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June 2010

Special inveStigation: the expanding food wastelineColin Fassnidge puts pigeon on the Culinary map We profile the culinary capabilitieS of rabbit, duck, quail, veniSon and chicken

We take a front row seat for the spectacle at Restaurant Arras

stealing the show

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contents

June 2010

plus

June 2010

Special inveStigation: the expanding food wastelineColin Fassnidge puts pigeon on the Culinary map We profile the culinary capabilitieS of rabbit, duck, quail, veniSon and chicken

We take a front row seat for the spectacle at Restaurant Arras

stealing the show

4 foodService June 2010

news8 Ramsay lands for Metropol launch9 Gilmore holds Quay to Australasia at Worlds9 Streetsmart breaks $1M barrier

Cover Pigeon Rossini by Adam Humphrey Restaurant Arras

regulars10 management12 inside dining16 masterclass20 opinion22 seafood44 quaff46 legal48 shopping cart50 backbites

features10 Waiting for a dead man’s shoes Is being the best waiter in the room enough to set you up to manage people? This

month Tony Eldred looks at the giant step from waitperson to manager.

12 Stealing the show In a venue just opposite the Sydney Theatre Company in Walsh Bay, another show

takes place each night. Yasmin Newman takes a front row seat for the spectacle at Restaurant Arras.

16 A bird in the hand Pigeon may not have caught the imagination of Aussie chefs yet, but this month expat

Irish chef Colin Fassnidge shows the versatility of this robust game bird.

28 The expanding wasteline As our appetite for eating out-of-home grows, the amount of edible food making a

mountain of landfill is starting to cause concern. Anthony Huckstep investigates the scale of food wastage in the foodservice industry.

32 If you’re game This month some of Australia’s finest chefs profile the versatility of rabbit, duck, quail,

venison and the humble chook.

plus44 Keep your friends close and your enemies closer Jim McMahon offers some advice on how to start putting your competition in the

picture, through his exploration of mini bar wines.

42 FSA hits the mark This year’s FSA EXPO promises to be the ultimate one-stop-shop for operators looking

for a kickstart to the next financial year.

1232

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from the editor


EDITOR Anthony Huckstep (02) 9213 8335 [email protected]

COnTRIbuTORs Gawen Rudder Tony Eldred Jim McMahon John Susman Jonathan Kaplan Yasmin Newman

nATIOnAL ADVERTIsInG MAnAGER Adam Cosgrove (02) 9213 8241 mobile: 0401 564 655 [email protected]

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Catch the pigeon. . .Game birds.

Sounds like a seedy nightspot manned by the spruiking sleaze amongst the neon vacuum of Sydney’s Kings Cross. The sort of venue that parades long-legged lasses in front of wannabe gangsters on a death wish, ‘full as a bus’ footy teams and awkwardly inquisitive pimply teens... well... so I’m told.

Back in the days when I didn’t know my tomato concasse from my Pho bo, a conversation about the taste of a game bird would have caused a smirk and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

Although my real food education happened as a young adult, I was fortunate enough to experience a whole gamut of experiences in my childhood thanks to the rich tapestry of our social and cultural construct.

My uncle Keng spawned from the feasting streets of Malaysia and ran a number of takeaway stores dishing up gourmet roast dinners. It’s where I first cut my teeth as a teen eager to fill my pockets with coins only to spend it all on the latest Metallica Vinyl.

But it was our family outings of Dim Sum (Yum Cha) for a dumpling smash for the ages that helped carve my culinary path in the early days. My Uncle Keng led the charge, and often pushed the culinary envelope.

For a young tacker that typically feasted on a homely meat and two veg, the rich, robust and luxurious flavours of roast duck was a glorious awakening.

Food delivers memories that last a lifetime.Of course though, the first time I chomped on

chicken feet was the real revelation. I loved the gorgeous gelatinous texture of the meat as you suck it from between its bones. I can still hear my sister squirming and squealing “ewww, gross!”

By the time I travelled with my father through China as a culinarily curious 15-year-old I thought I was ready for anything. Of course I couldn’t have been more wrong. While staying on a boat on the Yangtze River we stopped off at a local food market selling barbecued dogs hanging on butchers’ hooks, ducks, pigeon, live frogs awaiting the cleaver, snakes, and even peculiar bugs grilled on sticks as if they were pluto pups at the Easter show.

Now of course, I can’t wait to go back.At about the age of nine one of my best mates,

Jason, lived around the corner and his mum was Maltese. On odd occasions I was invited over to his grandparents’ house for an epic Maltese Sunday lunch during the winter months.

His grandad’s backyard was an intricate web of cages, running corridors and breeding pens jam-packed with bonking bunnies awaiting the broiler.

I’ll never forget the first time Jason’s grandad grabbed a fluffy bunny by the scruff of the neck and sent it to be stewed for Sunday lunch. It was delicious, but Easter’s not been the same since.

The options with proteins that aren’t the regular staples are plentiful and endless. There’s a world of flavours out there, so this month we’ve dished up a bit of a homage to poultry and game meat that won’t scare your diners, but rather, whet their appetite.

Restaurant Arras’s dynamic duo, Adam Humphrey and Lovaine Allen, show why they are arguably the finest exponents of game birds in Australia.

Colin Fassnidge proves that pigeon is the king of the game birds with a stellar Masterclass of Roast squab pigeon with pig’s trotter, pickled pumpkin and sprouts.

But to top it all off a posse of passionate pan-handlers explore the culinary capabilities of a number of proteins that could star on your menu.

First up Justin North pulls a rabbit out of his hat, while Adam Humphrey shakes a duck’s tail feather.

A little birdy (quail) tells the tale of Brent Savage’s culinary nous, as Peter Manifis shows us what’s deer to him (venison). Alex Kearns brings it all home to roost with a delectably juicy chook.

Oh man, I’m getting hungry.

Anthony HuckstepEditor

from the editor 6 27/5/10 12:48:53 PM

FSN_BROOKLITE_FP_007 7 27/5/10 12:49:21 PM

news


Ramsay lands for Metropol launchEnigmatic and effervescent celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay made a pit stop into Melbourne during April to help launch the wave-shaped 658 room hotel Crown Metropol, which houses Ramsay’s two new restaurants: maze and maze Grill headed up by New Zealand chef Josh Emett.

Ramsay joined Crown Limited’s executive chairman James Packer and the Premier of Victoria, the Honourable John Brumby, in opening the Metropol with a bevy of high-profile chefs in attendance including Guillaume Brahimi, Neil Perry and Robert Marchetti as special guests.

“We have invested over $370 million in Crown Metropol and its associated assets, to ensure that Crown here in Melbourne remains one of the best integrated casino resorts in the world,” said James Packer.

Ramsay explained it was great to be back in Melbourne to celebrate this momentous

occasion – the opening of Crown Metropol.“Having opened restaurants in New York,

London, Cape Town and Doha, and having seen Melbourne grow into such a dynamic

culinary city, I could not be more excited to be a part of the action. Seeing Melbourne’s maze and maze Grill open is a dream come true,” added Ramsay.

Murdoch gets all mushy in JulyThe annual foodservice program Mushroom Mania 2010 has moved to July and announced Ash Street Cellar’s Lauren Murdoch as this year’s ambassador.

Now in its eighth year, Mushroom Mania is all about getting more people to dine out during July, and to enjoy mushroom dishes in local restaurants, bistros, cafés and pubs.

Murdoch is the first female ambassador for Mushroom Mania and reflects the changing face of professional cooking in Australia. In expressing her delight and support for Australia’s mushroom growers she said: “Mushrooms are always on the menu. I love the diversity, the different looks, textures and colours.”

Previous Mushroom Mania ambassadors have included Tobie Puttock (2009), Peter Howard (2008), Fast Ed (2007), Peter Evans (2006), Serge Dansereau (2005), Cheong Liew (2004) and Stefano De Pieri (2003).

Greg Seymour, GM of the Australian Mushroom Growers Association (AMGA), is delighted with initial feedback to the new website set up specifically for the foodservice industry.

“Mushroom dishes sell,” said Seymour.“In July, the emphasis will be on getting

people to dine out at participating Mushroom Mania restaurants; to enjoy mushroom dishes all month long!”

Registration for Mushroom Mania is free - www.mushroomchef.com.au.

Simpson bounces back with La ScalaAfter a hiatus from Sin City, energetic Irish chef Darren Simpson is back in Sydney to head the team at new Italian restaurant and cocktail bar La Scala, situated above The Light Brigade Hotel, Woollahra.

Simpson is most known for stints on television including Network Seven’s My Restaurant Rules, as well as manning the pans at award-winning Sydney restaurants Aqua Luna Bar and Restaurant (1999-04) and then Surry Hills’ La Sala (2005-07).

Simpson brings some serious cooking cred, including being named UK’s Young

Chef of the Year, before working through the ranks of the UK’s restaurant greats including Michelin-starred establishments Roscoff with Paul Rankin and Le Gavroche with Albert Roux.

He was head chef at the iconic River Café and for Sir Terence Conran at Sartoria Restaurant in Saville Row.

The menu exhibits Simpson’s trademark bold flavours, with a menu that will continually evolve, celebrating hearty food you want to eat night after night. In the chef’s own words, “It’s simple, delicious food with balls!”

News 8 27/5/10 12:49:51 PM

Gilmore holds Quay to Australasia at WorldsPeter Gilmore and the crew at Quay have received more praise and adulation after being named the Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Australasia, rising 19 places to number 27 in the world according to the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2010. Two Sydney restaurants have been placed on this year’s S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list – Quay (27) and Tetsuya’s (38), with two other Australian restaurants making the top 100 – Sydney’s Marque (67) and Melbourne’s Attica (73).

Mark Best’s Marque was also awarded this year’s breakthrough award, giving it ‘one to watch’ status. Other restaurants to have been awarded this title include Paris’ Le Chateaubriand, this year’s highest-ranking French restaurant (11), proving that the academy judges who decide the fates have quite a record in identifying rising stars.

At the top of the list, The World’s Best Restaurant and the Best in Europe for 2010 was named as Copenhagen’s Noma, displacing Spain’s El Bulli for top honours with Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck taking the Bronze.

Back in Australia, Quay has been a shining light in the Australian industry, named Restaurant of The Year for two consecutive years in the industry’s two top awards, the Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards 2010 and The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2010.

Its recognition in the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants has left the quiet and humble genius chef almost speechless.

“We are absolutely thrilled. To be honest, we are still getting used to the news. I just can’t wait to get back to Australia to celebrate with the team.”

John Fink, general manager of the Fink Group, that owns Quay and Otto restaurants in Sydney, added: “This is great for Quay, but it’s also great for the restaurant industry. Sydney has some of the best restaurants in the world, and now hopefully, the world will pay us a visit to enjoy them.”

The S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants is the brainchild of UK Restaurant Magazine and is compiled by the World’s 50 Best Academy, a group of prominent food writers, critics, publishers and commentators, who each represent a

different global region and chair a carefully selected voting panel for that region.

A total of 4030 votes were cast by over 800 restaurant experts around the world in order to assemble the list.

foodService June 2010 9

news

StreetSmart breaks the $1M barrierThe 2009-10 StreetSmart Australia campaign ‘dine out to help out’ has paid huge dividends, raising $351,410 for a number of charities. This has meant a total of $1,180,000 raised and distributed to some 272 projects helping people experiencing homelessness.

Both restaurateurs and diners showed overwhelming support for the cause by adding an extra $2 to their dining bill, and also through online donations and one-off events.

Some 250 restaurants across VIC, NSW, QLD, ACT and SA participated in the program – 12 more than in 2008. The amount raised last year is the largest figure to date, and $92,410 more than 2008-09.

StreetSmart CEO Adam Robinson said the StreetSmart initiative brings thousands of people and hundreds of small businesses together for a wonderful cause.

“Everyone chips in their little bit and the impact is very real and very local. To raise $351,440 to enable us to fund 84 projects and help hundreds of homeless people is a massive effort. I thank everyone involved and to those who left their $2 on their table bill… your two bucks made a difference,” he said.

Robinson explained that 100 per cent of funds raised through participating restaurants go to homeless organisations – with the majority of the grant recipients located in the same area as the

participating restaurants.Uniquely, all administrative costs to

run StreetSmart are covered through sponsorship and volunteer efforts.

StreetSmart has also awarded participants for their efforts, naming winners for categories:National and QLD Fundraiser of the YearMecca bah in BrisbaneNSW Fundraiser of the YearLowenbrau KellerVIC Fundraiser of the YearRed Spice Road

For full details on the campaign visit www.streetsmartaustralia.org

The Worlds top 101 Noma, Denmark2 El Bulli, Spain3 The Fat Duck, UK4 El Celler de Can Roca, Spain5 Mugaritz, Spain6 Osteria Francescana, Italy7 Alinea, US8 Daniel, US9 Arzak, Spain10 Per Se, US

The Aussies27 Quay, Sydney38 Tetsuya’s, Sydney67 Marque, Sydney73 Attica, Melbourne

News 9 27/5/10 12:50:48 PM

management


What makes a good supervisor? Is being the best waiter in the room enough to set you up to manage people? This month Tony Eldred looks at the giant step from waitperson to manager.

Over the 25 years we have been consulting to restaurants and hotels, we have observed that there’s a very high failure rate of waiters who try to step up to supervision and management. It wasn’t until a few years ago that the penny dropped for me, and I began to understand why this was happening.

The normal and seemingly logical thing that many managers do when they need key staff is to promote their best staff to supervisor or assistant manager. This is occurring more often than it used to, as the job market becomes very difficult, and managers seek to utilise their existing staff after failing to find the experienced person they were looking for externally. Choosing your best staff for promotion may seem logical; it often leads to a costly and disruptive failure.

The problem is that the skills that make a good waiter are largely service skills, which could be characterised as the skills required to keep people happy, no matter what.

These are great skills to have, but they are far from the primary skills required by a leader. To be a good leader, you have to be comfortable telling people the way it really is, despite the fact that the listener may not be at all happy with the message.

The way we explain this to owners and managers as they come through our training courses, is that a good leader in a hospitality environment needs to be fluent in two distinct dialects of the English language; let’s call them Customer Service Language and Leadership Language. They are very different ways to communicate.

Good waiters are often concerned with maintaining cordial relations with the world around them, and are frequently not comfortable dealing with conflict. In contrast, good leaders must be comfortable confronting those who don’t do the right thing (owners, staff, suppliers, and in some cases customers) and making them do what is required for the good of the business. Managing conflict and disagreement is a regular part of any leader’s job, and to be a good leader you have to be comfortable dealing with it. You must accept that assertive, direct communication is an inevitable part of the job.

Not recognising the difference between the skills required in a good service person and the quite different skill set required for leadership seems to result in the loss of a star waiter way more often than I am comfortable with.

The natural desire for advancement and status seems to push a percentage of waiters upward, despite the fact that in many cases good waiters earn as much, or more than a manager on a flat salary.

Another, related issue that causes problems in the transition from waiter to manager is the necessity for

a manager to plan, be organised and to think ahead. Waiters generally come to work, do their job and go home with only that day’s activities to worry about.

After several years of working this way, it can be quite difficult to ‘re-program’ them into the routine of planning and organising such things as recruitment, training and marketing up to six months’ ahead.

Considering that the primary focus of a manager’s job is working on the business, rather than in it, a person who has been trained to think on a day-to-day basis can be a distinct liability if they are at the top of the pyramid.

It’s also worth considering that a manager’s job requires high levels of numeracy and literacy, together with well-developed computer skills, and while most waiters have no difficulty calculating 10 per cent, by the time they move up into management they may have become so used to existing by ‘the gift of the gab’ that the important administrative work required in a professional hospitality business becomes too much of a stretch for them.

Given the necessity for larger and larger-sized restaurants as time progresses – a direct result of the need for economy of scale in order to make appropriate margins – the need for key staff who can manage large teams and strictly control costs becomes an absolute requirement. The big question is: ‘Where are we going to get them from?’

It would be easy to jump to the conclusion that I am advocating back-of-house as a preferable path into management, but the promotion of chefs, particularly, has problems attached.

If I were running my own restaurant right now, instead of assisting others to run theirs, I would be recruiting a certain number of waiters and cooks based on their aptitude to handle the rigours of management, knowing quite well I might have to prop them up as a waiter until they learned enough to manage other waiters.

I think propping someone up at the bottom is far preferable to propping someone up at the top. It’s easy to find yourself between a rock and a hard place right now.

Try advertising for a restaurant manager and you’ll soon learn what I mean.

I can imagine the desperation some business owners feel when they’ve not been able to find the skills and experience they want on the job market, so they turn back to their own staff, despite the decision previously made to look outside, and effectively by doing so introduce the necessity to closely manage the manager or risk placing their business in jeopardy.

No wonder many older restaurateurs are saying: ‘It’s all getting too hard’. ●

Waiting for a dead man’s shoes

Tony Eldred operates Eldred Hospitality Pty Ltd, ‘The Hospitality Management Specialists’. He can be contacted on 03 9813 3311; or via his company’s website: www.eldtrain.com.au.

Management 10 27/5/10 12:51:26 PM

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FSN_Aon Risk_FP_011 11 27/5/10 12:51:48 PM

inside dining


In a venue just opposite the Sydney Theatre Company in Walsh Bay, another show takes place each night. Yasmin Newman takes a front row seat for the spectacle at Restaurant Arras.

As chefs Adam Humphrey and Lovaine Allen open their doors at Restaurant Arras, the stage lights up and from start to finish it’s a theatrical performance with food to rival Sydney’s best.

Owned by the couple – partners in both life and business – Restaurant Arras has grown steadily since its opening in late 2007. Just six months shy of the global recession, the experience taught them to be leaner and as a result, more inventive. Three years on, the restaurant has a loyal following both locally and abroad, and the pair has succeeded in re-envisioning one of the country’s oldest cuisines. Awarded last year,

Stealing theshow

Inside dining 12 27/5/10 12:52:55 PM


inside dining

their first Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Chef’s Hat stands in recognition of their skills.

The duo’s success has come in steps, a fact they are proud of. “We wanted to do it right the first time,” explains Humphrey, who moved here from the UK to start his own restaurant and convinced Allen to ditch a work post in Cyprus to come join him. He recounts the three-year, red-tape nightmare of trying to open the restaurant in the first place, after falling for the stunning heritage venue. “We weren’t naïve,” he says of the endeavour that was already 10 times over budget before opening. “We just believed in what we were doing.”

Touted as modern British cuisine, a cinematic equivalent immediately springs to mind: Baz Lurhman’s contemporary rendition of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. At Arras the chefs similarly start with old English classics (recipes from the 70s back through to the late 1800s), but reinvent them for the 2010s on the plate. Like Lurhman’s film, the result is smart and well-executed food, with a respect for both past and present seamlessly intertwined.

Interestingly, the pair never set out to cook modern British food – the title was given by the media. “British food in general isn’t very popular!” jokes Humphrey, referring to what

most Australians think of when the cuisine comes to mind: stodgy fish ‘n’ chips or lacklustre puddings and pies. Both originally from the UK, their intention was simply to cook food they knew and enjoyed. It was one and the same for Humphrey and Allen. But when Arras opened, Sydneysiders’ perception of British food was irrevocably transformed – and for the better.

“People often ask me ‘what is British food?’” says Humphrey of Australians’ close-to-cluelessness about the cuisine. “I tell ‘em, ‘what you’ve been eating for the last hundred or so years!’” He gives roast lamb on a Sunday as an example of traditional English nosh, pointing out that most people forget to register the two countries’ shared past. “Our objective was never to open up British cuisine to a new audience,” clarifies Humphrey, who asserts he leaves the soap boxing to others. “We just wanted to maintain an ethos that was true to where we came from.”

In an Australian context, this involved lightening up dishes to make them more accessible to the local palate, as well as adjusting recipes to local produce. “It’s fascinating trying to cook British food here,” says the chef who grew up with the beef he ate for dinner grazing on the paddock just yonder. “Certain ingredients I just can’t get,

like sea bass.” Cooking ‘seasonally’ has been challenging too. “Australian seasonality is very different to ours.” He cites the year-round availability of celeriac in the UK as an example. “Here I can get strawberries until the middle of winter – which can be bloody confusing!”

As Humphrey describes the menu, elements of English classics like Tournedos Rossini and Parkin bread feature, along with ye olde ingredients like mead. The past is certainly a driving force in the couple’s approach, but they don’t dwell in it. “Understanding how food has arrived on our plate from a historical perspective is really important,” says Humphrey, who likes to trawl old cookbooks for inspiration. “But we’re cooking in the 21st century. Should we still be doing the same thing as Escoffier?” Hear this and your molecular alarm bells may be ringing, but Humphrey puts out the fire. “We want our dishes to be approachable or familiar in some way. Otherwise, people will go ‘what the hell is that?’”

Instead, the duo pushes boundaries without being outlandish, and molecular techniques are used with restraint. “It’s a balance,” says Humphrey, who believes in using cooking techniques appropriate to a dish or a specific outcome – not just for the sake of it.

Above: The main dining room at Restaurant Arras.Left: Adam Humphrey and Lovaine Allen.Opposite page: Pigeon Rossini.

Inside dining 13 27/5/10 12:53:45 PM

inside dining


Both trained at Michelin-starred restaurants (Lovaine as sommelier at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck, then in the kitchen at The Castle at Taunton where Humphrey was sous chef), they would know, and the pair pool their extensive collective fine dining knowledge when creating new dishes. Humphrey tells me most of the masterminding happens at the pub on a Sunday afternoon, but there is rigorous testing before it goes out on the menu.

“We once made the mistake of serving a dish that hadn’t been tweaked enough,” he recounts, who also says he struggles to sleep at night if someone doesn’t enjoy the food at Arras and it was the restaurant’s fault. “It was to our detriment. But really caring is part of owning your own restaurant and not being in it just for the money.”

Clearly perfectionists, it’s the couples’ fun side you’ll notice first – both in the kitchen and on the dining floor. At Arras, dishes come with playful names like ‘Birds of a Feather’ and ‘Square Peg, Round Hole’ and meals are plated with fantastic flair. “I think I’m funny!” says Humphrey of the names, who intentionally leaves out an actual description of the dish, too. And he is – funny that is. And smart also. “I pay a restaurant staff [member] to go out and interact with

customers, and it encourages customers to take part in the experience too.” He adds, humorously, “And I don’t ever want to write: ‘duck breast nestled on a bed of spinach’. Since when does a breast ‘nestle’?”

Humphrey has an affinity for duck (plus pigeon, quail and other game birds), and mastery cooking it. “There’s so much going on with poultry – there are so many species and each has a unique flavour,” he says, clearly relishing the thought. “Poultry is a good test of a chef.” He highlights resting the meat properly as the key to best results, as well as a ‘less is more’ approach.

“If you try to overcomplicate, you lose the integrity of the meat and its flavour.” Treating each cut differently is critical too. Humphrey often takes a whole bird and plays with its individual parts. “For duck, I’ll mince the leg meat with pork, then stuff it into the neck along with cured and confit gizzards to form a kind of warm terrine,” he gives as an example.

For pigeon, he might de-bone the thigh, stuff it with a truffled mushroom duxelle, then braise and deep-fry. Brining the meat first is another favoured technique. In Humphrey’s opinion, too many chefs rest on their laurels with poultry by simply roasting it or sticking to common cuts. “Bird isn’t just its breast and legs; it’s the heart, liver and gizzards too. So why not use all those things? They come free!”

At first glance, cooking modern British food might appear easier here than in the UK where it’s two-a-penny. But in many ways it’s been a harder slog. “Back home there are 60 million people. Here, only 20. Plus, you’re competing with the likes of Neil Perry and Peter Gilmore just down the road!” But the

experience has made the couple better chefs and allowed them to pursue a dream. “I don’t think we would have been able to do the restaurant to the same level or with equal verve back in the UK.”

Well, there’s panache aplenty at Arras and we’re glad they’re here. There’s no view at this near-waterside venue – all eyes are focused in one direction. And it’s quite the show. ●

❝

❞

And I don’t ever want to write: ‘duck breast

nestled on a bed of spinach’. Since when does

a breast ‘nestle’?

Spiced quail, deep fried sauce.

Inside dining 14 27/5/10 12:54:19 PM

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masterclass


Pigeon may not have caught the imagination of Aussie chefs yet, but this month expat Irish chef Colin Fassnidge shows the versatility of this robust and flavoursome game bird.

“Well, more or less, pigeon is the king of the game birds for me,” says Four in Hand Dining Room’s head chef Colin Fassnidge.

“The pigeon to me sums up winter, and it’s just huge back in the UK – you really don’t see an awful lot of it over here. A quail for instance is a little bit bland compared to pigeon, which has a more robust flavour. There’s more meat on the bird so you can do a bit more with it as well.”

Fassnidge believes pigeon is an underutilised protein in Australia, and hopes more chefs take up the challenge and put this robust full-flavoured bird on their menu.

While consumers and chefs alike are right at home using and eating sister game birds quail and duck, Fassnidge suggests people are afraid of using pigeon because it is small, and bold in flavour. He also concedes that the high price tag is making it less accessible for many chefs as well.

“I’d love to see pigeon on the menu more, and I’d like to see it a bit cheaper too. It is something like $15 a pigeon, and then you would need to charge the customer $60 to make a margin for it, which isn’t fair.”

Fassnidge cooks the pigeon two different ways. First he takes the legs off the crown and

cooks them confit for three hours, while the breast meat is roasted on the crown.

“When you confit the legs it gives you another dimension and a different texture. It’s flaky when it comes off the bone, whereas then you have the roast meat on the crown – the breast has a bit more bite to it.”

Every dish created in the kitchen at Four in Hand Dining Room in Paddington takes the diner on a textural journey, and Fassnidge’s pigeon is a perfect example of this.

“If you do a fish dish with a puree, it’s all soft – so you need a different texture like a crunch to interact with the soft-soft texture.”

“So in this pigeon dish we also have another element to add texture. We take the pig’s trotter and braise it in a ham hock stock overnight.”

The team return the following morning and peel the fat and meat off the bone. Then season it with capers, parsley, shallots, gherkins, vinegar, and press it in a tray.

“Because they’re trotters its gelatinous, and that sets the terrine more or less – and then we dice it, crumb it and fry it.”

Fassnidge has no hard and fast rules when it comes to the flavour combinations to accompany roast pigeon – but he concedes

there is one golden rule: seasonality.“At the moment it’s just a no-brainer to

have sprouts and pumpkin with the pigeon because they have come into season, and are the best vegetables for this time of year.”

“A lot of younger or not very experienced chefs don’t look at the seasons – I’ve been around the traps long enough to know how the seasons work, and it’s important not only flavour-wise to know your seasons, but as a business when you buy in season vegetables, it’s cheaper than buying asparagus from the US during winter.”

Fassnidge loves the combination of pumpkin, pigeon and cabbage, but says the trotter brings them all together.

“I like the pigeon working with these vegetables, but I love the crumbed pig’s trotter which just adds that extra element to the dish and another texture on the plate.”

“But you also need a bit of acidity to help balance the rich flavours. We pickled the pumpkin, which balances against the richness of the trotter and the bird.

This month, Four in Hand Dining Room’s Colin Fassnidge puts pigeon in the spotlight with his Roast squab pigeon with pig’s trotter, pickled pumpkin and sprouts.

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masterclass

Pickled pumpkin● 1 Butternut pumpkin

For pickling liquor● 600ml water● 400ml white wine vinegar● 200g sugar● 1 stick cinnamon● 2 whole star anise

MethodPeel and de-seed pumpkin and cut into 1cm cubes. Mix pickling liquor together. Toast the cinnamon and star anise in a frying pan to release the flavour. Add to liquor. Mix the pumpkin with the pickling liquor and slowly bring to the boil. Take off the heat and let cool in the liquor. The pumpkin should be just cooked. Store the pumpkin in the liquor.

Pumpkin puree● 1 Butternut pumpkin● 1 onion● 2 cloves of garlic● 250ml white wine● 1 litre chicken stock● 2 sprigs thyme● 2 sprigs rosemary● Salt and pepper

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Roast squab pigeon with pig’s trotter, pickled pumpkin and sproutsBy Colin Fassnidge, chef, Four in Hand, Paddington, NSW

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masterclass


MethodDice onion and garlic. Peel and de-seed pumpkin and chop roughly. Sweat down onion and garlic with the thyme and rosemary. Add pumpkin and continue to cook for five minutes. Add white wine and bring to boil. Cover with chicken stock. Cook pumpkin until very soft. Blend until smooth and adjust seasoning.Pass through fine sieve.

PigeonRemove wishbone wing, neck and legs. Confit legs in Duck Fat at 90˚C for three hours. Cool, then remove thigh bone and colour in pan.

SauceChop wings, neck trimmings and roast in shallow pot till golden brown. De-glaze with 300ml port; reduce to a glaze then add 300ml of veal stock and simmer for 20 minutes, then strain.

BreastRoast pigeon crown on each breast till golden brown. Cook two minutes each side in oven. When out of the oven add butter, garlic, thyme and baste the bird. Rest for six minutes, then carve. Sprout and fennel garnishPick outside green sprout leaves and blanch in boiling salted water for 20 seconds. Cut baby fennel in half and blanch for 40 seconds until al dente. Season with butter, salt, pepper and lemon.

Onion ring and pancetta garnishFinely slice baby onions. Toss in seasoned flour. Deep fry in hot oil until golden and then season.

PancettaSlice fine and lay between two sheets of grease-proof paper on two baking trays. Cook at 120˚C until golden.

Pig’s trotter● 6 pig’s trotters● 2 onions, chopped● 2 carrots, chopped● 3 garlic cloves, chopped● 3 tbsp veal stock● 200ml port● Thyme and bay leaf● Capers, gherkins and parsley

MethodChop vegetables, sweat off and add herbs. De-glaze port as previously mentioned. Add veal stock and trotters. Cover and cook for six hours at 90˚C until soft. Pick meat from bones, add chopped capers, gherkins and parsley and add cooking liquor to moisten. Season and place in fridge to cool. Cut into cubes, breadcrumb and deep fry until golden brown.

To serveSmear the pumpkin puree across the plate, then add each element to the dish by spreading the colour across the plate. Enjoy. ●

Masterclass 18 27/5/10 1:00:51 PM

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opinion


Red, orange, green – and the yellow jacket

“Why do I have to wear that jacket, dad?”My son is not a golfer and the colour isn’t green. It’s

yellow. He works at a local liquor store and wears the standard company polo when he’s inside on the tills, but when he offers (being a well-mannered young man) to carry a customer’s carton of wine to the boot of their car, he has to don the yellow jacket.

“It’s to protect yourself from yourself,” I reply, explaining as much as I can the web of legals attached to occupational health and safety, and our increasingly litigious society where the liquor store, the driver, the council, or even my son, could be sued.

Nutrition 101That Australia has become a nanny state is an accepted fact. What is more difficult to explain to my son – or anyone else for that matter – is exactly why this is so. Similarly, why is it that nutritional health and obesity has become the next big thing in the food we eat? In case you hadn’t noticed, nanny is looking over our shoulder at everything we consume. Sometimes sensibly. Other times approaching nonsensical – the opposite of commonsense.

Commonsense – too often ignored by some of the more extreme health and nutrition lobbyists – tells us that obesity is about imbalance: a disconnect between an excess of energy intake, over a lack of energy burnt. Simple. In one sense therefore, food is fuel, to be worked off and neutralised. Food however is so much more than fuel: it is sharing, sensuality and unadulterated enjoyment.

Sensible exercise, a balanced diet and taking personal or parental responsibility could solve the obesity issue. Marketers, advertisers, supermarkets, et al, are easy targets for the regulators, but control alone does not provide the solution. Neither should we endure more regulations and legislation to protect ourselves from ourselves.

The Axis of EvilRecalling one of George W. Bush’s infamous quotes, a small but vocal nutritionist lobby group labeled sugar, salt and fat as ‘The axis of evil’. Yet anyone remotely interested in food will be aware that a meal too low in these elements will be devoid of flavour and deliver a

taste sensation reminiscent of corrugated cardboard. Good food is all about flavour. Ever noticed how the two MasterChef judges throw in much more than a pinch of sea salt, drool to camera over dripping-enhanced Yorkshire puddings and cane sugar sweets.

Extremes in nutrition, as in any other field, are to be avoided. People deny themselves food for all sorts of reasons: nutritional, biological, dietary, religious or ideological. Food critic Terry Durack is on the right track when he says: “Deprivation is just another road to obsession.” Whilst nutritionist Dr Joanna McMillan-Price comments, “I’m always worried if people are too restrained in the way they eat: an obsession with healthy eating can be just as damaging as eating badly.”

So there is a delicious tension between the pleasures of flavour (feast) and the pains of self-renunciation (fast). But illicit gourmandism is now becoming a social danger and a cost to the community so, the bureaucrats are moving in.

Traffic lightsIn 2007, the UK Food Standards Agency introduced the red, orange, green system and encouraged (rather than legislated) many of the supermarkets, manufacturers and food service providers to adopt this approach.

If, for example, one chooses a meal that is high (red) in saturated fat on one day, the next meal might be low or medium (green or orange) in saturated fat. Many foods and meals will have a mixture of red, amber and green, and commonsense would lead one to opt for more greens and orange and less reds. By all accounts it’s an imperfect system but the truth is, it has gained considerable traction in the UK.

Here in Australia, a decision by the Federal Government on traffic-light labelling of food was scheduled to take place mid-year and considered by state and territory governments. The Prime Minister’s National Preventative Health Taskforce’s final report remains under wraps, but calls for better identification of fat, salt and sugar content levels are gathering momentum. Given that 40 cents of every dollar spent on food is out-of-home, it’s highly likely the regulators will turn their attention to restaurants.

When it comes to the magnificent, yet possibly naughty morsels we stuff into our pie holes, regulation and rhetoric promises to spoil the broth. Gawen Rudder has had his fill, and not even rolls of red tape can seal his lips.

Gawen Rudder is a writer and raconteur with a background in food and beverage advertising, marketing, research and trivia. He speaks at industry conferences, seminars and dinners. Contact via [email protected]

300 per serve

CALS

7.7g per serve

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2.0g per serve

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MEDSALT

Opinion 20 27/5/10 1:02:00 PM

Red, orange, green – and the yellow jacket


opinion

Mammoths & marathons Advertising industry observer and online marcomms editor of Mumbrella, Tim Burrowes, argues the food industry can be its own worst enemy in promoting fat-laden products to consumers. To Burrowes it’s all about behaving responsibly – not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it is in the interests of the whole industry. “Bad enough,” he says, “that the 2642kj Ultimate Double Angus Burger is advertised as: ‘Double Angus beef! Double cheese! Double bacon!’” – which, he adds, “isn’t the deadliest (the bright red-est) of the Hungry Jack’s range – that’d be the 5085kj Ultimate Double Whopper.” A four-hour marathon bike ride might just about burn off that burgeoning fat/sugar/salt-laden mammoth. Such is the reality of a balanced cycle of fueling and burning.

Similarly, who takes responsibility when our favourite Italian ristorante tempts us with tiramisu, just after we’ve swabbed buttery garlic bread around our plate of calorie and carb-laden spaghetti carbonara? Just for the record, that little meal is likely to hit 6700kj, and an even longer ride.

Whilst the fast food industry might be an easier target politically, how safe is the restaurant industry from the traffic lights? Vegetarian options are now commonplace. So is it entirely improbable we’ll see more colourful tri-colour menus in the not-so-distant future?

For and againstAs much as nutritionist Macmillan Price would love to see more places making meaningful claims on unsaturated fats and free range meat, or at least stating more detailed ingredients, she feels, “it will (only) happen in some restaurants. It’s already in some fast food places, cafes and other regular eating establishments, particularly those selling healthy food.”

“Unfortunately,” she added, “there is little reason for the less healthy food places to do so, unless they have to. But for fine dining where the meal out is the experience, I can’t see them going this far anywhere in the near future. Their interests are in serving delicious food so that people come back, not in scaring them with health information about how bad the food actually is. Offering a healthy option or two would be nice – many businesspeople I deal with would love this for their many business lunches.”

John Hart, CEO of Restaurant & Catering Australia, acknowledges: “There has been some chatter about nutritional labelling for menus.” But, he asserts, “this is totally unworkable for unpackaged products. The cost of compliance with a regime of this nature would certainly exceed the benefit obtained and therefore would not pass any test of good policy formulation.”

Be afraid, be very afraidThe same human brain that invented fast food and the food court, which created the appetite stimulants in food programs and magazines and dreamt up kilojoule-saturated menus, must now cope with a new challenge. A likely scenario in the not-too-distant future is that new legislation, taxes or traffic lights will be installed to keep the Government’s spiraling health bill in check.

Is it possible to enjoy MasterChef, dine out at one of their guest chef’s restaurants and not be a candidate for The Biggest Loser? And will the foodservice be legislated to carry warnings on menus as draconian as those on cigarette packs? Maybe not, but who is to deny that we are what we eat, and let’s not forget the nanny state insists we must protect ourselves from ourselves. ●

Opinion 21 27/5/10 1:02:18 PM

seafood


Once to be found only during late night crawls of Chinatown, the simple, tasty and beer loving salt and pepper squid has become the benchmark of popular culture everywhere - from Chinese restaurants, to pubs, clubs and café’s across the country.

Salt and pepper squid can now even be found in convenient, pre-coated pineapple cut portions in the freezer case of our major supermarkets Australia-wide.

Anthony Mercer, manager of retail at DeCosti Seafood’s, Australia’s largest supplier into the major supermarkets, suggested that their pre-packed, ovenable, salt and pepper calamari , has risen to be amongst the top three lines of the 50,000 +

pre-packed retail trays the sell weekly.Watching young kids happily eating this

classic Cantonese dish around the country, it occurred to me that the recent continuing rise in popularity for squid, from it’s lowly days as the preferred bait for fishing, warranted some consideration.

Squid are cephalopods, a latin word meaning “head foot”. They are closely related to octopus and a distant cousin to bivalve molluscs including oysters, clams and mussels. More than 370 species of squid inhabit the worlds’ oceans, but fewer than a dozen comprise 90 percent of the global catch of nearly 4 million tonnes.

Of the dozen or so species which are

commonly eaten, there are three main families - the Loligo, Illex and Arrow.

Here in Australia, we have six commercial species (which are all members of the three families above) of which nearly all of it remains here in Australia– although the majority of squid consumed here is imported – much of it from South East Asia, Taiwan, China, New Zealand and Argentina.

Confusion abounds about what squid actually is – it could be said that one mans’ squid is another mans’ calamari.

The word Calamari is not a species, but the plural form of the Italian word for squid, Calamaro. In Australia, the term Calamari has been appropriated in some markets to

Is there a seafood dish which reflects the fusion of Asian cuisine within popular Western culture more than Salt and Pepper Squid? John Susman profiles the local squid scene.

Hawkesbury River calamari with fresh chilli and lemon,

By Ashley Hughes, Alio

Squid fliesas buyers get savvy

Seafood 22 27/5/10 1:02:57 PM


seafood

represent the species of squid which have long extended fins, especially the Southern Calamari (sepioteuthis australis) from Southern New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

“Calamari is almost its own brand, in the sense of the name,” says Stewart Wallis of Sydney based restaurant group Garfish. “It can go anywhere. It’s ubiquitous, people don’t get too concerned if we call it squid or calamari – as long as we have it on the men,” Wallis says of it’s universal popularity.

When it comes to sustainability, squid ticks every box – it is a high generation multiplier (breeds like rabbits), is fast growing and has an amazing ability to convert both animal and vegetable matter in the ocean into body weight, efficiently and quickly.

The Arrow and Lolligospecies, especially the imported ones are by far the highest selling species in Australia, mainly due to their low cost and consistent supply.

The Arrow variety, which mainly comes from New Zealand and Taiwan is mostly already cleaned into tubes , making it a good, tender and easy to use product, that is reliable, and keenly priced .

The Loligospecies come mainly from Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. Distinguished by it’s finer texture and clean flavour, loligois often sold not only cleaned but also pre-scoured in the classic “pineapple cut” preparation, which curls into an attractive cylinder when cooked.

Of course, the premium squid is fresh, local, Southern Calamari from Southern New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania or South Australia – but this is a day to day proposition in regards to supply and has become so pricey that it’s almost exclusively sold to the premium fine dining sector.

“The local Calamari is of course in demand with the high end restaurants, especially with the current media focus on “Local” produce. The fact is that with the inconsistent supplies, which drive the prices higher and higher, the broader market demands better value, imported squid,” says Peter Poulos who heads the foodservice distribution business at Poulos.

“The Lolligo Squid from Thailand and Arrow squid from New Zealand are by far our biggest sellers, both in cleaned and whole formats, and this is purely based on the following factors - price, availability, quality and consistency. The good thing about these imported squid is that they are beautifully prepared and deliver the same quality every time,” Poulos claims.

In Western Australia, foodservice distributor, Chris Dermer of Coral Seafoods agrees - “The most popular squid in WA would be the Illex from Argentina. The local

and Southern Calamari are so inconsistent in supply, and with that, prices are too high and too inconsistent for most restaurateurs to be confident about menuing local product. The Loligo Calamari from the North West of Western Australia is an absolute treat when it comes through, but it is whole, uncleaned and many chefs are so used to the convenience of the cleaned imported squid that, for the price, it’s hard to go past the Vietnamese, Thai or Argentinian”

In South Australia, where the amateur bag limit per fisherman is a whopping #15 pieces of squid per day, the locals have a taste for the fleshy, thick, sweet Southern Calamari. Currently the local hand-jigged product from the West Coast of SA is fetching record prices. Veteran fishmonger Tom Angelakis, of Adelaide’s Angelakis Brothers Seafoods is amazed.

“The most popular squid in Adelaide is the Southern Calamari, by far. It’s local, everyone knows it and have been eating it for years – even the current price doesn’t put them off,” says a bewildered Angelakis, “Yes imported squid is good and cheap, but for true calamari lovers, the local Southern Calamari is so delicious, that it is hard to go past it.”

Since the ubiquitous plate of salt’n’pepper squid has become so popular, many restaurants tend to overlook other squid preparations. At the uber chic new Blanco restaurant, in the heart of Sydney’s Kings Cross, chef Scott Mason shrugs his shoulders “bloody salt’n’pepper squid – everybody knows it, everybody loves it, we can’t take it off the menu.”

For his version, Mason uses the loligo variety from Queensland - “For this preparation, the firm texture and minimal moisture, makes it ideal for frying– personally, I prefer the flavour and texture of the Southern calamari, but I find it’s rich, moist flesh and deep flavour is far better for sashimi and braised preparations.”

Indeed, many chefs are astonished to discover the flexibility of calamari. Only in recent years have more restaurants begun to menu it as a centre-of-the-plate protein.

“First chefs wanted it whole, then it was tubes and tentacles, then just tubes, then rings only or rings and tentacles, then pineapple cut and now it’s everything,” says Matt Vejuica of Brisbane wholesaler, Supafin, noting that squid’s varying product forms make it easy to menu. “It’s under-appreciated by the trade for something that can be used so easily.”

Steve Manfredi of Bells restaurant at Killcare on the Central Coast of New South Wales is a fan of the wonders of squid, his autumn winter menu features a spectacular spaghetti, radicchio and calamari dish which can vary dramatically, depending on the squid

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Seafood 23 28/5/10 8:34:42 AM

seafood


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he is using “My favourite is the local Hawkesbury River Calamari when it comes in still alive it has an intensity of flavour that is truly amazing – clean, sweet and with an iodine zing” but when not available Manfredi produces the same dish using Southern Calamari from South Australia.

The rise and rise in popularity of fried calamari was made squid almost generic but with such a large range of species, forms, flavours and textures available, the savvy buyer can find a value and quality to suit any menu. So don’t just look at price, try different species from different sources in a variety of culinary applications.

Get amongst the fastest growing category in seafood industry and see the difference it makes to your menu and your profits.

How the locals line upThere are vast differences between the culinary quality and price of various squids species available – they don’t all perform the same in various cooking methods and it is worthwhile getting familiar with the different species and what they are best used for. Loligo Squid - (Hawkesbury Calamari): Available wild-caught, these estuarine squids have mottled pinky-purple skin, long thin bodies, pointy side fins that run about half their body length, 8 shorter arms and 2 longer tentacles. They are caught by hand line jiggers who use lights to attract them to the surface at night in estuaries along the NSW coast. Incredibly delicious but inconsistent in supply and expensive – mainly through Autumn to Spring.

Southern Calamari: Available wild-caught, these squid are characterised by having a white flesh with grey to luminescent green coloured skin. With long, rounded side fins running almost the full length of their body, 8 shorter arms and 2 longer tentacles. Most of the commercial catch comes from SA, where they are hand jigged by day boat fishermen, although there is some bycatch of the Spencer and Saint Vincent Gulf prawn fisheries. Thick, moist and sweet fleshed, the price has increased significantly in the past 5 years. Available year round - but best in late Winter and Spring.Gould Squid - Arrow squid: Available wild-caught, these are the most prolifically caught squid in Australia, light brownish-pink skin with a purpley-blue stripe running down the tube. They are found around the southern half of Australia (including Tasmania) on the continental shelf. They are mainly caught in Bass Strait and western Victoria by jigging and also as a bycatch of trawling between Botany Bay and western Victoria. Can be tough and requires some consideration when preparing and cooking. Gould Squid is full flavoured but inexpensive.“Queensland” Northern Squid: Found throughout Northern Australia, these squid have thick, dark browny-green bodies with long side fins running almost their full length, of their body, much like their cousins the Southern Calamari. Mainly caught by jigging at night, but are also a bycatch of Prawn trawling and inshore net fisheries off northern Australia. Most prolific in winter, the Queensland Squid is typically found frozen whole and is moderately priced. A clean sweet flavour and thin flesh make them one of the most popular squids for the ubiquitous Salt n Pepper preparations. ●

Namkeen squid By Kumar Mahadevan, Aki’s.

Seafood 24 27/5/10 1:03:29 PM

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investigation


The kitchen brigade at Restaurant Balzac is deep in the throes of the daily food prep grind when I step into the galley to interview and photograph chef Matthew Kemp. He is making his signature suckling pig dish for our May Masterclass feature.

A cacophony of clanging pans, chopping cleavers and a procession of voice and command rings of the frenetic energy of

serious chefs with the promise of yet another busy night’s service.

Knife in hand, Kemp busies himself explaining the best method of boning out a suckling pig’s head. As he peels back the flesh, the tip of his knife points to the cheek meat. “You don’t want to waste that bit, “ he explains. “So you have to be careful when you are boning it out.”

The expanding

As our appetite for eating out-of-home grows, the amount of edible food making a mountain of landfill is starting to cause concern. Anthony Huckstep investigates the scale of food wastage in the foodservice industry.

wasteline

special investigation 28 27/5/10 1:05:13 PM


investigation

As he continues, his head suddenly takes aim at the far corner of the kitchen, his eyes fixed on the chef with his back to us.

“What did you just throw in the bin, chef?” demands Kemp. “Was that half a cabbage, chef? I heard something heavy hit the bin.”

Kemp turns his concerned gaze back to me. “They just don’t f#*king get it, these young chefs. Can you believe it – the other night one of them threw out half a f#*king fish? They’re just throwing money in the bin.

“I don’t want to sound like I’m slagging my staff off because I’m not; it’s about continually educating them not to waste food – and they'll become a better chef because of it.”

So there I had it. A new story spawned in the throes of producing another article.

Food wastage. Just how big an issue is it in the foodservice arena?

As debate rages over the immediacy and importance of action on climate change, it’s easy to sink in the turbulent seas from disbelieving naysayer rhetoric to extremist doomsdayers who shout defiantly for a call to arms to save our soil.

Climate change and environmental obligations aside, the reality of food wastage in Australia is a major concern.

Hard to swallowAccording to a 2009 report by The Australian Institute (What a waste: An analysis of household expenditure on food), Australians collectively throw out $5.2 billion of edible food each year.

The figure equates to three million tonnes of edible food per annum, or a frightening 136kg per person per year.

Part of the equation includes $1 billion spent per annum on restaurant and takeaway food that is ordered and then not eaten.

That’s a mountain of organic waste piling high in landfill.

The latest Food Wise Report claims that rotting food in landfill gives off methane, a greenhouse gas that’s 25 times more potent a global warmer than the carbon pollution that comes out of your car exhaust.

The same Food Wise Report uses a ‘paddock to plate’ calculation, by means of the WRAP in the UK, which estimates that one tonne of food waste generates 3.8 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions.

Using the Australian figures, it means food waste in Australia is responsible for 11.4 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions every year.

However, the disposal of edible foods does not tell the whole story. According to Food Wise, dumping a kilo of beef wastes not only that beef but the 50,000 litres of water it took to produce that meat.

Sending a kilo of white rice to the dumpster wastes the 2385 litres of water used to produce it, while wasting a kilo of potatoes costs around 500 litres of water.

It all sounds a little hard to swallow, so let’s peel it back to see if we can get a clearer picture in a day-by-day scenario.

In a foodservice setting, understanding your food wastage, correct food handling procedures and managing your food costs can be the difference between a viable business and the end of a dream.

The average Australian restaurant already runs a fine line of profitability with an average margin of 3.8 per cent (ABS).

The brutal truth for operators not willing to monitor their food wastage on a daily basis is inevitably quite grim.

The brutal truthAccording to Ben Walter, a kitchen management specialist with Eldred Hospitality, a viable foodservice business should have the food costs running at 25 to 30 per cent, but the reality for many is somewhat different.

“In all honesty, most commercial kitchens we go into don’t even know what their food costs are running at,” he says. They have no idea. It’s very frightening.”

According to Walter, often owners are pulling their hair out because there’s plenty of money coming in but it’s going out at a way higher percentage than is viable.

“It’s because the food costs are not controlled. The issue I see is that chefs don’t have an overall system in place to alert them to a food wastage issue until it’s too late. They realise their food costs are too high and they don’t know what to do about it.”

Walter pinpoints areas of concern in commercial kitchens where food wastage and high food costs are wreaking havoc.

“Firstly you need to look at what’s coming through the back door. Are you getting what you think you’re getting? Is what’s written on the invoice what physically arrived at the back door?”

Walter explains that a chef should consider how they actually receive goods at the back door as they do a firewall protecting a computer.

“If you don’t have a good firewall system at the backdoor, any costs control system that you do once it gets in the door is

basically compromised. You have to know you’re getting what you think you’re getting and it’s at the price that you want, and the specification.”

“Say you’re buying plate-sized fish that you’re serving as a meal. Paying say $10 per kilo for the fish, you’ve costed the dish for a 400g whole baby snapper at $4 per serve. However the fish may be arriving at anywhere from 400g to 600g, and maybe no one in the kitchen is checking and bringing it to the supplier’s attention.

“If half of your delivery of three dozen fish is weighing in at 600g each, then it’s costing you $6 a fish and your food costing is screwed before you’ve done anything, and without you possibly knowing it.”

Walter explains that huge variances can occur because the person who does the ordering and negotiates the price is rarely the one checking it off when it arrives at the back door. Often the ordering is done by the chef in charge and the checking off is done by a kitchen hand or an apprentice.

“If you don’t bother to train them, they don’t know what to look for.”

Walter also explains that many chefs don’t consider the peaks and troughs of trade when ordering produce.

This is imperative in order to know the

correct par levels so food does not spoil or become wasted.

“The issues are when you get a big variance between quiet times of the week and huge a la carte nights of the week. When you get a big variance between what you sell one night to another, sales aren’t consistent, and often food that has been prepped may then be binned,” he says.

Education also plays a huge role, and according to Walter part of the food wastage problem is a lack of understanding of food products that are going off at different rates.

“Managing your par levels becomes even more important, especially with your highly volatile products like seafood.”

If chefs understand the deterioration cycles of different food stuffs it allows them to then communicate with front-of-house to go out there and make sure they sell all of that product.

“It’s not about selling a product that’s beyond its prime; it's about letting the front of house know that before something gets beyond its prime you need to sell it.”

❝Australians collectively throw out $5.2 billion of edible food each year... the figure equates to

three million tonnes of edible food❞


investigation


The brutal truth about food wastage● Australians throw away edible food

worth $5.2 billion every year.1

● Australians spend around $1 billion on restaurant and takeaway food each year that is ordered and then not eaten.1

● Australians are throwing out $1.1 billion worth of fresh fruit and vegetables every year.1

● Australians throw away $872.5 million worth of meat and fish.1

● Australians throw away $570.7 million of bread, pasta and rice every year.1

● Australians throw away $512.3 million in dairy products every year.1

● Australians discard up to 20 per cent of the food they purchase – one out of every five bags of groceries they buy.2

● 3.28 million tonnes of food is driven to landfill in Australia each year.3

● On any given night there are 105,000 homeless people across the country. That’s one in every 200 Australians, homeless.4

● When food rots in landfill, it gives off a greenhouse gas called methane. This methane is 25 times more potent a greenhouse gas than the carbon pollution that comes out of your car exhaust.2

● Food waste in Australia is responsible for 11.4 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions every year.2

● 47 per cent of municipal waste to landfill is food and green waste.5

● Food waste in Australian landfills is the second largest source of methane.2

● 10 per cent of rich countries’ greenhouse gas emissions come from growing food that is never eaten.6

● Dumping a kilo of beef wastes the 50,000 litres of water it took to produce that meat. Throwing out a kilo of white rice will waste 2385 litres. Wasting a kilo of potatoes costs 500 litres.2

Sources:

1 The Australian Institute ‘What a waste – An Analysis of household expenditure on food’

2 www.foodwise.com.au

3 “Gleaning from Gluttony: An Australian Youth Subculture Confronts the Ethics of Waste”, Australian Geographer, vol. 38, no. 3

4 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counting the Homeless 2001 (2006)

5 EcoRecycle Victoria (2005), Information Sheet 2 - Waste Facts

6 www.feeding5k.org/food-waste-facts.php

Ethical obligationsThere’s a monumental shift in attitude sweeping the food industry. Justified concerns by savvy business owners are creating a wave of food professionals eager to beckon the call to use more sustainable and ‘green’ methods to fulfil a social and ethical responsibility to limit their carbon footprint.

As reported in foodService magazine, March 2010, Doltone House’s newest Sydney venue, Darling Island Wharf - a function centre capable of feeding 800 people – is leading the ‘green’ charge.

It’s only the second building in Australia to obtain the six-star green rating, which represents the world’s best practices in sustainability. The building produces 70 per cent less carbon emissions than a typical office building. Environmental initiatives include re-using blackwater for parkland irrigation and a tri-generation energy system where heat, power and chilled water for air conditioning are produced by one single unit.

The greener focus also extends to the packaging and containers that produce arrives in. Produce is no longer delivered in cardboard boxes – instead, suppliers deliver the goods in crates provided by Doltone House.

Doltone House isn’t alone in its mindshift of environmental obligation. In 2004 Melbourne’s Crown complex integrated a food wastage collection system to turn a lot of its food waste into compost.

With over 20 restaurants at Crown, yearly food waste can climb to thousands of tonnes. After much trial and error and two and a half years of planning, Crown partnered with Natural Recovery Systems and custom built an end-to-end process that included policies and procedures for handling, safety and contamination control, waste disposal and logistics.

All kitchen staff in the Crown complex were trained to ensure they understood the new food wastage disposal procedures. It was a major initiative that has paid huge dividends for the environment.

Now 40 per cent of Crown’s food waste never reaches landfill. Instead Crown turns more than 60 tonnes of food waste into compost every single month, which is then used commercially across Australia.

Of course not every operator enjoys such economies of scale to enable such wholesale waste reductions, but there’s always something that can be done.

As reported in the Sydney Morning Herald on 8 May 2010, restaurateur Yukako Ichikawa of Wafu restaurant in Surry Hills devised a cunning plan to curb food wastage in her restaurant whereby clientèle would receive a 30 per cent discount on their bill if they finished everything on their plate.

For most kids growing up in Australia, a simple threat of no dessert ensured we licked our dinner plates clean - so the theory has traction.

The article also reported that Yukako Ichikawa and her staff tell diners they are no longer welcome if they do not finish all the food on their plate.

A strong passionate stance on food waste such as this is truly noble, and while a 30 per cent discount certainly sounds like a great incentive to reduce food waste, is it viable? Furthermore, is it a philosophy that could damage the perception of an establishment and drive away clientele? Time will tell.

Meanwhile back in the galley of Restaurant Balzac, Matthew Kemp runs a pretty lean food cost machine to ensure his restaurant’s viability.

It’s a daily concern, and while the passionate and colourful Brit is no tyrant in the kitchen he’s certainly no shrinking violet either and his passion demands excellence out of his team. This, according to Kemp, allows the brigade to understand the fundamentals of food handling in a commercial kitchen.

“Without sounding like some tree-hugging hippy, I hate seeing waste – it just winds me up because I just think it’s lazy.

“Not trying to think of how to use everything to its potential in my opinion is out and out lazy and disrespectful.

“You know a farmer goes to the effort of growing a lovely pig for me to showcase in the restaurant, and it would be disrespectful to have it slaughtered and not use the whole beast to its full potential. More often than not the secondary cuts and offal that no one thinks of are the tastiest if you know what to do with them.

“A lot of the kids just don’t get it and they need to be taught,” continues Kemp.

“Take something simple like cos lettuce for instance. I get whole heads of cos in, and use it three ways. The first layers on the outside is for staff salad or staff burgers, the second layer gets diced and put in a Petit Pois a la Francaise for our Barramundi dish, and the hearts go in the salad with the shaved fennel and radish.

“Look at the bacon we buy. The rind that comes off of that is used to make a stock when we braise off the onions, and the bone component that you take out the back of it goes in to make the pork jus.

“Nothing gets wasted.”As a result Kemp’s food costs are down to

the incredibly low 20 percentile range and his food wastage is exemplarily low.

And while his labour costs are high as a result, his goal is to create wonderful food and train his chefs to become better chefs by understanding how to use every bit of


❞❝


investigation

produce so they have the know-how to run their own restaurant when the day arrives.

“I want them to understand that when they get in 10 kilos of beans and are only getting 20 portions out of it when they should be getting 30, they are losing the equivalent of $100 worth of revenue from each box of beans per week. All of a sudden you’ve lost $5200 in revenue in a year just through beans because the staff aren’t prepping them properly or looking after them properly and chucking them out.

“It’s all about looking after things. A lot of chefs don’t know how to pack things, how to get the right air circulating through the coolroom. Even things like a product that has to have a damp towel over it to help it preserve or a product that has to be lifted and turned over everyday so they don’t sit on top of each other and deteriorate.

“Everything has great flavour and it’s really about using it to its full potential. That’s going to one, make you a better chef, and two, reduce the amount of waste you produce,” he says.

Saving soulsSadly for a lot of foodservice establishments there is a certain inevitability that some edible food will be destined for the scrap

heap. For instance, an establishment may cater for a function of 120 people, but only 80 people turn up. An establishment can’t afford to under-prepare for the event in case the 120 invited arrive, but then what do they do with the edible food left over from the 40 no-shows?

Ronni Kahn, founder of OzHarvest, has an answer.

The savvy entrepreneur took out the honour of Local Hero in the 2010 Australia Day Australian of the Year Awards for her ingenious idea of taking edible food waste and donating it to those who need it most.

This last year in Sydney alone, Ozharvest saved the equivalent of 1.6 million meals, which were then given to in excess of 50 charities. With the average meal viewed as 300g, that equates to 480,000 kilos of food that would have otherwise gone to landfill.

And that’s food rescued from just the 180 to 200 commercial food businesses which currently contribute their edible food waste.

According to the peak body Restaurant and Catering Australia, we have in excess of 37,000 restaurant, cafe and foodservice outlets operating in Australia... so imagine what could be saved.

Kahn originally had her own events company, RKED Events, and became more

and more concerned about the amount of food leftover after each event.

“I wanted to always make sure there was enough food for people at my events, and I thought, boy, if that happens at my events then it must happen at everyone’s,” she says.

“There’s nothing I hate more than standing at a cocktail party and one miserable tray of food goes past you, and before you get a morsel of food it’s gone and you’re dying of starvation!”

Concerned about the amount of food wastage, Kahn would occasionally take the leftover food to one or two places that she knew of, but deep down she knew it wasn’t a solution, and at times considered it a hassle at the end of a long event.

“I reached a point where I wanted to make a personal difference. I knew two things – there was always lots of leftover food and there were always lots of people in need of food.

She knew she’d never stop world poverty or hunger, but if she could be a missing link between excess food and people in need it seemed like a good idea.

So Ozharvest was born.“We have seven vans that leave our venue

every day,” explains Kahn.“On the daily route there are about 40

regular suppliers and we only take food from registered food outlets like delis, caterers, restaurants, cafes, convention centres and hotels."

Ozharvest pick up for free and deliver for free. Food collected could range from pies and mushy peas, or frozen meat, dairy and even sandwiches.

On top of this regular activity, Ozharvest receives phone calls from unexpected donors – “about 40 a day”.

On average, Ozharvest collects 1500 kilos of unused food per day from restaurants, delis, cafes, supermarkets, and many other commercial food operations which might have otherwise sent it to landfill.

A cafe might hand over as little as 10 kilos a day. But, as Kahn explains, it doesn’t matter if it’s five kilos of food or 50 kilos of food – it all adds up.

“We might be collecting unused food from four restaurants that are near each other, and it turns into 20kgs of food combined, that can feed over 60 people for a meal.

“Obviously a similar amount of food is being wasted in Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Perth, and it’s frightening.”

Ozharvest is planning to rescue two million meals in Sydney alone this year, and as Ozharvest’s expansion plans blossom, Kahn has the appetite to save the same from every capital city as well.

That’ll be a lot edible food saved from landfill, and just as importantly, a lot of full bellies and happy hearts as well. ●

Food wastage: Ask yourself...● Are you getting what you’re paying

for at the price you think you are?● Have you costed everything you’re

doing in the production stage?● Are you tracking your sales at the

other end? For example, is half of a main course always coming back on a plate? Does that tell you your portions are too big, the guest doesn’t like it – and what impact is that having on not selling your add-ons like desserts.

● Are you monitoring portion control systems?

● Are you monitoring all food handling and preparation techniques?

● Are you communicating with front-of-house to sell dishes with ingredients that will no longer be at their optimum the following day?

Matthew Kemp.

Without sounding like some tree-hugging hippy, I hate seeing waste – it just winds me up

because I just think it’s lazy.


rabbit


As part of our poultry and game meat feature Justin North from Becasse and Etch restaurants profiles the versatility of rabbit.

Yields 2 portions; 1 x 500g baby white rabbit

Ingredients● 1 rabbit● ½ medjool date● 1 tbsp date and tea puree● 1 tbsp lemon pith puree● 1 tbsp sliced peeled celery heart● 1 tbsp brioche parsley crumb● Pinch celery salt

MethodTunnel-boning the legsRemove legs from the saddle, disconnecting the hipbone and ensuring to include all the

thigh muscle with the leg. Disconnect the pelvis from the femur (thigh bone), and remove. Scrape the meat away from the thighbone keeping the meat intact; tunnel bone. When the femur is fully exposed, pop the knee joint and remove the socket. Remaining will be the shinbone, with ankle, and a hollow thigh. Special attention must be taken to ensure there are no holes in the meat, as this will destabilise the leg when stuffing and roasting.

To French the legsWith the heel of your knife cut through the shin bone just below the ankle, ensuring a

Macleay Valley baby rabbit roast leg, rack

and saddle, lemon pith puree and date

A bunnyin the oven

rabbit 32 27/5/10 1:06:35 PM


rabbit

nice clean cut is achieved – to do this use the heel of a large, sharp chef’s knife. The bone can easily splinter at this stage, so extra care must be taken. Cut around the shinbone approximately one inch from the ankle, and scrape the meat away. Once the legs are fully cleaned they can be stored under oil until service. For service, stuff the leg with the brioche crumbs and secure with a toothpick.

Confit shouldersRemove shoulders from rabbit by running the knife under shoulder blade to release. Salt with aromatic curing salt for six hours. Rinse salt off and pat dry. Place shoulders in rendered duck fat at around 100°C and confit for 30-45 minutes or until meat is tender and flakes easily from the bone.

For the farciWhen rabbits are completely butchered, all

trimmed meat including belly is to be double-picked of any bone, gristle, and

cartilage. This trim is then minced with the medium/coarse mincing

attachment, with a little wagyu fat and any offal trim taken

when cleaning the kidneys and

livers. Season with Madeira,

brandy, salt, pepper, thyme.

Always cook a

tester to ensure seasoning is exactly right. Add the confit shoulder to this mince mix and re-test.

LoinsTake the short loins (loin not including the rack end) from the spine, keeping the belly meat intact. Score the belly with the tip of a sharp knife; be sure to not pierce completely through the meat. With a meat mallet gently tenderise this flap of belly. Place farci along the line of the loin keeping it quite compact. Roll the loin over the farci to meet the belly. Wrap neatly and tightly in crepinette, then cling film, and blanch for one minute.For service remove loin from cling film and pat dry. Caramelise in a pan with vegetable oil over high heat, finishing with a little butter, pink salt and lemon juice. Roast in a moderate oven for three minutes, allow three minutes to rest, carve and serve.

RackOnce the short loins have been removed, sever the spine at the rib cage. Gently scrape the inside of each rib. This will remove a membrane and make the exposing of the ribs easier. Dislocate the ribs from the cartilage with a gentle popping motion. It is important at this stage to not crack the ribs. The ribs are very delicate so it’s important to treat this stage with much care. Once the ribs are free from the cage, gently peel back the belly fully exposing the bones and loin.

Trim this off at the base of the loin and set aside for farci. With scissors, separate the loin from the spine and trim off any silver skin or sinew. For service, sear the loin gently and roast in a moderate oven for one minute. Carve into three two-bone cutlets and serve.

For the offalRemove the offal from the rabbit, trim of all fat and silverskin and soak in milk with thyme and garlic; rinse, and store in fresh milk daily. For service, quickly sear in a hot pan, finishing with butter, lemon and pink salt. Carve and serve medium rare.

For the earsTrim the ear sets of all remnants of fur. Place the ears in a braising liquor made with red wine, mirepoix and rabbit stock. Cover with a cartouche and braise in at 130˚C for 2½ hours. Remove ears from braise and allow to cool. When the ears are cool, trim of any large pieces of cartilage. The ears are to be rolled with a stuffing of chicken mousse and diced jamon Iberico. The ears are shaped into a cone, and wrapped in cling film. They are then poached and crumbed. For service the ears are deep fried, trimmed at the base and warmed through in a moderate oven.

For serviceHeat the purees and celery. Arrange on a plate with deep fried celery, celery salt and olive oil. Finish with red wine sauce and serve.

Justin North saysBest cooking techniques“Legs, shoulders and belly are best cooked either confit or braised. Loins and racks are best caramelised and roasted or cooked sous vide; liver and kidneys are best seared and served pink. Ears are great slow cooked until sticky and gelatinous, then fried. The whole rabbit can be boned and rolled into a ballotine shape, secured then braised.”

Ingredients that best complement rabbit“Spring and summer time – asparagus, peas, artichokes and baby carrots. Autumn and winter – broad beans, pumpkin, chestnuts or parsnips. Sauces made from caramelising the rabbit bones and finishing with Armagnac or a touch of honey clove and cinnamon are great as well.”

Favourite way to cook and eat rabbit“In a simple setting, braised rabbit pappardelle is a lovely, rustic, comforting rabbit dish. In a fine dining sense I prefer to utilise the whole rabbit to showcase all the different cuts, techniques and cooking methods which highlight the rabbit’s uniqueness and versatility.”

Hints and tips“As the flavour can be very delicate, be mindful of not putting strong flavours with the rabbit during cooking. Rabbits are also quite lean, so it’s important not to overcook your rabbit as the meat will dry out and lose its moisture and flavour and become very dry and pasty.”

rabbit 33 27/5/10 1:07:03 PM

duck


Like a duck to waterAs part of our special poultry and game meat feature Adam Humphrey, chef and co-owner at Restaurant Arras profiles duck and delivers a stunning recipe in the process.

Serves four.Start this recipe the day before.

Brine duckIngredients● 800g caster sugar● 600g salt● 20 Juniper berries● 20 cloves● 25 black peppercorns● 6 bay leaves● 8L water

MethodPlace all the ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil. Remove form the heat and allow to cool before use.

Ingredients● 2 Aylesbury duck breasts, trimmed of

excess fat (fat reserved to render for confit)● 1 duck neck, outer skin removed in one

whole piece (reserve bone)● 300g duck gizzards, trimmed● 250g duck leg mince● 200g duck livers, trimmed and soaked

in milk● 250g pork mince● 500ml reduced veal stock● 500ml light chicken stock● 1 orange, zest and juice

● 2 corn cobs● 4 large leaves of Savoy cabbage● 1 carrot, peeled and diced into 4mm

pieces, cooked in salted water● 150g white beans, soaked and cooked● 1 shallot (eschallot), fine brunoise● 1 garlic clove, chopped finely● ½ leek, washed and chopped roughly● ½ bunch parsley, chopped finely● 500g duck fat● salt and pepper● bay leaves● 50g butter

Method1. Take the trimmed gizzards and brine them for two hours.2. Once brined, remove, rinse and pat dry. Add to a pan with the duck fat and 10

peppercorns, and two bay leaves. Confit for approximately two hours until the gizzards are soft and giving. Remove from the fat and chill.3. Next, trim the duck neck skin of any bone, windpipe, etc. Wash thoroughly and pat dry. Salt well inside and out, and leave for 30 minutes. Wash and pat dry. Meanwhile, sweat the garlic and shallot down without colour until soft. In a bowl mix the duck mince, pork mince, carrot, beans, chopped parsley, garlic and shallot and the cooked gizzards (reserving a quarter). If the gizzards are large, halve them. Add seasoning and a little duck fat to keep the mix moist when cooking. Mix well so all the ingredients are incorporated. Check for seasoning by frying a little of the farce, and then adjust accordingly.4. Stuff the duck neck with the farce, making

A plate of duck – beak to tail feather

duck 34 27/5/10 1:08:25 PM

Adam Humphrey saysBest cooking techniques“Legs: I always salt them in an aromatic salt and confit them in duck fat, with bay and thyme, very slowly in a low oven.Breasts: I like to brine the breasts for one hour in a salt, sugar and spice solution to impart flavour. Once brined I wash them, and then either pan-roast until pink or sous-vide them and finish them in a pan to crisp the skin. Either way the resting is imperative. Whole duck: I always like to slow roast it at about 150˚C. I occasionally marinate the duck and then just pop it on a trivet – either a vegetable one or metal roast until the skin goes crispy and the meat is soft and givingGizzards: I trim and brine for 12 hours, wash, and then confit until soft. Livers: I always like to soak the livers in milk to aid in the removal of bitterness. I then wash dry and trim them of any unsavoury looking sections. Season well and pan fry in a hot pan quickly - simple.Ingredients that best complement duckDucks eat corn, so I often serve a sweet corn puree, or slow-cooked corn. I also like serving carrot and swede with duck. A very old English combination is having it just cooked in salt and sugar and forked together with plenty of butter and black pepper. Cabbage is a good foil to the duck as well, either cooked and buttered or lightly creamed. I just stick to things like roasted salsify or Jerusalem artichoke; or maybe some lime- marinated fennel.

Favourite way to cook and eat duckIf I am cooking duck for myself, I like to eat it simply - slow-roasting a whole bird and serving it with mashed carrot and swede, duck gravy and greens.Hints and tips“Always buy the best you can afford and make sure the duck skin is dry and clean. You should never try to over-complicate cooking duck – it will end in tears!Be mindful that whichever treatment you give the duck, do not overcook it – it can become dry, stringy and not pleasant in taste. And always rest the meat before you carve it. Duck meat is versatile and will stand up to lots of flavours, but that doesn’t mean lots of flavours together!”


ducksure the ingredients are evenly distributed. Once the neck is filled, roll in cling wrap to make an even sausage shape, tying both ends tightly. Poach at 65°C for two hours and chill rapidly.5. Take the duck breasts and brine for one hour in the same solution as the gizzards. Remove, rinse and pat dry – vac in sous vide pouch and chill, or don’t vac and cover and chill. Vac packing isn’t necessary if you are not going to cook the breasts sous vide.6. Next, make the garnish. Remove the kernels from the corn and place in a pan with a little sugar, salt and pepper. Add the chicken stock (enough to cover) and 20g butter. Cook slowly until the sweet corn is tender. Remove and blend until very smooth, adding a little cooking liquor if required. Season and pas through a fine sieve. Chill and reserve until later.7. For the cabbage, chiffonnade finely and blanch in boiling salted water. Refresh and reserve until later.8. To make the gravy, roast the inner neck and any other duck trimmings. Drain off the fat and add to a pan with the veal stock, leek and grated orange zest. Simmer very slowly as to impart the duck flavour through the veal stock to create the gravy. Pass and reserve, and finish with a little of the orange juice.9. Rinse the duck livers and pat dry, cut into 1cm cubes. Slice the chilled gizzards very finely and dry in a hot oven until crisp. Be careful not to burn.

To serve1. Place the seasoned duck breasts in a water bath at 58°C for 40 minutes. If not using a water bath, colour the skin of the breast in a hot pan and cook in a 260°C oven for eight to 10mins. Meanwhile, slice the duck neck sausage into 1cm thick slices, and cook in a hot pan until golden all over. Heat the sweet corn puree and also reheat the cabbage in the remaining butter – add some seasoning to both. Reheat the gizzards slightly.2. Once the duck is cooked, remove from

the pouch and colour the skin side for a minute or so, until golden, and leave to rest. If just cooking the breast normally, rest well at this point.

To plate1. Place the puree across the plate, and scatter the gizzard crisps across the puree.

Offset that with a small amount of the buttered cabbage and place the neck sausage on that. 2. Carve the breast into pieces and arrange on the plate. At the last minute, season the liver pieces and sear quickly in a hot pan, arrange over the puree. Add the hot gravy to a jug and sauce at the table.

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duck 35 27/5/10 1:08:51 PM

quail


Little birdy . . .As part of our poultry and game feature Brent Savage from Bentley Restaurant and Bar profiles the humble quail.

Brent Savage saysBest cooking techniques“The breast is best medium-rare. Poaching at a low temperature is the most effective technique. Alternatively, I would sear them very quickly at a high heat. With the leg meat we confit and press it. I also love them on the bone, with spices and deep-fried.”

Ingredients that best complement quail“Because it is a subtle meat, I use ingredients with a slight sweetness, or acidity like fruit to counterbalance the richness of the meat.”

Favourite way to cook and eat quail“On the menu at the moment, I have a quail dish for the degustation. We take the breast, add a farce, then roll it. We then poach and deep-fry it. I think this is a great way to eat the quail as it brings out the best qualities and textures of the meat.”

Hints and tips“The danger with quail is that the meat can easily dry out when cooking. It is very important not to overcook the meat and keep it moist.”

Roasted quail with silverbeet, quinoa, feta and barberryGlazeIngredients● 40g rock sugar● 40g oyster sauce● 60ml soy sauce

MethodPlace all ingredients in a small saucepan and place on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool, set aside.

Roasted quailIngredients● 6 quail, butterflied● 35g egg white● 125g cream● Salt

MethodRemove the legs from the quail, leaving the skin intact to the breast. Remove the bones. Place leg meat, egg white and cream in a food processor. Season with salt and continue to mix into a smooth puree. Pass through a fine sieve. Place in the fridge in a piping bag to cool. Spread the remaining quail out and pipe the leg farce across the breast meat. Using the skin, roll the quail into a cylinder, and place on a sheet of clingfilm. Roll the clingfilm to secure the cylinder, and tie off on both ends. Heat a pot of water to 60˚C and poach for 30 minutes. Remove from clingfilm. Deep fry at 180˚C for one minute. Slice the cylinders into three equal pieces before plating.

Feta ballsIngredients● 100g feta● 125ml water● 3g methylcellulose● 2 sheets gelatin, titanium (soaked)● 0.25g xantana● ½ bunch silverbeet● 80g quinoa● 2 cloves garlic, finely diced● ½ preserved lemon, rind only, finely diced● ¼ bunch mint, finely diced

MethodIn an upright blender, combine the feta and water and mix into a smooth paste. Add the methylcellulose. In a small saucepan, melt the gelatin on a low heat. Add the gelatin to the feta mixture, and blend to combine. On a tray lined with ‘go between’, spread the mixture evenly to 1mm thickness. Cool in the fridge until mixture reaches 4˚C. Remove and cut into 4 x 4cm squares. Set aside. In a pot of boiling water, blanch the silverbeet for one minute, then refresh into ice water. Strain, and press excess water out. Chop finely. In a small pot place the quinoa and cover with water. Cook on a medium heat until quinoa has softened. Strain and add to the finely chopped silverbeet. Add the garlic, mint and preserved lemon to the silverbeet and quinoa. On a sheet of clingfilm, place a

square of feta. Place 15g of silverbeet mixture in the centre of each feta square. Bring the four corners of the clingfilm together, and tie into a ball. Heat a pot of water to 80˚C and poach the balls for four minutes before serving.Barberry Sauce (recipe not included)

Presentation/ garnish● Baby mint● Smoked paprika

MethodSpread some barberry puree onto a plate. Arrange the three pieces of quail around the plate, standing upright. Alternately arrange the feta balls between the quail and sprinkle the balls with smoked paprika. Finish with baby mint shoots.

Quail 36 27/5/10 1:09:17 PM

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FSN_Game Farm_FP_037 37 27/5/10 1:10:02 PM

chicken


Come home to roostAs part of our poultry and game feature Alex Kearns from Glebe Point Diner profiles the chook with a recipe that’ll warm your cockles.

I am assuming everyone knows what they’re looking for when purchasing a chook. My favourite is pastured, raised Burrawong Chooks. We are going to portion this chook and cook the breast separately to the legs.

Method1. Pat your chook dry with paper towels and trim the wing tips.2. Remove legs from bird, then cut off excess tail bone so you are left with the ‘cage’ – that is, the breasts on the rib cage with nothing else.3. Season the cage inside and out, and both legs generously with salt. Allow to stand for 12 to 18 hours.4. Confit the chook legs in fat (chook or duck) or braise them in stock. Brush the excess salt off, place legs in pot, cover with fat and bring to the simmer. Let the fat just tick away – it should never rapidly bubble. This should take no longer than two hours.Note: If braising, in an ovenproof dish place the legs with enough stock to wet the bottom of the pan, cover with wet baking paper and place in preheated oven of 180˚C for around two hours. The paper slows the evaporation of stock and allows the skin to caramelise.5. To roast the cage, place in preheated oven of 220˚C for 30 minutes, then allow to rest in a very warm spot for 15 minutes. The fast roast allows the skin to get a crust and the rest ensures the meat is juicer and cooked through.6. One bird is two portions. To serve crisp skin on the leg, place in a non-stick pan and then a hot oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Carve breast off the bone. I love chook with bread sauce and brussels sprouts tossed with pancetta.

Bread sauceIngredients● 1 onion finely diced● 3 cloves

● half a nutmeg on the mirco plane● half a bunch of thyme leaves● 1 fresh bay leaf● 250ml cream● splash of milk (50ml)● salt, pepper and sugar● bread crumbs

MethodSaute onion till translucent, then add cream and milk. Add thyme, nutmeg, bay leaf and cloves. The cloves are the only ingredients you need to retrieve. Season to taste. Add breadcrumbs to simmering cream infusion till you achieve a puree consistency. The purpose of bread sauce is to hold the juices of the roasted bird.

Burrawong juicy chook with bread sauce, brussel sprouts and pancetta

Alex Kearns saysBest cooking techniques"The best method to cook the breast is to poach it, as it helps retain its flavour and moisture. With the leg it responds best to braising, or in a cooked confit. A whole chook is best either poached, or the all-time favourite – roasted."Ingredients that best complement chicken“Salt. All soft herbs. Chicken takes on flavours well. It might be easier to list ‘do-nots’. I love the way the Chinese handle chooks. In the cooler months I like chook with bread sauce and sauteed brussels sprouts. In the warmer months, poached chook ginger and shallot. Or black vinegar dressing.”Favourite way to cook and eat chicken“A classic roast is pretty hard to beat, but I also love Chinese silken poached chook. Crispy skin. Yum.” Hints and tips“There is a fine line between the cooking time of the breast and leg when cooking whole. Be mindful that the leg must be cooked through, but not to dry out the

breast. I achieve this with long rest in a very warm spot near the stoves. Try brining the bird before roasting or poaching. You can get the salt right into the bird.”

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chicken 38 27/5/10 1:10:52 PM

FSN_Baiada_FP_039 39 27/5/10 1:11:10 PM

venison


Deer to one’s heartAs part of our poultry and game feature Peter Manifis from InContro gives us an insight into the qualities of venison.

Ingredients● 400g fillet of Margaret river venison● 50g toasted and crushed peppercorns● 1 tsp crushed juniper berries● 50ml extra virgin olive oil● Good sea salt to taste● 100ml extra virgin olive oil● 1 onion, finely diced● 200g sliced Portobello mushrooms● 100g pronto fresca fungi fungi● 100g Ferron aborio rice● 500ml chicken stock● Salt and pepper to taste● 50g butter● 20g Parmesan● ½ bunch parsley● 200g English spinach

MethodHeat chicken stock in a pot. Heat oil in a separate pan, add onion, keep stirring occasionally until translucent. Add rice and stir until rice becomes opaque (approximately two minutes). Continuously add chicken stock one ladle at a time until it absorbs while it bubbles gently (approximately 14 minutes). Saute off Portobello mushrooms in extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper. Once cooked add fungi fungi, then add to risotto.Preheat oven to 220˚C. Roll venison in crushed peppercorns, Juniper berries and sea salt. Take oven-proof pan and heat to a moderate temperature; seal the venison off in the pan until brown and place in preheated oven for around six to eight minutes. Finish risotto by adding Parmesan, butter and fresh parsley, whip vigorously, and season to taste. Set aside. Pull venison out of the oven let rest for five minutes.

To serveSpoon wild mushroom onto plate. Place a couple of slices of venison onto risotto and top with sauted snow pea tendrils.*** make sure risotto is not too dry – if so add more stock.

Peppered Margaret River venison on wild mushroom risotto

Peter Manifis saysBest cooking techniques“Like beef, the tenderloins and Frenched cutlets are best rare to medium rare, but cuts like osso bucco are best generally slow-cooked. Rounds and rumps are great roasted whole and sliced at the table."Ingredients that best complement venison“I’m thinking pepper, juniper berry, mushrooms, figs... Ingredients that can match up and stand up to this stronger flavoured meat."Favourite way to cook and eat venison“I’ll be honest; I got a fresh Margaret River venison fillet last week and roasted it whole in the oven – it was sublime.”Hints and tips“I prefer the venison to be fresh rather than frozen. Whatever you do, don’t overcook the meat – it will become tough and dry out. And always remember to keep your dish simple.”

venison 40 27/5/10 1:11:44 PM

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FSA expo


Tools of the trade

This year’s FSA EXPO, incorporating Foodservice Australia and Bakery Australia, promises to be the ultimate one-stop-shop for operators looking for a kickstart to the next financial year.

The Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre is preparing for an onslaught of eager foodservice and bakery professionals looking to take advantage of the offerings from this year’s FSA EXPO.

Held from 21 to 23 June, visitors will not only be able to see all that Aussie foodservice and bakery has to offer, but they’ll see some

of the nation’s most gifted professionals go head to head in a number of culinary competitions.

The FSA EXPO is the only show endorsed by the Foodservice Suppliers Association Australia (FSAA) and is the must-see event of the year according to FSAA chief executive Vince Crawley.

“If you’re in foodservice, it’s your show. The FSAA has worked closely with the organisers to ensure the promotion, marketing, exhibitor list and attendance embraces the full spectrum of the industry.”

For that reason, the FSAA has chosen FSA EXPO as the venue for its inaugural ‘Foodservice today and tomorrow’

foodservice australia 42 27/5/10 1:13:06 PM


FSA expo

conference, which will see leading industry speakers address topics such as logistics, sales, marketing and innovation in the context of Australian foodservice.

FSA EXPO features a whole program of events designed to ensure there’s plenty to see and do on the show floor across the three days.

Serious chefs won’t want to miss the CHEF Australian Championship, which will return with a new tougher-than-ever format for 2010, building on its successful debut at the 2008 show.

The high pressure competition will pit chef against chef, judges and the clock, as they compete in a four-station kitchen right in the middle of the show floor, in front of a live audience.

This not-to-be-missed event gives each competing group of four chefs just one hour to prepare and serve four different dishes utilising one main component.

And for the first time, the 2010 competition will also include a new CHEF Australian Apprentice Championship category – destined to be recognised as the nation’s premier junior hot individual cooking competition. Apprentices will be required to prepare three dishes rather than four, under similarly demanding conditions as the full chef category.

Chef competition finalists will be required to prepare and present a minimum of four dishes using one main component and four complementary ingredients of their choice, sourced from a provided list of exhibitors’ products. Other base ingredients will be supplied as standard from a common table of ingredients, but finalists will not be given a full list of products until they compete.

The rules for the competing apprentices are similar, but they will be required to use two complementary ingredients sourced from exhibitor products.

Armed only with a map and their innate knowledge, the competitors must navigate through the crowds and exhibitors, working

against the clock all the while.Common ingredients are not on view and

change each session, and each competitor will be given the main component then have 15 minutes to plan their menu, 15 minutes to gather ingredients from exhibitor stands, eight minutes to select from the common table and five minutes for kitchen set-up. Time allocated for the preparation and presentation of the menu is 60 minutes. Apprentices will compete in the Chefs’ Theatre in the middle of the show floor, so the pressure will be well and truly on.

“It’s not about practice, it’s not about dishes that have been done several times, it’s pure raw talent -- a competition designed by chefs for chefs,” said competition designer, Black Hat Chef Gary Farrell.

Meanwhile The Great Australian Sandwichship will be staged for the first time ever as part of FSA with Lawson’s Traditional Bread is major sponsor of the event along with associate sponsor Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Pronto Pollo.

The Great Australian Sandwichship will see 12 finalists from cafés, sandwich shops and other foodservice outlets battle head to head to become our first ever Great Australian Sandwichship National Champion.

Competition developer, Saxon Joye from Pronto Pollo says he “wanted to start the competition as a celebration of this country’s sandwich makers and their wonderful creations.”

Competitors will have to make three

different sandwiches for a panel of five judges including food industry professionals from Goodman Fielder Baking, Kraft Foodservice and Pronto Pollo joined by a cook, a food stylist and a food media representative.

Entries for 2010 are closed, but to register your interest for 2011 visit www.sandwichship.com.au.

Other events on the program include:● Latte Art Demonstrations from leading

coffee makers.● The Baking Industry Association’s

Excellence in Baking Awards, to be conducted in the form of a bake-off competition. The Master Pastry Chef bake-off will be held on 21 June, the Master Apprentice Baker on the morning of 22 June, Master Apprentice Pastry Chef on the afternoon of 22 June and Master Baker bake-off on 23 June. Cash prizes will be given to the winners in each category, courtesy of the event sponsors. Each winning apprentice will receive $1000 and the winning Master Baker and Master Pastry Chef will each receive $1500.

● The Great Aussie Pastie Competition, conducted by the BIA NSW in conjunction with national body Baking Associations Australia. This will be judged and the winners announced on 23 June, the final day of the expo. The competition covers three categories: Plain, Vegetable and Gourmet Pasties.

● Leading Edge Bakery Journal presents two events: first, the Australian Artisan Baking Cup, a live event designed to showcase skills in artisan breadmaking, sweet yeast and bread centrepieces. The competition will be held in a 300sqm baking arena equipped with the latest technology and featuring competing teams of three members each. The National Baking Competition will present a further opportunity for Australia’s top bakers to demonstrate their abilities are world-class. ●

❝

❞

It’s not about practice, it’s not about dishes that have been done

several times, it’s pure raw talent

foodservice australia 43 28/5/10 8:40:47 AM

quaff


Keep your friends close and your enemies closer

There’s a lot to be gained from conducting such an exercise, whether through the mystery shopper approach (sending one of your staff) or personally going to the said venue to see for yourself what’s on offer and how it compares with your own establishment. A couple of months ago I was staying in a hotel in Adelaide and, as always, was keen to see what in-room wines were available from their mini-bar – I was sorely disappointed with what was on offer.

It got me thinking about the range and quality of wines offered in hotel rooms and mini bars. From my travels far and wide I personally don’t believe a great deal of thought is given to this sector of the hotel. It’s a well-known fact that people who stay in hotels for business and pleasure don’t necessarily drink from the mini bar unless it’s on a company account. But apart from the inflated costs of such drinking, how important is it to offer your guests good quality wines at reasonable prices? And should those wines be a full bottle, half bottle or 500ml bottle?

Many businesspeople I know who travel and stay overnight in hotels and suites say they sometimes take a nice bottle of wine with them on their travels. It’s not usually a case of the wine in the mini bar being too expensive, but rather the quality on offer in hotels and apartments. Two female friends I spoke with who travel frequently for business said they don’t like eating by themselves in hotel foyers or restaurants, and much prefer room service. They both supply their own wines and are brand loyal Sauvignon Blanc drinkers. Another mate of mine, who’s a project manager for a large Melbourne-based construction company, is away from home at least 150 nights per year. He too prefers to take his own bottle of red wine away with him, or buy it in the local bottle shop to have in his room. He’s a Penfolds red man. Obviously many of us are brand loyal, and that’s why we like to take our own wines on our travels – but perhaps hotels and apartments could give greater thought to enticing the consumer to drink better and offer something out of the ordinary. While you can’t cater to everyone’s personal brand, I could be enticed to drink another if the price point was within my range and a half bottle was on offer.

Recently I telephoned six national hotel and apartment chains to enquire what wines they had available in their rooms and the costs of those wines. Nearly all said they offered only half bottles of wines for sale via the mini bars.

First up was the Sheraton on the Park, Sydney. Here it offers Penfolds Rawson’s Shiraz and Chardonnay for $24 per half bottle; the champagne they offered was Moet & Chandon at $65 per half bottle. No great ball of fire in the wine department, wouldn’t you say? The Sydney City Hilton offers Tyrrell’s Old Winery Shiraz, Cabernet/Merlot and Chardonnay, all for $24. No sparkling wines were available in-room. Sydney Hotel InterContinental offers a half bottle of Penfolds

Rawson’s Classic White and Wyndham Estate Shiraz, both for $12 (half the price of both Hilton and Sheraton Hotels). A half bottle of Moet & Chandon will set you back $75, the same price as at the Sofitel. Sydney’s Star City Casino offers (in its hotel rooms, not suites) half bottles of Summersault Sauvignon Blanc and Summersault Cabernet/Merlot for $15, while a half bottle of sparkling Yarraburn was available for $12. Without wishing to fuel a Sydney and Melbourne stoush, I contacted the people at The Melbourne Crown Casino (Crown Towers) to gauge a comparison with Sydney Star City Casino and to my amazement, they offered only Wolf Blass Red Label Chardonnay (187mls) and Wolf Blass Cabernet/Shiraz (187mls) both for $8 per bottle.

The hotel with the better quality for in-room wines was the Hotel Sofitel in Sydney, which offers a Shadow fax Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc, both for $22 per half bottle with the Moet and Chandon (half bottle) for $75.

I then spoke to a couple of national apartment chains with rooms available throughout Australia. I explored whether Toga Hospitality (Medina and Vibe Apartments) and Fraser Suites would compare favourably or not with their hotel cousins. After all, they are supposed to offer something different to their guests besides apartment living. Medina and Vibe offers two wines, both red/white (Willow glen) from De Bortoli in full bottles for $25 per bottle, with no sparkling or champagnes available from their mini-bar. Surprisingly, Fraser Suites offered a Yellow Tail Chardonnay and Jacob’s Creek Shiraz, both in 187ml bottles for $9 each. Having stayed at Fraser Suites in Singapore I am surprised at the offerings here in Australia. Fraser Suites is at the high end of the corporate and business world, and to offer the entry point Yellow Tail and Jacob’s Creek is well below what the corporate types would expect to find in their suites.

I would imagine the wine representative who covers a particular region or section of the trade, like the off-premise trade, would go from one hotel to another. Or perhaps the hotel buys in bulk nationally for all its properties to gain a bigger discount by sheer purchasing power. Clearly there’s a wide disparity between the major Sydney hotels, with Hotel Inter-Continental having the cheapest wines at half the cost of other hotels. The best hotel for quality wines was most definitely The Sydney Sofitel. In the apartment side of things none of them stood out as crowd pleasers or trail blazers.

There you have it – a simple survey with interesting results. You can do a similar survey of your nearest rivals whether it’s with wine, coffee, food, price or service. Why not look around at your competitors and put yourself to the test. Someone has to set a benchmark and it might as well be you. Be aware that if you’re not taking stock of your nearest competitor, your competitor may well be taking stock of you! ●

How often do you study your nearest competitors’ prices, customer service or menu offerings? Jim McMahon offers some advice on how to start putting your competition in the picture, through his exploration of mini bar wines.

Jim is available to help compile your next wine list – wine2000@optusnet. com.au.

quaff 44 27/5/10 1:13:57 PM

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FSN_Bulla_FP_045 45 27/5/10 1:14:14 PM

legal


The ACCC: Taking care of small businessSince Australia now generates approximately 20 per cent of its national income from the franchise industry, with an annual turnover of some $130 billion involving 71,000 franchise agreements and employing 400,000 people, it is fairly obvious that to ensure the survival of the industry, effective regulation is necessary.

That regulation has evolved over many years and is currently contained in the Franchising Code of Conduct (‘Code’) – soon to be further amended.

No doubt some readers would be franchisors and franchisees, so it’s worthwhile featuring a recent case brought before the Federal Court of Australia by the ACCC. The ACCC, in seeking to protect the rights of small business, brought proceedings on behalf of Allphones’ franchisees for breaches of the Code and the Trade Practises Act by that franchisor.

The outcome was that 55 current and former Allphones franchisees recently received payments totalling $3 million from Allphones and its executives as a consequence of the executives’ involvement in unconscionable conduct since 2004. The Federal Court made orders by consent ordering that:● the franchisees be paid $3 million in damages for

money that had been withheld● the three executives had been knowingly concerned

in unconscionable conduct● a number of injunctions be imposed to prevent

similar conduct in the future; and● the company and two of the executives pay the

ACCC’s costs.There was evidence to suggest that as it grew,

Allphones represented to potential franchisees that their franchise system was like ‘a true partnership’ where they shared the profit, assuring franchisees that Allphones would use its bargaining power to their benefit. There was also evidence to suggest that Allphones negotiated commissions and bonuses with suppliers (which it did not disclose to franchisees) and that it also altered documents from carriers by disguising charges. Allphones also embarked on a campaign to oust those it described in management reports as “dickhead franchisees” by: ● withholding stock● stopping a franchisee’s income while simultaneously

requiring franchisees continue to bank daily takings in Allphones’ account and meet other obligations such as rent and wages; and

● threatening franchisees with ‘breach’ notices suggesting to terminate their franchise.On a number of occasions where franchisees

attempted to rely on the code and discuss their concerns, or implement dispute resolution procedures, Allphones blocked them.

Acting ACCC chairman Peter Kell commented after the judgement: “This is some of the worst conduct encountered by the ACCC in dealing with franchisees. It was both systemic and prolonged. I can only imagine how a franchisee caught on the wrong side of such policies, with their livelihood on the line, must have felt.”

He added: “This is an important result for the franchisees. But just as importantly, it sends a broader message to franchisors and those who advise them, that compliance with agreements is fundamentally a two-way street. This case builds on a number of others where the ACCC has taken action to protect the rights of small businesses. Franchisees can pay significant sums, some investing more than their net worth, for the opportunity to get involved in a franchise system. In this case some franchisees found that Allphones not only shifted the goalposts, but imposed hefty unwritten sanctions”, said Kell.

Under the Code, details of this judgement are considered to be materially relevant facts to be disclosed by the franchisor to an existing franchisee or to a potential franchisee in the disclosure documents. It is somewhat astonishing that any franchisor would want to engage in this type of behaviour, knowing it would be compelled to disclose any judgement in a disclosure document and in so doing risk the early demise of their franchise operation.

While most franchisors run exemplary operations, no amount of regulation will deter those few operators who enter the industry with the goal of fleecing unsuspecting and naive franchisees of their life savings by engaging in misleading, deceptive and unconscionable conduct.

I would imagine that a large number of franchisees obtain legal advice before entering into franchise agreements, so it is likely that in most cases there would at least have been compliance with the code by the franchisor at the commencement of the relationship.

The issue confronting franchisees is how to deal with serious complaints where no satisfactory outcome is achieved in normal discussions.

Generally the ACCC will consider enforcement action when it believes there has been a breach of the code and where it is in the public interest to do so, as it did in the above case. However, if the dispute arises out of a breach of the franchise agreement, the parties must attempt to resolve the dispute through the prescribed dispute resolution process detailed in the franchise agreement and also contained in the code. This would involve a mandatory mediation process in which the parties are able to air their grievances and endeavour to resolve their issues with the assistance of an experienced mediator.

It is now perfectly clear that the ACCC will not tolerate a franchisor who ignores or blocks attempts by a franchisee to have a dispute dealt with through the established process. Whether the chemistry is just not right, or the franchisee is not be able to fit into the franchise mould, or the franchisor does not have the resources to deliver everything that it promised, like marriage, so it is with franchise relationships. When any of that occurs and if the mediation process fails, it may well be time to part company. The resulting damage that manifests from such a fractious relationship may just not be worth the fight. ●

This month Jonathan Kaplan wades through the muddy waters of franchising.

Jonathan Kaplan is a consultant solicitor with Meerkin & Apel Lawyers in Melbourne and is a NMAS accredited mediator. Jonathan can be contacted on (03) 9510 0366 or 0418 588 855.

The advice and information contained in this article is of a general nature only and is not intended to constitute or replace professional advice.

legal 46 27/5/10 1:14:43 PM

FSN_SPC_FP_047 47 27/5/10 1:15:01 PM

shopping cart


a: SPC has launched two new varieties into the SPC Provital Fruit Purees range, SPC Provital Pear & Mango Puree 2.95Kg and SPC Provital Pear & Plum Puree 2.95Kg. These new SPC Provital products have contemporary flavours. Pear puree is used as the base as it is a low allergy fruit. There is no added cane sugar in any of the SPC Provital Fruit Purees. The new varieties are a source of soluble fibre. SPC Provital fruit purees have a consistent thickness that is ready to use, ideal as a dessert for people who suffer swallowing disorders, like dysphasia.Enquiries: t: 1800 805 168

b: Baiada and Steggles Foodservice offers you a versatile centre plate range including chicken breast, thigh fillets and shaped breast portions. The Premium Butterfly Chicken Breast Schnitzel offers an ideal food service option for bistros, clubs, pubs, restaurants and cafes. This skinless, premium whole chicken breast fillet is cut to butterfly and flash fried with a crunchy golden bread crumb coating making it perfect for gourmet sandwiches, focaccias, burgers or meal applications like Chicken Parmigiana. The Baiada Butterfly Schnitzel offers quality ingredients, generous sizing, convenience and superior taste. This ‘ready

to cook and serve’ premium breast fillet can be cooked in the oven, deep fryer, pan or grill. Simply serve with salad, chips or vegetables for a convenient meal solution.Enquiries: 02 9842 1220

c: If you are a distributor in foodservice and looking for increased profits then Independent Wholesalers (IW) is the place for you. IW is currently welcoming new Independent distributor members to join their purchasing , sales and marketing group. Let IW demonstrate to you the advantages of belonging to a National Marketing group, along with the potential returns to your

a b c

Shopping Cart 48 27/5/10 1:15:24 PM


shopping cart

d e

business, that is the WIIFM (What’s in it for me). IW caters for all size distributors including Niche market operators. IW has a full package on offer to help your business grow its sales & increase your profits. The package on offer is inclusive of Personalised catalogues, Group bulk buying, Best pricing, Promotional activity, Marketing incentives, a Rewards programme tailored for your business & Trade Partner support etc. IW is fully transparent - it is owned and run by the members, for the members.Enquiries: t: 0408 352 861; w: independentwholesalers.com.au; e: [email protected]

d: Angel Bay- producer of the top selling range of Part Cooked Gourmet Burger products, has proudly announced the addition of two new products. It’s 150gm Gourmet Angus Beef Pattie produced solely from 100 per cent Prime Angus Grain Fed Beef from their own feedlot is a real winner. Strong demand is already being experienced for this exciting new addition to the Angel Bay range which will be available early May. Angel Bay has also released a Gourmet Meatball packed in a convenient 1kg laminate foil bag containing approximately 67 (15 gram) meatballs. This competitively priced tasty beef product comes to you

packed 5 bags per carton. This quality product is also available from early May onwards and it is expected to rapidly gain widespread market acceptance. Enquiries: w: www.angelbay.com.au

e: Aon is the leading insurance broker to the restaurant and catering industry and has some sound advice for operators. Cash handling - Keep money out of sight. Never count cash in view of customers and don’t discuss earnings in public; Train all staff on the handling of cash and be vigilant in monitoring that procedures are followed; Limit cash held at the business and publicise this fact; Use professional cash carriers if possible; Empty machines at end of business and leave them open; Install duress alarms for staff in key areas. Be alert - aware of suspicious activity in and around your business; If you transport cash, avoid following the same routine every time; Conduct regular updates of security equipment and procedures; Recognise weaknesses and address with the services of industry professionals.Enquiries: t: 1800 633 402 e: [email protected]; w: www.aon.com.au

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Chickadee Sweet Chilli Tenders

Sweet Chilli Tenders versatile enough to serve year round

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3.95 is the amount of millions of tonnes of duck meat

produced in the world during 2007 – 84 per cent of this

amount was produced in Asia.

8 is the amount, in millions, of ducks produced in

Australia annually as meat for consumption.

95 is the per cent of ducks produced in Australia that

are consumed in the domestic market.

2.85 is the average amount of kilograms (live weight) of meat ducks grown in Australia under

commercial conditions destined for the whole duck

market. This takes approximately 6 to 7 weeks.

6.5 is the amount of millions of quails processed annually in Australia, worth around $14m.

190 is the average weight of a dressed quail (Japanese), although some breeds (Jurassic quails) will grow to 300grams when ready for sale.

95

7400 is the number

of emus slaughtered in 2007 for the emu meat industry, yielding 89 tonnes of meat and 44 tonnes of oil.

is the per cent of ducks produced in Australia that are consumed in the domestic market.

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3.5 is the

amount of kilograms of meat on an emu drumstick, while the thigh cuts (rump and fillet) produce about 5kg.

is the per annum value, in millions of dollars, of the Australian duck industry.

30 is the average age, in days, of a squab when it is sent to the processing plant. .

11 is the amount of millions of dollars the Australian squab industry is estimated

to be worth.

500 is the amount of grams the average Squab (dressed) when processed.

100

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Why not see for yourself? Call your Kraft Foodservice State Manager to receive your FREE* PHILADELPHIA Cream For Cooking starter kit.VIC/TAS: Scott (03) 9676 5442, NSW: Kay (02) 8870 1377 or Miray (02) 8870 1390, QLD: Heather (07) 3390 9413, SA: Sascha (08) 8172 8507, WA: Simone (08) 9267 1820

*For a limited time only while stocks last.

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