rc july 2015

JULY 2015 $6.95 GST incl.

Official Journal of

Restaurant & Catering

“The hospitality industry is high octane, adrenaline fuelled, exciting and stressful. I once read that chefs are the second most stressed professionals behind air-traffic controllers.”Justin Miles, Windy Point Restaurant, South Australia

Restaurant Catering

ANNUAL REPORT

Best winter warmer

products, page 27

Transformers

Sell-up central5 things you must do before selling,

page 10

Lend me your ears

Why joining a community cause

is good for your business, page 14

SPECIAL FEATURE

When a derelict beachfront property came up for tender in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Shirley Struk and Deanne Bond

knew they could make it a success. Page 20

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keeps your tomatoes fresh up to 3 x longer*

*based on moisture loss data and visual appearance compared to no protection;

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*Based on moisture loss data and visual appearance compared to no protection.

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Contents

In this issue ...Upfront4 From the Association

John Hart and Matteo Pignatelli cover the issues the will impact the industry now and in the future.

6 News & eventsThe Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering HOSTPLUS Awards for Excellence kicks off this month; win with social media, and much more…

Wisdom 10 5 top tips for selling a restaurant

How to plan properly for the sale of your cafe or restaurant

14 One for allGetting involved in your community through sponsorships, donations and activities builds the brand, creates networks and opens doors you might have never considered

18 What I’ve learntAward-winning restaurateur and chef Justin Miles on how his world travels helped him in his career

33 TechnologyHow cloud-based accounting could help your business

Stuff 26 New products

The latest and greatest stuff

27 Product guideRestaurant & Catering magazine’s guide to the best winter watmer products on the market

36 DrinksThe benefits of offering seasonal beverages

38 DetailsWhen Roger Wood designed Port Phillip Estate—The Dining Room in the Mornington Peninsula, he drew inspiration from French chateaux and the client’s penchant for sailing

July 2015 $6.95 GST incl.

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Double visionHow mother and daughter, Shirley Struk and Deanne Bond, transformed a derelict beachfront building into an award-winning eatery, popular with tourists and locals alike

COVER STORY20

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Restaurant & Catering magazine is published under licence on behalf of Restaurant & Catering by Engage Custom Media, Suite 4.17 55 Miller Street, Pyrmont NSW 2009 www.engagemedia.com.au

Editor: Nicole Hogan Art Director: Lucy Glover Sub-editor: Kerryn RamseyContributors: Ben Canaider, Sarah Norris, Angela Tufvesson, Chris Sheedy, Ilona Varga, Tracey Laity Sales Director: Adam Cosgrove

Direct: (02) 9660 6995 ext 505Fax: (02) 9518 5600 Mob: 0404 351 543 Email: [email protected]

Editorial Director: Rob Johnson Commercial Director: Mark Brown

For all editorial, subscription and advertising enquiries, ph: 1300 722 878Print Post approved PP: 2255003/06505, ISSN 1442-9942

©2014 Engage Custom Media. Views expressed in Restaurant & Catering magazine are not necessarily those of Restaurant & Catering or that of the publisher, editor or Engage Custom Media.Printed by Webstar

Mentor as anythingApprenticeships are vital for our industry, so the success of our Skills Pathway program is great news for all of us.

From the Association

Restaurant & Catering’s mission: To lead and represent the Australian restaurant and catering industry.

Contact details

8,557 - CAB Audited as at March, 2015

Restaurant & Catering AustraliaAddress: Level 3, 154 Pacific Highway, St Leonards NSW 2064Tel: 1300 722 878Fax: 1300 722 396Email: [email protected]: www.restaurantcater.asn.au

President: Matteo Pignatelli (VIC)Senior Vice President: Mark Scanlan (NSW)Junior Vice President: Kevin Gulliver (QLD)Treasurer: Richard Harper (VIC)Chief Executive Officer: John Hart

I have to record a big thank you to all of the Association members that have provided support to the Association’s mentoring program. The Association has achieved the 2,500 mentees by the 30th June which is a great tribute to the support that you, our members, have given to our education and

training team, headed up by Greg Smith. Thanks should also goes to our RTO partners that have worked hard to support the industry to recruit and retain apprentices that are right for our businesses. In the face of a significant reduction in apprentice commencements, mentoring programs have seen far more efficient conduct of apprenticeship with commencement leading greater completions.

The program itself has already demonstrated great successes with 87 per cent of apprentices that have been mentored being retained within the apprenticeship. This is a huge increase to the traditional retention rates.

It is a pity that the new Apprenticeship Support program, which is being funded by the Commonwealth, is not recognising the importance of employer support. In the experience of our mentoring program some 60+ per cent of the issues resolved in the support program were related to the employer. In industries such as the restaurant and catering industry, apprenticeship is still a vital component of our skills system. Lets hope we can continue to successfully invest in our people.

John HartCEO, Restaurant & Catering

RestaurantCatering

4 RESTAURANT & CATERING

Join the conversation on theSavour Australia Restaurant &Catering HOSTPLUS Awards forExcellence with #savourawards

/savouraustralia@savouraus

/savour-australia

Discover Hospitality is here to help your career take off—and stay on track. Discover the career possibilities or find suitable staff with #discoverhospitality

#discoverhospitality/discover-hospitality

Keep up to date with Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA) news, events, products and programs, and ‘like’ and ‘follow’ the association on social media with #restcatering

/restaurantandcatering@restcatering

restaurant-&-catering-industry-association

CoOL isn’t coolCountry of Origin Labelling on menus won’t help consumers or foodservice consumers

There is something a bit fishy about the Country of Origin (CoOL) proposals that are being pushed around the various levels of Government right now. We have seen a real rush of these proposals to address the so-called problems of CooL. R&C has moved to dispel some of the real myths

in this space through the publication of a report that has been distributed to all MPs and Senators. The first observation in the report is that extending CoOL to the foodservice sector will not result in more Australian seafood being sold. Australia’s wild catch is already at its sustainable limit. Current demand exceeds Australia’s aquaculture production, and will continue to do so into the foreseeable future.

This is fundamentally because Australia’s seafood supply is distinctly different from other food commodities in its unavoidable dependence (72 per cent) on overseas production, processing and packaging. Another real myth is that CoOL will increase information to consumers. Country of origin information that would be displayed on menus, as a result of any mandatory labelling proposal, would be so limited, and so frequently ambiguous, that in many cases it would be just as misleading as it would be informative. The Association is saying that the efforts of the seafood sector should be around promoting Australian product, rather than advocating for mandatory labelling of imported fish and shellfish.

Matteo PignatelliPresident, Restaurant & Catering


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News&events

6 RESTAURANT & CATERING6 RESTAURANT & CATERING

Win the Social Media Award

R estaurant & Catering Australia’s Social Media Award is designed to encourage and recognise the use of social media within the restaurant and catering industry.

Not on Instagram? That’s fine. Your business doesn’t need an Instagram account to enter. As long as your customers use the hashtag you register when posting snaps taken at your venue, these will all count towards your final score.Enter in two easy steps1. Register your hashtag #savourawards(insertbusiness) by completing and submitting the Social Media Award nomination form, found on the R&CA website: www.restaurantcater.asn.au2. Encourage your customers to post your hashtag when posting photos taken at your venue.

The hashtag that is posted the most on Instagram wins! Winners will be announced at the state Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering HOSTPLUS Awards for Excellence events.

Damien Neylon, sous chef of Brae in Victoria’s Otway hinterland, has been announced as the winner of the 2015 HOSTPLUS Hospitality

Scholarship supported by the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival (MFW).

Natalie O’Brien, chief executive officer of MFW, summed up why Neylon was selected above other high-calibre applications

from all across the hospitality industry: “There was a real depth of quality in the applications that we received this year. However, Damien’s level of skill and dedication to his craft stood out to the judging panel. He clearly has a very bright future ahead of him and it is such a pleasure to play a helping hand to realise his career aspirations.”

Brae chef wins scholarship

HOSTPLUS CEO David Elia (left)

with Brae's Damien Neylon

and MFW CEO Natalie O'Brien.T

he Fair Work Commission Minimum Wage Panel decided to lift the national minimum wage to $656.90 per week and increase

all Modern Award wages by 2.5 per cent from July 1, 2015.

Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA) chief executive officer John Hart said the decision to increase wages by 2.5 per cent across all industries fails to recognise that some sectors are doing it tough, with profit margins in restaurants being eroded by escalating costs.

The Minimum Wage Panel noted in its decision that, “We again draw attention to the practical difficulties which arise from the interaction of ss.157(2), 285(1) and 286 of the Act. In particular, there is no mechanism to deal with claims of incapacity to pay by employers after an annual wage review has been completed.”

“Legislative changes must overcome these barriers in the process that impact small businesses and leaves them without any recourse to address their incapacity to pay,” said Hart.

Minimum wage decision

Closing datesSA: July 13 2015ACT: August 3WA: August 3

QLD: August 17NSW: August 31VIC: Closed

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News&events


The top 100

Spanish restaurant El Celler de Can Roca regained its title as The S.Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurant for 2015. Sydney’s Sepia

was chosen as 'One To Watch' and placed at number 84, while Brae in Birregurra, VIC, placed 87th. Sydney’s Quay was also recognised, taking out 58th spot. Attica in Melbourne was voted as Australia’s best restaurant at number 32.

Awards season

Savour Australia Restaurant &

Catering HOSTPLUS Awards for Excellence kick off this

month with Victorian winners announced at Peninsula, Docklands,

on July 20.South Australian winners will

be announced on August 3 at the Adelaide Convention Centre.

For more information go to the Events page at

restaurantcater.asn.au

Attica interior.

Peter Gilmore from Quay.

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AUGUST

JULY

Sat 1From polenta to peperonata—it’s all at the Australian Italian Festival around Ingham, Queensland, on July 31-Aug 2. tropicalcoasttourism.com.au Sun 2 Home of South Australia’s visual arts, the SALA Festival keeps restaurants, cafes and bars buzzing this month. On Aug 1-31, salainc.com.au Mon 3Take a bow, South Australia—it’s Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering HOSTPLUS Awards for Excellence at the Adelaide Convention Centre. restaurantcater.asn.au Tue 4Download the Melbourne International Film Festival app to access special food offers on Jul 30-Aug 16. View on iTunes or go to miff.com.au

August 9

Thu 6Don’t miss Darwin Festival’s bamboo food stalls and pop-up bars at the festooned Festival Park on Aug 6-23. darwinfestival.org.au Fri 7Help the homeless by participating in today’s CafeSmart event, simply donate $1 per coffee sold to fund local projects. streetsmartaustralia.org Sat 8Sydney’s Good Food & Wine Show on Aug 7-9 is a great chance to connect with your customers. goodfoodshow.com.au Sun 9There’s nothing better than sipping hot chocolate on a chilly day in Tassie. Visit today’s Chocolate Winterfest in Latrobe.

chocolatewinterfest.com.au Mon 10

Find out the winners of the Young Chef, Young Waiter and Young Restaurant at the

Appetite for Excellence awards night in Sydney. appetiteforexcellence.com Tue 11‘The changing landscape of the food industry’ is the hot topic at the Annual AIFST Convention in Sydney on Aug 11-13. aifst.asn.au Wed 12Upmarket restaurants are the real winners at casinos these days—see why at the Australian Gaming Expo in Sydney on Aug 11-13. austgamingexpo.com

Thu 13Caterers work their magic in furniture showrooms—all at the Saturday in Design event in Sydney on Aug 13-15. saturdayindesign.com Fri 14Touted as one of the world’s great gastronomic playgrounds, Barossa proves why at its Gourmet Weekend on Aug 14-16. barossagourmet.com

Mon 20Victoria celebrates the Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering HOSTPLUS Awards for Excellence at the Melbourne’s Peninsula. restaurantcater.asn.au Tue 21Promote your new restaurant by reminding your designer to apply for the Eat Drink Design awards. Closes in late July. eat-drink-design.com Wed 22Brisbane Good Food Month offers cheap dining deals and pop-up events at various restaurants and cafes on July 9-Aug 9. brisbane.goodfoodmonth.com Thu 23Last day to book tickets for the Food Magazine Awards dinner in Sydney’s Darling Harbour on Aug 7. foodmagazineawards.com.au Fri 24Legendary winemaker David Lett runs a champagne and sparkling wine seminar at the International Pinot Noir Celebration in Oregan, USA, on July 24-26. ipnc.org

Wed 15Owner/chef David Rayner of Thomas Corner Eatery showcases The Best of Regional Queensland today, all part of the Noosa Long Weekend Festival on July 14-26. noosalongweekend.com Thu 16Compare the latest high-tech products at the Security Exhibition & Conference in Melbourne on July 15-17. securityexpo.com.au Fri 17Celebrating its 20th year, the Boutique Wine Awards has a presentation lunch in Sydney with its chair, Huon Hooke. boutiquewines.com.au Sat 18Experience regional food and fine wine during late-night discussions around the fire at the Mildura Writers Festival on June 16-19. artsmildura.com.au Sun 19The country comes to the city as gourmet food trucks are set up at Regional Flavours in South Bank, Brisbane, on July 18-19. regionalflavours.com.au

Sat 25Embrace The Truffle Festival in Canberra and its region until late Aug. trufflefestival.com.au Sun 26Taste some of Sydney’s finest affogatos, macchiatos and mochaccinos for just $2 at The Rocks Aroma Festival. therocks.com Mon 27Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards are announced tonight. winelistoftheyear.com.au Tue 28What does Beijing know about spuds? Find out at the World Potato Congress on July 28-30. potatocongress.org Wed 29Regional competitions for the Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Awards ends with the Tasmanian results today. nestleprofessional.com Thu 30Tassie’s seasonal produce gets a pat on the back at the Wrest Point Royal Hobart Fine Food Awards on July 30-Aug 2. hobartshowground.com.au

What’s on

July—August 2015 July 16

http://miff.com.au

http://www.divexhibitions.com.au/showEvent.asp?id=386

http://boutiquewines.com.au

Management


for selling a restaurant

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1Know your way outIf you have just

decided to sell your restaurant six months from now then you are too late, says lawyer Peter Panagiotopoulos, whose business PNA Legal cafelawyers® specialises in the food service industry.

“The biggest mistake people make is with the timing,” Panagiotopoulos says. “You have to bake an exit strategy into your business before you even sign a lease. The thought that you can just turn your mind to selling a business and get it done quickly is wrong. Food service businesses live and die by their lease.”

At start-up, the owner makes an investment that must be followed by a period of growth during which an income is drawn. Owners need to remember a potential buyer will also require time to capitalise on their purchase. If the lease does not guarantee a buyer the time to achieve their financial goals, the purchase will not be attractive.

“It is a numbers game,” says Panagiotopoulos. “Finding the right balance between the occupation cost, the length of the lease and the multiple of the annual profit that the operator wants by way of capital return is vital.”

2 Give your business a point of differenceHoward Tinker, chief executive

officer of marketing firm Restaurant Profits, says one restaurant has introduced ‘Battle of the Wineries’ dinners. On these evenings they bring in

representatives from two wineries who match wines to specific meals. Diners are introduced to, and taught about, several types of wines. In a fun twist, they score each wine so at the end of the night there is a winner.

“If you do unique things with your business then when a buyer comes along they cannot compare apples with apples,” Tinker says. “If you can say that every month you run unique events then it is difficult for them to simply see the business as a commodity. The other five restaurants on the market might not have much that differentiates them. So, making your own business unique before a planned sale is a very good thing to do.”

3Get your database in order

A database of customers is a very powerful profit driver. Businesses that utilise their database in the most advanced fashion always record the revenues from specific database-driven events in order to measure success.

“During a sale, one of the things you want is to prove future earnings,” Tinker says. “So, if you run a birthday club throughout the year and you can prove, looking back over two or three years, how much money is produced from that database for


The classifieds are littered with food businesses selling at a price that simply covers equipment costs. But plan properly for the sale of your cafe or restaurant and you should realise a tidy profit. An important part of running a business is knowing when it is time to sell and what needs to be in place once that time arrives. Here, the experts give us their top five tips to a successful restaurant sale. Chris Sheedy reports

Left: Running a birthday club is a

great way to build a customer database.

Above: Running unique events

attracts attention.

that promotion, you can fairly accurately predict into the future

how much it is going to produce.”If you haven’t put such a system in

place, it is a very good idea to do so now, then direct your effort towards maximising the profits that come from your database promotions. This should all be part of the planning process for a sale.

“When you have recorded the profits that came from each of the database-driven events, it is a convincing enticement for buyers,” Tinker says.

And while some buyers, particularly those new to the restaurant game, will not immediately appreciate the value of a strong customer database, none will be unimpressed by the dollar figures it is capable of producing.

4 Groom your books“Businesses are traded on an earnings multiple,”

Panagiotopoulos says. “Restaurant sellers need to be able to substantiate profits. Ideally you would want to show a clean set of books so the broker and the buyer do not have to dig too hard to find the profit.”

This process, Panagiotopoulos says, is also valuable as it familiarises you—the owner—with your own business’s figures and key documents. Often a restaurant owner will be so bogged down in the running of the restaurant that the figures become hazy. But an owner that is clear about their figures, and who understands the business intimately, is also an owner


Management

find one you like and trust, and utilise their knowledge and that of other experts to familiarise yourself with market conditions.

“Talk to brokers and shop around,” he says. “Inform yourself about the sale process and the expected time frame. Broker commissions can hover around the seven per cent mark but there are exceptions. For example, if someone is trying to off-load an underperforming business for $50,000, no broker is going to do it for $3500.

“Inform yourself around what the current and local market is paying in terms of multiples. Then work out where your business sits and try to pull some levers and adjust things to go for the price you need.

“You need a good broker. They are worth every cent, especially if a business is not as profitable or as great as the owner might believe. You need somebody to find a buyer and get them across the line.”

more likely to achieve a successful sale.“Businesses are sold twice—first

to the broker and then to the buyer,” Panagiotopoulos says. “Brokers have your restaurant and a hundred others to sell. They are drawn to sellers that know the profit and can substantiate it, because it makes their job so much easier.”

On the flipside, a business owner who does not know their figures can make it more difficult for a broker to get a sale across the line.

5Familiarise yourself with the market via a brokerSpeaking of brokers, don’t try

to sell your restaurant without one, Panagiotopoulos says. Just as you would with real estate agents before the sale of a house, meet with several brokers,

Be clear about your business

figures and know your profit.

Get a good sense of the real estate market in

your area.

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Marketing


Getting involved in your community through sponsorships, donations and activities builds the brand, creates networks and opens doors you might have never considered. Nicole Szollos talks to three restaurateurs who are making their mark

Community. It’s a word that evokes a sense of belonging, common values and loyalty. And in the restaurant and

catering world, strategically integrating your business in the community can significantly impact on business success.

For restaurateurs and caterers, community involvement makes good business sense. It promotes the business name within the local market and gives the personalities behind the restaurant the opportunity to build networks and strengthen their personal profile, further embedding the business in the community’s heart.

Helping handRestaurant veteran Marie Piccin, co-owner of Angelo’s on the Bay in the inner-west Sydney suburb of Cabarita, has been an active community participant through her restaurant since it opened nearly 30 years ago. Piccin, who is also a resident in the area, provides support through a range of activities such as donating dining vouchers as raffle prizes to local schools, clubs and sports teams, and hosting community functions and charity fundraisers, including an annual major fundraising event for Concord Hospital.

Having started her career as a teacher at a local school before establishing the restaurant, Piccin understands how necessary fundraising is and the reliance

Onefor all

Garfish Manly seafod restaurant proudly supports the Manly Rugby team.

Leura Garage’s Art @ the

Garage series.

on the community. With requests for donations coming from near and far, she focuses on supporting groups and charities in her local government area but will go outside the boundaries for a particular cause she wants to support.

“We help our community and by staying local, it’s helped build our profile and it’s important to build the relationships in our local area,” she says.

Supporting her local community wasn’t a conscious business or marketing strategy in the beginning for Piccin; it was just her way of helping out. But over the years the benefits became clear.

“Every time you give away a voucher, you get those people coming to your restaurant. When we hold a charity event at the restaurant, we may have 140 people through the door and they get the Angelo’s experience. Then when they are thinking of somewhere for a birthday party or family dinner, we are the first people they ring,” she says.

Piccin also donates her time at community street fairs and events, building not only the Angelo’s on the Bay brand but also her personal profile. Each year Piccin, along with some of her team, hold a cooking demonstration at the Concord Carnival and she has been the MC of FerraCucina, the kitchen stage at Five Dock’s annual Italian festival, for the past eight years.

Sporting tiesOpening a restaurant in the highly residential and tourist-dense suburb of Manly on Sydney’s northern beaches

required a more deliberate community engagement approach by industry stalwart, Mark Dickey. Establishing Garfish Manly in 2006, he found that appealing to local clientele was a key focus of the initial marketing philosophy and plan.

“Knowing Manly had a high tourist rate, we didn’t want to be another restaurant catering to tourists. There wasn’t a great level of service in the area because most restaurants weren’t concerned about return catchment so we wanted to come up with a long-term marketing strategy because the locals tend to be a bit suspicious. So we wrote ‘Garfish—your new local’ on our blackboard from the very first day and we looked to engage with the community from the get-go,” he says.

Part of this strategy was to sponsor two local sporting groups, the Manly-Marlins Rugby club and the Manly Warringah Netball Association, to engage with the community. While a connection with the two clubs existed, they were identified as markets aligned with the product and selected to build the Garfish Manly name among supporters.

“We knew it was a strong rugby union area and demographically, they were the type of customers we wanted in the restaurant and to connect with,” Dickey explains. “Supporting the netball association gave us broad exposure as they have a huge participation rate on the northern beaches and we know that the female generally makes the dinner booking, so we saw some benefit from that,” he adds.

Dickey describes the sponsorship relationship as “symbiotic”. The restaurant receives exposure through banners on the field, ads in the game booklet plus mentions on game day. Padding on the netball post is branded with the Garfish Manly logo and they have naming rights on one Marlins jersey.

The clubs reciprocate support by holding various dinners at the restaurant and at an individual level, the relationship has led to regular local customers.

“It’s very important to support the local community, particularly for business longevity. You become part of the club by being a sponsor and there is a shared philosophy. On any given night there are two to three tables of people in the restaurant that I know are involved in the sports clubs,” he says.

In addition, Garfish Manly supports local schools, charities and clubs and in the past year has donated gift vouchers of various denominations to 21 schools, 13 clubs and eight charities. The restaurant also hosts several charity functions throughout the year.

While the monetary return on investment from community support is difficult to measure, Piccin and Dickey agree that over time, results are there and they are more than financial.

“It is rewarding to support the community. It makes you feel a connection with the people who use your business and you feel positive about being part of the community,” says Dickey. “There is also the karma element. We’re putting it out there and it comes back. That’s not always direct; it could be through someone booking and bringing other people to the restaurant or it could be the general feel-good factor that’s built around our brand that we do good things in the community.”

Piccin, who earlier this year was named City of Canada Bay’s 2014 Citizen of the Year in recognition of her community support, has had a similar experience in her journey.

“We have held many functions at the restaurant that have been an offshoot from our community involvement and it shows that whatever you become involved in, you can really push the business. The more your name is out there, the better it is for your business,” she says. “There is also the feel-good factor for customers that they are dining in a restaurant that supports the local community.”

Regional focusFor James Howarth, owner of Leura Garage in the Blue Mountains, NSW, community also means regional. Since opening Leura Garage in 2011, Howarth


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Above: Leura Garage employs four Ability Options staff. Left: Marie Piccin, co-owner of Angelo’s on the Bay.

Two places at once with

CCTV

has supported local schools, clubs and charities through fundraising and donations but has also backed regional initiatives such as the Safer Australian Roads and Highways (SARAH) movement and the Ability Options initiative.

“The SARAH movement is about creating awareness among the public that safety on the roads is important. We support the organisation financially—the Art @ the Garage series was a fundraising activity for it,” Howarth explains.

“The Ability Options initiative is more of an integrated strategy. We were looking at a way to allow floor staff to focus on customer service rather than cleaning and setting up tables, so we developed roles for Ability Options clients to assist with various duties. We now have four staff in this arrangement and it has been a real success for the business,” he adds.

Howarth also presents at the annual Leura Harvest Festival and attends schools and growers’ markets to showcase the restaurant’s focus on sourcing local and seasonal produce.


Marketing

“Regional restaurants have a great advantage in that they can develop their own identity and it can be influenced very much by the people, the geography and the climate. The possibilities of working regionally are significant because people want to go to a regional restaurant and experience something local, but unless a grower can supply local produce then the opportunity can’t exist,” he says.

This sentiment outlines Howarth’s approach to marketing, taking it beyond community support and into regional progression. He is currently concentrating on the product and takes the view that there is no point in promoting until the product is right. To this end, he is working with local growers to help improve critical mass and works specifically with one main supplier to

design the Leura Garage menu and help plan what he should grow.

“Restaurants are an interesting

business because there are many

touch points and you have to work at

every single one to create the whole. It is a lot of work

but at the same time, it builds your brand, creates integrity and moves you forward,” Howarth muses.

While it is still relatively early in Leura Garage’s marketing strategy, Howarth has identified some benefits of supporting the community, in particular receiving positive feedback from customers.

“It’s been very positive and it can lead you to new places. As a business owner, you are always thinking about how to sell more but you also need to think about the intangibles of being involved in the community. What you put into the universe comes back to you,” he says.

“What you put into the universe comes

back to you.”James Howarth, owner of

Leura Garage, NSW

Pizza bases

What I’ve learnt


MilesJustinIN

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SAN

I started as an apprentice chef with Ann Oliver at Mistress Augustine’s in North Adelaide. She became my mentor and I learnt so much about precision from her. Soon after becoming a sous chef, I moved to London, where I dropped back to the bottom of the food chain.

Still, I was determined and excited to be in a city that was building the foundation of modern cooking. So, I knocked on the door of Bibendum Restaurant and they gave me a chance. That was largely because I was an Aussie and they knew we are workhorses, but I got in just by knocking on the door. That’s the motivation I expect from my own staff. You can teach skill and technique, but you can’t give someone enthusiasm.

In London, I would arrive at work at 7.45am and then catch the last Tube after midnight. The hospitality industry is high octane, adrenaline fuelled, exciting and stressful. I once read that chefs are the second most stressed professionals behind air-traffic controllers. Of course, our work isn’t on the same level, but I understand the comparison.

I left London after a year and returned to Adelaide. After being on the opening team for Michael Hill-Smith’s Universal Wine Bar, I gained my first head chef position at The Wellington Hotel, North Adelaide. I moved to Thredbo in New South Wales shortly before the landslide in 1997. Seeing the beautiful resort town heal and get back on its feet taught me that no matter what adversity comes your way, there is always a way to get through.

Following Thredbo I moved to Ricky Ricardo’s in Noosa where there was a lot of pressure. People from Melbourne and Sydney would book a table before booking their flights.

But that was nothing compared to managing the kitchen at Noosa Springs golf resort. It was my first time in a corporate situation and the standards and scope of management were so different. In my first year, we served about 14 events; in my final year we did 700.

At Windy Point, our customers are often generational customers. You might come here as a child, then as an adult and then with your own children. Windy Point is for anyone who is celebrating anything from an 18th to an 80th. I first

came here for my Year 12 graduation and I already thought then it was the pinnacle of dining in Adelaide.

When I came into the business seven years ago, the edict from [then owner] Bill Sparr was to make Windy Point contemporary and relevant. It had such a strong foundation; it just needed some tweaking through understanding who our customers are and what our base standard is.

Soon after I started, the global financial crisis hit and fine dining quickly became an unviable business model. We changed the format to formal dining instead and we

became more efficient and streamlined. We asked people to play to their strengths and we trained our floor

team as salespeople.

Today diners are more discerning than they have ever been before so it is a real challenge for us to retain that relevance. A lot of people want the newest and trendiest experiences. Still, Windy Point can stand up to that competition. It’s fantastic for us to be able to open the doors

every day to people who are really, genuinely interested in a high quality

food experience. We deal in provenance and we want to serve South Australia with integrity.

I think the state is very fortunate to have such a strong supply of the best produce. Excellence is our

minimum standard and we must constantly self-evaluate.

It was enormously rewarding to be South Australia’s [Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering HOSTPLUS Awards for Excellence] Restaurant of the Year in 2013. For an established venue to take home the gong was unbelievable. It was great recognition for a team that toiled through difficult financial times and it confirmed for me that we are relevant. Awards are wonderful but any business would give them up to be sustainable. Customer satisfaction and the volume of meals we put through the kitchen have always been the best measure of success.

We’re an evening venue with very little walk-by traffic and we still do 50,000 meals per year. We are a destination venue with very high standards of service and that’s our point of difference. Now, after being here seven years, I can’t see myself being anywhere else. I’m motivated to come to work every day and that’s quite something.


MilesWe changed the format to formal dining instead and we became

more efficient and streamlined. We

asked people to play to their strengths

and we trained our floor team as

salespeople.

Award-winning restaurateur and executive chef Justin Miles is a tenacious taskmaster, of himself and his team. This attitude, coupled with his world travels, has ensured success for Windy Point in South Australia and cemented it as an industry leader


Cover story

Mother and daughter Shirley Struk and Deanne Bond could be considered eastern Sydney’s accidental restaurateurs. However, persistence, patience and pragmatism have seen this hard-working duo turn a derelict beachfront building into an award-winning eatery, popular with tourists and locals alike. Tracey Porter reports

Doublevision


Acasual mid-morning stroll turned Shirley Struk’s plans for early retirement on their ear.

The former accountant’s year-long sabbatical from a high-profile banking job to nurse her ailing parents was drawing to a close and Struk was looking forward to handing in her notice to wile away her days treading the sand and lunching with friends.

But then she saw it. “It was a dilapidated building at the heart of the Maroubra Promenade [in Sydney’s eastern suburbs] and I knew instinctively it would make a great restaurant,” says Struk. Positioned across one level, it was easily accessible while the space had the picturesque Arthur Byrne Reserve on one side and an unobstructed view of the beautiful eastern seaboard on the other.

Making a mental note to ask her husband to contact Randwick Council to enquire about the structure, she continued on her way.

Six months later, the idea was still percolating when the then 50-year-old stumbled upon a notice in the paper, seeking tenders for the very same space. Having roped in daughter Deanne Bond who had recently returned to the area

while portable tables and chairs were strategically positioned each morning to

capture the glint of the early morning

sunshine and the might of the renowned

Maroubra surf. Just months after opening, the

cafe was hit by the after-effects of a near cyclonic storm that had made its way from Wollongong, some 100 kilometres to the south. Rubbish bins were up-ended and the cafe’s tables and chairs were found up to 500 metres away. The council was forced to bring in bulldozers to move the thousands of cubic metres of sand that had found their way along the raised promenade platform and settled throughout the venue.

This hastened an idea the two women had been considering to future-proof the venue. When their re-tender for the space in 2005 was again successful, the pair took the opportunity to undertake a major renovation.

The venue now occupies around 240 square metres of dining and kitchen space. Struk and Bond added a roof, commissioned bespoke fold-back glass doors to make the space fully enclosed, smartened up its interior and rebirthed it as the Pavilion Beachfront restaurant.PH

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from a stint operating a guesthouse-cum-winery in Mudgee, the pair put in a joint bid but was surprised as any when announced the winner.

“I did it for Deanne,” says Struk. “I thought, ‘She needs a job so let’s do this’. At the same time Deanne argues that she just ‘went along with’ her mum’s crazy idea. I didn’t think we’d get it, we’d never done anything like this before.”

In 2000, they opened the doors to the casual dining venue they christened Pavilion Cafe. Struk and Bond were well aware of its value—it’s one of the few cafes in Sydney that occupies absolute beachfront space. In the early stages, they designed the sit-down component of the eatery with little shelter, leaving it largely to the mercy of the elements.

Demand for a takeaway component was sated via the addition of a kiosk at the back of the restaurant to provide coffees and light refreshments to the passing trade.

Before long, the pair bought big plastic windbreaks to combat the full effects of the area’s frequent gusts

“It was a dilapidated building

at the heart of the Maroubra

Promenade and I knew instinctively it would make a

great restaurant.”Shirley Struk, Pavilion Beachfront co-owner

Cover story

“We get the very best and worst of Mother Nature,” says Struk. “We see dolphins and whales frolicking in the sunshine when the water is clear. But then the southerlies come in here, and they are very strong. The only beach that cyclone hit that day was Maroubra. Half-a-million dollars later we enclosed it and stopped the wind.”

At the same time as renewing their existing lease, the duo also had the foresight to amend their licensing conditions in favour of a Primary Service liquor licence that allows the licensee to serve alcohol to patrons without the requirement to purchase food.

While Struk and Bond have opted not to advertise this publicly for fear of turning their beloved restaurant from a destination dining facility into a destination watering hole, Struk says the move was necessary to appease the restaurant’s large number of European tourists who frequently felt aggrieved when told of the limitations governing their previous licence.

Evening functions are now tailored to suit any requirement, whether it’s a corporate event or a family birthday. The extended licensing conditions also proved helpful when the Pavilion trialled evening dining last November. The move proved so popular, it’s likely to be repeated during the following summer months.

Calling the restaurant home for the


The decision to renovate and rebrand has proved a popular one among Pavilion patrons with repeat business now accounting for around 70 per cent of the restaurant’s turnover. Such is the intimacy between venue and clientele, Struk says it’s now become like a little village where “we know everyone by their coffees, not necessarily their names”.

Open every day of the year except for Christmas and Melbourne Cup day, the restaurant averages around 400 covers for breakfast and lunch on weekends and a further 100 or so a day during the quieter weekdays.

Struk says the glass frontage allows them to bring the outside indoors although on stormy days they prefer to shelter inside, confident in the knowledge the glass doors are able to withstand wind gusts of up to 140 kilometres per hour.

Above: Head chef Fransisco ‘Pancho’ Balut favours fresh, local produce on the menu.

Pavilion Beachfront won the 2014 Savour Australia

Restaurant & Catering HOSTPLUS Award for Excellence for Best

Breakfast Restaurant.


past five years, head chef Fransisco ‘Pancho’ Balut has settled on a laid-back menu brimming with fresh local produce as befits the casual seaside venue.

The menu is changed at least three—but usually four—times a year. While the ultimate decision rests with Balut and Struk, sous chefs also have a chance to have input in the hope it will help keep boredom at bay.

Further enticing punters through the door is the Pavilion’s mid-level price points, which range from $10 (for a sour dough bruchetta with chorizo, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and ricotta) to around $25 for the more lavish lunch dishes. Breakfasts average around $15 per plate.

Judges too have been quick to realise the restaurant’s appeal with the business on the receiving end of several accolades, the latest of which was being awarded the Best Breakfast Restaurant in the 2014 Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering HOSTPLUS Awards for Excellence.

While seasonal variations have their place, Struk says the high level of repeat custom means there are some menu staples that cannot be forsaken. These include grilled fish and chips and crispy skinned Atlantic salmon which comes in various guises throughout the year but at present arrives on a bed of orange and beetroot salad with pine nuts, feta and a lemon vinaigrette.

Heavily reliant on local producers for its seafood, eggs and fruit and vegetables, Struk says most suppliers have been with the restaurant since it first opened its doors 15 years ago.

The beverage list too relies heavily on domestic wine producers, says Struk who for nearly 60 years called the seaside settlement home.

“We keep our wine list quite varied and we like to keep our prices reasonable. We’re at Maroubra; we’re not at Double Bay. We charge $105 for our Veuve Clicquot champagne which is a non-vintage variety but still there’s not much mark-up on that. Most of our wine list is priced in the mid-$30 range. The bulk of these are Australian wines.

If New Zealand didn’t have such

good sauvignon blancs I wouldn’t have

any from there either.” With her head for figures, Struk spent

the early days helping Bond work the floors of the restaurant before heading home in the evening to meet with suppliers, settle accounts and liaise with regulatory bodies. These days she leaves Bond and the Pavilion’s 12 front-of-house staff to manage the day-to-day operation of the restaurant while she takes charge of the administration side of the business, including payroll, HR and marketing.

Struk considers staff resourcing among the least taxing aspects of her job due largely to the business’s success in attracting and retaining good staff. She credits good communication as key and argues involving staff in decision-making also helps achieve buy-in.

One day, says Struk, she’d like to add an upstairs component to the building to allow it to host conferences as well as extend its function capabilities.

But until that day, she must be content with the fact that Pavilion’s clientele continues to enjoy the high standard of service they have come to expect.

“We spend a lot of time, particularly when we get a new employee on board, training them—even down to setting up the tables,” says Struk. “When you walk in, you’ll find every table is set up exactly the same with fork and knife placement a certain distance in from the side of the table. The staff know; they’re trained in observing the little things. It’s a pet hate of mine. I cannot stand seeing empty plates left on tables. They’re cleared immediately.

“Before we set up this place, I’d go to restaurants and pick them apart. Now I’ve had to put my money where my mouth is.”

“Before we set up this place, I’d go to

restaurants and pick them apart. Now I’ve had to put my money where my mouth is.”

Shirley Struk, Pavilion Beachfront co-owner

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Winter warmers product guide

Product Guide

Restaurant & Catering magazine’s guide to the best winter warmer

products on the market today


W ith the line between meal times becoming blurred, diners are looking for flexible

eating options to match their busy lifestyles. Additionally, as the weather cools down and customers seek out comforting options, foodservice professionals must cater for the rise in demand for warming, smaller menu options.

Speedibake’s range of rustic dinner rolls provide the perfect base for a gourmet slider, ideal for catering to demands for flexible eating options. Sliders are an economical and simple way to please customers who are after a lighter meal that still satisfies.

Foodservice outlets and cafes around the country have found that

having a pre-baked bread on hand to create gourmet sliders is a no fuss, cost-effective solution. The light airy texture of a sourdough roll, or the traditional chewy texture of a ciabatta roll are the ultimate pairings for mini-burgers filled with lamb, beef or chicken. And, for busy kitchens in need of versatile products, the rolls double as the perfect accompaniment for soup, saving extra orders and storage space.

Speedibake’s range of rustic sliders, which can be ordered in a mixed carton of ciabatta, rye and sourdough, are available through your local distributor. Delivered frozen, they have twelve months frozen shelf life, making it easy for smaller foodservice outlets to store and manage.

Sliding into the winter months with Speedibake

Asian Pulled Pork Sliders with Coleslaw

6 Speedibake Ciabatta Dinner Rolls750g Pork Belly (fat removed)20g of salt20g of sugar1 tsp of five spice

Coleslaw:¼ of a white cabbage1 red onion1 carrot¼ cup mayonnaiseSalt and pepper

Method• Rub the salt, sugar and spice

into the pork belly with small amount of olive oil and allow to marinate for 3 hours or preferably overnight. Rinse the marinade off in fresh water and lightly pat dry the pork belly.

• Roast at 220 degrees for 20 minutes, then at 180 degrees for 1 hour followed by a last blast at 220 degrees for 20 minutes.

• Allow the pork to rest for 15 minutes before pulling apart with a fork. While the pork is resting, slice open the dinner rolls and grill cut side down on a hot grill pan.

• Then thinly slice the cabbage, red onion and carrot and toss through the mayonnaise and salt and pepper.

• Layer all ingredients in each slider, serve warm.

Speedibake rolls are the perfect choice for warm, comforting sliders

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Driven by principles of innovation, quality and value, Wombat Food Group has launched into

the Australian Foodservice industry and is getting attention with a wide range of gluten-free antipasto/dips, sauces and frozen foods.

“Our small business sprang into existence thought a lack of convenient well-priced quality Australian made products for the food service market,” explains founder Walter Martin.

With a primary focus on using the freshest products with no artificial additives or preservatives, the Wombat Valley brand fills a space in the Australian market for quality, well-

priced Australian product.“One thing that stands us above

other manufacturers is we put quantity before profit. We have been able to offer a large and varied range of new combinations of sauces and of course the old-fashioned proven sauces, which has given us a fantastic range to choose from,” says Walter.

The advanced product development and 3PL distribution capability offers a solution geared towards large franchise requirements, while at the same time catering for smaller retail and foodservice operators.

All products are gluten-free and manufactured in Australia from local product wherever possible. Being

an Australian owned-and-operated business, they have an interest in keeping our suppliers local and believe in the superior quality of Australian produce. “We must be doing something right because we have experienced unprecedented growth across Australia,” Walter adds.

As a special offer for Restaurant & Catering magazine readers, if you place an order via the website at www.wombatfoodgroup.com.au, Wombat will give you one matching product FREE for every five ordered.

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RestaurantCatering

How Adriano Zumbo went from ARL coulda-been to nationally famous chef

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KingHong

Crazy-hip, palate-popping and precise—meet the 2014 R&C Young Achiever of the Year

START-UP CENTRAL “You have to be prepared

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If all that sounds like a hassle, then don’t bother.”.”Kiren Mainwaring, Co-op Dining

and Dear Friends, Perth

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“By staging each part of the business, it gave every business an opportunity to be the hero and we could give them our undivided attention.”Frank Van Haandel, Stokehouse, Melbourne and Brisbane odysseycaseA

Restaurant Start-up centralAll you need to know about the first year of business, page 16

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SPECIAL FEATURE

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M1507RC

As a member of Restaurant & Catering Australia, you can have access to a payment terminal that can do more than take payments.The Commonwealth Bank has developed a new terminal called Albert that accepts card payments and also runs apps. There is no limit to what it can do - split payments, add tips, scan barcodes, collect and provide insights on your business, and much more.

Albert is the clever new EFTPOS tablet and it’s exclusive to Commonwealth Bank. It’s technology to keep your business moving.

commbank.com.au/albert

Important Information: Some of the apps shown require individual development. Commonwealth Bank of Australia ABN 48 123 123 124 AFSL and Australian credit licence 234945.

To be put in touch with a Commonwealth Bank Specialist and find the technology to keep your business moving, contact Restaurant & Catering Australia on 1300 722 878 today.





















Technology

When restaurant industry accountant Alyson Garrett began moving a number

of her key clients from traditional bookkeeping and accounting services over to online cloud-based systems, she knew one particular client held the key to whether this process could be a success.

“That client was using really outdated equipment, and struggling. I figured if I could get him onto cloud accounting, then I could get anyone,” Adelaide-based

Garrett recalls. “He was my measure of whether this would work.”

Three months later one Saturday morning, Garrett received a phone

call from that particular client and with it, she had her answer.

“He rang to ask me what he should do with his Saturdays, as for years, he had spent the day doing the week’s books. Now by being on the cloud, it was taking care of itself and he had nothing to do. That was the day I knew this could work for any business.”

The popularity of cloud accounting

Cloud-based accounting is revolutionising the way many owners do business. But some questions remain if this is the best and most secure way to operate. John Burfitt reports







Charting the cloud


—a system offering software and information stored and accessed online—continues to grow. Some of the systems used in the restaurant and catering industry include MYOB Cloud, Saasu, QuickBooks and Xero.

“I believe this way of doing business is the way of the future and it is the next evolution of the internet,” Garrett says. “The cloud becomes a place where you can store as well as access information anytime so that your way of working can become more flexible.

“A common issue I have seen with a lot of restaurant owners is they believe they can never take any time off as they feel they need to be in the office to make sure everything is being paid, the roster is in place and the orders have been done.

“With the cloud, they can check in and do that from anywhere as this gives them real-time information to keep track of the business.”

Aside from allowing mobile access, a cloud system also allows integration of most aspects of the business. Many regular transactions can be automated and streamlined, so the point of sale operations can be linked directly to the accounting system and banking details, and then produce a daily report on the business.

And for accountants like Alyson Garrett, it means she can check in on the state of business of her clients at any time, and help monitor any variations that need to be done.

“What this allows as an accountant is to be proactive and see what is going on throughout the year, not just at the end of the year when I get the spreadsheets through,” she says. “People these days do not want to pay for just a whole lot of end-of-financial-year accounting. They want value throughout the year with real-time information, and that is what the cloud opens up to both of us.”

Simplifying time-consuming processes

has been the biggest advantage of using cloud accounting for Sarah Munn of Fino At Seppeltsfield in the Barossa Valley.

“Formerly tedious monthly reconciliations are simplified by the live bank feeds and now become incorporated into daily tasks, freeing up my time,” Munn says. “The simple cash flow features help support the business by giving a visual picture of how we are travelling daily.

Kane Pollard of The Topiary Café in South Australia believes working with the cloud has offered his business a definite advantage.

“Since using Kounta linked to Xero, we have been able to measure and improve all aspects of the business with the freedom of doing it on the phone, tablet, laptop or PC from home when needed,” Pollard says. “This has resulted in more free time and the head space to be able to work on the business, rather than in the business.”

One of the biggest advantages of the various cloud packages is the owner does not need to purchase business accounting software programs to be uploaded onto their office computer system. The application vendor also manages IT maintenance, like version upgrades and data back-up.

The rates for cloud accounting systems start from around $10 a month.

Mark Williams of Caunt and Lowbeer in Sydney is another accountant who has moved many of his clients to a cloud accounting system. While he is also a great proponent of the many benefits the cloud offers, he does admit that this way of working is not for everyone.

“Many clients are accepting this is the way things are moving, but for others, they are happy with existing software and systems and do not want to change,” he says.

“If they have already put a lot of time into setting up and tailoring their system, it is a big decision to change and can be

time consuming. We have had a few clients move to the cloud and

then jumped back again as not all the features

worked for them or they realised they weren’t up for implementing a new system.”

Concerns over online security and safety

of confidential information remain

an issue for some clients, despite all the

assurances of otherwise. “For some of our older clients, that

is a really big issue when we discuss the cloud, and it is understandable. There is a reluctance for some that will still be there for some time.”

It is the benefit of doing business in a flexible way that is also adaptable to each client that, Williams says, will continue to be the greatest selling point of the cloud.

“The automation potential with cloud accounting systems can be such a big time saver and the efficiencies ensure that accounts are being updated all the time.”

Adds Alyson Garrett, “You have to consider that if your competition is doing business this way, then they have a distinct competitive advantage as reducing overhead costs and saving time might mean pricing is more competitive and costs are coming down. All the factors of the cloud need to be considered seriously.”

Technology

“I believe this way of doing business is the way of the future and it is the next evolution

of the internet.”Alyson Garrett, restaurant

industry accountant

Flynntechnology

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Most importantly identityPAY™ isolates each employee by their ‘fingerprint’, making it impossible for misrepresentation of

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At Flynn Technology we are focused on providing software solutions that provide a functional link between our client’s internal

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Drinks

wonderlandWinter

When reduced sunlight hours and colder weather starts to cull your customer volume, any form of promotion and marketing is useful, no matter how daggy or retro it might be. Seasonal drinks lists can, in this regard,

be more than useful. Mulled wines, toddies, hot punches, corrected coffees—all of these winter drinks are as time-honoured as they are charmingly jejune, and they can delight your younger, discovering demographic as much as your more mature and reflective customers.

Now is the time to leverage the effects of these drinks’ and while it’s essential to add a few modern takes to these classic winter warmers, don’t downplay their history.

For it’s odd in a way to think that long before warm—let alone hot—cups of tea and coffee were the non-alcoholic liquid staple of Europe, those same people were drinking warmed wine. The Romans, of course, either took or found or encouraged wine

wherever they went; and when the weather turned a bit wintry they would warm the stuff up. Traditionally with a hot poker. The Greeks, a few hundred years earlier, had already taken to flavouring wine (with such things as seawater, fennel and pine cone resin, to name but a few), so the notion of warmed, flavoured alcoholic drinks was hardly new when it began to flourish in England some 1000 years later. The Saxon and Viking visitors were doing it with cider and ale; later, during the Victorian period, port and French wines were mulled, and increasingly flavoured with more exotic spices from the Far East.

And while mulled wine might have—in more recent Australian conditions—been the rather naff ski chalet beverage of polyester choice, all of its history should be used to promote it and make it your winter solstice signature drink. And don’t limit mulling just to wine.

Mulled cider is a good alternative, and trades well off cider’s current and ongoing transgender

popularity. Selling such a drink as a Wassail—the drink and ceremony of the south-west

of England’s cider producing areas—brings a useful touch of Viking-osity to the whole thing, too. Wassail is Old Norse for ‘be healthy’, so it might even help you with your responsible service of alcohol policies.

Traditional ales also have great scope and history when it comes to

mulling. And they should be similarly leveraged what with real ale and craft

beer’s increasing presence in so many bars.As with many other mulling bases—whether

What are the benefits of offering seasonal beverages such as mulled wine, Irish coffee and hot toddies? Ben Canaider explains

Any sort of exotic fruit that Jamie Oliver puts into a winter salad is permissible in

a mulled drink.

they be ale, cider, red wine, or fruit wine such as elderberry—flavouring additions of cinnamon, nutmeg, aniseed, orange zest and cloves are the staple. Fresh ginger is nowadays more popular as a flavouring, as to is cranberry and pomegranate, particularly in mulled wine. Basically, any sort of exotic fruit that Jamie Oliver puts into a winter salad is permissible in a mulled drink.

Also remember that bringing any alcoholic drink to the boil will remove the alcohol. Mulling service temperatures up to about 60˚C are considered most suitable. And if you do want to add the extra theatre of a mulling iron to your bar, then be warned that a red hot poker is and always will be a red hot poker.

Toddies are another area of drinks list endeavour at this time of year, perhaps offered as a pre- or post-dinner revivifying devivifyer. The traditional hot toddy is and was quite medicinal, with reference to sore throats. Lemon juice, sugar, boiling water and a splash of either whisky or brandy. Additional flavours such as clove can sneak in; and other ingredients such as Frangelico, if used sparingly, can add some complexity to this drink. More bourbon and rye are being used in toddy construction, maybe because they have stronger and more obvious flavours.

Winter and its sense of community can also be harnessed with warm punches. For events or parties, such a drink can help set the right seasonal tone. The default spices and flavourings go in, and as with other punches, you add fruit and some spirits—gin can provide a good botanical background. Warm punches mixed with Madeira also work well, but as long as you err on the more conservative side when it comes to the Madeira’s addition.

At the other end of the night or event, corrected coffees can have a role to potentially play. Whether it be Irish or Jamaican coffee, the use and promotion of special ingredients, made in a house or signature style, helps. demerara or turbinado sugars—so de rigueur with the coffee-istas—have a place here, as might some of the ‘raw’ sugars, such as muscovado. An Irish coffee featuring on a drinks list I met the other night had some additional cream ‘hand-whipped’. This simple description seemed to do wonders for sales.

In a similar vein there’s also the classic hot-buttered rum. Mix butter, sugar (I think maple syrup works well here) and some orange rind swirls together and then incorporate the rum and some boiling water. Mix it all about and serve in small cups. Anyone who likes liqueur-filled chocolates seems to like this drink; it is certainly very textural and creamy. And it should probably be also listed on the dessert menu, along with hot chocolates. These often all-too dreary nanna drinks can be souped up with a shot of tequila and a sprinkle of chilli powder.

Yet what I am really looking for on winter drinks lists this cold and flu season is glögg. Glögg is a Nordic classic which combines and warms red wine, port, vodka, the standard mulling spices, some sugar, some orange peel, slivered almonds and some raisins. It is like an exotic, alcoholic liquid muesli. And themed with some pagan and Viking finger food (apologies for that ridiculous oxymoron) you might just get the till moving along a bit on a cold and wet winter Wednesday night.


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www.stoddart.com.au1300 79 1954Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth

“T he clients [the Gjergja family] approached us to design a cellar door with a

restaurant, accommodation, production and storage facilities. They had researched architects and approached us to design the new building.

“A careful demolition of the existing agricultural sheds was required. The benching on the existing slope was used to dig back into the ground to build the cellar door and then partially bury it.

“The design process took a year and the construction took over two years. The building, which now spirals out of the hill, was based on 17th- and 18th-century French châteaux. That’s how we designed the production and fermentation parts of the winery which was positioned underground.

“The building continues up the hill,


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When Roger Wood of Wood/Marsh Architecture designed the winery restaurant in the Mornington Peninsula, he drew inspiration from French chateâux and maritime references

with offices, restaurant, the cellar door and six accommodation suites that sit beneath the restaurant. All have sweeping vineyard and coastal views.

“Our work is always sculptural, and this building is intended to resemble a prehistoric whale bone that’s been washed up, covered with earth, and a million years later eroded and exposed.

“The walls are made of rammed earth, a medieval construction technique. Apparently, these are the tallest rammed earth walls in the Southern Hemisphere. We altered the appearance of the rammed earth by adding different cement oxides, achieving a colour similar to that of bleached driftwood.

“The Gjergja family have a passion for maritime pursuits and this is embodied throughout the building. In the restaurant, for example, the chevron patterns on the ceiling not only allow

for acoustic attenuation, but they look like a crafted hull of a timber boat.

“We selected the Accademia ‘Vela’ dining chairs from Space because of the knitting material; it refers to maritime items

Roger Wood and Randal MarshWood/Marsh Architecture30 Beaconsfield ParadePort Melbourne VIC 3207T: (03) 9676 2600 www.woodmarsh.com.au

such as fishing nets. The chairs are also very serviceable—they’re easy to maintain and easy to stack.

“The restaurant seats up to 115 guests, and the cellar door opens to an expansive outdoor timber deck, taking advantage of the sweeping views. It’s a versatile space for events and functions.

“Doors on either side of the restaurant bar allow staff to go into the commercial kitchen one way and out the other way. All kitchen supplies are loaded from the back of the kitchen from a concealed courtyard. There’s also a second smaller kitchen, which services the cellar door.

“With polished concrete floors throughout the public areas, the building presents a robust but elegant aesthetic. We like the rustication of it. I think if you speak with anyone who has worked there, they’d say it was a dream job. The restaurant is a very functional space, but whenever the staff turn their head, they’re looking all the way from French Island across Phillip Island to Bass Strait.”

Port Phillip Estate The Dining Room

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rc july 2015

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