Open House Foodservice July 2015 Issue

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www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, July 2015 3

CONTENTS

ON THE COVER

Sunny Queen Australia has launched a new range of ready to serve egg products that make putting eggs back on the menu simple, just in time for winter.

Print Post Approved PP231335/00017

Game changing apps Pizza reigns supreme Appetite for food festivals

Inspiring desserts

Nestlé Docello’s great range

JUNE 2015

OH0615.indd 1 3/07/2015 10:27 am

24

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To ensure you never miss out there are now more ways to enjoy Open House. As well as the monthly magazine, Open House is also available as a free iPad app, which is packed with exclusive extras. The Open House app is available at the iTunes app store.

Features10 Cover story Sunny Queen Australia’s new egg product range

16 Masterclass Avocado on the menu

18 Dairy Gelato and ice cream push the flavour spectrum

22 Truffles Canberra’s truffle season in full swing

24 Kitchen appliances Fired up in the kitchen

28 Competitions Nestle and Electrolux get behind young talent

30 Beer Beer gets crafty

Regulars04 Editor’s note

06 News

12 In season

13 10 things Foodie documentaries

14 Origins Apple pie

15 Q&A Ronni Kahn, OzHarvest

32 Regional snapshot Darwin, NT

34 Cooking the books

36 Products

38 Profile Adriano Zumbo, patissier

39 Australian Culinary Federation news

12

4 Open House, July 2015 www.openhousemagazine.net

EDITOR’S WORD

Sydney doubleFirst it was Heston Blumenthal, bringing his Fat Duck to Melbourne

for its one and only secondment away from home in the UK’s Bray, and now Rene Redzepi has announced that he will bring his Danish world beating Noma restaurant to Sydney’s Barangaroo. I’m hoping it really is the lure of Australia’s world class food scene and second to none produce that are drawing these global culinary superstars to our shores and not the deep pockets of James Packer’s Crown (Melbourne) or LendLease (Sydney) behind their respective decisions.

Redzepi, who will bring his entire Noma team over for 10 weeks in January 2016, has already been scouting this great brown land for suitable produce to feature in his terroir orientated menu. It has been calculated that the restaurant will bring in a total revenue of $2,250,000 over its tenure, but given the costs involved, including that of housing his team and their families, it might be fair to say he will working on the same slim margins many local restaurants work to.

In another coup for Sydney, the International Convention Centre Sydney, still under construction at Darling Harbour, has poached Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre’s (MCEC) award winning executive chef Tony Panetta. Panetta, a local lad from regional Victoria, has seen MCEC’s foodie credentials rise under his watch with his emphasis on bringing local produce to the plate. He leaves on the back of MCEC being awarded six medals at the 2015 Royal Melbourne Fine Food Awards, including three gold for their house-made dairy products. That’s quite an achievement for a venue that caters for more than 3000 diners at any one time from the largest kitchen in the southern hemisphere. We can only assume that he will bring that same passion for the best of NSW produce when he sets up his new kitchen in late 2016.

THIS MONTH’S TOP STORYAustralia’s beer consumption is on the decline, but one area that has seen growth is the thirst for craft beer, with young guns learning old tricks to whet the nation’s appetite for a decent brew. See story on page 30.

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Culinary Federation

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Peer pressure no excuse for underpaymentA Korean restaurant owner that underpaid

two employees on 417 working holiday visas $1300 in penalty rates claimed he feared retribution from competitors if he offered Award wages.

Owner Chris Guon claimed that flat hourly rates of $12 to $16 were “normal” for casual employees at Korean restaurants throughout Sydney.

The two workers, who spoke little English, alleged they had been paid a flat rate of $11 to $13 an hour for all hours worked.

Under the Restaurant Industry Award 2010, the two employees were entitled to a normal hourly rate of $21.59 and up to $39 overtime, weekend, evening and public holiday shifts.

Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James says the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Overseas Workers’ Team has recently identified a number of Korean businesses recruiting and

underpaying Korean nationals.

In response, the Agency recently conducted an awareness campaign on a number of Korean websites to raise awareness of workplace rights in Australia.

“Our message to these groups is that whether you’re a business owner or an employee, workers that have come from overseas have the same rights as local workers and should be treated with dignity and respect,” she said.

Urban Events Venues & Catering has launched its new off-premises catering service.

Urban Events, an arm of Urban Purveyor Group which spans Ananas Bar & Brasserie, The Argyle, Urban Xchange Private Dining Room, The Cut Bar & Grill, Löwenbräu Keller, Bavarian Bier Café (Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast), Saké Restaurant & Bar (Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne) and Munich Brauhaus, has extended its culinary

repertoire to cater for off-site events from 50 to 3000 guests.

“We have extended our world-class culinary offering beyond our established, award-winning and hatted restaurants,” said Urban Purveyor Group director of sales Julie van der Weegen.

“Our talented culinary team will bring innovative catering solutions to a client’s own premises or venue of choice, whether

it be intimate dining experiences for office and boardroom functions, extravagant gala balls or conferences for entire organisations, weddings, or other social occasions.”

Group culinary director Martin Heierling said the expansive catering menu comprised over 300 dishes, spanning cocktail party bites and dessert tapas, shared style dinner options and plated menus.

Urban Events launches off-site catering service

Former grads to headline William Angliss open dayShangri-La hotel Sydney executive pastry chef Anna Polyviou (pictured) and Melbourne’s RACV Club Chef de Cuisine Crystal Jones will stage live cooking demonstrations at the upcoming William Angliss Institute Melbourne Open Day on August 9, 2015.

Former William Angliss graduates Polyviou and Jones will lead an interactive presentation delivered by special events guru Peter Jones who is the man behind some of the most memorable events in Melbourne such as HRH The Queen’s visit, Oprah at Federation Square and the AFL Pre-Game entertainment.

Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2015, William Angliss Institute is set to showcase its career opportunities in foods, tourism, hospitality and events at the Melbourne city campus.


Peter Sullivan leaves MorSul Group

Peter Sullivan one of the founding partners of hospitality group MorSul, is leaving the business after 24

years in partnership with Matt Moran. Moran will remain in partnership with Solotel Group, and continue to run the stable of venues.

Moran to offer a Taste of Hastings

Celebrity chef Matt Moran will headline Port Macquarie food festival Tastings on Hastings this

November, with three days of foodie events and 100 producers showcasing their wares. This year’s theme is “Fire, Water, Harvest”.

MCEC food on show

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre’s foodie credentials have been given another tick of

approval after being awarded six medals at the 2015 Royal Melbourne Fine Food Awards, including three gold for their house-made dairy products. MCEC received medals for all products entered which resulted in three gold and three silver medals.

Campbell to leave Vue de Monde

Head chef Cory Campbell has left Melbourne three hatted restaurant Vue de Monde after five

years in the role, with former sous chef Stephen Nairn to take over. Campbell said he was happy with what he achieved but now had other aspirations, including opening his own venue.

Australia named Champions in WA

Australia beat stiff competition from eight other countries to snag Champion Team in the Fonterra

Foodservice Restaurant of Champions competition held as part of WA Oceanafest in Perth on July 5-7. Hong Kong was named Most Outstanding International Team, while Pavilion Restaurant WCIT won Best Western Australian Team.

NEWS BRIEFS

New campus and restaurant Rocks

Australia’s best and brightest culinary talents are joining forces for an evening in aid of charity R U OK?

The ‘R U OK? Dinner presented by Merivale will be held on Tuesday, September 8 at Sydney’s Ivy Ballroom, raising money for the not-for-profit organisation.

Led by Jeremy Strode, executive chef of Merivale’s Bistrode CBD and The Fish Shop, the line-up of top chefs, including Ben Shewry (Attica), Dan Hunter (Brae) and Luke Burgess (ex-Garagistes), will form groups of two or three to collaborate on a set course resulting

in a seven-course feast, accompanied by an array of wine and live entertainment.

“We, as an industry, are becoming much more aware of the need to know how our employees and workmates are going, not just in the workplace but outside too,” said Strode.

“The hospitality industry is renowned for its unforgiving nature, adding pressure personally and on our relationships. Having the foresight and taking the time to have a conversation with someone you may or may not know and asking if they’re ok, is a wonderful thing.”

The William Blue College of Hospitality Management has officially launched its new Sydney campus and restaurant in The Rocks, with a luncheon attended by leading hospitality industry figures including Neil Perry (pictured left).

The launch took place in William Blue’s new student training restaurant, William Blue Dining, housed in the former site of Perry’s Rockpool restaurant.

Linda Brown (pictured right), CEO of Think

Education, said that the launch marked a new phase in evolution of the college.

“We are proud to be part of the fantastic hospitality community in The Rocks, the home of hospitality in Sydney, and to be training the next generation of Neil Perrys to drive the Australian tourism industry forward,” she said.

William Blue Dining will offer a high-end dining experience on a budget price of $38 for three courses.

Merivale to host R U OK? dinner


UK chef Marco Pierre White is to headline the Margaret River Gourmet Escape this year on November 20-22.

Pierre White will

take part in the three-day culinary extravaganza, with a full program of events hosted by over 40 of the world’s leading food and wine personalities and showcasing the best of WA and the Margaret River Wine region.

He will also host a Q&A over dinner at the Vasse Felix winery with his alumni Jock Zonfrillo, Richard Turner and Patrick Spencer, who will re-create signature dishes that the then young chefs had to produce under Michelin starred pressure from the kitchens of Pierre White’s eponymous restaurants.

“The Australian food scene fascinates me so I am especially excited to return and be part of this extraordinary festival and explore the diversity of incredible produce and wine from this beautiful region, Margaret River,” he said.

The Jock swap comes up trumps

Marco Pierre White headlines Gourmet Escape

New Zealand dairy exporter Fonterra Co-operative is to cut more than 500 jobs as a result of falling global milk powder prices.

The jobs cuts will fall across Fonterra’s entire global operations of about 16,000 people, including Australia, in response to a six year low in the price of milk.

It comes after management launched a review aimed at streamlining its operations to cope with plummeting global dairy prices.

The milk processor – which owns brands

including Western Star butter and Ski

yoghurt – will target jobs across its

procurement, finance, human resources,

information services and legal departments.

Chief executive Theo Spierings said the news

had been “unsettling for the people affected,

but the co- operative had to change if it was

to remain strongly competitive in today's

global dairy market”.

Fonterra cuts jobs as milk prices slump

Adelaide chef Jock Zonfrillo headed off to California this month to cook for a Michelin-star restaurant in the US as one of two Australian chefs chosen to take part in global challenge The Grand Gelinaz! Shuffle, in which 37 leading chefs swap kitchens around the world for one night.

Swapping his kitchen at Adelaide’s Restaurant Orana, Zonfrillo flew to California to serve a dinner at Manresa restaurant.

He had to create a menu that neither replicated the regular one at Manresa nor the dishes he creates back in Adelaide.

Speaking to the ABC, he said he was inspired

by the local produce but found coming up with a menu at short notice difficult.

“To come up with a menu that carries such huge expectation in a couple of days is quite difficult, with a team you've not worked with before, and then you've got the added pressure of obviously you want to do the right thing by the restaurant that you're visiting and make sure the night's an incredible standard,” he said.

Zonfrillo served up a lamb dish using foraged mushrooms in place of lamb, clams in a Japanese fermented tea and toasted marshmallows with stone fruit sherbet served on twigs.

Jock Zonfrillo (third from left) with the team at Manresa.


A fast food restaurant in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs has been cautioned after it was found to be unlawfully deducting money from employee wages.

The Doncaster business was docking staff wages if the cash register was short, for accepting cash notes that were torn and for breakages.

The unlawful practice was discovered when the business was randomly audited as part of the Fair Work Ombudsman’s recent national hospitality campaign.

Employees were also being short-changed their minimum hourly rate and penalty rates and overtime for weekend shifts.

The restaurant has been required to reimburse almost $9000 to 12 current and former employees for the unlawful deductions and underpayments.

They were being paid a flat hourly rate of $17, but should have been getting as much as $25.17 on weekends.

Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James says the latest matter is a timely reminder to employers of their need to check their workplace practices and fully understand their obligations.

“As a rule of thumb, deductions from wages are generally unlawful if they are not authorised by the employee in accordance with workplace law and are not principally for the benefit of the employees,” she said.

“Deducting money from employee wages as a punishment, or as some sort of performance management tool, is completely unlawful. And it is clearly not a constructive way of encouraging staff to improve their performance if there are performance issues that need addressing.

“Research shows that employees are most productive and motivated when they are part of a workplace culture in which their contribution is valued and there are strong, positive leaders who encourage them to perform at their best.

“Clearly these deductions only benefited the employer, which is why we have taken this matter seriously and sought a commitment from the business this behaviour will not be repeated.”

Melbourne restaurant fined $9k for docking wages

Hospitality search engine launches in AustraliaThe world’s newest and largest hospitality search engine Find My Rice has launched in Australia.

With over 300,000 companies and two million products listed already, and numbers growing daily, Find My Rice CEO Dominic Cain said he hoped the system would open up markets for the industry.

“Find My Rice is the only global platform in the industry,” he said. “From chef to manufacturer the site caters for the whole industry. We want it to become the central point of reference for any product for new and established hospitality businesses alike.

“The other key point of difference with Find My Rice is the searches are not limited to categories only, we also group by key words.

“Every company terms a product in a slightly different way so unless you know the specific name of a product it can be hard to find. Our use of key word grouping helps present more related options, giving both the user and supplier more opportunity.”

Cain said the aim was to reach over 600,00 companies on the site by the end of the year.

David Chang unloads on Aussie burgersUS chef David Chang has got stuck into the Aussie burger claiming we “f... up” hamburgers more than anyone else in the world.

Speaking on this Lucky Peach blog, the chef behind New York’s Momofuku restaurant group wrote on his Burger Manifesto that Australia has no idea what a burger is.

“Australians, I love your country and I love your food, even if your burgers are mostly terrible,” he wrote on the blog.

“They put a fried egg on their burger. They put canned beetroot on it, like a wedge of

it. I am not joking you. This is how they eat their burger.”

He also laid down some pretty clear guidelines on his idea of a great burger, admonishing anyone who used anything green other than iceberg lettuce, and anyone who dared put anything other than ketchup on.

Chef Neil Perry, behind the Burger Project, described Chang as a “crazy cat” who liked a bit of controversy.

“But there are American burgers that are shit as well,” he added. OH

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For more information Phone 1300 834 703

www.sunnyqueenmealsolutions.com.au

COVER STORY

Recognising the need to offer commercial caterers an easier way to

prepare fresh egg dishes, hot breakfasts and dinner meal solutions, Sunny Queen has launched a new product range featuring catering delights such as Egg Bites, Fritters, Home Style Poached Eggs, Omelettes, Egg Bakes, Scrambled Eggs and more.

Sold under the Sunny Queen Meal Solutions banner, these products are fully cooked or pasteurised, snap frozen, easy and safe to use and already look set to revolutionise the food service industry and influence how chefs prepare eggs in the future.

“We have had a great relationship with commercial organisations for many years, providing them with the freshest eggs so they can deliver the best dishes to their customers day after day,” says Sunny Queen managing director John O’Hara.

“With time, money, health and safety such crucial issues for food service outlets today, we wanted to ensure eggs would still be central on every menu by making it as easy as possible to prepare and deliver them.”

All Sunny Queen Meal Solutions products are made with high quality ingredients, to ensure they taste great and are safe, making them suitable for a wide range of environments including cafes, health and aged care services, food services companies and

those catering for large groups such as the defence force, mining companies, workplace cafeterias, airlines, restaurants and schools.

“We understand commercial outlets must offer nutritious products, such as eggs, but also feel confident all quality control standards have been met without sacrificing the look and taste of the end result,” O’Hara says.

“Our easy to prepare egg products not only look good but taste great, meaning commercial kitchens can now offer a variety of egg dishes quickly, cost effectively and with confidence.”

All Sunny Queen Meal Solutions products can be prepared in a microwave, grill, combi or conventional oven and are free of gluten, artificial colours and flavours, and are HACCP certified. They are all made from fresh farm eggs, and then either pasteurised or fully cooked, for consistency and food safety, before being snap frozen. New products will be added to the range on a regular ongoing basis.

“This is an exciting time for our company,” O’Hara says. “We believe we have developed an innovative solution to keeping eggs on the menu. Now we look forward to seeing commercial kitchens delivering egg dishes to their customers with confidence and pride.” OH

With nutrition, safety and cost key focuses for

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a new range of ready to serve egg products that make putting eggs back

on the menu simple, just in time for winter.

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Before the hype of quinoa, chia seeds and hemp seeds, beetroot was the go

to superfood as its fat free, low in calories, and full of antioxidants and fibre.

Nature’s sweet treat has been a staple in Australian kitchen cupboards for decades. While other countries tend to serve it hot, here it is frequently eaten cold in a salad, pickled or between two burger buns.

The versatile vegetable can be added to salads and chocolate cakes, roasted in the oven, juiced, or made into soups, and dips. Its dark red hue is often used in tomato paste, jams, sauces and strawberry flavoured ice-cream.

When dealing with beetroot fingers and hands tend to turn dark red, so best to use rubber kitchen gloves or disposable gloves.

Aim to use beetroot that is smooth with the tops intact, as the leaves can also be eaten raw, or added to soups, stuffing and pasta sauces, but should be used within a couple of days of purchase. Also, beetroots with scaly skin at the stem end of the root tend to be tougher.

Beetroots like fertile, well drained and well worked soil, and plenty of sun. The vegetable’s prime time to harvest is mid-winter through to the end of summer.

Sow beetroot little and often, harvesting the roots when they are young and tender. Beetroots require constant watering as dry beetroot develop a harsh core. They are ready to be picked when the roots are between the size of a golf ball and a tennis ball. OH

IN SEASON

Beetroot

• Avocados

• Beetroot

• Broccoli

• Broccolini

• Brown onions

• Brussels sprouts

• Cabbage

• Carrots

• Cauliflower

• Celeriac

• Celery

• Chinese greens

• Custard apples

• Dutch carrots

• English spinach

• Fennel

• Fuji apples

• Gai lan (Chinese broccoli)

• Garlic

• Ginger

• Grapefruit

• Jerusalem artichokes

• Kiwifruit

• Kumara or sweet potatoes

• Leeks

• Lemons

• Limes

• Mandarins

• Nashi

• Navel oranges

• Olives

• Parsnips

• Pineapple

• Pink lady apples

• Pomegranates

• Potatoes

• Pumpkin

• Quinces

• Red delicious apples

• Rhubarb

• Silverbeet

• Spinach

• Witlof

• Beetroot

• Blood oranges

• Broccoli

• Broccolini

• Brown onions

• Brussels sprouts

• Cabbage

• Carrots

• Cauliflower

• Celeriac

• Celery

• Chinese greens

• Custard apples

• Dutch carrots

• English spinach

• Fennel

• Fuji apples

• Gai lan (Chinese broccoli)

• Garlic

• Ginger

• Grapefruit

• Jerusalem artichokes

• Kiwifruit

• Kumara or sweet potatoes

• Leeks

• Lemons

• Limes

• Mandarins

• Nashi

• Navel oranges

• Olives

• Parsnips

• Pineapple

• Potatoes

• Pumpkin

• Rhubarb

• Silverbeet

• Spinach

• Strawberries

• Tangelo

• Witlof

AugustJuly


Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers (1980)

An oldie but a goodie, this documentary is about one of the most significant and universally used ingredients in all kitchens – garlic. Director Les Blank interviews chefs, garlic lovers and historians about their love of the pungent herb.

Super-Size Me (2004)

Causing a bit of discomfort for fast food lovers this documentary unveiled the disturbing reality of how can fast

food impacts our health. Morgan Spurlock steps in front of the

camera to participate in a 30-day experiment eating McDonald’s morning, noon and night, which causes him numerous health problems at an alarmingly immediate rate.

The Real Dirt on Farmer John (2005)

John Peterson is a free spirited farmer. He is struggling to save his farm in the face of the declining agricultural system in America. Friend and director Taggart Siegel films John over 25-years showcasing the decline of farming life and the rise of the community-based, local and organic food movement in the US.

Our Daily Bread (2005)

A nearly wordless documentary filmed by Austrian Nikolaus Geyrhalter presents a detached look at industrialised food production in Western Europe.Geyrhalter’s approach powerfully presents all the information needed to motivate us to question the source of our food.

The Power of Community: How

Cuba Survived Peak Oil (2006)The economic restraint from the West and the fall of the Soviet Union

in 1990 caused Cuba’s access to fossil fuels to drop. In an effort

to remain self-sufficient the country managed to transition from huge, oil-dependent plantations to small organic farms and urban gardens. Faith Morgan focuses on agriculture, not politics, in a hopeful film.

The Price of Sugar (2007)

This film is not for the faint hearted.

Directed by Bill Haney and narrated by Paul Newman, the film shows the oppressive and degrading conditions of thousands of dispossessed Haitians working under armed guards on plantations harvesting sugarcane in the Dominican Republic.

Food Fight (2008)Chris Taylor’s documentary includes star-studded testimonies by food celebrities like writer Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma) and Wolfgang Puck to tell the story of how food has changed in America, and the growing organic-food movement in the 20th century.

Food, Inc. (2009)Director Robert Kenner travels from slaughterhouses and agricultural conglomerates to family farms to explore the ways we consume food.

Discussing the obesity epidemic, health disasters and political apathy, be prepared to re-evaluate certain eating habits.

Noma My Perfect Storm (2014)

Director Pierre Deschamps films the life of renowned chef René Redzepi, set against the backdrop of his Michelin starred restaurant, Noma. The film unveils how the chef came from a humble background to scale to the top of the gastronomic world. It's a story about what it takes to be the best restaurant in the world, and the sacrifices that are made.

Caffeinated (2015)Caffeinated tells the story of coffee through the perspectives of people who have dedicated their lives to it. Directors Hanh Nguyen and Vishal Solanki film every step of the process from planting the seeds, to roasting the beans to finally crafting the drink. Every cup of coffee is a story worth telling. OH

10 food documentariesFrom the good to the bad and the ugly, these docos paint a picture of food consumption in the 21st century.

1

4

7 9

10

6

TOP 10

3

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ORIGINS

New Mexico has a town named after it and the English have been serving it since the dark ages. But despite its curious history, apple pie has become integral to American culture, writes Anastasia Prikhodko.

Apple pie

Before its rise to fame in American pop culture, apple pie was first consumed in Medieval Europe. The first recipe recorded

in 1381 included figs, raisins, pears, saffron and apples. Originally, the apple pie was served in a pastry called a coffin, which was only used as a container for the filling.

The Dutch like cinnamon and lemon juice to be added to the mixture for the texture, not taste, and the pies may include ingredients such as raisins and icing. A recipe in late medieval Dutch cook book Een notabel boecxken van cokeryen from 1514, includes an almost identical pie recipe to modern recipes.

Apple crumble rather than the traditional pastry pie is how the Swiss prefer it. Often, breadcrumbs are used instead of flour, and sometimes rolled oats. It is usually flavoured with cinnamon and served with vanilla custard or ice cream.

Most commonly, apple pie is covered top to bottom in pastry and filled with the star ingredient – apples and sugar. The pie can be served with whipped cream or ice cream, and even alongside cheddar cheese.

In the 17th and 18th century the British, Dutch and Swedes brought

apple pie to America where it was eagerly welcomed with arms wide open and never let go.

Despite its English roots, apple pie is now undeniably viewed as American, with its numerous guest appearances in American movie titles, songs and music videos.

In 1975 the pie featured in a song by Chevrolet, “Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet.” In 2009, pop icon Britney Spears included freshly baked apple pie in her music video. There has even been a sitcom, band and music albums named Apple Pie.

The simple fruit pie is one of America’s national dishes, and an American culture phenomenon, with “as American as apple pie” now part of the common vernacular. The phrase either originated from soldiers during World War II who said, “For mom and apple pie,” or apple orchards who marketed “as American as apple pie” during the prohibition era when cider production was outlawed.

The universal pie has not undergone many changes or makeovers like other staple dishes but remains a dessert of enduring popularity, eaten hot or cold. OH


Q&A

Food rescue charity OzHarvest recently expanded to Perth with founder Ronni Kahn’s passion for community extending beyond reducing waste to building pathways into employment for disadvantaged youth.

Waste not want a lot

Q: Did your experience on a kibbutz sow the seeds for your journey in OzHarvest?

A: It was all about values – community, giving back and living in a society that was based on equality. None of the values of sharing and living in a community have ever left me.

Q: What was the reaction when you started OzHarvest?

A: When we launched nobody was doing it. Waste was not considered valuable and was a resource people were not tapping into at all. Even though I was a lone voice right from the very beginning it was obvious I was a bit of a pied piper because people just came on board. They loved the fact that someone was doing this. It wasn’t that anybody else hadn’t thought about it. The concept makes so much sense. I didn’t have to teach anybody that good food shouldn’t go to waste.

Q: How has your background as an event organiser shaped OzHarvest?

A: OzHarvest is very good at creating spectacular events [from pop ups to campaigns such as Eat.Think.Save]. It is the most practical way of giving the public the opportunity to eat rescued food.

Q: There is still a lot of waste in the events industry – any moves to target that sector in a more focused way?

A: [Waste in] the events industry is outrageous. From building chair covers for a particular event to flowers. That’s really when I started realising that I just couldn’t spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a one off unique moment when there is so much need out there. For us it is crucial that event planners add us as part of their package. It makes them look green, it’s better for them, better for the venue and better for their relationship with their client. Our clients

used to love when I said to them ‘how would you feel if the food you paid for but cannot take and will not use goes to someone in need.’ It was an added bonus.”

Q: What’s the key to OzHarvest’s success?

A: Businesses are interested in the simplest most hassle free of passing on their surplus. So for them having somebody else come along and collect it is the best way. They don’t want to have to call every day but when they call they want to know we will come. In that sense we are a traditional transport and logistics company.

Q: How do you attract so many big names such as Neil Perry to the cause?

A: When I started OzHarvest Neil was not as big a name and was a caterer. So when I said to him this is what I am going to do he said ‘that’s bloody brilliant what can I do to help?’ It has been a long journey with him.

Q: How did the Nourish pathway to education programme come about?

A: OzHarvest is about three pillars. One is education and Nourish falls under that stream. Education is the only way

we are going to shift and change anything. From understanding how much food goes to waste and what we need to do actually rescuing people. Nourish is about taking vulnerable people who would might not have the chance of going to TAFE. It’s for those young people who are looking for an opportunity but not sure how to go about doing that and how to learn about hospitality with a commitment to getting a job. The joy of seeing the kids grow in the six months they have been with us is extraordinary. It’s a lot of love, a lot of care and a framework, it’s a kind of tough love. OH


MASTERCLASS

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Each chef who accepted the challenge to host an event pushed the boundaries

of their culinary knowledge using star ingredient avocado across canapés and entrées to mains and desserts, looking to venture much further than the standard offering of guacamole, an addition to a salad, a wrap or merely an unadorned side ingredient.

Recently awarded Brisbane Times Good Food Guide Citi Chef of the Year, Josue Lopez, took his lunchtime guest chefs on a playful culinary journey at the now two hatted GOMA Restaurant in Brisbane. His five course sensory menu journeyed from an “avocado is green and grassy” opener

to a dessert of “avocado, honey, white chocolate, coffee”.

Donovans in Melbourne took up the challenge with co-head chefs Emma D’Alessandro and Adam Draper with sous chef Stephanie Graham offering everything from pickled avocado and avocado tempura to avocado panzanella and avocado brulée.

Sydney’s Bishop Sessa restaurant saw chef and co-owner Paul Cooper include smoked avocado crème caramel, avocado and oyster ice cream, avocado choucroute and avocado and white chocolate bavarois on his menu.

The Intercontinental Double Bay held

a masterclass in its Stockroom with executive chef Julien Pouteau and executive sous chef Santiago Fernandez creating five dishes that showed the potential versatility of dishes across all eating possibilities in a 5-star hotel’s many food requirements, from fine dining to banqueting and functions to casual buffet.

Melbourne’s The Atlantic Group also participated in a hands on tutorial masterclass with food service professional Kate McGhie. The session was held specifically for its head chefs under the watchful eye of veteran Tom Milligan, executive chef catering operations for the Group. OH

Going greenChefs across Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne played host to this year’s Avocado Masterclass lunches this month, with the versatile fruit being utilised across its many applications.

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1 Paul Cooper from Bishop Sessa. 2 Avocado and oyster ice cream. 3 Avocado and white chocolate bavarois.

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1 Simmo’s Ice Cream in Dunsborough. 2 Turkish ice cream at Hakiki, Newtown. 3 Movenpick’s raspberry & strawberry ice cream. 4 N2 Extreme Gelato, Sydney.

DAIRY

Frozen delightFrom childhood to adulthood ice cream has been the go to treat for Australians and to ensure Aussie palates remain satisfied, the once beloved classics of vanilla, strawberry and chocolate are being revamped with gourmet and artisan flavours, writes Anastasia Prikhodko.

“We have established an ice cream culture, and we aren’t even

aware of it,” says Nev Bagriyanik founder of Hakiki, a Turkish ice cream shop in Sydney’s Newtown.

“I believe ice cream has a big future because the Australian culture doesn’t have a dessert,” he says. “You’ve had your roast lamb dinner and what would it be afterwards? An ice cream would come out of the freezer. That would be dessert.”

With warm weather, a large population, disposable income and a growing demand for picture perfect food, Australia has become the third highest consumer of ice

cream in the world. Research indicates that the Australian ice cream sector will see an annual growth rate of 2.2 per cent in value to 2017, with artisanal ice cream ahead of the sector at 2.3 per cent.

Hakiki opened its doors in April this year. “We are doing something completely different, which is Turkish ice cream,” says Bagriyanik.

Raised in Turkey’s Maras, a city famous for its ice cream, Bagriyanik wanted to bring something to Australia that was unique and authentic to his home culture.

Hakiki serves traditional flavours including pistachio, hazelnut, Turkish delight, baklava,

and caramelised fig and walnut. The ice cream contains 50 per cent goat’s milk and salep, a flour made from the root of the early purple orchid and mastic, giving it the stretchy and chewy texture.

“We’re not doing bubble-gum or Mars Bar flavoured ice cream,” he says. “Even just the standard strawberry we don’t do. People appreciate culture, they appreciate originality and that’s what we are sticking to.”

Another ice cream company sticking to tradition is Simmos Ice Cream based in Dunsborough, Western Australia. Opening in 1993, father and son used an old Irish recipe to make fresh natural ice cream from real

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particularly with the younger generation.

“There was a time when they would meet at pubs and bars, today we are finding they are meeting at these dessert style cafes,” Koorey says.

Since opening its first store in Sydney in 2002, Gelatissimo has grown into a global gelato brand with 32 stores in Australia and 16 internationally.

“We have definitely evolved over time, when we first started we were a very traditional gelato business and made our stores look and feel like little Italy,” says Fred Pose, franchise manager.

“But the market moves and changes and we strive to stay abreast of that. People are getting savvier with what they want to eat. You couldn’t just do vanilla anymore. Consumers don’t want to eat vanilla they want French vanilla with something else. So we are making more compound flavours.”

The demand for product with a wow factor has influenced some businesses to push their creative boundaries.

Masquerading as a science lab, N2 Extreme Gelato is all about innovation. Moving away from the traditional, the Sydney and Melbourne based gelato company is serving freshly made gelato with a changing theme every week to stay relevant in the fast changing market.

N2 uses liquid nitrogen to produce a phenomenon called nucleation-dominated ice crystallisation, which forms a large number of microscopic ice crystals in

seconds, resulting in smooth textures and warmer than normal gelato.

“We take pride in the range of flavours we developed,

from whimsical flavours like cough syrup gelato to classic favourites

like banana split,” says Min Chai, founder of N2.

Chai also says that with social media being a significant platform, there is a push for decadence. “The humble banana

split for example would now have to be

presented in a totally out-of-this-world fashion.” OH

cream and milk.

“Since we are so isolated we are not governed by trends,” says owner Garth Simpson. “We don’t know what goes on in the big city. We just try and make different flavours, for example we might try and make a smoky bacon or smoky chocolate flavour.”

Simmos gets its inspiration from the region and their customers who are mainly foreign travellers. “We like to put ideas on display and get people’s thoughts,” he says. “The weirdest one we did was baked bean ice cream.”

Helados Jauja, in Melbourne, is another ice cream parlour serving up exotic flavours. Malaysia-born owner Po Lin Lim says the current trends in the industry are wholesome food and food theatrics. “Customers have an increasingly sophisticated palate,” she says. “As this sophistication takes on a whole new level, so does the expectation of the quality of food they consume.

“We aim to work with local craft or growers. For example we serve a Toscana organic olive oil ice-cream and Little Creatures Pale Ale sorbet.”

Swiss-based Movenpick also targets a more sophisticated consumer.

“Most of the ice cream in Australia is cheap and cheerful, there are very few people that play in that top end premium adult market,” says Dennis Koorey, the country business manager for Movenpick.

“The flavours are really innovative and instead of having bright colourful kiddie flavours, we have adult flavours that are more for the gastronomic world.”

Social media and customer desire for an overall gourmet experience has shifted the ice cream industry from an on the go treat to a sit down dessert,

The weird and wonderfulHakiki

Best seller: Rockmelon and feta

Simmos Ice Cream

Weird: Baked bean ice cream Best seller: Burnt caramel with a salty caramel swirl Most talked about: Liquorice ice cream

Movenpick

Weird: Risotto ice cream Best Seller: Swiss chocolate New releases: Cinnamon ice cream, Vanilla Brownies ice cream

Every year and season around four limited edition flavours are produced to showcase a chosen theme from around the world.

This year the theme is New York with flavours including: New York cheese cake, pecan, cherry pecan, and caramelised popcorn.

Gelatissimo

Best sellers: Chocolate and mango flavours N2 Best sellers: Brokeback Moment, a honeycomb infused gelato and the Ferrero Reveal, a hazelnut gelato studded with rice bubbles and chopped hazelnuts.

Helados Jauga

Best Seller: Brown bread ice-cream with a red wine honey marble Classics: Cacao 80% and Sambayon

International flavours:

• Latin American ice creams: Dulce de leche, Yerba Mate, Pisco Sour

• Asian ice creams: The Durian, Toasted Black Sesame, Lychee, Roasted Green Tea

• Middle Eastern ice creams: Rosewater Pistachio, Tahini, Orange Blossom

• European: White Sangria, Guiness ice-cream, Blackforest

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TRUFFLES

There was snow on the ground this month in a number

of states and territories which would have warmed the heart of many a chef, because cold snaps at this time of year bode well for the truffle season.

The Canberra region is celebrating its truffle season in style with a host of events, masterclasses and degustation specials showcasing the fresh black Perigord truffle during its Truffle Festival.

This year’s Festival has a strong focus on truffles from paddock to plate, with Novotel Lake Crackenback Resort & Spa in the Snowy Mountains one such venue making the most of having a truffle farm just 10 minutes down the road. Executive chef Greg

Pieper passes the farm on Alpine Way on his way to work, stopping in two or three times a week to see what has been dug up.

“I can literally drive down the road and get truffles straight from the ground and shave it onto some fresh pasta 10 minutes later and away we go,” he says.

The Resort is offering a three-course truffle menu including entrée of truffle with angel hair, carrot, orange and watercress; a main dish of 6+ Wagyu sirloin with truffle, gnocchi and basil cream jus; and dessert of Valrhona chocolate tart and black truffle vanilla ice-cream.

With the price per kilo at around $2000 truffles have a reputation as posh nosh only, but for Pieper it is

more about education than price.

“At this time of year for us, our base clientele is predominantly family,” he says. “The everyday mum and dad have probably never experienced eating truffles, so the pricing of our dishes is relatively generous so everyone can get an access point to try something that is a delicacy.”

But it’s not just the diners getting an education, his kitchen team are also there to learn.

“My experience to truffles prior to being in the Snowy Mountains was relatively limited,” he says.

“But what I have learned over the last four years of building a rapport with local truffle farmers is about the quality and how to grade truffles.

“A lot of my team at both of our restaurants have never seen a truffle. So we can educate back through our industry, so it’s not just the customer that learns.”

Another chef making the most of this bumper season is executive chef Damian Brabender from Sage Restaurant in Canberra, who says the truffle season has been getting better each year.

“From what I hear from the growers, the dogs are going crazy this year, finding A-grade truffle after A-grade truffle,” he says.

Given their cost, Brabender cherishes the freshness of the truffles he uses.

“Each truffle is different,” he says. “Some are like diesel they are so strong and others will have

Menus across the country are making the most of the winter truffle season, with the lucky ones bringing the smell of Perigord truffles to the plate fresh from their local truffle farm, writes Sheridan Randall.

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sweeter notes in them. There are so many factors when looking at them, whether it is the size, the divots in them and the smell.”

When sourcing the best truffles, having a connection with the supplier is crucial.

“Being able to go to the farms to choose the truffles I want or have the growers come to me, which they do twice a week to show me what they have,” he says. “It’s too big a liability not to be able to trust what you are getting. It’s also irreplaceable. If you get a bad one you can’t just nip down to Woolworth’s to get another one. Being such a rare item you don’t want to have the second best truffle, you really want the best. And the only way you can get the best is following the whole process from the soil to the plate and we are lucky enough to have that here.”

Sage is offering a $65 truffle lunch menu for the month of July, with every course a truffle dish, from Belgian waffles with truffled ice cream and Olsson truffle salted popcorn on it or poached chicken with Pepe

Saya truffled butter.

“It’s an entry level price because I love truffles and I work very closely with the growers every season and I think it’s a shame that people so close to where this amazing ingredient comes from so rarely experience it,” he says. “More people in Canberra have had truffle oil more than truffle and for me that’s horrendous. I want to make it as accessible to the general public as possible and be hands on. Let’s not focus on how much money they are worth but rather how lucky we are to have them here.”

Canberra farm Tarago Truffles is in on the action for the Festival conducting Pepe Saya Truffle Hunts, giving the public a chance to “solidify the paddock to plate connection”.

“Visitors can come and see how truffles are grown, meet our dogs, participate in a hunt and smell and taste the truffles,” says Denzil Sturgis, owner of Tarago Truffles, who believes that Australia’s truffle farmers are “now rivalling the quality of northern hemisphere truffle”.

With the quantity and quality of the crop each year dependent on a myriad of factors, Canberra has seen the stars align this year.

“Unless you have the right growing conditions you are not going to have quality, let alone volume,” he says.

“You need the right conditions for initiation in the late spring, early summer and then, very importantly you need a consistent run of moderate to heavy frosts to mature the truffle and release the very necessary aroma that indicates the truffle is ready for harvesting.”

One advantage in being a producer of truffles is he gets first pick of the harvest and likes to kick start his day with a little truffle.

“I have a weird country breakfast concoction that helps get me through the cold winter days when I am harvesting and that is a big serve of porridge topped with brown sugar, cream and lashings of truffle.”

With the truffle season lasting around three months, having truffle for breakfast seems less like a luxury and more like reverence for one of nature’s finest gifts. OH

See the recipe in the Open House iPad app.

1 The truffle hunting season in Canberra. 2 Damian Brabender. 3 Perigord truffle. 4 From paddock to plate.

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KITCHEN APPLIANCES

Cooking using solid fuels is becoming commonplace with the sweet smell of embers tempting both diners and chefs to play with fire, writes Sheridan Randall.

Flaming success

Whether it is the influence of South American cooking, a desire to get

back to basics after so much molecular tomfoolery or simply a new way for many to present food to their diners in a different way, cooking with solid fuels is increasingly popular.

Hobart’s Frank restaurant opened last year describing itself as Australian with influences from South America. Those influences extend to the charcoal grill that executive chef Scott Heffernan had custom made adapting the same type of grill used by Luke Burgess at his former Garagistes restaurant. The open kitchen allows diners to witness the grill in action.

“You can run it either on wood or charcoal, although we run ours on mallee root

charcoal,” he says. Heffernan concedes he is “slightly obsessed” with fire.

“As a kid I grew up on the west coast of Tasmania, with the fishing and camping our whole life,” he says. “If there was a fire or barbeque running I was the one who would be feeding it all day. It’s in the blood a little bit so I can’t help myself.”

Honing his skills in his own kitchen for more than eight years, it has been the last four years that has seen him take the art into the professional environment.

“The biggest difference for us is quality of cooking, as it gives you such a distinctive flavour,” he says. “Also it’s an easy medium to work on.

“The biggest thing is that [the high

temperature] seals the meat and gives you more of an outside crust. It’s not a burnt crust. A lot of time when you cook on gas you can get more of a burnt crust with it, but with fire you seal it up better and keep more moisture inside”

The charcoal, which burn down to embers, also give their own distinctive flavour, while the rendering from the fat drips back into the charcoal and then returns back through the smoke in a virtuous circle of deliciousness. It’s not all about the meat, with everything having a crack on the grill.

Peppers and eggplants are roasted in the flames, while oysters get dropped in amongst the charcoal. Even bananas are dropped into the embers skin on and cooked until gooey before being served

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1-3 Firing up the grill at Frank Restaurant in Hobart.

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with ice cream.

“Cooking with fire gives you a lot of different options,” he says. “We cut the carrots down if they are large or leave them as they are if small and grill them to add a different texture and flavour to them. We serve that with a whole lemon dressing, as the bitterness works really well with the sweet carrot. If you grilled the carrots using gas the blackening would taste quite bitter but when you do it over the flames it enhances the flavour and concentrates it more.”

Cooking with fire allows chefs more freedom, and with no rule book to follow it’s more about following their instincts.

“A lot of cooking with fire is visual,” he says. “You have to give [the kitchen team] that little bit of freedom to do it in their own way as long as the result is the same. You just show them key things you are looking for.”

The kitchen team at Pei Modern Sydney inherited their wood burning stove when they took the hotel restaurant over last year, but they didn’t ditch it, they embraced it, allowing a multitude of their menu to be touched in some way by the hardwood charcoal grill or the wood fired oven. Their whole chicken gets brined and steamed before being smoked over the grill and roasted in the oven at 400oC.

“I’m Greek so cooking with fire is part of my nature,” says executive chef Matt Germanchis.

“My grandmother is a fantastic cook and we always had an Aga in the garage and always worked with wood. Lots of lamb

and pork, but we also used it to grill our peppers and vegetables. Coming from that to working professionally came quite naturally.”

It’s not just the protein dishes that get put through the flames, it seems everything on the menu is a potential for the fiery treatment.

“I look at vegetables to see what we can do,” he says. “We get cabbages and pumpkins and not even cutting them, just throw them into our wood oven. You’re almost steaming the inside of them, so you are not losing any of the vegetable goodness of it. We cut the black off [the outside], cut it in half and scoop the

pumpkin out, and that’s a side dish for us. You still get the smokiness that permeates through that.”

Desserts are also given the same treatment.

“I throw the meringues in for 20 seconds and they get this beautiful black on it without it being burnt or tasting astringent. With madeleines, normally if I cook them it takes seven or eight minutes in an oven, so I put it in the wood oven at a high temperature and cook it in two to three minutes and it gives it a beautiful flavour to them.”

Fire gives a different medium to the kitchen, he says, with the high temperature up to around 450oC the key.

“The temperature does vary throughout the oven to give us control,” he says. “We warm purees at the front of the oven. I char my cabbage and bring it to the front of the oven and let it cook for a few hours.

“If I cook a prawn in two minutes its protein structures are totally different than if cooked in a pan. I love a prawn that has a crunch and a particular feel to it and a wood oven will give me that. We had braised lamb shoulders where we will steam them, roast them in the oven and then pull them back out to break it down. You are conducting steam for the moisture, then those roasted notes and finally breaking the collagen down slowly.”

Germanchis describes it as organic cooking, allowing chefs to use their instinct rather than just setting a timer and standing back.

“It is thinking about the roots of food and how we should cook it,” he says. OH

Grill at Frank Restaurant in Hobart.

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COMPETITION

With the regional heats now wrapped ahead of the National Final at Fine Food Australia in Sydney this September, the Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award looks set to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year bigger and better than ever.

With the competition aimed at nurturing the young talent in Australia, many

of whom have gone on to stunning careers, Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award’s journey began in 1965, when the chef’s hats were not only bigger, they were silver.

Launched as Nestlé Silver Chef’s Hat Award, it turned Gold some years later with a focus on young and apprentice chefs.

“Many things don’t last 50 years, particularly in a corporate and sponsorship environment and I think it’s really a credit to Nestlé Professional’s commitment to both the industry and the

program,” says Pat Stobbs, country business manager, Nestlé Professional Oceania.

This year has seen a record number of participants.

“It’s really climbing at an exponential rate,” he says. “Despite 50 years I think we’ve actually got another 50 years of ever increasing excitement ahead.

“The national final is at a new venue for us this year and we’re going to take it much more public than we’ve done in the past so we’re pretty excited about that.”

For Stobbs, one of the biggest changes over the years has been the effect of social media.

Culinary alchemy

“I really think the difference today is the involvement of the kids and their ability to share that involvement with others through social media activities,” he says.

“We’ve been embarking on a program to leverage some of our digital experience in this area and it’s enabled us to watch that grow. It’s been really interesting to see how the young chefs have used that vehicle to communicate and almost infect their friends and peers to be a part of the Award.”


The evolution of the Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat with this year’s national final decided in September.


Australia’s best young talent battled it out in the national finals of the Electrolux Appetite for Excellence Awards in June, with seven young waiters looking to be named the Electrolux Appetite for Excellence Young Waiter for 2015.

Brooke Adey – Bentley Restaurant & Bar, (NSW); Courtney Nichols – The Balfour Kitchen (QLD); Elizabeth Thomas – Supernormal (VIC); Jessica Thorley – Biota Dining (NSW); Louise Naimo – Estelle Bistro (VIC); Nikki Friedli – Africola (SA); and Robert Luo – Oscillate Wildly (NSW) all put their best foot forward at a lunch service held at the (Sydney Institute) Apprentice Restaurant in front of judges Danielle Gjestland, Lisa Van Haandel, Nick Hildebrandt, Sam Christie and Simon Denton.

“We are looking for someone we would want to employ,” says Denton. “Someone with passion for the industry, friendliness, a work ethic and that ‘right’ attitude to service. Someone who really wants to look after people.”

Across the hospitality industry, Denton says front of house service is moving in two directions.

“Generally speaking at the higher level service is really good with a greater level of professionalism and dedication than ever before,” he says.

“Unfortunately at the middle to lower levels I feel the gap is widening and the difficulty of training and educating staff is too costly and time consuming for some businesses coupled with the casualness of the industry at that level.”

Denton, who began his career working as a bus boy in Melbourne restaurants in the late 1980s, and has since gone on to become co-owner and managing director of Izakaya Den, Hihou and Kappo, says that he still looks for “on the job” experience, but sees the need for more formal qualifications.

“There is definitely room for some basic training courses to provide new people to the industry with some basics,” he says. “This would also give an employer the knowledge that having done a simple hospitality course a prospective employee should then have some basic skills and knowledge.”

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Sydney on August 10. OH

Service on show

The seven young hopefuls competing to become the Electrolux Appetite for Excellence Young Waiter 2015.


BEER

Despite Australia’s image as a nation of beer drinkers, Australian beer

consumption is at a 65 year low. As a result the industry is undergoing a renaissance from the bottom up, with independent craft brewers bringing back some old techniques with new ingredients to cater to a new generation of beer drinkers looking for something different.

Research shows that Aussies aged 18 and over who consume local craft beer in any given four weeks has increased over the last five years, from 592,000 people (3.5 per cent) in 2010 to 1.04 million people as of March 2014.

Although craft beer is still a small proportion of the market, research indicates that revenues in the sector will grow by 5 per cent per annum over the next five years, while the traditional beer market will grow only by 1.7 per cent.

Chris McNamara, chief executive of the Australian Craft Beer Association,

says craft beer makers target a different demographic to traditional beer drinkers. “Going out and drinking a lot of beer is generally not part of what the industry is selling,” he says. “It's all about drinking for flavour and drinking local.”

Dean O'Callaghan, founder of The Good Brew Company in Melbourne, is a sustainable brewing business helping breweries minimise their carbon footprint by formulating beer based on native plants through a 100 per cent sustainable practice.

“The main influence behind my brews is the planet,” says O'Callaghan. “I believe in doing everything with the least possible environmental impact.

“The beer I brew is based on tweaking the recipes from my dad’s brewery, Buckley’s Beers.”

According to O'Callaghan a good brew is a sustainable brew. His methods consist of slow fermentation and no chemicals, with

the drink still containing vitamin B (B1, B2, B6, biotin, nicotinic acid, folinic acid and pantothenic acid).

O'Callaghan says he uses his father’s traditional Buckley’s original ale and turns it into lemongrass pale ale by dry hopping the right amount of citra, chinook hops and organic dry lemongrass.

“I also turn his malty Buckley’s dark bock into a cheeky, hipster loving chilli choc dark bock with the addition of some very delicious organic cacao nibs, vodka and roast chillies,” he says.

His innovation doesn’t stop there, as he is in the process of merging beer and kombucha, a fermented tea.

“Healthier, craftier and smaller batch beers have definitely made massive gains in the palates of the punters,” he says.

He also likes to spread the word on his bike, by cycling through Melbourne’s parks on his “good brew bike” offering

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Australia’s beer consumption is on the decline, but one area that has seen growth is the thirst for craft beer, with young guns learning old tricks to whet the nation’s appetite for a decent brew, writes Anastasia Prikhodko.

Old is new2



Sydney Craft Beer Week 2015Sydney’s largest celebration of craft brewing, Sydney Craft Beer Week will return with some favourites and a heap of new temptations with over 130 events held in over 70 bars, restaurants, breweries and outdoor spaces across the city. The celebrations run from October 17–25.

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“delectable healthy brews to very pleasantly surprised park goers”.

Sydney based brewer Young Henrys have established a following with localisation being central to their success.

“You can’t just expect your community to look after you and your business and to be repeat customers without you looking after your community,” says director and founder, Oscar McMahon.

He says the brewery has had a groundswell of younger consumers coming in wanting to drink local, fresh and preservative free beer.

“Recently there’s been a major shift away from chemically tempered with macro brews, you know junk beers,” says McMahon. “You already see some of the really big companies buying up the small companies and creating these false craft beers to get in on the market.

“We’ve got something that they can never have, an authentic product that is made by hand, by people that care about it. We will continue to grow organically, and just focus on producing beers that have balance like a well cooked meal.”

Beer has predominantly been marketed to men, but one Victorian brewer decided to buck the trend.

“Through informal conversations over beers and cocktails, we found that some people can’t take the taste of the beer, females in particular,” says Liana Kartika director of Beaumonde Boutique Beer. “Therefore, we set out on a mission to

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1 Tasting freshly brewed beer at Temple Brewing. 2 Young Henrys tasting paddle. 3 Marcello Colosimo from The Australian Brewery. 4 Temple Brewing brewery. 5 Dean O’Callaghan, founder of The Good Brew Company. 6 Team from Young Henrys, Newtown.

create beers that not only taste and smell good, but a product so beautiful anyone would be proud to enjoy.”

This resulted in Beaumonde’s Soleil Lychee Infused Beer, a crossover between beer and cider, with hints of citrus, honey and brandy notes. The brewery has also recently introduced beer cocktails.

The Australian Brewery, founded 20 years ago by six brothers from Sydney, has a successful following nationally and internationally with plans to grow in Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as solidify business in the USA, Canada, India and China.

“Canning has set us apart in the craft brewing industry,” says Marcello Colosimo, CEO and founder of The Australian Brewery. “We were the pioneers of this in the Australian craft brew scene.”

Colosimo agrees that consumers are evolving demographically and taste wise. “Beer drinkers are more accepting of flavours and variety because of being exposed to a wider variety of beers locally

and internationally,” he says. “Our Storm Trooper Imperial Pilsner for example, as a craft brewery we could introduce a high ABV [alcohol by volume] and high bitter beer to the market, which was accepted straight away. This would not have happened five years ago.”

Melbourne’s Temple Brewing is also making a name for itself both locally and overseas, scoring a swag of medals for their brews at the Australian International Beer Awards.

“Craft beer is becoming a serious business, but the big boys don’t make it easy for us,” says founder and director Nicholas Pang.

Pang also says that it’s ironic and interesting how the word “craft” gets thrown around by people.

“It’s a handy term for beer which we are brewing traditionally,” he says. “These young hipsters are going for craft beer but it’s just traditional techniques, its old school stuff.

“Craft beer is now where the wine market was 20 years ago. Soon it’s not going to become a separate product it will just become what beer should be.” OH


REGIONAL SNAPSHOT

1-2 Mindil Beach Sunset Markets. 3 Mango tree .

Darwin, NTSituated on the edge of the coastline, on ancestral home of the Larrakia people, Darwin is a meeting point for a multitude of cultures. Its diverse culinary scene encompasses an assortment of Asian delicacies, native foods and fresh seafood, writes Anastasia Prikhodko.

With a population of 60 nationalities and 70 different ethnic backgrounds

Darwin has a culture of its own – Territorian. The multiculturalism and closeness to Asia and strong Indigenous ties influence its cuisine as well as its culture.

During the 80s, six entrepreneurs shared a vision to bring a taste of Asia to Darwin. Fast forward to now and the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets contains over 50 food stalls and 200 market stalls.

The markets are a melting pot of international cuisines including Sri Lankan, Turkish, Greek, Cambodian and Japanese. Indulge on laksas, Vietnamese soups, Japanese satay lotong and fresh

Thai paw-paw salad, followed with fresh juices, pancakes and coffee.

Another Darwin institution, Hanuman, has been serving its mixture of authentic Indian, Thai and Nonya (Chinese/Malaysian) for more than 20 years.

Parap Village markets are smaller in scale, but also contain local and exotic dishes, fruit, Asian greens and a diverse range of fresh produce.

The Darwin Harbour precinct offers diners local delicacies of kangaroo, emu, buffalo, crocodile and camel along with pizzas, burgers and hotdogs. Seafood lovers can enjoy locally caught prawns

and saltwater barramundi.

Darwin’s wet and dry seasons allow for a huge variety of local produce, with avocados, jackfruit, mangosteen, pawpaw and starfruit among the many tropical fruits on offer. Melons, bananas and citrus fruits tend to be available all year.

Mangoes are abundant in Darwin, with mango farms producing three to four million trays a year.

“There is something special here in Darwin when mangoes are in season,” says Toby Beaton, the executive chef at Darwin Convention Centre. “It starts off a whole new conversation and a lot of good eating.”

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DIARY DATES

The Barossa Valley is one of Australia’s recognised wine regions but it’s also responsible for some of the finest produce in the country. At the Barossa Gourmet Weekend, indulge your culinary curiosity with a long weekend of markets, music, cooking and wine-master classes as well as the best food and wine of the region.

www.barossagourmet.com

to be enjoyed.

6 Career highlight: I am really excited about my appointment as executive chef

at the Darwin Convention Centre. It gives me the opportunity to bring together my international experience from working in the kitchens of 6 star hotels and my passion for working with fresh produce and flavours from around the world to create unique and delicious dishes for our guests.

7 Best advice you’ve been given: Stay true to what you believe, listen to other

people, and take one day at a time. OH

Barossa Gourmet Weekend August 14-16, 2015

1Best thing about the region: The multicultural diversity that Darwin offers,

with each community coming together to share their vast knowledge of mixed produce at the local markets.

2Food heroes: [Michelin star UK chefs] Marcus Wareing and Tom Aikens.

3 Most underrated ingredient: Cauliflower, it can be used in so many ways and end

up such a refined product. It goes beautifully with any protein product or just as a simple cauliflower soup.

4 Most overrated ingredient: Lobster in general – there is no wow factor for me.

5 Food philosophy: Whether it’s a simple or complicated dish, the ingredients must

blend harmoniously together to create food

Toby Beaton, executive chef at Darwin Convention Centre

Celebrate the best in food and wine Australia has to offer at the Sydney Showground with hundreds of local and international exhibitors. Watch top local and interstate chefs and restaurateurs such as Gary Mehigan, Adam Liaw, and Miguel Maestre as they cook live on stage.

www.goodfoodshow.com.au

Good Food & Wine Show Sydney August 7-9, 2015

Melbourne’s Melt Away Chocolate Festival is all about high quality chocolate. Visitors can engage with a wide variety of chocolate makers and sample the finest chocolates, register to attend one of the free talks, workshops, master-classes and tasting bars.

www.meltawaymelbourne.com

Melt Away Chocolate Festival August 8-9, 2015

VIEW FROM THE KITCHEN



COOKING THE BOOKS

8-10 red rose petals

‘Red Elk’ mustard microgreens

Compressed watermelon

500g seedless watermelon

Cut the watermelon into 2cm wide slices. Put the slices into a cryovac bag, seal and extract the air in a vacuum machine so it compresses the watermelon flesh. (If you don't have a vacuum machine, many butchers and other suppliers of the cryovac bags will allow you to return to have it sealed in the store.)

Chill in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the bag, cut off the green skin and cut the flesh into 1.5cm cubes.

Pink grapefruit sorbet

350g water

40g dextrose

150g caster (superfine) sugar

2g pink grapefruit zest, finely grated

5g sorbet stabiliser

50g lemon juice

400g pink grapefruit juice

Put all of the ingredients, except the grapefruit juice, into a saucepan and use a hand blender to combine. Put the saucepan over medium heat and, stirring constantly, bring the mixture to 85°C. Remove from the heat, pour into a container and allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours to mature.

Remove from the refrigerator and add the pink grapefruit juice, then blend with a hand blender. Freeze in an ice-cream machine. Store in the freezer until ready to use.

Sweet alchemyAdriano Zumbo reveals the technique behind this deceptively refreshing dessert from his latest book The Zumbo Files, showcasing what sets him apart from his peers.

This is an edited recipe and image from The Zumbo Files by Adriano Zumbo (Murdoch Books, $49.99).

blender until the powders dissolve. Put the saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Add the raspberry vinegar. Remove from the heat and pour the gel into a square container about 1.5cm deep. Leave to set then cut into 1.5cm cubes.

Buttermilk foam

4g gold-strength gelatine leaves

20g cold water

60g milk

340g buttermilk

Cut the gelatine leaves into small squares, put them in a bowl with the cold water and set aside to soak. Put the milk in a small saucepan and heat to 80°C. Add the gelatine and soaking liquid, stirring well. Put the cold buttermilk in a bowl and pour in the milk mixture.

Pour the combined mixture into a container and stand in the refrigerator to set for 2-3 hours. Transfer the mixture into a siphon gun and charge with two N2O charges. Shake well, and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Put the rhubarb compote in a piping (icing) bag. Pipe a 5mm layer of the rhubarb compote in the base of a stemless wine glass. Place 2 cubes of compressed watermelon and 2 cubes of raspberry gel on top in alternating positions. Make quenelles of the grapefruit sorbet and place in the centre of the glass.

Use the siphon gun to cover the top of the dessert with a blanket of buttermilk foam. Decorate with a heart cut from a rose petal and ‘Red Elk’ microgreens. Serve immediately.

Rhubarb compote

300g organic rhubarb, cut into 3cm batons

50g raw sugar

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Put the rhubarb into a roasting tray and sprinkle with the raw sugar to cover. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the rhubarb softens and breaks down, stirring occasionally. Once it is the texture of compote, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Raspberry vinegar gel

300g Raspberry purée

75g caster (superfine) sugar

6g pectin 325 NH 95

1g agar-agar

45g raspberry vinegar

Put all of the ingredients except the vinegar in a medium saucepan and blend with a hand

Watermelon, raspberry, buttermilk, pink grapefruitMakes: 8-10 desserts. Preparation: begin one day ahead.


Meatballs: The Ultimate Guide by Matteo Bruno Murdoch Books, $35

Vegetables, Grains & Other Good Stuff by Simon Bryant Lantern, $39.99

Fried Chicken & Friends by Gregory Llewelyn and Naomi Hart Murdoch Books, $49.99

Food + Beer by Ross Dobson Murdoch Books, $45

What’s on shelf this month?

Fried Chicken and Friends is a collection of down-home American-inspired recipes from the team behind award-winning restaurant Hartsyard. Everything from the ultimate buttermilk fried chicken to aperol sours, oyster po' boys, waffles with bacon and maple syrup, and all the other delicious things that go with it.

Chef, restaurateur and beer aficionado Ross Dobson presents over 80 flavour-packed recipes, with information and history on culinary favourites and beer matching, suggestions for perfect pairings and special features on Ross’s favourite beers from around the globe. There is everything from wings and burgers, to moqueca (a Brazilian fish stew), char sui (Chinese BBQ pork), Moroccan pan fried prawns, Singapore noodles and deliciously crispy karaage (Japanese fried chicken).

Meatballs: The Ultimate Guide by Matteo has 60 delicious meatball recipes featured in all three of his successful Meatball & Wine Bar establishments. Meatballs rustico, seared beef carpaccio meatballs, pork, ginger and lemongrass meatballs, and lobster meatballs all feature, while ingredients such as mushrooms, tofu and quinoa also making an appearance for the vegetarian options.

Chef Simon Bryant’s low down on legumes, ancient grains, seaweed and sprouting, Vegetables, Grains and Other Good Stuff is vegie-forward cooking at its very best. He shares his original takes on everyday dishes such as smoky kale carbonara and pumpkin, chickpea and tahini soup, as well as recipes for when you're inspired to take things up a notch: baked cauliflower fregola with hazelnuts and preserved lemon: squash, taleggio and quinoa balls: and salt-baked celeriac with apple remoulade. OH

Bringing out thebest inyour

baking.

For great ideas onhow to bring out the bestin your baking request

a FREE copy of ourBAKERY BOOKLET.

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New kitchen inductionCookTek Asian Cooking Tables are high efficiency induction wok cookers with heavy duty electronic components and a thick, high-impact glass-ceramic top. Induction technology allows for dramatically increased energy efficiency compared to gas. Their free standing, modular design provides adaptability and is an ideal solution for all commercial kitchen applications.

● www.stoddart.com.au

PRODUCTS

A kitchen revolutionComing off the back of winning the FSAA Innovation Product of the Year 2015, Ovention features up to 1000 pre-programmable cooking settings with the touch of the control panel. Two cooking surfaces automatically load and cook food to perfection, whilst the precision impingement system gives control over time, temperature and independent upper and lower blower speeds to deliver unrivalled results without the need for expensive flues, ducting or canopy.

● www.fsm-pl.com.au

A brutish solution for wasteRubbermaid Commercial Products has launched its vented Brute refuse containers, combining the proven durability of Brute containers with new venting and cinching technology and improved ergonomics. Brute containers improve productivity and efficiency with four new venting channels that create airflow, integrated cinches to secure bin liners easily and contoured base handles to improve grip.

● www.rubbermaidcommercial.com.au

Safety firstThe new Sous Vide Australia Thermometer Kit contains all the necessities to guarantee safe cooking. The kit includes a Therma 1 thermometer with type “T” input; two probes type “T”; a tub of 70 probe wipes; sous vide tape; and an ABS carry case (blue in colour). A proactive way of ensuring legislative guidelines in the kitchen are met.

● www.sousvideaustralia.com

http://fsm-pl.com.au

http://www.rubbermaidcommercial.com.au

http://www.stoddart.com.au

http://sousvideaustralia.com


Give me FeverFever-Tree premium mixers brings its Indian Tonic Water in a new 500ml bottle along with fresh new packaging across the entire range. Committed to sourcing only the finest ingredients from small, specialist suppliers around the world the Indian Tonic Water contains quinine from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and bitter orange from Zygoma, Tanzania.

● www.fever-tree.com OH

Snags for paleo enthusiastsOrganic meat producer Cleavers has launched the first genuine paleo sausage to be widely available. Using the best organic beef, and created in conjunction with paleo expert Pete Evans, Cleaver’s have created an artisan sausage using only seven ingredients (grass-fed organic beef, water, organic carrot, organic sautéed onion, organic pepper, organic garlic and organic salt) and no soy, grain or other fillers.

● www.cleaversorganic.com.au

New brew Blackwood Lane has launched its new HouseBrew which produces fresh craft beers in seven to 10 days. Craft your own beers such as ale, lager, stout and porter with premixed HouseBrew ingredients. The beer is made fresh in your pub, hotel, lounge, clubhouse or restaurant, eliminating the costly and complicated traditional steps of beer ingredient preparation performed at the typical microbrewery or brew pub.

● www.blackwoodlane.com

Guilt free baconA new free range bacon range has been launched by a family owned farm in Queensland achieving the highest level of RSPCA Approved Farming. Borrowdale Bacon is Australian Pork certified Free Range, antibiotic and hormone free and is naturally wood smoked to create authentic flavour.

● www.borrowdalefreerange.com.au

http://www.blackwoodlane.com

http://www.cleaversorganic.com.au

http://borrowdalefreerange.com.au

http://www.fever-tree.com


It’s harder to know which had a greater effect on Adriano Zumbo’s career. His apprenticeship with famed French pâtissier Pierre Hermé

or the fact his parents owned an IGA in the small town of Coonamble, which he could raid for lollies and sweets to sell to his mates at school.

One helped the other, as the skills he learnt from Hermé would have never been appreciated by so many if he hadn’t had the talent to market them, with his expanding empire spanning seven stores across Victoria and New South Wales.

“I wouldn’t call myself a born entrepreneur, but then this question has never come to mind before,” he says. “It certainly didn’t hurt having shop owners for parents and they helped me a lot in the early stages of the business.”

The confectionary he sold as a kid not only honed his entrepreneurial skills, they fostered his love affair for all things sweet.

“Of course, nostalgia plays a part in what I create – in fact I think childhood plays a part in every aspect of your life,” he says. “But in terms of my creations, eating lollies and junk food was a daily activity. I mean the money that confectionary companies have spent on research and development, why wouldn’t I use those combinations of flavours and ingredients and recreate in another form?”

He began his apprenticeship at the age of 15 before heading to Paris for spells at l'Ecole at Lenôtre, Bellouet and stagés at Pierre Hermé and Damiani.

“My time with Pierre Hermé was very important – vital, I would say,” he says. “I learnt more about pastry than in my entire apprenticeship. Of course the apprenticeship was necessary for teaching me the basics, but his skill and the perfection he strived for was the key to his success – I mean the shop looks like a jewellery store.”

Following his career defining moment on MasterChef, Zumbo has

used the opportunity to build not only his own flourishing business but also raised the profile of pastry chefs in Australia.

“Traditionally, pastry chefs have been more hidden, but we are definitely getting more of a following,” he says. “I think social media has helped a lot – it allows us to express our creativity and allows our followers to go behind-the-scenes. World-wide, people love this.

“There are a lot of good pastry chefs rising through the ranks. In Australia, we’re bringing a lot of talent into the industry, but there’s still a lot missing from the middle ranks. The strong, diligent and determined pastry chefs that are not at the top of the game yet, but are willing to put in the hard yards to get there eventually.”

With all success, some of it is down to timing and Zumbo was certainly at the top of his game when Australia’s appetite for culinary treats was high, but what does he think lies behind his good fortune – his creativity, his technical skills or simply hard graft?

“I would say, without hesitation, all three in equal parts,” he says. “Without a balance, you will fail. Without technique you can’t create, without creativity, it’s extremely hard to survive in this industry. And to get to the heights of technique and creativity, hard work is a given.”

He has just released his new book The Zumbo Files, is putting the finishing touches to a new Zumbo Academy, and aims to keep on “creating and sharing”. And if you should be fortunate enough to have him over for dinner don’t be afraid to dish up dessert.

“If you’re cooking me dessert, please keep it simple,” he says. “I absolutely love when someone cooks a beautiful, classic dessert like apple pie with custard – man I love custard, I eat it out of a carton on a more than frequent basis – or a crème bruleè or a self-saucing pudding.” Spoken like a true sweet tooth.

See the recipe on page 34. OH

PROFILE

Recipe for successIf his parents had won out patissier Adriano Zumbo would be running an IGA in Coonamble. Instead he is a household name in Australia and beyond with his sweet creations putting Aussie pastry chefs in the spotlight, writes Sheridan Randall.

1 Adriano Zumbo. 2 Bangers and mash pie. 3 Yoghurt, raspberry and honey zonut.

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AUSTRALIAN CULINARY FEDERATION NEWS

It has been an exciting few months for the Australian Culinary Federation

(ACF) and first up, I would like to congratulate our Australian National Culinary Team for winning the Restaurant of Nations this month at Oceanafest in Perth. It was a tough battle with three other international teams from New Zealand, Hong Kong and Thailand winning a Gold Medal. I would also like to congratulate the Australian Youth Team who competed against the Senior Teams and won a Silver Medal – fantastic result. Well done Patrick O’Brien and the ACF WA Chapter for hosting such a great event.

With Oceanafest behind us it is now time to focus on Sydney and the Australian Culinary Challenge at Fine Food on September 20-23 with over $15,000 in cash and prizes to be won. The program is jam-packed starting with Fonterra Battle of the Pacific. This year’s Restaurant Challenge is the biggest yet; we have already confirmed five state teams, two state junior teams, two teams from New

Zealand and a team from Vanuatu. The Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat National Final starts at noon on September 20 and culminates on September 21. For the first time we are hosting the HTN State Final Apprentice Competition on September 22 with the winners of each year going through to the ACF National Apprentice Competition, which will be held in Perth in October.

The ACF has also reinstated the Culinary Committee whose responsibilities are to govern competitions at a regional, state and national level. The Culinary Committee will oversee judge’s protocols and next year will re-organise the National Team. The Sub-Committee is represented by each State Chapter through its chair of judges and will be driven by National Vice-President Andre Kropp.

The launch of the new website www.austculinary.com.au in June has received a record number of hits. The classified pages will go live next month, allowing you to purchase ACF apparel

Winners all round

Sofitel Brisbane Central’s fine dining restaurant Privé249 has appointed James Gallagher as chef de cuisine. He was the senior sous chef of Alchemy restaurant, with previous positions at Fortnum & Mason’s The Gallery and Deloitte’s in London.

Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld have appointed Marc Esteve-Mateu as their new restaurant manager. Esteve-Mateu previously held the position of restaurant manager and head sommelier at Press Club and has trained in restaurants across Australia and Europe.

Kruno Velican has been appointed executive chef at the Hilton Sydney. He was most recently executive chef at the Sheraton Melbourne and sous chef at The Westin Hotel Sydney.

Matt Stone is the new head chef of the Yarra Valley’s Oakridge restaurant. Stone’s previous projects inlcude Silo and zero waste café Brothl.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Neil AbrahamsAustralian Culinary Federation (ACF)

ON THE MOVE

including branded chef’s jackets, business shirts, caps, polo shirts, pants and aprons. I encourage all chefs to have a browse and use this resource as it helps your ACF State Chapter. OH

Michael Luo has been appointed head dim sum chef at Merivale’s Mr. Wong in Sydney. Luo has spent the last four years at the Hakkasan Dubai and three years as head dim sum chef at InterContinental Hotels Group in Qingdao, China.

Chef Tony Panetta has been named as the new executive chef for the International Convention Centre Sydney. Previously, Panetta was the executive chef for Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, a role he has held for five years.

http://www.steric.com.au/

Documents

Open House Foodservice July 2015 Issue