand ambassador for Amaro Montenegro, and he is excited to see the digestif start to gain traction in Australia, outside of the European community. Part of the reason for this, he believes, is that Amaro Montenegro’s flavour characteristics have something for everyone. It is both bitter and sweet, while remaining very smooth, has a large citrus kick, along with over 40 different botanicals, including coriander, ginger and aniseed. Amaro Montengro is also versatile, and can be served on the rocks with an orange twist or slice, or can be added to a wide variety of cocktails. “There’s a real floral and vegetal quality that pairs beautifully with spirits like gin, whisky, bourbon, rum and mezcal. Montenegro is a gateway drug for complex cocktails, it’s so versatile that you can pair it with anything.” Due to its versatility, bartenders can get really creative in how they use it in cocktails. “Bartenders are creative, you’ll see Montenegro used in a Manhattan, replacing the vermouth. Montenegronis, Montenegro Mules, there’s no limit.” n This article was originally published in Australian Hotelier.

Trends Chef collaborations have always been an integral part of the industry’s dynamism and that doesn’t look set to change. Working side by side with others exposes chefs to new philosophies – something that can’t be learned in books or classrooms. By Madeline Woolway. Elijah Holland at the Origin Series launch night

Chef collaborations

“Y

ou give two chefs the exact same ingredient and the wild differences with what they put on the plate, it’s crazy. That’s why collaborations work so well. You always get to learn new things and see what other people are doing and how their brain ticks,” said Drew Bolton, executive chef at Vine in Double Bay. Although Bolton has worked with other chefs throughout his career, the Origins Series, which he is running at Vine, is the first major collaboration that he has organised himself. “It’s less about what they’re cooking now and more about exploring where they’ve come from and their journey as chefs,” said Bolton. “I look at my friends and what they’re cooking in Sydney and you know, one’s Italian, one’s Indian, one’s Israeli. They all come from different parts of the world and they bring all those different contexts to their food. I thought it would be fun to explore that.” The first dinner in the Origins Series saw Bolton work with chef-forager Elijah Holland to create a menu inspired by produce foraged from the Blue Mountains region, where Bolton originates. Holland – who was head forager and chef de partie at Noma Australia and exhead chef of The Powder Keg in Potts Point, Sydney – has spent most of this year operating his foraging business Nature’s Pick Supply and working with other chefs. Besides the collaboration with Bolton, Holland has also collaborated with Matt Stone at Oakridge Winery in the Yarra Valley and at Roots in New Zealand. “I’m going back to Roots for a week in early October. I was there at the end of August to start foraging and organising some of the stuff,” said Holland. “With collaborations, you don’t have to organise everything in advance and I haven’t for a lot of them. “But if you can, it gives you more chance to get a bigger variety of ingredients. Instead of making something up in two or three days or a week, you can have it preserving and developing more flavour for a couple of weeks or a month. “We’re making charcuterie at Roots and we want to get some wild pepper to use in the cure, which will take about a month.” The amount of planning that goes into collaborations is dependent on individual chefs as well as the nature of each event. “It depends who it’s with and what you’re doing,” said Monty Koludrovic. As executive chef at Bondi’s Iceberg Bar and Dining, Koludrovic’s list of 20 Hospitality October 2016

Roy Ner at the Origin Series launch

trends

collaborations includes events with Morgan McGlone, Andrew McConnell, Adriano Zumbo and David Moyle. He’s also been the guest chef at other venues, from Africola in South Australia to Lakeside Mill in Victoria and Blackbird in Queensland. “I’m fastidious about organisation but some of my mates are more off the cuff and like to go with the flow. I will practice beforehand, but there are always surprises and flexibility is required,” said Koludrovic. Organising the Origins Series at Vine started with Bolton pitching the idea to his collaborators: Holland, Roy Ner, Danny Russo and Kumar Mahadevan. “Everyone was easy to get onboard because it’s a fun idea, but getting our schedules lined up was quite difficult, because it’s four busy chefs who are all doing their own thing. So finding the time for us to come together was the first challenge,” said Bolton. “For the first dinner Elijah and I did, we wrote the menu together after our first day out in the bush. We were sitting around the campfire cooking dinner and started to bounce ideas off each other. Being a foraged menu, we had to wait to see what we could get from the land; it happened organically. For other dinners it might be a little bit different. We might be able to do a little more planning.”

OLD ACQUAINTANCES, NEW FRIENDS Although it might seem that collaborations could only work between chefs with previous experience working together, that’s not always the case. “A lot of the collaborations I’ve done I hadn’t actually worked with the chefs before,” said Holland. “Or I may have just done one event or something like that, but we’ll somehow work out that we’re on the same ground and that we want to try something different.” Talking about their collaboration, Bolton echoes this sentiment. “We both worked at Aria, not at the same time, we missed each other, but from that we have a lot of mutual colleagues and friends. We have a bit of an idea about how each other operates and our differences,” he said.

“There are no egos, you work with each other to create something that is greater than what you could create on your own.”

Foraged lemon scented tea tree, wattle pollen and sarsaparilla

projects and chefs around but the best thing is getting a great group of people together and sharing their passion,” said Koludrovic. “Be open, be flexible, and understand that a collab is not the same as your usual kitchen or restaurant. You can’t always get the ingredients you are used to and that’s alright, it could mean you find something new. “I love getting up close and personal with someone’s food and philosophy.” Bolton also stresses the importance of embracing the process. “Go in with an open mind and with the aim of doing something spectacular, but in the end it’s about having fun and being willing to learn from each other. One thing I thought EJ and I did really well was embrace each other’s experiences and ideas, and that’s what makes a true collaborative event,” he said. All three chefs agree that it’s a fun experiment. “It’s a lot of fun. You get to do something unique that you might not normally be able to put on a menu because of limits to what ingredients you can get or how involved the dish is,” said Holland. “It’s also great to broaden your knowledge and bounce ideas off each other. Working with a lot of different chefs and advising them [through Nature’s Pick Supply] has really helped me to understand the world of food. “Somebody always has an idea that somebody else doesn’t have. There are no egos, you work with each other to create something that is greater than what you could create on your own.” n

WHY COLLABORATE? While the positive effect of collaborating is obvious in the kitchen, there are benefits for the business too. “Communication with your customers is so important in this information heavy age. Pop up and collab events are a great way to keep your customers up-to-date with where you’re at with your food,” said Koludrovic. However, it’s less a case of needing a reason to get involved and more a case of knowing how to get the most of collaborations. “Our industry is dynamic. There are exciting

Danny Russo, Kumar Mahadevan, Elijah Holland, Drew Bolton, and Roy Ner October 2016 Hospitality 21

Sorrel sorbet, blueberries, white chocolate and yoghurt

cover story

Recently returned from an instructive tour of Europe, on the back of two industry awards, pastry chef Lauren Eldridge spoke with Hospitality magazine about her career so far. By Madeline Woolway.

The places you’ll go “W

Lauren Eldridge

22 Hospitality October 2016

e did a lot of cooking at home. I never cooked savoury food. Just never did it. It’s not something that interested me,” said Lauren Eldridge, head pastry chef at Pei Modern in Sydney. Despite developing a penchant for making desserts early, Eldridge didn’t originally consider it as a career. “I was at university, studying psychology. But I wasn’t excited about it and I would procrastinate by cooking. I made batches and batches of macarons, because they were huge at the time,” she said. “I finished the semester and didn’t go back. I was a year and a half in. I should have wanted it more than I did. I shouldn’t have been procrastinating over something I planned to spend the rest of my life doing. “My aunty knew someone who owned a small patisserie in Lane Cove and I started working there. I remember

being there, washing up all the dirty dishes one day and I thought, ‘I would rather be here washing up this dirty bowl than at uni.’” One of Australia’s most respected chefs, Damien Pignolet described Eldridge as assured, and her formative years as a chef suggest that he’s right. “The patisserie was good because I got to see what it was like. But I wasn’t really feeling it, so when another opportunity came along, I took it. I worked in the pastry section at a catering company for a year. But then I just felt it was time to try restaurants. And now I would never go back. I love the restaurant environment. I suppose I did the same thing with uni. If it doesn’t feel right then I just trust that feeling.” This confidence seems partly innate – the product of thoughtfulness – and partly the result of other’s guidance. Eldridge is proof that modern kitchens should nurture new talent rather than terrorise it.

cover story

“The thing is, everyone I worked with was always very supportive and very encouraging. I was never in a ‘cheffy’ environment where you’re screamed at all day. Everyone wanted me to do well. That’s definitely stayed with me. There’s no point yelling at apprentices,” said Eldridge. “I worked at a restaurant for three months that had a harsher kitchen, where you were constantly being demeaned. In hindsight I can see that it helped me develop; it made me tougher. But it didn’t help my cooking. I wasn’t actually learning anything that I couldn’t be learning somewhere else.”

THE MORE YOU READ, THE MORE YOU’LL KNOW When Eldridge left her academic career she didn’t shed her studious nature. After finding her way to Marque (which closed its doors earlier this year), Eldridge continued her studies – this time through a combination of TAFE and on-site learning, under the tutelage of chef and restaurateur Mark Best. “The TAFE course was very much directed towards patisserie and bakery work. I think two lessons out of the entire course were on plated, restaurant style desserts. It was good for picking up the techniques but for me it was very much about on-site learning. That’s how Mark operates,” said Eldridge. “Even though pastry is very technical and exact, when I’m creating things there’s a lot of ‘I’ll put a bit of this in and a bit of that’. But

it’s in an educated way; I understand how ingredients will react with each other and why. You need to know the basics. “So to adjust the recipe for the liquorice cake for example, I needed to know what a normal recipe is. Then to be able to take things out or add them in I needed to know why everything works the way it does.” It’s a telling statement, indicative of her past life as a psychology student. “When I get an idea I do a lot of research, I read a lot. To make the honeycomb I researched bicarbonate soda. I read science papers to figure out what makes bicarb the way it is, why it works the way it does, and how it works with other ingredients. If I wanted to put more honey in, I had to know how it was going to react. Ingredients are the way they are. You can’t change them; you have to adjust how you work with them,” said Eldridge. “When we made the parsnip cornetto [for a dinner at Marque] I went through the same process with a chemical called calcium hydroxide. I researched its history and how the Aztecs used it. Then I did the same for the parsnip. If I know the cell structure of a vegetable then I know what’s happening when I cook it a certain way, how the cells are breaking down, what’s changing, and what’s reacting. “I suppose when I left uni I was like, 'if I’m leaving this then I can’t just be a chef, I have to be the best.' It’s never been about beating everyone else; it’s just about elevating everything I do. We have a chocolate tart on the

menu at Pei Modern. You can get chocolate tarts everywhere, so ours has to stand out. You have to research to take it to that level.” With this attitude, it’s not surprising Eldridge has been the recipient of many awards; including the Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year and the Gault&Millau Potentialist of the Year, both in 2015.

THE MORE THAT YOU LEARN, THE MORE PLACES YOU’LL GO “With the Josephine Pignolet award, Damien is looking at a person’s character and what they represent. I think that’s really important. You can teach someone to cook and how to be a chef, but their personality and how they feel about the industry, what they want and what they strive for – you can’t teach that. Yes it’s Damien’s award but it’s named after his wife, so you’re representing her as well. That’s why it’s important to have the right character,” said Eldridge. As the recipient, Eldridge spent a month travelling through Europe before spending two months at Osteria Francescana, just as it was anointed the number one restaurant in the world. “I got along with Massimo [Bottura]; it was unique to have that time with him and it was unreal. I cooked for him a few times and he gave me a lot of feedback on the dishes or certain elements,” said Eldridge. Before her time at Osteria Francescana, Eldridge approached new recipes with a scientific mindset. Working with Bottura helped her develop a more flexible method.

Bitter chocolate tart and cumquat jam

October 2016 Hospitality 23

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cover story

Salted liquorice cake and molasses ice cream

“Massimo likes to create a story with food, to tell people something. I would take a product and think about how to make that product the best it could be. At Osteria Francescana I had to think about what story I wanted to tell, then come up with the concept and then the dish. I still used that sense of elevating an ingredient but I did that to tell a story rather than to show off the food. It taught me a new sense of creativity. “One of the first things I made him was a take on fairy bread. He’d told me to find Australian culture and put it in a dish. I made a yeast ice cream for the bread component and for the hundreds and thousands. I used different coloured vegetables to make crisps. “Explaining what fairy bread is was funny. It’s cheap, bad bread, margarine and coloured sugar. I didn’t like it as a kid, which is kind of telling.” In saying this, Eldridge is alluding to the fact she doesn’t have a sweet tooth. While this might seem like a conspicuous absence for a pastry chef, Eldridge makes it work. “I find sugar pretty boring. It’s just sweet. You can apply all your senses to dessert as well, not just sweetness, but bitter and sourness too. That makes things more complex,” she said. “If I add sugar to things it’s normally a textural choice or to season. I suppose I use sugar the way some chefs use salt. It brings out flavours in the same way. I put a little bit of sugar in the molasses ice-cream to play up the flavour without making it sweet.”

“We’re very focussed here and determined to prove ourselves. Not just as individual restaurants but also to prove that what Australia has to offer in terms of food and hospitality is up there,” said Eldridge. Although she readily details the benefits of her time overseas, both in terms of technique and philosophy, Eldridge is also keen to promote the virtues of Australian kitchens. At French restaurants, Guy Savoy and Le Cinq, where she staged as the Gault&Millau Potentialist of the Year, Eldridge was exposed to the rigidity of the brigade system and is now appreciative of our more flexible approach. “Here I can talk to Joachim [Borenius, Pei

Modern’s head chef] for advice. Even as an apprentice I could give him my ideas, and he would help me.” She also has a renewed sense of what it means to be an Australian chef. “The fact that I’ve grown up here and lived in Sydney my whole life, no matter what I do it will be mine and therefore Australian,” said Eldridge. “We shouldn’t feel like we have to go oversees to become better. It was amazing and how I work now is influenced by all that experience, but everything I achieved came from being in Australia. I think we can build something here and we should.” Although her time in Europe exposed Eldridge to new philosophies and techniques, her approach remains as fastidiously systematic as ever. “I still like to make an ingredient the best it can be by using research and science, but without overcomplicating it. The technique isn’t in your face. I don’t want someone to eat my dessert and think ‘oh look at the technique’. I just want them to enjoy it, even though what I enjoy as a chef is the technique. And I don’t think there should be anything superfluous. “I think sometimes people confuse technique with elements on the plate. To me, it’s easier to put more. If I’m looking at a dish and it’s not quite right I don’t think about what else I can add to it. I think about what I can do to make what’s there better. If anything, I’ll take something away. "The main advice from Mark is ‘think harder’. When I’m developing a new recipe that’s always in my head. ‘Be better, think harder’.” n

Brulee bosc pear, vanilla ice cream and saffron meringue

THINK AND WONDER, WONDER AND THINK With the experience of cooking in Europe behind her, Eldridge has returned to Australia with a deeper understanding of what our food scene has to offer. October 2016 Hospitality 25

Restaurant Leaders Summit

View from the Summit With a full house and a line-up of speakers comprising the industry’s best of the best, Hospitality’s inaugural Restaurant Leaders Summit was a smashing success.

n 26 September, chefs, restaurateurs and other hospitality professionals congregated at Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf in Sydney to hear from an impressive line-up of industry colleagues on the best ways to future-proof their business. It was a sparkling day on Sydney’s harbour and the first ever Restaurant Leaders Summit, hosted by Hospitality magazine, welcomed more than 250 attendees for a one-day conference, sponsored by OpenTable, Moffat, Porkstars, Deliveroo, Intrust Super, Impos and JL Lennard. The day kicked off with a session that aimed to shed light on the best ways to tackle what is probably the industry’s most significant challenge: staffing. The panel consisted of industry elites: Kylie Ball, general manager of Quay and Bennelong; Nelly Robinson from nel. Restaurant; O Bar & Dining’s head chef, Darren Templeman; Placed Recruitment’s Geremy Glew; and Kate Tones, group HR manager at Merivale. The panel was unanimous that young hospitality professionals are today asking more from their employers – not necessarily in terms of 26 Hospitality October 2016

their hourly rate or days off, but rather their professional development. It was also clear that business owners need to put almost as much thought into those leaving the business as those joining it. “You have to not just look at why they’re leaving, but look at yourself too,” Templeman said. “Look at the team, where the person was working, how they handled their day-to-day jobs. Was there something else we could have done to ensure they stayed longer?” Geremy Glew agreed, adding that business owners should send departing staff members a short survey to find out why they’re leaving and gain valuable insight into how their business is perceived by others. Failure to do so could do significant harm in the long run, he said. “If you’re not paying attention to the people that are leaving, word gets out. Whether or not you’re listening, it gets out. The chef will go, and you’re left with a reputation that could be attached to your business for a long time.” Ameer El-Issa, founder of the hugely popular Knafeh mobile food container, delivered a lively presentation, describing how the concept was born, and why he decided to walk away from a successful bricks and mortar restaurant to launch a new concept that would only ever sell one menu item (it paid off…Knafeh often sells thousands of the Middle Eastern dessert in a single night!). Another highlight was a Q&A with Oakridge Winery’s head chef and sustainability advocate, Matt Stone, who spoke about the challenges of publishing his first cookbook, and why he has a no seafood policy at the restaurant, where he’s also introduced an extensive kitchen garden and an eWater system, which saves the business roughly $40,000 a year in chemicals. We had The Fink Group’s John Fink talking about the best ways to build and use databases, Urban Purveyor Group’s CEO, Thomas Pash, explaining why the fast casual concept is experiencing such a boom here in Australia (and how to take advantage of it), and Josephine Perry comparing how she does business at Missy French with the way her father, Neil Perry, ran his restaurants when she was growing up. All in all, it was a great day, and an invaluable one for hospitality folk looking to improve the way their business is run. The Hospitality team would like to thank all those involved in bringing the Restaurant Leaders Summit to life – we hope to see you all again in 2017!

Restaurant Leaders Summit

The first panel for the day discussed the best ways to find and keep staff

Knafeh's Ameer El-Issa

Jake Smyth from Mary's and The Unicorn

Lessons from the front line ...On kitchen conditions “We’ve not managed to sack anyone, or hire anyone, in the last year. I think it’s about paying them well and treating them well. We only work five day weeks; we have Sunday and Monday off, so the chefs know they’re getting that time off, so they work their bums off during the week and they come in and do 17-18 hour shifts, but they’re still happy when they’re going home on Saturday night.” – Nel Robinson, chef and owner at nel. Restaurant ...On staff retention “Retention is the key, because recruitment is becoming so much harder. Once you get them in the door, it’s about keeping them there. From that initial interview, you should find out what they want from you. You’re being interviewed now, as an employer. What can you offer them? Before, it was like ‘you should want to work at Quay or Bennelong’, whereas now it’s ‘we want you to work for us, we can offer you training, we can offer you incentives.” – Kylie Ball, general manager at Quay and Bennelong.

Chef Matt Stone with Ken Burgin

...On managing finances “My nature is to not overextend; I’ve never been like that. The concept of having debt is not something that I’m comfortable with ... You can be the best restaurant in town and have a queue out the door, but if you’re spending money faster than you can make it, or you’re making poor financial decisions, it doesn’t matter how good you are, you will just go broke.” – Danielle Gjestland, owner of Wasabi Restaurant. ...On managing morale “The first thing I did was to take a lot of the testosterone out of the kitchen, and bring in more females. Now we have a 50/50 split throughout the kitchen, which is really good. It calms everything down.” – Darren Templeman, head chef at O Bar & Dining

October 2016 Hospitality 27

Atrium dessert bar

festive season planning

Rule the yuletide Everyone knows that staying on top during the festive season means planning ahead, from back to front of house. What’s the best approach to menu planning and staffing, and can you hit two birds with one stone? Madeline Woolway found out.

hen planning to operate on Christmas Day, whether it’s for lunch, dinner or both, there are back of house and front of house concerns to take into consideration, and it’s important to exercise a holistic approach. O Bar and Dining in Sydney’s CBD has offered Christmas lunch and dinner for two years and planning for the third is well underway. “The first year wasn’t too bad; we were busy but not as manic as last year. This year, bookings are coming through already and we’ve been planning for three months,” said head chef, Darren Templeman. “We always book out about a week before Christmas, there’s generally a late flurry. and there’s higher demand for lunch than dinner. “When I had Atelier [in Glebe] we started doing Christmas Day lunches. There wasn’t as much demand in the suburbs. People seem to either stay home or go out to the waterside or city. We’d fill up, it just wasn’t high demand.” Without bookings it’s impossible to adequately plan and execute a successful Christmas day. Knowing how many covers will be put through helps with both menu development and staff rosters. “When you’re going to be doing 350-plus over lunch time and then maybe another 150 for dinner, bookings are totally essential,” said Templeman. While most will agree that bookings are a must, there is more than one way to organise them. 28 Hospitality October 2016

At O Bar and Dining guests can book for any time over lunch and dinner, while at the Tweed Heads Bowls Club (THBC), which is also approaching its third year of trading on Christmas Day, there are two lunch sittings. “We have sittings at 12 and one o’clock because we’re on the border [of Queensland and NSW], so there’s daylight savings,” said executive chef, Brad Whittaker. “Either way, we do bookings only and it fills up really quickly. It means we can plan well in advance and don’t have any difficulties on Christmas Day.” At Atrium, in Crown Perth, bookings are also required, but are offered over breakfast, lunch and dinner times, and also book out well in advance. “In total, we serve almost 2,000 diners on Christmas Day across the sittings,” said Chris Harris, Crown Perth’s general manager, food and beverage.

MENU PLANNING Although venues need to provide restaurant quality meals that can’t be replicated at home, Christmas menus aren’t about experimenting or breaking boundaries, even at a fine dining establishment like O Bar and Dining. “It’s got to be more family orientated, and pleasing across the board: something for mum, something for dad, for nana, for granddad, and for the kids,” Templeman said. “It’s a different crowd, you have to be more conservative. Because we’ll do about 250-plus people in just an hour and a half slot at lunch

time, it has to be quite functional, like larger roasts. You have to find dishes that work in your favour, without leaving the diner feeling like they’ve been jibbed; we do a large Turkey Ballotine for example. It’s not about being avant-garde, but people are still spending a lot of money, so you have to keep the quality high. “We play around with desserts though. We have a Christmas pudding ice cream instead of a standard pudding. Basically we keep the festive English flavours but lighten it up – given it’s quite possibly going to be 35-40 degrees – and add a bit more whimsy as well.” “We keep it traditional,” said THBC’s Whittaker. “In the bistro we have ham, turkey, chicken and seafood. We’ll do something just a little bit different, like roast the chicken with pesto. In the Blue Room restaurant it’s a little more upmarket, so we’ll use lamb rack for the roast. “We serve about 2,500 people through Christmas events and we do about 2,500 servings of ham, turkey, and Christmas pudding. You try to be a bit more creative, but our market is still looking for a traditional meal, just restaurant quality.” At Atrium, where the focus is also on providing a meal that can cater to range of needs, from fussy eaters to fine diners, the buffet style service makes it easy to ensure everyone is included, regardless of dietary requirements. Here, variety is key, but not at the expense of tradition. “When we think Christmas, we think seafood. That’s why we serve lots of oysters,

Add a little sauce appeal Don’t let your food go out naked! Saucier Chef’s dips and spreads come in easy-squeeze bottles to add the finishing touch that makes good food great. Try Saucier Chef Wasabi Aioli today.

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chrisdips.com.au

festive season planning

prawns, clams, mussels, crab, squid, salmon and so on. It’s also about tradition, with meats like honey glazed ham and roast turkey breast,” said Harris. “In December alone we serve 2,000 kilograms of roast turkey, 1,200 kilograms of ham and about 8,000 plum puddings. These would have to be our most popular dishes, along with more than 1,600 kilograms of prawns and almost 48,000 oysters.” The obsession with seafood spans from coast to coast. “Seafood entrees are imperative. Everyone loves to have prawns and smoked salmon. You also need some vegetarian options in there, but seafood for the entrée and meat for the main course – whether it’s turkey, pork or chicken – seems to be everyone’s perception of the Christmas lunch meal,” said Templeman. Beyond the association of certain dishes with Christmas, at THBC Whittaker also makes a point of replicating the mood. “In the Blue Room we’ve done the main course like a share plate. There are three different proteins and the accompaniments on a platter. Each table gets a platter and then everyone can help themselves. It creates that family atmosphere; you know ‘can you pass the plate down?’” he said.

“No one really wants to work on Christmas Day, even with the penalty rates. So for the staff that are working, we try to make it a really fun day. The managers bring in gifts. We want it to feel festive for the guests, but also for the team.”

STAFF PLANNING “Staffing at Christmas is really interesting. We ask for volunteers, then we do first in best dressed and we rotate,” said Whittaker. “We roster and prepare well in advance. That’s why we do the buffet in the brasserie. When you’re serving 300 people you need to make your menu easier to serve. In the kitchen we do our preparation before Christmas Day. Our pastry chefs have the desserts done the day before, so they don’t come in. We probably end up with about two-thirds of our normal team. “In the end no one really wants to work on Christmas Day, even with the penalty rates. So for the staff that are working, we try to make it a really fun day. The managers bring in gifts. We want it to feel festive for the guests, but also for the team.” Templeman follows the same rules at O Bar and Dining. 30 Hospitality October 2016

Christmas dessert at THBC

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G LU T E N FREE DIET ? 1

Find out how you can meet these customers needs with the Nestlé Professional Gluten Free Toolkit. Buffet at Atrium, Crown Perth

“I always say ‘let me know as soon as you have plans’. I can’t promise them anything, but I try my hardest. People who had it off last year know they will be on this year. And I try to balance it out too. So they either work a lunch or a dinner, not the whole day,” Templeman said. “It’s a nice atmosphere. Once the lunch time crowd has cleared out, we sit down and have our staff lunch as a family. We pull crackers, have our turkey and a little glass of wine, then get ready for the dinner service. The staff all get Christmas presents. You have to make it a little bit special, it’s not a normal day at work in the end.”

PROFITS When all is said and done, does it make good business sense to operate on Christmas Day? In short, yes it’s profitable, but it’s more a case of Christmas spirit.

“If we can put through 500 covers a day, it’s well worth the while. Even after you cover all the wages, you still make a little money,” Templeman said. “Michael [Moore, O Bar and Dining’s owner] doesn’t like to make a huge amount on Christmas Day. In the end it’s about everyone having a nice time.” The same attitude applies at THBC. “It is profitable, but we look at it more as a service to our members. That’s why we go out of our way to make it a nice day,” said Whittaker. “Last year we got about half a dozen single bookings. We could have easily just stuck them in a corner. Instead we asked if they would mind sitting with a family. Then we spoke to some of the tables and asked if they would mind someone sitting with them. Some said no, but the people that agreed had a great time. It’s good community spirit, even if it is a little more work for us.” n

GLUTEN FREE PRODUCTS

Christmas preparations at THBC

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kitchen equipment

The Juggler in action

We ain’t kitchen A MAGICAL MILK DISPENSER FROM THE JUGGLER The Juggler is the world’s first chilled milk dispensing system designed specifically for cafes. The Juggler increases the speed of service, reduces waste and contributes to a better and more consistent product being served to the customer. It is fast and hygienic to load, intuitive to use and easy to clean.

WHAT MAKES THE PRODUCT UNIQUE? The Juggler dispenses milk from 10 litre bladders. Bladders connect automatically to the dispensing system as they are loaded into the chiller. The chiller sits under the café bench and milk is dispensed through taps that are set into the café bench alongside the coffee machine. Hands-free volumetric dosing enables a barista to multi-task more efficiently compared to using milk in bottles. A barista uses their jug to activate a pre-programmed dose of milk which pours automatically as they return to other tasks. Volumetric dosing can also dramatically reduce the amount of milk 32 Hospitality October 2016

that otherwise may be wasted when manually pouring milk from a bottle. A hugely important feature of The Juggler is the clean in place (CIP) system. Achieving and maintaining HACCP accreditation, this CIP system ensures that high food safety standards are easily met and maintained by a very wide variety of users.

WHAT BENEFITS WILL IT DELIVER TO FOODSERVICE OPERATORS? There are 430 operators now using The Juggler milk tap system and The Juggler team regularly receives great feedback about the benefits it’s generating. Feedback tells us quantifiable benefits include: recognisable increases in the amount of coffees sold; substantial saving in milk and plastic waste; savings in staff costs given baristas can multi-task more easily. Other benefits aren’t as easily quantified but are still viewed as important, such as: each coffee starts with the exact volume of fresh, chilled milk, which textures better; greater level of consistency in coffee service; reduction in clutter around workspace, as bottles aren’t left out on bench; and a more efficient workflow.

These are the latest kitchen innovations that every café, restaurant, pub or club owner needs to know about.

WHAT TYPE OF APPLICATION IS IT BEST SUITED TO? The Juggler is generally used to dispense milk for coffee, and customers include a large number of cafes, boutique roasters and specialty coffee companies, hotels and venue groups like Urban Purveyor Group and Merivale, through to large chains like McDonalds. The system has been adapted to dispense milk for milkshakes in Burger Project and Krispy Kreme venues, and also a unique retail milk concept with Harris Farm Markets.

WHERE CAN THE PRODUCT BE SOURCED? The Juggler is purchased through Six Simple Machines. We design and build The Juggler in our warehouse in Botany, Sydney.

A COOL INNOVATION FROM LIEBHERR The Liebherr Professional ProfiPremiumLine is a range of upright single and two door foodservice refrigerators and freezers, designed to exceed the exacting standards demanded of refrigerators and freezers in the restaurant, hotel and catering business.

WHAT MAKES THE PRODUCT UNIQUE? The Liebherr Professional ProfiPremiumLine range stands out with its low power consumption and maximum efficiency, plus its ability to be integrated in a HACCP concept and comply with the requirements for optimum food hygiene. The appliances have 83mm blown insulation in the walls, which minimises energy loss and ensures temperature consistency. Precision electronics and sensors control the refrigeration system, of highly efficient compressors, using environmentally friendly refrigerant R 290 and twin high efficiency air distribution fans. Energy used during defrost is minimised by using a hot-gas defrost system that allows for defrosting less often but faster, with the process taking only 10 minutes. The end result is industry leading energy efficiency. The GKPv 6590 single door refrigerator uses as little as 0.728kWh of electricity per day. The Liebherr Professional ProfiPremiumLine range's electronic control system is equipped with default temperature range and humidity control programs and features integrated temperature logging (for HACCP-compliant documentation), while visual and audible door alarms alert the user to any excessive rise in temperature, and can be connected to an external alarm or central monitoring system. The range's single sheet membrane control fascia is dirt resistant and easy to clean.

Internally, the moulded 304 grade stainless steel liner base features generously radiused corners for easy cleaning and a water drain for optimum hygiene. The liner features integrated ribs as shelf support surfaces, allowing GN 2/1 containers to slide directly on the storage ribs and be easily adjusted. Additionally, the shelves have a loading capacity of up to 60kg â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which means overloading is almost impossible.

Now Gluten Free

WHAT BENEFITS WILL IT DELIVER TO FOODSERVICE OPERATORS? The key benefits include that it offers low energy consumption, has integrated alarms systems to prevent product loss, is HACCP compliant, very easy to clean and maintain and has a quiet operation.

WHAT TYPE OF APPLICATION IS IT BEST SUITED TO? The range is best suited to high standard restaurants and catering establishments that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to compromise on the reliable storage of food.

WHERE CAN THE PRODUCT BE SOURCED? The range is readily available from Andi-Co Australia, or specialist Liebherr Professional distributors.

Finish every dish with exceptional flavour MAGGI Sauce Mixes are the ultimate base to create sensational signature sauces that deliver compliments and convenience. Now with a gluten free recipe, MAGGI sauces make it easier to cater for the growing number of customers avoiding gluten in their diet.

kitchen equipment

WHAT BENEFITS WILL IT DELIVER TO FOODSERVICE OPERATORS? Great flexibility as normal items can be washed in non RO water, while glasses and cutlery can be washed in RO water for polish-free results.

WHAT TYPE OF APPLICATION IS IT BEST SUITED TO? The Winterhalter UC Exellence I will suit any user who requires or would benefit from a polish-free result. Not having to polish glasses and cutlery after washing is a big labour saving feature. Also, breakages are greatly reduced as no glasses are double handled. Winterhalter is used in over 50 of the top 100 restaurants in Australia.

WHERE CAN THE PRODUCT BE SOURCED? The New UC Excellence I is available now as the units were launched at the Fine Food show in September, 2016.

TURBOCHARGE YOUR COOKING WITH MOFFAT

“Every oven can be bench mounted or stand mounted, which provides great flexibility.”

Turbofan 40 Series Combi Oven packs a whole lot of intuitive functionality and raw power in its compact 812mm wide footprint.

WHAT MAKES THE PRODUCT UNIQUE? Perhaps the most notable feature of the new series is its versatility. Each of the ovens in the Turbofan 40 Combi Series can operate in three modes: combi, convection, or steam. This means they can provide high levels of quality across a very wide range of products, from patisserie-style baked goods, to meat, fish or vegetables.

WHAT BENEFITS WILL IT DELIVER TO FOODSERVICE OPERATORS?

ADD SOME SHINE TO YOUR KITCHEN WITH WINTERHALTER The new Winterhalter UC Excellence I is available in two sizes: small (400x400) and medium (500x500). The units offer all the features of the standard UC models with the added feature of a built-in reverse osmosis unit. The new machines were voted Best New Hospitality Product at the recent Fine Food tradeshow in Melbourne.

Every oven in the series can be bench mounted or stand mounted, which provides great flexibility. The series also has a slick and very modern design that makes it ideal for front of house cooking zones, as well as for bar areas where the equipment is on display to customers. Large front view glass for visual appeal looks good even whilst cleaning is in action in the digital model.

WHAT TYPE OF APPLICATION IS IT BEST SUITED TO? With its compact size, the Turbofan 40 Series Combi is ideal for businesses with smaller kitchens, such as cafes or bars, bakeries, open kitchens, and in front of house applications.

WHAT MAKES THE PRODUCT UNIQUE?

WHERE CAN THE PRODUCT BE SOURCED?

It is a truly integrated unit offers space savings as previous units needed a separate RO unit.

Three models, manual or digital five, seven or 10 tray capacities are now available through Moffat. n

34 Hospitality October 2016

Like what you see? Subscribe to Hospitality magazine to stay up-to-date with the latest industry news and views Operating since 1967, Hospitality magazine is committed to providing chefs, restaurateurs, suppliers, students and business managers with all the information they need to do business better. With 10 issues a year, Hospitality magazine has all the latest information on current trends and trendsetters in the foodservice and beverage sectors, while also keeping you abreast of new product launches and regulatory updates.

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www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au or call 1800 651 422 to subscribe

shelf space

1. Chris’ Dips’ new foodservice range

Chris’ Dips has launched a range of one kilogram squeezable dips and aiolis for the foodservice sector. The Saucier Chef range offers four of Chris’ Dips’ most popular traditional dip flavours including hommus and avocado. The new selection of aiolis includes four flavours including wasabi and gherkin and mustard. The range is both gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians. eatloveshare.com.au

3. Cup with a conscience

The Grow Cup of Life is a fully recyclable, biodegradable, and compostable takeaway coffee cup. Every year, almost 90 percent of the one billion takeaway cups that are used in Australia are thrown into landfill, with most being non-recyclable because of a petroleum plastic lining. The Grow Cup of Life, however, breaks down thanks to its thermal bioplastic lining made from plant materials (corn starch). enviro-grow.com.au

2. Speedibake taps into brioche buzz

Speedibake has launched a gourmet brioche-style hot dog roll, which can be thawed and served immediately or flash-baked in minutes. The new hot dog roll has been designed specifically for pubs, clubs, restaurants and cafes and it joins the existing Tip Top 4- and 5-inch brioche-style burger buns and 2.5-inch brioche-style sliders. The new hot dog roll comes in cartons of 55, is available frozen through distributors and can be stored in the freezer for up to 12 months. georgewestonfoods.com.au ElagPochetta Designs Flyer A4.pdf

ElagPochetta Designs Flyer A4.pdf

4. Tabasco turns up the heat Tabasco is now available in a kitchen-friendly 1.89L plastic bottle. The release of the new size coincides with the launch of Tabasco Buffalo Style Sauce, a cayenne pepper based-sauce with classic buffalo flavour. Tabasco Buffalo Style Sauce is available in the 1.89L bottle together with Tabasco Original Red Pepper Sauce, Tabasco Green Sauce, Tabasco Chipotle Sauce and Tabasco Habanero Sauce. ncsc@stalex.com.au C

CMY

36 Hospitality October 2016

10/09/2015

6:20 pm

ELAG POCHETTA® C

• SAVE time SAVE money.

• PORTION CONTROL – front of house system. CY

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• MARKETING – a fabulous marketing tool with unlimited opportunities. • BE UNIQUE – make a difference to your business. Design your own pouch or choose one of our stylish designs and add a decorative touch to your venue.

ELAG Australia

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Dominique Crenn

E-WokTM Asian Cooking Tables are high efficiency induction wok cookers. Their free standing, modular design provides adaptability for all commercial kitchen applications. Induction technology allows for dramatically increased energy efficiency compared to gas and increased operator comfort as there is significantly less heat in the cooking area and as no water is required to cool the deck, a significant reduction in overall water consumption.

For the diary Upcoming events in the hospitality industry. Find out more at hospitalitymagazine.com.au Sydney Craft Beer Week 22–30 October Sydney’s largest celebration of craft beer, Sydney Craft Beer Week is back for its sixth year in 2016. Last year saw 130 craft beer-related events held across 70 of Sydney’s leading venues and outdoor spaces, with highlights including Beergustations and Hair of the Dog Breakfasts, as well as tap takeovers and axe throwing tournaments. sydneycraftbeerweek.com

Another innovative solution from Stoddart.

Asian Cooking Table

The Age Good Food Month 1–30 November Following on from the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Month in October, The Age Good Food Month will include familiar dining experiences such as Hats Off Dinners and the Let’s Do Lunch series as well as new events such as Spring Social. From November 10–27, Melbourne’s Birrarung Marr will be transformed into an Asian hawker-style market for the Melbourne Night Noodle Markets, boasting more than 30 food stalls, a selection of bars and nightly entertainment. goodfoodmonth.com/melbourne

Margaret River Gourmet Escape 18–20 November Now in its fifth year, the Margaret River Gourmet Escape will this year boast over 40 food and wine personalities from across the globe, including headliner, Nigella Lawson. The event will promote the best of Western Australia and will include brunches, lunches, dinners, tastings, sundowners, Q&As and more. Guests will have the opportunity to meet, greet and taste dishes cooked by some of the world’s best chefs including Joan Roca, Isaac McHale, Dominique Crenn, Peter Gilmore, Ana Roš, and WA locals, Aaron Carr, Seth James and Hadleigh Troy. gourmetescape.com.au

Taste of Tasmania 28 December, 2016–3 January, 2017 The Taste of Tasmania is produced and presented by the City of Hobart, with the aim of presenting a memorable event that showcases some of the best food and beverages Tasmania has to offer. The annual event is hosted along the River Derwent, Hobart’s historic wharves and Salamanca Place, with stallholders including seafood, cheese and berry suppliers, as well as beer, wine and cider producers. thetasteoftasmania.com.au

1300 79 1954 www.stoddart.com.au

October 2016 Hospitality 37

5 minutes with…

Stefan Bruderer – master chocolatier, Lindt A chocoholic practically from birth, Lindt master chocolatier, Stefan Bruderer, is now sharing his love for chocolate around the world.

hen I was six years old I collected chocolate wrappers. After a very short while I filled a whole album with those chocolate wrappers. A museum in Zurich heard about my collection and asked if I would like to exhibit it. I thought, ‘Ok, if they want to exhibit my empty wrappings, chocolate must be something that is really special.’ I still have the album at home. Ten years later I started my apprenticeship as a pastry chef. That’s when I started to really love working with chocolate. There is no specific training to become a master chocolatier, but I had three years training as a pastry chef. I also went to college to study art and design – that’s where I learned creativity. Later I studied food technology and learned all the processes. I work in Lindt's research and development department in Switzerland. We have early morning meetings with the product development team, which starts by tasting all the different recipes we made the day before. This means I eat quite a lot of chocolate every day. Sometimes with one product you can have up to 80 different recipes over the month. What I’m really impressed with, in general, is that Australian chefs are very open-minded, passionate and creative. There are so many different influences from Asia and Europe. You’ve got everything, although it’s probably not easy to work with chocolate in Australia because of the climate. A few months ago I did a pairing with Excellence Chilli, strawberries, and Champagne. I melted the Excellence Chilli and dipped the strawberries in, like fondue, took a bite and then a sip of Champagne. The bubbles in the Champagne and the chilli chocolate worked together so well, it was like an explosion of the senses. The last block chocolate product that I brought to market, Excellence Cherry, took me almost a year to perfect. It was difficult to find the right ingredients. It took six months just to find the right cherries. We needed a 100 percent stone-free guarantee from a supplier, plus I was looking for a taste that was a mix between dark cherries and red cherries, not too sour, not too sweet. I would say I love everything about chocolate, but that sounds cheap. I guess what I love most is sharing my passion with others; it’s very easy to make people happy with chocolate. 38 Hospitality October 2016

Try our new range of delicious dippers Conveniently sized, our NEW 50g premium sauces are a handy addition to any kitchen. Gourmet Tomato Sauce | Texan Smokey BBQ Sauce Tartare Sauce | Seafood Cocktail Sauce | Aioli Garlic Mayonnaise

To arrange a free tasting or to place an order simply contact Birch & Waite on 02 8668 8000, email cs@birchandwaite.com.au or visit birchandwaiteprofessional.com.au

Convotherm 4 Designed around you Because we listen to you, the new Convotherm 4 range has been developed around your needs in the kitchen. With two control-panel designs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; easyTouch and easyDial - 7 capacity options, and 28 models to choose from, you will have the degree of control you need. Convotherm 4 has been re-designed, and brings a new benchmark in combi-steamer cooking.

Lower operating costs whilst helping the environment -

Redefined: clear design meets functionality -

The new Convotherm 4 design is ideal for front-of-house cooking. Aesthetics are combined with a new dimension in intuitive operation and straight forward servicing.

Every watt and litre count. Convotherm 4 stands for the requirement on energy efficiency and minimal water consumption.

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Your cooking results in focus -

The Advanced Closed System+ (ACS+) offers perfection in the third generation. Delivering the ultimate in even cooking, with optimised results to your requirements.

Convoclean+ and Convoclean have been developed to deliver maximum flexibility with minimum consumption. Automatic cleaning means chemical contact is avoided.

To find out more about how you can experience the new Convotherm 4 way of cooking, contact Moffat on 1800 023 953 or visit www.moffat.com.au

Your meal. Our mission.

VIC/TAS/SA vsales@moffat.com.au, NSW nswsales@moffat.com.au, QLD qldsales@moffat.com.au, WA bgarcia@moffat.com.au moffat.com.au Free Phone1800 023 953

MOFFAT 1423 3/16