open house food service february issue

Australia’s leading news magazine for the hospitality industry

www.openhousemagazine.net CAB Audited. Circulation 20,700 — September 2012

Print Post Approved PP231335/00017

0213

PASS IT ONNAME TICK

SwiSS perfection

The Lindt collection

Gold rush Olive oil update

Rise and shineInnovative breakfast ideas

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www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, February 2013 3

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Industry news ........................................04

Cover story – Lindt foodservice range ..................06

Ingredient watch – Sustainable salmon ..........................07

Profile – Omar Andrade ........................08

Origins of turmeric ................................09

Consultant chef .....................................09

Q&A – Beryl Van-Oploo ......................10

Sustainability.........................................11

Oils ........................................................12

Breakfast ...............................................18

Cheese ...................................................24

Cooking the books ................................26

Products.................................................28

Culinary clippings .................................30Breakfast.

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open HoUSe newS

It’s been interesting

to watch the progress of MasterChef: The Professionals over the last few

weeks. Channel Ten obviously thought they were on to a winner with this formula – professional chefs preparing, cooking and plating beautiful food under the hawk-like gaze of British chef Marco Pierre White – but after an initial rush of interest ratings have been poor. Meanwhile, over on channel Seven, My Kitchen Rules is going gangbusters.

It seems that for the viewing public there is more entertainment in watching a bunch of home cooks floundering around and rubbishing each other’s food unmercifully, than in watching a group of professionals doing what is essentially their job, albeit in difficult circumstances.

Perhaps in a few years we’ll look back and see this as the turning point when people realised that the “reality” of being a chef is less to do with making a name for yourself on reality television and more to do with passion, dedication and hard graft.

Ylla Wright Managing Editor

@ohfoodservice

Editor’s word

Restaurant & Catering Australia has announced it does not support the recent call for mandatory country of

origin labelling for seafood product, citing the high cost of compliance and its adverse impact on small businesses.

With the cafes, restaurants and takeaway food sector reporting a 6.3 per cent rise in turnover for the year to November 2012 against the previous year, at $34.2 billion, the industry is facing rising cost pressures, according to Restaurant & Catering.

Restaurant & Catering CEO John Hart said “most cafes and restaurants receive their seafood fresh each day and in many cases would be unaware of whether it was local

or from overseas”.

“The restaurant’s primary concern is over quality and whether the customer will be happy with the product,” he said.

Restaurant & Catering has previously suggested that Australian producers of seafood are well placed to promote the quality of local product and should invest in a campaign, similar to that of meat producers, which foodservice businesses can leverage from.

“I am sure restaurants and cafes would promote Australian seafood on their menus if the producers were able to get a ground swell of support for local seafood,” said Hart.

Food safety compliance up in NSWCompliance with food safety requirements in NSW has increased to 94.5 per cent in the last 12 months, according to the 2011-2012 Local Government Activity Report.

Announcing the increase, Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson said consumers are now better protected from foodborne illnesses.

“Councils’ inspections and support for food businesses are contributing factors to these strong compliance rates,” she said.

“The NSW Government’s Food Safety Supervisors

initiative, which started a year ago, has seen 47,194 people trained to help improve food handler skills and knowledge in the retail food sector.”

Councils across NSW undertook 59,974 inspections of the 39,411 retail food businesses which require an annual inspection, with “fewer tough enforcement actions, such as penalties, seizures and prosecutions, for serious non-compliance compared with the previous four years”, according to Hodgkinson.

“While food safety inspections have been effective, the ‘Name and Shame’ initiative has also been a good deterrent for most businesses,” she added.

Mandatory seafood labelling not welcomed

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New guidelines for cooking sous vide

For even more industry news, in-depth reports and new product information, or to sign up for Open House weekly email newsletter, visit www.openhousemagazine.net. You can also follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@ohfoodservice). Or download the free Open House iPad app, packed with additional, exclusive content and updated monthly, from the iTunes app store.

Want more industry news?

New guidelines for cooking sous vide have been released in NSW, with Minister for Primary

Industries Katrina Hodgkinson saying that as sous vide involves cooking food at low temperatures for long periods of time, chefs need to be aware of the potential food safety risks.

The new sous vide guidelines recommend that chefs prepare thin portions of food so food cooks quickly; set water bath temperature above 55°C; cook food below 54.5°C for a maximum of six hours; cool food quickly in slush ice or specialised equipment, and use equipment with accurate temperature control and heating capacity.

Peter Gilmore, head chef at Quay Restaurant in Sydney, has thrown his weight behind the guidelines, saying that the “handy fact sheet will make it easy for chefs to know how to avoid the possibility of food poisoning".

"It is important to keep food safety information up to date with changing trends in the food industry," said Hodgkinson. "There are already a number of TAFE and private college cooking schools who are teaching how to safely cook sous vide style.

"The new sous vide guidelines will benefit those who want to give it a go."

To download the guidelines, visit www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/sousvide.

Online help to cut food wasteCharity Oxfam Australia has launched a new online platform aimed at helping reduce the $8 billion worth of edible food that goes to waste in Australia each year. The Design for Change platform enables young people to share their skills and ideas by uploading their innovative design, marketing and communications solutions to the causes of food waste.

“Almost a third of food produced for human consumption around the world is thrown away or wasted, which puts immense pressure on our food system,” said Design for Change coordinator Sophie Weldon.

“There is enough food to feed the world, yet one in eight people on the planet goes to bed hungry each night. New South Wales households alone throw away more than $2.5 billion worth of food each year.”

The best ideas submitted on the platform will be selected for publication in an e-book and distributed to organisations working on reducing food waste in Australia, to help inspire other young people to contribute to creating a sustainable food future, according to Weldon.

Sydney’s food trucks recognised for creativitySydney’s fleet of food trucks has won the FBi Radio Remix the City Award for creative use of public space. The food trucks scooped the category, which celebrates “an event, person or team who’ve creatively used, created or recreated a physical space, location or landmark in this city, making it a creative destination” in the annual Sydney Music, Arts and Culture (SMAC) Awards.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said Sydneysiders “have devoured the trucks’ fast, fresh and fun take on street food”.

The food trucks trial emerged from public consultation with Sydneysiders about the city’s

late-night culture.

“We asked people who live, work and visit the city what kind of nightlife they wanted and one consistent response was for better options for eating out late at night,” Moore said.

The first truck started operating in May last year, with eight trucks currently on the road.

“This award is really significant for us, because the food trucks are part of our long-term program to improve Sydney’s late-night culture – it really is about rethinking what kind of city we want,” said Moore.

Top trends for 2013The rise of artisan supermarkets, Wagyu restaurants and sweet/savoury flavour combinations will be amongst the biggest food trends for 2013, according to Weber Shandwick’s annual food trend report, Food Forward 2013.

The report surveyed more than 1000 consumers and “taste-makers” from around the country including food editors, chefs, food bloggers and nutritionists, asking them to share their insights and predictions about the food culture of Australia.

Customers wait to be served at one of

Sydney's food trucks.


Better treatment for crustaceans called forThe food and aquaculture industries should reconsider how they treat live crustaceans such as crabs, prawns and lobsters, according to a Queen’s University Belfast researcher who has found that crabs are likely to feel pain.

The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, looked at the reactions of common shore crabs to small electrical shocks, with the results showing that crabs react in a way consistent with pain.

“Billions of crustaceans are caught or reared in aquaculture for the food industry,” said Professor Bob Elwood.

“In contrast to mammals, crustaceans are given little or no protection as the presumption is that they cannot experience pain. Our research suggests otherwise. More consideration of the treatment of these animals is needed as a potentially very large problem is being ignored.”

Amongst the key foodservice trends identified was the casualisation of menus, with unstructured menus making entrées and mains a thing of the past; the adoption of children’s food for adults; and a growing number of food trucks feeding hungry diners.

The survey also predicted an “international flavour duopoly”, with South American and Asian flavours set to boom. “Korean, Wagyu and Peruvian restaurants; spicy food from northern China, and Kimchi – a fermented Korean dish made of vegetables” are amongst the flavours predicted to gain in popularity. Mexican foods and flavours will also continue to be popular.

Picking up on a trend already in evidence in many menus, the report predicts that natural sweet and savoury flavours will be combined to create new taste sensations for an evolving Aussie palate, which shows “a growing desire to taste real flavours of food untarnished by excess sugar and salt”.

Aussies seventh in Pastry World Cup France has won the prestigious 13th Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie (Pastry World Cup), held in Lyon, France, last month.

The competition saw 22 teams of pastry chefs from five continents, each composed by three competitors (working in sugar, ice and chocolate) go head-to-head in a tense 10 hour competition. Japan and Italy took out the silver and bronze medals respectively.

Australia was represented by “Team Pastry Australia”, made up of team captain and sugar competitor Andre Sandison, chocolate competitor Justin Yu, and pastry chef and ice competitor Barry Jones. The team came in seventh position; the best result ever achieved by an Australian team in this kind of competition.

The team trained for the event for over two years, training sometimes up to 12-14 hours a day to be able to produce a range of desserts including three frozen desserts, three chocolate desserts, 12 plated desserts representative of Australia, as well as three showpiece artistic creations – one made of sugar, one made of chocolate and one sculpted out of ice.

The Pastry World Cup was hosted in conjunction with SIRHA, France’s largest hospitality industry fair.

New venture for MarchettiOne of Australia’s best known restaurateurs, Robert Marchetti, has partnered up with Balinese businessman Made (Kadek) Wiranatha to work on a new hotel project, Double Six – Seminyak.

The beachfront hotel, due to open in December 2013, will include a number of premium restaurant and bar destinations that Marchetti will set up and run.

Currently on the drawing board for the project is a Balinese hybrid of Marchetti’s successful North Bondi Italian Food, Seminyak Italian Food, and a colonial style steak house, Plantation Grill,

inspired by Raffles Hotel in the 1950s.

The international collaboration will sit alongside Marchetti’s five Australian businesses, including North Bondi Italian Food; QT Sydney – Gowings Bar and Grill, Parlour Lane and Gilt Lounge, and Melbourne’s Giuseppe Arnaldo & Sons.

Fresh produce advice onlineA new website dedicated to all aspects of food safety for the fresh produce industries of Australian and New Zealand has been launched by the University of Sydney's Faculty of Agriculture and Environment and PMA Australia-New Zealand, as part of a larger project to raise awareness of the challenges for fresh produce safety and the importance of enhancing current safety practices.

The Fresh Produce Safety – Australia & New Zealand website, www.freshproducesafety-anz.com, looks at the management of food safety outbreaks, research and innovation, with a “focus on filling the knowledge gaps on produce food safety in Australia and New Zealand, and protecting and enhancing food quality and safety in fresh produce", according to University of Sydney associate professor Robyn McConchie.

Perth centre of Fine FoodFine Food Western Australia is returning to the Perth Exhibition and Convention Centre this year on April 14-16 with a revamped show line up. Featuring more than 150 local and national exhibitors, visitors will be able to try new and unique food ranges, as well as test out the latest in equipment, negotiate direct with suppliers and attend free business seminars.

New features of this year’s show include a dedicated exhibition area on regional food and wines from WA, free business seminars and panels with topics relevant to the WA food industry, wine matching masterclasses hosted by Wine WA, a barista competition for senior baristas to run alongside the existing Junior Barista Competition run for TAFE students and bakery masterclasses. Fine Food Western Australia is also hosting the 2013 WA Oceanafest competition, open to local, national and international culinary teams.

A new option to pre-purchase parking space makes it easier for visitors to attend. Tickets for the show are free if pre-registered online or $20 at the door.

Consumers’ definition of ‘healthy’ changing Consumers’ perceptions of what is considered healthy eating at restaurants are changing, according to new US research.

The Healthy Eating Consumer Trend Report by Technomic found that contemporary definitions of health are strongly associated with local, natural, organic and sustainable food and beverages. Additionally, consumers are taking more of a balanced and personal approach to healthy

eating, seeking out better-for-you foods, while still enjoying occasional indulgences.

“More consumers than ever before tell us that eating healthy and paying attention to nutrition is important,” says Darren Tristano, vice president of Technomic.

“However, there’s a shift happening in terms of what actually defines healthy for them. We’re seeing more consumers gravitate toward ‘health-halo’ claims – such as local, natural and organic, as well as whole-wheat and free-range. Operators can leverage this growing interest in the health halo by developing the kinds of menu offerings that can underscore health without detracting from the taste perception.”

Half of those surveyed said that while descriptors such as “low salt”, “low fat” and “low sugar” clearly signal health, they strongly detract from the taste of food. However, foods that indicate they contain a serving of fruit or vegetables, or 100 per cent whole wheat, highlight health while enhancing consumers’ taste perceptions. OH


cover Story

Swiss perfectionLindt makes it easy to offer indulgent Easter treats.

With Easter almost upon us, many foodservice operators are looking beyond

traditional chocolate eggs for alternatives that are both elegant and memorable.

At this indulgent time of year, who better to turn to than the master chocolatiers and confectioners from internationally recognised Swiss brand Lindt to provide the perfect Easter treat for your customers?

Lindt Delice Macarons are a stylish, flavoursome alternative to the standard Easter egg. Available in six mouthwatering varieties – vanilla, strawberry, salt caramel, pistachio and hazelnut – their attractive, strikingly colourful presentation is sure to catch the eye.

Featuring two small mounds of almond meringue sandwiched with a rich, soft cream filling, Lindt Delice Macarons offer a sophisticated flavour and delicate mouthfeel, making them the perfect accompaniment to hot beverages such as tea, coffee and hot chocolate.

You can serve Lindt Delice Macarons as a dessert with ice cream or dipped in fine quality Lindt Couverture, an end-of-meal offering or a sweet snack. They are ideal for functions and banquets or on the room service menu and are sure to satisfy even the most discriminating of customers.

And for those customers who prefer the richness of Swiss chocolate, the Lindt Lindor

and Excellence ranges are the perfect choice at Easter. Featuring a luscious chocolate shell and irresistibly smooth filling, the famous Lindt Lindor Ball can be served on its own and also makes a superb dessert ingredient.

Justly regarded as a chocolate masterpiece exemplifying the craftsmanship, innovation and quality of the longstanding Lindt tradition, each Lindor Ball comes wrapped in brightly coloured foil to signify celebration and indulgence.

Available in white, milk and dark chocolate with mint, hazelnut and smooth milk, white and dark chocolate centres, Lindt Lindor Balls come in a 25g two-pack (milk and dark chocolate) and a 36g three-pack (all milk or assorted milk, white and dark) and are ideal for the minibar or as function treats or takeaways. You can also choose the economical option of Lindt 1kg, 10kg or 14kg cater packs.

Delicately thin and featuring the earthy flavour of roasted, premium cocoa beans, the Lindt Excellence range embraces a wide variety of flavours including milk, dark, orange and mint – all of which bear the hallmarks of the finest quality chocolate. Available in 5.5g single serve and 35g impulse size, they’re perfect for the minibar or countertop sale.

These delicious, beautifully presented indulgences from Lindt are also ideal for on-table gifts, hospitality welcome packs, in-room turn-

down service, and as restaurant take-home gifts. They’re also increasingly used by cafes and quick service restaurants in promotional offers and as multi-buy rewards.

For full details of the Lindt foodservice range, including a foodservice brochure outlining all available products and order codes, contact Lindt on (02) 8268 0057 or email [email protected]. OH


ingredient watcH

The information in this document is general in nature and does not consider any of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on this information, you should consider obtaining advice from a licensed financial adviser and consider the appropriateness of this information, having regard to your particular investment needs, objectives and financial situation. You should obtain a copy of the HOSTPLUS Product Disclosure Statement and consider the information contained in the Statement before making any decision about whether to acquire an interest in HOSTPLUS. Issued by Host-Plus Pty Limited ABN 79 008 634 704, AFSL No. 244392, RSEL No. L0000093, HOSTPLUS Superannuation Fund ABN 68 657 495 890, RSE No. R1000054. For further information on Chant West ratings visit http://hostplus.com.au/info/chant-west-disclaimer THEDMGROUP HOST7311/OH/PD

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Peter DoyleFifth Generation Restaurateur Peter Doyle @ The Quay

Choose a quality experienceHOSTPLUS has worked with the hospitality industry for 25 years. So we’ve learnt it’s never just about the food – it’s about the whole experience. It’s why we go beyond super. With our financial literacy program to help members manage their money better. And our nationwide support services to help employers do what they do best – focus on their business. That’s why Peter Doyle @ The Quay and one million Australians choose HOSTPLUS. You can too at choosehostplus.com.au or call us on 1300 HOSTPLUS (1300 467 875).

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Tassal, Australia’s largest Atlantic producer, is leading the way with its sustainable aquaculture practices, writes Ylla Wright.

Leading Atlantic salmon producer Tassal has received

full Best Aquaculture Practice (BAP) certification at farm level from the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), an international not-for-profit organisation which promotes environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture as the only sustainable way of increasing seafood supply to meet the food needs of the world’s growing population. Tassal is the first salmon producer in Australia to receive the certification.

The BAP certification recognises and measures the Tasmanian-based company’s efforts in food safety, social welfare, animal welfare, environmental and traceability aspects of the operations, at its farms, hatcheries and processing plants.

Peter Redmond, vice president of global development for the GAA, has welcomed the company’s commitment to the scheme, saying it is proof “the issue of responsibly farming aquaculture is not just a global or national issue, but a regional and local one”.

Australia’s largest aquaculture company, employing around 700 people at hatcheries, processing facilities, retail outlets and marine farms to produce more than 20,000 tonnes of fish annually, Tassal’s management believes in “environmentally and socially sustainable” production methods.

Sustainability initiatives introduced by the company include the appointment of a chief sustainability officer, development of an

Sustainable salmon

environment and sustainability department, and implementation of the company’s environmental management plan.

Tassal chief sustainability officer Linda Sams said the third party audit was an important outcome for the company.

“Tassal is the first salmon farm company in Australia to certify to BAP, which is an achievement in itself,” she said.

“The BAP audit covers everything from environmental management to workplace health and safety to human resources. And it is another example of what we are doing to externally certify our products to

best practice measurement. Through this third party audit process, it confirms that we are doing what we say, which is important for our customers.”

Tassal currently supplies a range of products to foodservice, including whole, portioned and smoked salmon. OH


Restaurant renegadeFrom underground restaurants to a virtual takeaway business that only uses social media to get the word out, food entrepreneur Omar Andrade has never been one to let life’s obstacles get in the way of a good business idea, writes Sheridan Randall.

“Because it was an illegal restaurant I couldn’t really do any marketing. All our customers were through word of mouth. My strategy with customers has always been that a good product will bring people in and [that] is a smarter way of doing things. Quality is the only thing that sustains itself.”

Using chefs that had just finished apprenticeships at two- and three-hatted restaurants meant that the kitchen team had both the talent and the enthusiasm needed to make the venture work.

Off the back of that initial success and despite “not being part of the plan”, he opened his first legal restaurant, El Capo.

“It went really well, we got a lot of press, the food was good and we were packed all the time,” he says.

But with the success came an increasing workload and with a new baby on the way he “was reminded why I got out of it [the industry] in the first place. It just takes everything out of you,” he says.

Hungry Mondays was born out of a problem that all restaurants have – quiet Mondays and Tuesdays.

“I recognised that people don’t want to go to a restaurant on a Monday or Tuesday, they’ve just had a weekend, and don’t really want to cook and get stuck with the same old crappy takeaway options,” he says.

“I had a couple of stabs at it, but nothing brought enough people in to make it worthwhile, so I looked at what I had – a kitchen, the produce, a coolroom, and it was just sitting idle overnight so I thought to myself why not use it? What I have is time and I’ll sell time to these people. So we made 80 portions of a slow cooked stew overnight, and sold out of it just through word of mouth.”

The meals are cooked for a minimum of 12 hours, then portioned and vacuum packed so that customers can simply reheat them in a microwave or a pot of hot water “and job done – they’ve got themselves a really nice slow cooked meal”

“It started to really take over,” he says. “There was a month where it crossed over with the restaurant but it became too much. With the restaurant you’ve got to pay your staff, there’s wastage, all that stuff and when I compared it with the outgoings of these [takeaway] meals it seemed like an easy decision.”

So he closed the restaurant down and focused on Hungry Mondays.

On the cusp of leasing a permanent production kitchen, the team at Hungry Mondays spent the first six months leasing kitchens overnight off other restaurants.

“They really liked the idea of us being there to pay their rent,” says Andrade. “We’re like mice, we’re there at the end of service and we leave before anyone gets there in the morning. But once we cracked over a 1000 portions we start to take over a bit, we use some of their coolroom space and it gets too intense.”

Sitting somewhere between a food manufacturer and a takeaway, Andrade says “it’s not clear cut and we are writing the rules as we go”.

“What we do is cook a restaurant quality meal that you may pay $20-$25 for in a restaurant and we sell it for $9. In terms of flavour we are definitely a restaurant profile but in terms of convenience we are more a food manufacturing role.

“I think expansion is definitely on the cards but not in the traditional sense. I don’t want to be a company that has to resort to advertising. I just want to be a company that is smart and uses what we have and what we do as our advertising.”

Every business has challenges, and the foodservice sector definitely has its fair share, but for Andrade that should not be an obstacle to doing what you want and making a living from it.

“I’m sick and tired of people whinging about it, you’ve have to find a solution to everything. People who think that everything has been invented or done already are wrong – they have so many options available to them.” OH

profile

“I’ve never believed in PR, but I just thought a good product sells

every time”. This philosophy has stood Sydney chef, restaurant owner and erstwhile food entrepreneur Omar Andrade well since he finished his apprenticeship many years ago. Since then Andrade has run underground dining events, launched a well received and legal South American restaurant, El Capo, and co-founded Hungry Mondays, a novel concept that sells slow cooked meals at established drop off points throughout Sydney via social media. Not a man to sit still for long, Andrade says he first got into cooking, like many of his contemporaries, because it was “creative”.

“At first it was great as there was a lot of instant gratification, because you cook food and you see it being eaten so there was a reward there,” he says. “But the reality is when you cook you’re just a soldier pretty much. You have to cook everything according to

your head chef and any creativity is sort of beaten out of you until you get your own opportunity to make your own menu come together.”

Describing the atmosphere during his apprenticeship as “completely stifling”, he dropped out of the kitchen and worked in various cafes behind the coffee machine until the urge to cook once more got the better of him. Despite not having the necessary funds, Andrade decided to open his own restaurant – illegally.

“I did the illegal aspect because the compliance thing, building a kitchen and all that stuff was way too intense and you spend too much money opening up your own place,” he says.

The first one was set up in a band rehearsal space, and despite “not making a cent”, he says it “was a fun thing to do”. Called Transient Diner, Andrade moved to a hair salon and then finally a rented mansion in Sydney’s Camperdown.


glenn austinwww.xtremechef.com.au

conSUltant cHef

Fact or fiction: the great allergy debateNow I know I have touched on the issue of food allergies before but I really do need some clarity on the issue. I remember when I first started in this wonderful industry the only abnormality we had to deal with was the odd hair-growing, lentil-licking tree-hugger fondly known as a vegetarian. God bless their cotton socks, as my good friend Theo Castricious used to say, everyone can be different, feed them lamb and you knew for the most part the world was at peace. We honestly had no issue after 1990 coming up with something other than steamed vegetables, or at my place, the famous tossed salad with bacon pieces.

The whole world has now gone completely mad. My partner-in-crime, after working the most prestigious Australian event, has to deal with at least 27 different dietary

requests. After spending a fantastic Christmas in Adaminaby, I am left wondering how we fed 74 family and extended family members, without one dietary requirement between them?

Could it be something in the bricks or bitumen in Sydney and Melbourne that creates these allergies? Perhaps the Volvos and Camrys are the culprits? Maybe lycra and pushbikes? There seems to be thousands of these around the place. If this is the case, I prescribe the following: no more city holidays, go back to driving Kingswoods, and at all costs, stay away from bike pants.

As I now have my own little girl in the family, Matilda, I will ensure she has the following, additional products in her diet: garden dirt, inclusive of the odd worm; the occasional lick from

a puppy, and as many real life experiences Australia can offer, as the majority of my generation did. Maybe she will be able to attend a restaurant and order directly from the generally well documented collection of dishes the chef can prepare. I will keep you informed as to how this goes over the next few years.

Great to see inland country towns doing well. I spent a few days recently working in Tatura, Kyabram, Shepparton and Echuca and I can happily report a healthy restaurant industry. I had a damn great meal in Nik’s Greek Traverna in Echuca, while the Victoria Hotel in Shepparton was absolutely jam packed – the chef there, Gracie, is a rare breed as are the karaoke crew I experienced afterwards. An old favourite of ours has also poked his head up in Echuca – Tim Smith,

formerly from Fabric in Melbourne, is being touted as the best chef in the region. And lastly, I recommend the outstanding true country experience of the Paddlewheel motel – you really need to experience the genuine, relaxed hospitality of this hotel. In 42 degree heat I was given an ice cold crowney to check in with and it just got better from there.

originS of...

Turmeric is a Southeast Asian spice used in many Indian,

Pakistani, Persian and Thai dishes. Its exact origins are unknown but it most likely originates from India, where is has been used for at least 2500 years.

Around 2500 years ago turmeric was grown in Western India; evidence suggests that it was originally cultivated for use as a dye. The turmeric plant was ground down to a paste to make a bright yellow dye, then rubbed on skin, silk, cotton or wool fabric to colour it. Hindu brides had a custom of rubbing their bodies with turmeric. Rubbing a newborn’s forehead with the spice was believed to give good luck.

The spice also played a role in religious ceremonies for Hindus and Buddhists. Buddhist monks covered their robes in a yellow dye made of

turmeric, and in Hinduism the bright orange-yellow colour of turmeric was associated with the sun.

In 700 AD the Indians introduced turmeric to China; it was used in East Africa by 800 AD and reached West Africa by 1200 AD. Gradually it spread throughout the tropics where it began to be used in a variety of cooking.

Turmeric was used widely in Indian cooking as it is a main ingredient of curry powder, but the spice was also used in curries from Southern Asia and the Middle East. It was also commonly used as a substitute for saffron, with 13th century explorer Marco Polo making mention of using turmeric rather than saffron because it was less expensive.

In Asia, turmeric was eaten both

cooked and raw – often the root would be chewed raw or chopped up and put into salads or other dishes. The fresh root has a sweet, nutty flavour that is slightly bitter and a chewable, crunchy texture.

Not only was turmeric used as a cooking ingredient, but it was also considered to have medicinal properties. Ancient Sanskrit medical records reference the spice and it was held in high regard in India for its healing value. A Hindu remedy dating back to 250 BC recommends an ointment made of turmeric to treat the symptoms of food poisoning.

In India and China turmeric was used to treat colds, flu and bronchitis, kidney and bladder infections, to relieve gas, and for relief of arthritis and swelling. Malaysians and Indian would even

rub it onto their skin to protect it from the sun. Turmeric was believed to be very good for the digestive system and was used to cleanse and strengthen the liver.

In the early 20th century in Germany the benefits of turmeric as a medicine were researched. It was found to have anti-inflammatory properties and had affects on blood cholesterol. In the mid 20th century its usefulness for the digestive system was also researched and it was found that turmeric could be a remedy for liver and gallbladder disease.

Today turmeric is mostly used in cooking in the form of powder; it is still used to flavour and add colour to many Asian curries. Turmeric is also used to colour cheeses, yoghurt, salad dressing, butter and canned chicken broth. OH

Prized for its vivid yellow colour and sweet nutty flavour, turmeric has a long and rich history, writes Megan Kessler.

Turmeric


Gardener’s Lodge Café in Sydney’s Victoria Park offers food with a bush tucker twist and on-the-job training for unemployed people, all under the watchful eye of Aboriginal Elder Aunty Beryl Van-Oploo, one of three hospitality teachers who run the café.

Q&a

Bush tucker in the city

Q: Does the location of the cafe have any significance to the local aboriginal community?

A: The location of the cafe is in a significant Aboriginal site which was once a Koori meeting place; what is now the pond was once a waterhole. Later the site was the original grounds of Sydney University. The cafe building is heritage-listed and built by the colonial architect Edmund Blacket. The whole site has great historical significance in many ways to many different people in the local community.

Q: What are some of the ingredients you are focusing on and how are you using them?

A: We use a lot of the bush berries such as riberries and munthari berries. These are used on the wattleseed pancakes, on the honey muesli and yoghurt dish, and as an accompaniment with the Persian cherry toast with mascarpone and fresh fruit.

We also feature kangaroo as a mainstay in our meat dishes such as the kangaroo and stout pie and the Gardeners steak sandwich.

Q: What has the response from the public to the menu been so far?

A: The response has been fantastic! The public has been interested and highly responsive to the

menu and enjoying something unique and different. Some fabulous blogs have

popped up talking about happy dining experiences, and the

wonderful unique flavours they experienced.

Q: Do you think there is enough interest in bush flavours in Australia?

A: By and large Australians only appreciate uniquely Australian products once they have attained global attention and success, so maybe the bush food industry just needs more time to develop. I do believe there is a lot of curiosity and interest out there in the local market, but poor marketing of bush products in the past did enormous damage to the industry in general. Now it is time to re-educate the public about the wonderful sustainable food products that are inherently suited to Australian soil and climatic conditions sitting right at their back door.

There is a growing market overseas for indigenous food. There is a lot of interest in particular in finger limes as the “caviar of fruits”; this is a burgeoning market with huge potential overseas.

Q: The cafe is associated with the Yaama Dhiyaan Training College. What is the idea behind the college?

A: The Gardeners Lodge Cafe is a privately run commercial enterprise and the Yaama Dhiyaan is a separate entity overseen by the management of The Australian Technology Park. My involvement at Yaama is as the head teacher of the hospitality

school. After retiring from TAFE I was approached

by [former Lord Mayor of Sydney] Frank

Sartor to see if I

would open this college right in the heart of the community, and here I am six years later. My main aim here is to teach, train and educate Aboriginal men and women and to support them in their journey into employment. The Gardeners Lodge supports and reinforces these goals and at the moment we have seven employees, all of whom are graduates of Yaama Dhiyaan. Two graduates are employed as chef apprentices and the other five are food and beverage attendants.

Q: What type of success rate are you seeing from students finishing the course at the college and attaining work?

A: We are very proud of the success rate at the college which has an outcome of 75 per cent employment or further education. Our graduates have moved into a variety of roles including porters, front office, reception, housekeeping, banking industry, child care, chef, apprentices and cooks, to name a few. Our graduates can be found in most of the major hotels across Sydney and interstate and we have lots of graduates at the Voyages Resort out at Uluru.

Q: What does the future hold ?

A: This year we’ll be adding educational site tours of bush foods in Victoria Park with an aboriginal tour guide, special event catering and a degustation menu. We’ll also continue offering educational and employment opportunities for aboriginal people. OH

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore and Aboriginal elder Aunty Beryl Van-Oploo at the Gardeners Lodge bush tucker café.

phone: 1800 240 502 www.cloroxcommercial.com.au

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oilS

The good oilThe consumption of olive oil is on the increase and following the introduction of a voluntary labelling standard in 2011, so too is the level of consumer appreciation of what good olive oil should actually taste like, writes Sheridan Randall.

Australia has “been a cheap dumping ground for adulterated

oils” for a long time, according to Jeremy Meltzer, co-owner of Yellingbo Gold, a family run olive oil producer in Victoria’s Yarra Valley.

“A lot of overseas importers and manufacturers have been getting away with it for a long time,” he says.

“A lot of these bulk oils in tins for $20 are not even extra virgin most

of the time. They say they come from Italy, but are probably only packaged there, with a lot of oils from Tunisia and Morocco being sold as Italian oils.”

This sentiment is backed by Australian Olive Association chief executive Lisa Rowntree, who says that “we are a very big market for lower grade oil, along with Canada and China, because we don’t

have standards and are picked as countries to dump lower grade oil.”

The introduction of Australian Standard 5264 in 2011, which prescribes how olive oil sold in this country is labelled, means if it says extra virgin olive oil, the contents should be just that.

The standard is currently voluntary, but the Association is looking to have it mandated “as it gives the

supermarkets more push when it comes to demanding their suppliers comply with a set of rules”.

“Coles has said they will do it with all their home brand products and we are still working with them to push their suppliers and importers to comply with a set of rules, especially the labelling, by getting rid of misleading terms such as ‘pure’, ‘light’ and ‘extra light’ which

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waste and then you're getting down to serious refined olive oil. And while it’s still olive oil, they are only worth a fraction of what that first extraction is worth.”

One of the main selling points for consumers is the reported health benefits of olive oil, with studies suggesting a Mediterranean diet based around olive oil carries a lower risk of heart disease and cancer.

“It’s a very healthy oil, but once you put it through further extractions and start using chemicals you start losing all of that goodness,” says Rowntree. “There are a lot of unscrupulous people who are passing off their oil as being of a good quality when it isn’t and charging more for it. What it costs them to produce [low grade olive oil] is a fraction of what it costs us to produce and they can undercut us.”

Consumer advocate Choice has done

some research into the different olive oils, and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is looking to conduct a study into the olive oil industry, which according to Rowntree should help “get a good picture of what is actually out there”.

“That’s not to say there isn’t a place for cheaper low grade oil,” she says. “If you are doing a lot of deep frying you don’t want a first extraction oil. It should be just priced accordingly. People who taste a good quality fresh oil never go back.”

Home grownBoundary Bend is Australia’s largest producer of extra virgin olive oil, selling under a number of brands including Cobram Estate and Red Island.

“Australians are slowly becoming sophisticated consumers of olive

oil,” says Ashley Read, sales manager at Cobram Estate.

“The majority of consumers still only have a very basic understanding of olive oil, how it is made and the different grades available.”

Read says that the Australian Standard has helped in the rise in consumption of Australian made olive oil, which accounts for 28.4 per cent of national olive oil retail sales in the past 12 months, up from 22 per cent for the previous 12 month period.

“Extra light olive oil is now called refined olive oil blend on the label,” he says. “This has alerted customers to the fact that extra light olive oil is not light in fat, it is simply light in taste. Similarly with pure olive oil which is now labelled as refined olive oil blend. The word ‘pure’ used to lead consumers to believe that this olive oil was all natural and unrefined. Now consumers are beginning to understand the difference between refined olive oil blends and extra virgin olive oil.”

To maintain consistency in flavour profiles from harvest to harvest, the majority of extra virgin olive oils sold are blends of different olive varietals, however single varietal oils are becoming increasingly popular.

“Cobram Estate began ranging single varietal extra virgin olive oils in Woolworths stores 18 months ago and their sales have been increasing as customers begin to seek olive oils based on what flavour the variety will deliver. Coles have recently released a varietal extra virgin olive oil in their Finest range tailored to customers searching for a robust olive oil that delivers stronger

Fresh basil leaves½ cup Cobram Estate Basil Infused olive oil1 cup thick cream2 cups full cream milk1 tsp vanilla extract 6 egg yolks½ cup caster sugar

Blanch fresh basil leaves in the olive oil. Then set aside to cool. In a medium saucepan on medium heat add cream, milk and vanilla extract. Allow liquid to come to a gentle simmer. Do not let the cream

boil. Whisk egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl. Make sure they’re well combined.

When the cream is just starting to simmer slowly add a little into the sugar yolks while whisking. Then transfer into the cream. Strain the blanched oil and add to cream. Whisk in the oil with the cream in the form of a figure eight until the cream forms a custard-like consistency or covers the spoon.

Basil olive oil ice cream

Remove from heat and let it stand to cool. Once cooled empty into a cooking tin and cover in plastic and refrigerate until completely cool. Then empty into ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Recipe by Cobram Estate.

are just fraudulent names for refined oils,” she says.

“Now that we have a strong and viable olive industry and we know the difference between good and bad product, we want differentiation. We want to be able to say ‘you can still bring your product to Australia, just label it correctly and let consumers know exactly what it is’.”

Australia imports around 40 million litres of olive oil a year, with domestic production sitting at around 16 million litres.

“We are a long way from replacing everything that comes in,” says Rowntree. “But the importers bringing that low grade oil here are still charging top dollar and making a lot of money from it, but really consumers should be paying half the price for it.

“Australians are consuming much more Australian olive oil than they have ever done in the past and we believe that is because of our strong push to educate them and help them make informed decisions about the oils they are buying.”

Education is key when it comes to making any real change, with many consumers still unclear on how olive oil is produced and what the different terms are.

“To make a really good olive oil there’s a lot more effort,” says Rowntree. “You press the olives once and get the juice and that’s your extra virgin oil and the best quality. But you can take the waste and heat it up to separate more oil out and you can get another extraction and get lower grade oil, and you can do it up to four times. On the last one they use chemical solvents to extract more oil from the

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quality olive oil should always “taste fresh”, he says, but “different dishes require different styles of extra virgin olive oil”.

“When cooking fish for example, the extra virgin olive oil shouldn’t overpower the delicate flavours of the chosen fish. When making a salad, or a tomato based pasta, the extra virgin olive oil should really be present within the dish.”

Liquid goldYellingbo Gold uses a number of different olive varietals, including Spanish, Israeli and Italian, to create their blend of extra virgin olive oil.

“From the beginning we created a premium oil but one that was a blend that had a complexity on the palate,” says Meltzer.

“We simply went by our instinct in not liking personally those very robust peppery oils that make you feel you’re about to choke. We wanted to create something mild, creamy, buttery and delicious. So from the beginning we set out please ourselves.”

Yellingbo Gold began by exporting to the US, being the first Australian olive oil to be sold in that country.

“There was a big snowstorm, the largest in 15 years, that literally fell the day I arrived in New York.

As we do in Australia, I simply strapped on some boots and went for it, pulling a suitcase full of our oil through the snow.”

From there they grew in popularity to the point where they are now stocked by the largest premium cookware supplier in the US, Williams-Sonoma. News of their overseas success spread back home and they have since become a supplier to some of Australia’s most respected restaurants, including Rockpool and Quay.

“Guys like Boundary Bend have done a fantastic job at introducing Australians to some really good oil at a supermarket level and just educating the consumer as to what good oil tastes like compared to a lot of the crap that Australians have been thinking was extra virgin olive oil over the last 30 odd years,” he says.

“Ultimately the standard brings into line an understanding of what good oil is and exposes a lot of the shoddy oils that have been sold very easily in Australia.”

But it’s not just consumers in need of education, with many chefs also asking what exactly extra virgin olive oil is, according to Meltzer.

“We explain it’s a measure of the oleic acid level, which has to be below 0.8 per cent,” he says. “How

you achieve that is by pressing the olives really quickly [within three hours] after they have been picked. It’s not hard to make good oil, it’s just each step has to be done with integrity.

“You get about 70-80 per cent juice out of a grape to make wine, but with extra virgin olive oil you’re lucky to get 15 per cent out of an olive with that first cold press. It takes a lot of olives to make a litre of first cold pressed extra virgin oil, which is why good oil is not cheap. There’s a lot of labour involved to create that bottle of oil. If you’re spending $8-10 a litre you are really getting what you pay for.”

Another factor rarely considered by the consumer, and perhaps overlooked at times by foodservice operators, is storage. Olive oil goes rancid very quickly when exposed to light and oxygen, with its flavour profile changing within hours after exposure. Most olive oil is sold in tins or bottles, meaning every time they are opened air gets in and the oil starts oxidising immediately.

“The only way to keep it fresh is to keep it sealed away from air and light which is why we sell ours in a cask, similar to Aussie wine casks,” he says. “It answers all the questions to packaging because the bladder just collapses as you use it and no air or light can enter at any

fruit flavours and pungency.”

Single varietal extra virgin olive oil can vary in their flavour profile, with some olive varieties producing a mild tasting oil with low levels of bitterness and pungency, while others produce oil that is robust, extremely fruity with a high level of bitterness and pungency, according to Read.

“[Good quality extra virgin olive oil] has fruity flavours that are welcome on the palate, while older European olive oils just taste oily. They don’t actually taste fruity, they are lifeless,” he says.

Telling good oil from bad is not merely for the experts, as a good

Extra virgin olive oil and polenta cake

6 eggs440g sugar160ml Cobram Estate Ultra Premium Hojiblanca extra virgin olive oilRind and juice of 4 lemons2 tsp vanilla380g polenta150g flour3 tsp baking powder1 tsp salt500g ricotta1 vanilla bean220g crème fraiche55g egg whites65g sugar1g salt100g cream2 gelatine leaves

Whisk eggs and sugar together. Slowly add in olive oil. Mix flour, polenta, baking powder and salt.

Add dry mixture to olive oil mixture alternately with lemon juice. Bake at 160°C for approximately 40 minutes or until golden brown and skewer tests clean.

Blend the ricotta and vanilla bean seeds. Place in a bowl and add the crème fraiche. Whisk the whites until they form a soft peak and add the sugar and salt. Fold into cream mixture. Warm cream and soak gelatine leaves in this. Fold into remaining mixture. Place in piping bags.

Whatever mould you decide to serve this dessert in, just do four even layers of the cake and mousse alternately. You can dice the cake up, cut out rounds, whatever works for your mould. Garnish with extra oil so it trickles down the layers of the dessert.

Recipe by Ian Curley.

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, February 2013 172 Convention & Incentive Marketing, August 2011 www.cimmagazine.com

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point. If you use it slowly it’s great because it stays fresh for months. Chefs love it because other smells in the kitchen don’t enter, there’s no spillage and they can just discard [the box] with their other cardboard packaging so it ticks all the boxes from an environmental perspective.”

Australia is setting a world standard with the quality of its olive oils and labelling codes, which “will reward the local farmers who have put in often huge outlays both financially and in human capital to create a really premium product”.

“I say to chefs don’t just buy from us, just buy Australian and buy

local from small groves, you will be getting a much superior product,” says Meltzer. “You’ll find that the fresh oils will be herbaceous and smell and taste like fresh fruit and they will be really appealing, while the cheap oil will taste like a chemical – that’s how stark the difference is.” OH

Olive oil Anzac biscuitsMakes about 20 biscuits

1 cup plain flour¾ cup brown sugar1 cup rolled oats¾ cup fine desiccated coconut3 tbsp golden syrup¾ cup Cobram Estate Light Flavour Intensity extra virgin olive oil½ tsp bicarbonate soda

Preheat oven to 175°C. Sift the flour into a bowl. Add the sugar, rolled oats and coconut. In a second bowl, mix together the golden syrup, Cobram Estate Light Flavour Intensity extra virgin olive oil and bicarbonate soda. Add the dry ingredients to the liquid and mix well until the preparation is sticky

and doughy. If it’s a bit dry, add a little water, about 1-2 tbsp.

Place walnut sized balls of the mixture on a flat biscuit tray lined with baking paper. Flatten the balls to a thickness of about 1cm using a fork, and leave a little space between each one. Bake the biscuits in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes. When cooked, leave to cool on a tray or wire rack.

Recipe by Cobram Estate.

See more recipes in the Open House iPad app.


breakfaSt

Australia is unusually conservative when it comes to embracing new culinary ideas in the breakfast market, but some venues have taken it upon themselves to buck the trend and go beyond the boundaries of pancakes and egg and bacon rolls, writes Sheridan Randall.

Wake-up call“There is a rule here that

we’re never going to do eggs benedict,” says Andy Webb, owner of Cafe Morso, in Sydney’s Pyrmont. That hardline policy has paid off with the café twice winning Best Breakfast Restaurant at the Restaurant & Catering Association NSW Metro Awards for Excellence.

Before opening up Cafe Morso nearly 10 years ago, Webb worked for two years as Bill Granger’s operations manager.

“I was very careful not to do the recipes that he had done, the sweet corn fritters and banana pancakes that a lot of people copied around town,” says Webb. “What I wanted to do was make breakfast special for people.”

Creating options for a breakfast menu that was

available well into the afternoon was an important step when Webb realised about a year ago that “the reputation for breakfast was there”.

“We also run those [breakfast] dishes into lunch up to 3pm on a Monday to Friday because we don’t really do an entree. People have the option of having a late breakfast with a dish that looks very classy amongst the lunch menu. Who wouldn’t have a glass of wine with a smoked ham hock and pork risotto, whereas a bacon and egg roll or bircher muesli might be a little past its use-by date after midday.”

Dishes such as cured salmon ceviche, wilted spinach, avocado mousse with soft egg yolk and smoked pork and gruyere risotto with soft poached egg and hollandaise sauce sit among the more traditional options such as bacon and fried egg focaccia and French toast with pear compote.

“A lot of my customers go out to dinner but I get the sense that their treat is breakfast out every weekend” he says. “It might cost them $60 for breakfast but for dinner with alcohol it would be $120, so they’re quite sensible channelling their energy

into breakfast.”

A social element has also crept back

into breakfast,

with fewer people “holding up newspapers at restaurants”. Customers are using breakfast as an opportunity to catch up with family or friends.

Webb doesn’t lay the blame for the lack of veriety in breakfast offerings at the feet of customers, instead he laments the lack of focus by chefs themselves.

“If you look at MasterChef, very rarely do they do a breakfast dish or anything with bacon and eggs,” he says. “I’m about to lose one of my apprentices, who is going to go overseas before coming back and get into fine dining, and that’s just how it is. But what will happen is that in about 10 years he’ll get sick of working until one in the morning and want to open his own place. He’ll come and work for someone like me in a daytime operation because he has kids and he’ll realise that real food is what people will eat every Sunday morning around

Cafe Morso’s potato roesti with grilled

capsicum, roasted portobello mushroom and soft poached egg.

AV

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Sydney and that is where a lot of people spend their money.”

Despite the ban on eggs benedict, Cafe Morso’s chef approached Webb with a proposition.

“He said how about I do you eggs benedict that will blow your socks off because it’s not going to have any bread and it’s not going to look like you’ve ever seen it before?”

The end result was a risotto using many of the traditional ingredients in eggs benedict but in a different way.

“Yes there is a hollandaise, and a poached egg but there is no bread. We said let’s reinvent it but we can’t call it eggs benedict; we’ll call it what it is – a risotto.”

Distant shoresTravel broadens the mind. It also broadens our culinary tastes, and with many Australians travelling frequently in Asia it is no wonder that many bring back home more than just fond memories.

Alex Watts, head chef and owner of Runcible Spoon, a café in Sydney’s Camperdown, introduced their enormously popular Thai-style

We had a pork roll on the menu where we slow roasted the pork, and we thought let’s put a bit of pork belly on there as well.”

An all-day affair, breakfast at Runcible Spoon also includes staples such as beans.

“Our beans dish is black bean with avocado and lime salsa, a poached egg and chipotle mayo,” he says.

For Watts, the move to more adventurous breakfast options comes with “more chefs getting into cafes from restaurants”.

“A lot of people who start cafes are not chefs and think that they have to please the masses, just stick with what they know.”

Melbourne restaurant Marmalade and Soul, in Fitzroy North, is one venue that is happy to “push people out of their boundaries”, serving traditional British, French and Spanish recipes with a twist under the watchful eye of British chef Andrew Beddoes, who cut his teeth under culinary UK luminaries such as the Roux brothers and Michelin star chef Chris Galvin.

“A lot of British people live in this area who come down for a traditional British breakfast that their mother used to make them,” says Phillipa Kilian, restaurant manager at Marmalade and Soul.

But that doesn’t mean tinned beans on toast and a cup of tea. With executive chef Raymond Capaldi acting as a consultant in the first few months of the restaurant’s opening a year ago, the menu was always going to be “a little bit outside the box” with breakfast items such as spiced five rice broth, cured salmon and curry broken eggs on last year’s breakfast menu.

“We use an artisan butcher in the Dandenong Ranges for our black puddings, and are continuing our Scottish square, which is literally a square pressed pork and beef sausage, flavoured with herbs and spices served with potato scones, toast and HP sauce.”

The restaurant cures a lot of its meats and fish in-house, with a hot smoked trout tomato a la Grecque with preserved lemons and parsley puree on the current breakfast menu (see recipe on page 23).

“One dish that was voted one of the top 10 breakfast’s in Melbourne last year is our carbonara eggs; a parmesan cream sauce infused with garlic and chives, which we pour over bacon and eggs and bake it in the oven. It’s a really cheesy runny dish, a bit like béchamel but a bit richer.”

Kilian also cites the importance of offering breakfast into the afternoon, especially on weekends.

“It’s definitely the done thing over

fried eggs with jasmine rice, tomato,

coriander, nam jim and pork belly

after his travels to Thailand.

“It comes from eating [breakfast]

in Bangkok of fried eggs and nam

jim on fried rice,” Watts says. “We

started eating it as a staff meal with a

poached egg, nam jim and chilli and

it just sort of came about from there.

Marmalade and Soul.

Gowings Bar & Grill at QT Sydney.


For more information contact Sanitarium AwayFrom Home Department on 02 43 487 675

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and above having a nice dinner or fancy lunch.”

Eye for detailHip hotel QT Sydney opened its doors last year to much fanfare and media attention with its Alice in Wonderland themed decor. No detail was left to chance, and that included the food offering at the in-house Gowings Bar & Grill. Under the auspices of creative food director

Robert Marchetti (pictured left) and executive chef Paul Easson, the menu at Gowings has been drawn up to attract outside diners as well as hotel guests.

“David Seargeant, the managing director for the whole [hotel] group, has a real passion for food, particularly breakfast,” says Marchetti.

“We’re both health conscious about how we live our lives [but] breakfast is one of those areas where if it does become adventurous it’s always on the unhealthy side. I wanted to do something that was exciting. Why can’t you have lots of flavour, lots of characteristics and lots of variety and still be healthy?”

Using the best available ingredients, Marchetti concedes some of the dishes are “indulgent” but says the menu is “mostly driven towards everything being really clean and fresh and exciting”.

Less than impressed by the standard breakfast offering in many hotels, Marchetti was determined to move away from the usual suspects such as “caged eggs, spray on oil, dirty hotplates

and rubbery omelettes”.

“I wanted to turn that on its head,” he says. “I have run hotels before and we could have gone down the usual path and had a buffet, we would certainly have made a shitload more money doing it, but we said to each that we wanted to have the best breakfast in the city and I believe we do.”

Marchetti also wanted to avoid creating a menu that “that isn’t surrounded by bread”.

“Being Italian I love bread, but sometimes I just want a break. Instead I wanted you to be able to go ‘wow, I just had an incredible breakfast and feel really good.’ And especially for people that travel a lot. Generally if you travel a lot you’ve had a work dinner the night before and that morning you are about to get on a plane and go somewhere, and you want to make sure that you eat really well.

“That’s why I did the superfoods omelette and use lots of fresh ingredients. Even the huevos rancheros, which uses house made beans, lots of lime juice, coriander and a biodynamic 64°C egg cooked

sous-vide, is not fried.”

Getting the details right is a QT signature, so it comes as no surprise that cooking something as simple as an egg is taken very seriously.

“Using a biodynamic egg and cooking it sous-vide, it’s basically the perfect poached egg,” he says. “You don’t get a rubbery, vinegary tasting egg, you get this beautiful thing you tap and it falls all over the food.”

With a nod to the international make-up of the hotel’s guests, the breakfast menu includes fish tortilla with ocean gravlax and avocado mousse, huevos rancheros in a soft black corn tortilla and Cantonese congee with shrimp and crab.

“When I travel I take huge amounts of notes and pictures and basically tend to build my menus out of my worst experiences because it annoys the shit out of me that they didn’t do it right” he says.

“I still want flavour, variety and choice but I want it for breakfast so I just treated the breakfast menu like the dinner menu. As clichéd as it sounds it’s actually the most important meal of the day.”


chips smoke put a lid on it for 6 mins. Be sure not to overheat the chips as it will give the fish an acrid flavour. Aim for a nice light smoke. Take the container off the heat with the lid still on and leave to cool completely.

Parsley puree

100g butter

3 shallots, finely sliced

3 cloves garlic, cored

2 tbsp thyme leaves

50ml white wine200ml chicken stock2 bunches parsley

In a small pan, melt butter, add shallots, garlic and thyme and sweat until soft. Add wine, reduce, add chicken stock and bring to boil. Reduce again by 15 per cent. Leave to cool. In a big saucepan of boiling water, cook parsley for 12 mins.

A la Grecque liquor

500ml tomato juice

50g tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, cored

3 sprigs tarragon

2 sprigs thyme

½ tbsp coriander seed

½ tbsp fennel seed

200ml white wine

Extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

Put tomato juice and paste in a saucepan. Wrap 1 clove of garlic, 2 sprigs tarragon, thyme, coriander and fennel seeds in a muslin cloth, and tie it up. Put into the tomato mix. Add wine and bring to boil then lower to a simmer for half hour until it has reduced and thickened slightly. Take off the heat. Grate the last clove of garlic into the sauce with a microplane grater so it’s really fine. Add the last of tarragon and lemon juice. Add olive oil to your liking.

Cured tomatoes

8 roma tomatoes

200g salt200g castor sugar1 tbsp fennel seeds, crushed2 lemons, zested

Blanch the tomatoes quickly in boiling water to remove skins (25 seconds) and place straight into iced water. Peel and cut in half lengthways. Mix the sugar, salt, zest and fennel in a bowl and place over the open side of the tomato to cure for 2-3 hours (when all the liquid comes out of them). Wash them off and put on a grease proofed tray. Drizzle with olive oil and put in an oven at 60°C. Leave overnight.

Hot smoked troutSmoking chips (hickory chips are good and are available from most hardware stores)Ocean troutRosemary and thyme, optional

Use a deep oven tray, lined with foil. Scatter in a handful of the chips. Place trout on a cooling rack and place in tray. On a very low gas flame, place the tray over the flame and slowly heat the chips. When you start to see the

See more recipes in the Open House iPad app.

Hot Smoked Trout tomato a la Grecque with preserved lemons and parsley pureeServes 8-10

Strain into iced water. Strain again and squeeze dry. In a food processor blitz everything into a fine paste.

To serve, flake the trout into a bowl. Mix together the cured tomatoes and the liquor. Add preserved lemon pieces and fresh tarragon. Arrange over the fish. Place a spoonful of parsley puree on top and serve with crusty bread.Recipe Marmalade and Soul. OH


cHeeSe

The announcement in January that the Jindi Cheese Company was voluntarily recalling

dozens of soft cheeses from all batches manufactured before January 7, 2013, sent many consumers and chefs alike scurrying to check their fridges.

The move came after 18 cases of listeria infection nationally were linked to Jindi soft cheeses, with two people tragically dying of listeria infection and a New South Wales woman miscarrying. As of January 26, the total number of cases was 21, and a third person has since been confirmed dead.

Announcing the recall, a statement for Jindi said they were cooperating fully with the Victorian Department of Health and had decided in the interests of health and safety to implement the recall as a precaution.

While investigations into the matter are ongoing, according to Jindi cheesemaker Franck Beaurain, Victoria’s acting chief health officer, Dr Michael Ackland, has said that health department officials who visited the Jindi factory shortly after the outbreak began were satisfied that appropriate food processing, hygiene and monitoring practices were being followed for the manufacture of products after January 7.

“However, as a precaution the company demonstrated its commitment to the health and wellbeing of its customers by implementing a voluntary recall of cheeses manufactured up to and including January 6,” he said.

“On January 7 it implemented an even stricter regime of product testing and quality control, which Jindi is confident will ensure that all cheeses it sells are safe and free of bacterial contamination.”

Ackland added that it can often be difficult to identify the source of listeria infections, and symptoms of the illness can take up to 70 days to appear. Symptoms of the illness include fever, headache, tiredness, aches and pains.

“Listeria is a bacteria that can affect a range of food products,

particularly soft cheeses such as camembert and brie, despite strict hygiene and manufacturing controls,” he said.

“The infection will cause minor or no symptoms in the vast majority of healthy people who may contract it, but is particularly dangerous for some vulnerable groups.

“Listeria can cause miscarriages in pregnant women and death in elderly people and those with compromised immune systems.”

The safety risks of bacteria such as listeria are one of the key arguments used by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) for banning most raw milk products, including cheese.

Raw milk cheese is made from milk that hasn’t been pasteurised, a process that heats milk to a specific temperature for a set period of time, killing any bacteria present. Traditional cheeses made from raw milk are considered to be the benchmark against which all other cheeses should be judged by cheese specialists around the world, reflecting their region of origin, quality of milk they are made from and the skill of the cheesemaker.

Currently only very hard cooked curd cheeses made from raw milk, such as parmigano reggiano, are allowed to be sold in Australia, with the exception of a very few imported cheeses such as roquefort and gruyere.

Raw milk cheese campaigner Will Studd, the host and producer of Cheese Slices, says that the lesson to be learnt from the recent listeria outbreak is that “mandatory pasteurisation is not by itself a guarantee of food safety”.

“High moisture soft and blue cheese should be avoided by pregnant women, the aged and immunosuppresives regardless of whether they have been made from raw or pasteurised milk,” he said.

While FSANZ has previously said that it would continue to look at granting permission for other raw milk cheeses to be made in Australia, a further application seeking to enable the production and sale of any cheese made from unpasteurised milk has “indefinitely been delayed”.

“The campaign for a change in the current FSANZ regulations has always recognised that cheese made from unpasteurised milk should only be made under strict internationally accepted controls using high quality raw milk from healthy animals,” says Studd. “It would be a great shame if the recent problems with listeria were used as an argument to prevent Australian cheese makers and consumers from enjoying authentic artisan and farmhouse cheeses similar to those made by their counterparts overseas.”

While the results of the Victorian Department of Health investigation remain to be seen, production and supply at Jindi has resumed.

“The department of health has said that they are satisfied with our monitoring, hygiene and quality assurance,” confirms Beaurain. “We are dispatching cheese made after the seventh of January to customers as normal.” OH

Putting safety firstThere is a lesson to be learnt from the recent listeria outbreak, according to raw milk cheese campaigner Will Studd. Ylla Wright finds out more.

One cheese, one thousand golden dishes

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Eggplant ParmigianaServes: 4

cooking tHe bookS

Soy products such as tofu are a staple in Asian cooking; however they’re also a clever ingredient in any number of vegetarian dishes. Yoshiko Takeuchi shares her take on an Italian favourite.

This stuffed eggplant-style parmigiana has hidden tofu,

instead of being laden with cheese. I’ve added a thick creamy soy milk sauce to the mixture so even if you want to use some real parmesan, you don’t need to put in too much

because of the creamy sauce.

2 eggplants (1kg)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons sea salt

Cracked pepper

300g silken firm or firm tofu120ml soy milk1 tablespoon cornflour½ onion, finely chopped4 tomatoes, diced2 tablespoons parsley, chopped4 tablespoons dairy-free parmesan cheese

GarnishChopped parsleyCracked pepper

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Line an oven tray with baking paper. Cut eggplant in half lengthways.

3. On the bottom of the eggplant, cut a ¼ to ½cm thick slice off the rounded apex to make the eggplant shell stable as a dish.

4. Cut a 1cm border around the inside edge of each half and scoop out the flesh. Chop the eggplant flesh into small pieces and set aside. Brush the eggplant with oil, both inside and on the bottom, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes or until tender.

5. Meanwhile, place the tofu in a non-stick frying pan and cook over a medium heat. Break the tofu using a wooden spoon and sprinkle with an extra pinch of salt. Cook until the water of the tofu evaporates. Set aside.

6. Mix 1 tablespoon of soy milk and cornflour. Set aside.

7. Heat the oil in the same frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft. Add the reserved eggplant flesh and salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the tomato, chopped parsley and tofu that was set aside earlier and cook, stirring for a further 2 minutes.

8. Add the rest of the soy milk (100ml) into a frying pan and bring to the boil. Add the soy milk and cornflour mixture (mix well just before adding) and cook until thickened.

9. Spoon the mixture evenly among the eggplant halves. Brush the edges of the eggplant with some of the extra oil. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the mixture.

10. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender. Serve with chopped parsley and cracked pepper.

Edited recipe from Cooking with Soy by Yoshiko Takeuchi (New Holland, $29.95).

Secret ingredient


What’s on shelf this month?

For more information on the Birch & Waite range of superior quality Foodservice products,

please visit www.birchandwaite.com.au.

Lift the lid on something special.

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Where chefs eat: a guide to chefs’ favourite restaurants (Phaidon, $24.95)

A restaurant guide with a difference, Where chefs eat is exactly that – a guide to the restaurants frequented by more than 400 of the world’s finest chefs including Heston Blumenthal, David Chang and Rene Redzepi, as well as Australians such as Tetsuya Wakuda, Peter Gilmore, Neil Perry, Ben Shewry and Luke Mangan.

From bargain noodle joints to high-end restaurants; late night haunts to all day breakfasts; neighbourhood eateries to destination restaurants, this book contains more than 2000 personal recommendations in major cities around the world, many with entertaining reviews and comments from the chefs.

Blood sugar: The family by Michael Moore (New Holland, $45)

A follow up to Blood Sugar, which Michael Moore, chef/owner of Sydney’s

O Bar and Dining, was inspired to write after living with diabetes for more than 10 years, this book is packed with even more diabetic-friendly recipes. While aimed at the family market, there’s plenty to inspire those interested in providing healthier menu items or catering to special dietary requirements. On-trend items such as sliders, fried chicken and fish tacos are covered and sweet tooths are catered for by recipes such as Moore’s Not-so-naughty chocolate cake, which may be low-fat, low GI, high in protein and low in sugar but looks and tastes delicious.

Easy weekends by Neil Perry (Murdoch Books, $49.99)

Don’t be put off by the title; this is not the average casual cookery book. Neil Perry, the chef behind Rockpool, Spice Temple and several Rockpool Bar and Grills, has put together a collection of favourite recipes for weekend cooking which include chopped raw beef with jalepeno salad and bruschetta, roast lobster, seared Hiramasa kingfish salad, and chocolate and cognac cake. Perry’s interest in Asian food is evident, along with a belief in premium ingredients being allowed to speak for themselves. If nothing else, this book will make you hungry reading it. OH


prodUctS

Artisan ice cream producer Gundowring has recently

launched the Bambini collection; 100ml single serves in new packaging that reflects the rural origins of their product.

The natural ice cream is produced in a small ice creamery from the family farm in Kiewa Valley, northeast Victoria. The fresh dairy produce used in the ice cream is produced daily from local cattle and the flavours are inspired by local, seasonal produce.

There are 22 Gundowring ice cream flavours including French vanilla, toasted walnut and honey, fig, licorice, orange and cardamom, raspberry and a ginger ice cream which was recently awarded the 2012 Dairy Industry Association Awards National Champion and 2012 Sydney Royal Champion prizes.

Gundowring also gives chefs the opportunity to design their own unique flavour combinations; tailored flavours include chocolate and chilli, saffron, salted butter caramel, blue cheese and shiraz. Each flavour is made from fresh milk and cream, egg yolks and sugar blended to an anglaise base.

Flavours are available to foodservice in five litre tubs as well as the 100ml single serve tubs, which come

Fresh natural ice cream

It is also perfect for cocktails bars that use fresh herbs in cocktails such as Mojitos, Sangria and Pimms.

Having access to fresh herbs will ensure that all food and drinks are the best quality they can be.

The unit uses LED technology which makes the plants grow quickly and stops bugs from ruining the herbs. The lights can be on for between four to 24 hours a day and use little power. They are available in two sizes, the larger one designed for commercial use.● www.kickstarter.com

Make it with mousseNestlé Professional have put together a collection of recipes for chefs using their range of Nestlé Flavoured Mousse Mixes. The Mix it up with mousse recipe book contains 15 unique recipes created by chefs from around Australia as part of a competition.

The recipes show the versatility of the mousses and different ways they can be used to create a variety of desserts. Recipes include Blackforest Mousse Cake, Citrus Mousse Trifle, Tiramisu and Pavlova Mousse Cake.

The Nestlé Flavoured Mousses have eight flavours which are all low GI, reduced fat, gluten free and a good source of calcium.

The Mix it up with mousse recipe book can be ordered online or downloaded as a PDF version.● www.nestleprofessional.com

Sour cream on topBulla Dairy Foods has won two awards for its Premium Sour Cream at the 2012 Australian Dairy Awards. The product won Champion Cream and Grand Champion Dairy Product at the awards, which recognise and reward the best of Australian

with individual recyclable wooden spoons in 12 unit packs.● www.gundowringfinefoods.com.au

Gold winning wagyuRangers Valley wagyu beef has won a gold award in the Australian Wagyu Association (AWA) branded beef competition. The beef won gold in the Bovine Dynamics Cross-bred category.

This was the first year that AWA has held a branded beef competition and it received 13 entries from wagyu producers around Australia.

“It’s a great achievement to be

recognised by the judges, especially amongst such high quality competition,” says managing director of Rangers Valley, Don Mackay. “The recognition is also testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff.”

Rangers Valley cattle are selected for their superior marbling direct from breeders to ensure they only get the best cattle. They are fed slowly on specially designed rations to maximise the natural flavour and tenderness of the beef. They are also fed vitamin E which has been proven to extend shelf life. ● www.rvalley.com.au

Happy herbs While accessing fresh herbs is easy, often they don’t last long or go to waste which is where indoor herb garden, The Kitchen Garden, can help.

The Kitchen Garden is a unit for growing fresh produce, designed by horticultural entrepreneur Josh Engwerda. It can be stored anywhere indoors such as a pantry, kitchen or front of house in a cafe or restaurant.

15 DESSERT MOUSSE MIX RECIPES

MIX IT UP WITH MOUSSE


dairy products.

Bulla’s Premium Sour Cream is decadent with a rich, smooth texture and a tangy, creamy taste. It is made with 35 per cent milk fat and also available in a light version with contains 18 per cent fat.

The sour cream is ideal to serve on its own but also pairs well with other ingredients in dips, sauces or Mexican dishes.● www.bullafoodservice.com.au

Get clean with steamHigh standards of hygiene and cleanliness are essential in the foodservice industry. Steam Australia can help by providing quality Italian made cleaning equipment such as the SV8D Steam cleaner.

The SV8D is a steam pressure and vacuum machine that will effectively clean and sanitise

surfaces. It operates at temperatures of 100 to 130°C to effectively lift dirt and grime that is often difficult to remove. It is easy to use, cost effective and doesn’t require the harsh chemicals that are often used for cleaning in commercial environments.

The steam cleaner is ideal for hospitality as it can clean a wide range of surfaces including bench tops, sinks, ovens, fridges, floors, walls and bathrooms. For hard to clean areas, detergent is optional in addition to steam and its continuous operation means that you don’t have to stop cleaning to refill or reheat the tank.● www.steamaustralia.com.au

Turn it upStorePlay is the world’s first app-based music subscription service for restaurants. The music subscription service allows restaurants and other businesses to play 100 per cent legal playlists for their venues.

StorePlay is easy to use and cost effective, with a monthly subscription fee that allows businesses to choose the music that best suits their venue and customers. The app is compatible with iPod Touch, iPad and iPhone.

As well as providing music, StorePlay helps with licensing and public performance fees that businesses are required to pay. The app is 100 per cent legal and supported by the major record labels. ● www.storeplay.com.au

Supplier of the YearAustralian poultry supplier Inghams received three “Supplier

of the Year” awards in 2012. They were named Food Supplier of the Year by the Foodservice

Suppliers Association Australia (FSAA) and NAFDA (National Association of Foodservice Distributors of Australia) and won the Countrywide Food Supplier of the Year award.

Ingham group sales manager Tom Dean said, “everyone at Inghams goes the extra mile to help deliver the best quality, competitively priced products in a range broad enough to meet the demanding needs of foodservice professionals”.

“To have recognition from the industry that this approach is the right way forward is both gratifying and encouraging,” he said.

Inghams are one of Australia’s largest poultry providers, supplying a range of chicken and turkey products both fresh and frozen.● www.inghams.com.au/foodservice OH

Tip Top Foodservice has recently announced that the company has reduced sodium levels in its range of bread. This makes it easier for foodservice professionals to offer health conscious customers bread without the excess salt.

The company has reduced its sodium levels to 400mg per 100g across the mainstream bread range, keeping it in line with the National Heart Foundation’s Heart Tick requirements, without compromising on the bread’s taste or texture.

“With around 75 per cent of the salt in our diet coming from processed foods it can be challenging to adequately reduce salt intake,” said Karen Mocatta, head of technical for George Weston Foods.

“Therefore it is essential the Australian foodservice industry adopts initiatives that continue to offer healthy lower sodium products to their customers, which is particularly important within schools or aged care catering.”● www.tiptop-foodservice.com.au

Salt-reduced bread


“The networks we have created and the good reputation we have made for our young up and coming chefs has made all the hard work worth it,” said Kellam.

preSident’S MeSSage

Peter WrightAustralian Culinary Federation (ACF)

New horizons2013 will be a very busy year – in

all my time as president of the Australian Culinary Federation (ACF) the past 12 months have been the hardest, so it gives me great pleasure to be writing with exciting news that I believe will be one of the highlights of my term, beginning with the relaunch of our NSW chapter which is creating a buzz of activity following the culmination of some serious strategic planning. The new look NSW chapter has joined forces with the ACF ACT chapter to be known as the “Australian Culinary Federation NSW-ACT and Region”. This will encompass both States, including all country areas which seem to have been neglected in the past.

Our full time office manager, Deb Foreman, has attempted to contact all known existing NSW members to share the good news with them and we have already signed over

100 members. If you have not been contacted it is important that you email [email protected] or go online www.austculinary.com.au. Thank you all for your patience as we have worked through this, and more importantly, thank you for your overwhelming support. I congratulate the new committee and look forward to the stability and the opportunities that you will bring for your members.

In celebration of the New Year we have launched our new website, which marks 12 years of being on the world wide web. Austculinary.com.au is a vital part of our organisation and an essential communication tool to enable us to let you know what is going on across our vast network. Information on memberships, certified chefs, culinary events, social events, international events, meetings and judges workshops are easily accessible and continuously being

cUlinary clippingS

updated. Reports, journals, videos and photos are also showcased and updated during events using Twitter and Facebook to give you live feeds as they happen – our Facebook page has just under 1000 members and is growing stronger daily. Austculinary.com.au also works as a fantastic business tool allowing us to showcase our partners and sponsors and creates a great portal for new members, existing members and clients.

Important events in 2013 include Fonterra Proud to be a Chef which is held in February; Perth is showcasing the biannual Oceanafest international culinary event in April, and calls for entry for the Nestlé Professional Golden Chef’s Hat will conclude in May. To get involved and keep up with the ACF is easy, just follow us on Twitter “ACFThe1” and Facebook “Australian Culinary Federation”.

Peter Wright National President Australian Culinary Federation [email protected] www.austculinary.com.au

France tops Bocuse d’Or 2013France was crowned overall winners of Bocuse d’Or 2013, with Denmark and Japan coming second and third respectively. Team Australia placed 15th out of 24 countries. Brisbane-based chef

Shannon Kellam, who was also part of the Australian Culinary Olympics team in 2012, and his assistant Richard Pascoe travelled to Lyon, France, in January to compete in this world renowned culinary event.

The Australian Culinary Federation Award for Excellence Gala Dinner

The inaugural presentation of the Award for Excellence to honour the contributions and service to an individual or organisation for outstanding services to our industry is being held at Royal on the Park on February 18, 2013.

The night will also include a special thank you to all the corporate sponsors who have helped and supported the Australian Culinary Federation Queensland during 2012.

Teams from across the globe battle it out at Bocuse

d'Or 2013. Inset: Beef platter.


OPEN HOUSE FOODSERVICE is proud to be a diamond sponsor of the ACF.

For information on ACF, visit www.austculinary.com.au,

or contact the ACF National Office via [email protected]

or (03) 9816 9859.

HEAD OFFICE – SydneyCreative Head Media Pty LtdSuite 202, 80-84 Chandos Street, St Leonards, 2065Tel: (02) 9438 2300Fax: (02) 9438 5962Website: www.openhousemagazine.netEmail: [email protected]. 001 208 368

© COPYRIGHT Contents of this magazine are subject to copyright and cannot be reproduced in any way, shape or form without the written permission of the publisher.Refer to our website for our full Privacy Policy.

Official organ for the Australian Culinary Federation; Association of Professional Chefs and Cooks of NSW; Professional Chefs and Cooks

Association of Queensland Inc.; Academie Culinaire de France; College of Catering Studies and Hotel Administration, Ryde, NSW; Les Toques Blanches, NSW Branch; Australasian Guild of Professional Cooks Ltd.

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PUBLISHER Alexandra Yeomans

MANAGING EDITOR Ylla Wright

JOURNALIST Sheridan Randall

SALES & MARkETING MANAGER Jo Robinson

REGIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER Leah Jensen

DESIGN/PRODUCTION Bin Zhou

ADVERTISING CO-ORDINATION [email protected]

Published in Australia by Creative Head Media Pty Ltd · P.O. Box 189, St Leonards, NSW 1590Opinions expressed by the contributors in this magazine are not the opinion of Open House Foodservice. Letters to the editor are subject to editing.

Local chefs go Global

SA chapter's onging support for Tour Against HungerIn 2011, 250 chefs from 44 countries, including Australia, went to South Africa as part of the Bidvest World Chefs Tour Against Hunger. On their return they left behind a lasting legacy that will ensure that 450 children receive a meal every day for the next five years, with the R8 million ($868,400) raised over the 10 days of the Tour going directly into providing 821,250 meals.

But the story does not end there. It was during one of the visits to feed the children that all of the chefs were given a small bookmark made by the children to thank them for their visit. South Australian chef Michael Strautmanis wanted to keep this effort going by taking the time to ensure that his “bookmark” maker, Tiisetsang, should be rewarded at least twice a year, for

his birthday and at Christmas time. This was then endorsed by the ACF South Australia, who during the World Chefs Day dinner in 2011 auctioned an official poster of the Bidvest World Chefs Tour Against Hunger to raise another $500 to send to South Africa to not only give Tiisetsang his birthday party, but to include all of his classmates and family, with enough money left over to make him the proud owner of a new bicycle.

ACF South Australia continues to support the South African Chefs Association by providing ongoing funds. The Tour poster is now leased to Budget Car Rentals in South Africa, providing more funding for food for hungry children. It may not always be cake, but if we can stop one more child from going hungry, all chefs should be proud.

Perth this April at the Oceanafest international culinary event.

Meeting alert for NSW members

AN ACF NSW/ACT General Meeting will be held at 6pm, March 4, 2013, at Ryde TAFE. All Australian Culinary Federation members are encouraged to attend. RSVP to Jock Stewart at [email protected] by Monday, February 25, 2013.

For more information about the meeting please email deb@austculinary.com.au or go to the ACF website www.austculinary.com.au.

Chefs to get appy

A new Australian Culinary Federation mobile app will be available to download from March 15, 2013.

Shannon Kellam and Cameron

Wetton will represent Australia in the

Pacific Rim finals of the Global Chefs

Challenge and Hans Bueschkens Young Chef Challenge, respectively.

The competition is being held in

The new app will keep members updated about all the events happening on the ACF website. OH

Shannon Kellam.Cameron Wetton.

Tiisetsang (in the middle)

with his friends.

For further information on any of our products contact Consumer Services FREECALL 1800 065 056For orders or to contact the nearest State Sales Office FREECALL 1800 805 441 or visit www.foodservice.saralee.com.au

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