Shaping Australian Hospitality

This year EAFE launched an exciting series of industry talks titled “Shaping Australian Hospitality”.  It was the result of a round table discussion the judges had at the end of last year to look at ways to talk to you, our audience, on a more personal level.  EAFE thought it was a great idea and a wonderful way to say “Hi”, this is who we are & this is what we are trying to achieve for the young talent in the industry.  Fiona Hoskin, EAFE young chef Judge, reaffirmed this when she said “I see the program as a great way of nurturing young talent & encouraging them stay in the industry and finish their career.  It is something that we (the industry) need”

So grew the idea of hosting open industry discussions around the country where we could not only listen and discuss any queries or concerns you had in regards to the program, but you could initiate talking points around areas of which you have interest.  These talking points generated plenty of food for thought and also raised relevant and current topics that are on the minds of all industry members.  Some of the topics covered were; future food & dining trends, the role of service staff in the industry, Sustainability & often the question – What does the future hold for the Australian hospitality industry?

Here is some further detail from those discussions;

• Food & Dining Trends

In the constant search for new flavours and with chefs all around the world pushing the boundaries between tradition and science what can we expect to be tasting, smelling, experiencing as the next generation rise with refreshed enthusiasm and the hunger to achieve exceptionally high standards?  Diners are also challenging tradition with increased demands for flexible dining hours, smaller dish sizes with more options to choose from!

• The role of the Service Staff (Front of House)

While some might consider waiting tables to be a lowly student job, others regard hospitality as a vocation of choice.  The service staff are a crucial element of any successful restaurant so why is that we as a nation do not encourage and support the growth of this area of the industry which is in much need of it?  Do we need to introduce compulsory tips and automatically added service charges a la Japan, Singapore & America in order to retain and encourage service professional to stay in the industry?

Leanne Altman articulated the role of service staff when she said “I think that from the guest’s point of view, the chef might be doing amazing things in the kitchen, but if the waiter doesn’t know about what’s on the plate or in your wine glass (then) you don’t know why what you’re eating and drinking is so good.’  Leanne was the 2008 young waiter winner, she acts as an EAFE Ambassador & currently works as a waiter at Cutler & Co. in Melbourne, Victoria.

Tetsuya reaffirmed this by saying that “Restaurants are a package; it’s not only about the chefs.  If the food at a restaurant is excellent but the service was bad, you will not come back but if the food was alright, even though not excellent, and the service was great, you will go back.  Service can make or break a restaurant.”

• Sustainability, Eating Green, Love Thy Producer

As diners interests in the origins of the food they are eating grows, words such as “organic” and “sustainable” will continue to appear on menus around the country. While a chefs understanding of good produce is leading to different fruits, vegetables & meats being grown or bred specifically for their purposes.  Western Australian chefs like Jason Jujnovich of Divido’s gets farmers in the Swan Valley to grow heirloom tomatoes for him - & Matt Stone of Greenhouse who in addition to growing their own herbs onsite, another increasingly common trend, gets Fremantle sardines delivered to him virtually straight off the boat!  Extensive onsite gardens or more commonly referred to as “Kitchen Gardens” are popping up all over the country at restaurants such as Quay, Circa, The Royal Mail & Grazing.

Scott Heffernan mentioned that one of the highlights of his involvement in the program was the produce tour. “On the produce tour you discover so many great products made by such passionate producers… You can learn how to use a product to its full potential quite quickly in this environment and then it’s just a matter of jumping in there, putting your head down & being open to new ideas.” Scott Heffernan was a 2008 EAFE young chef finalist, he acts as an EAFE ambassador & currently works as head chef at Smolt in Hobart, Tasmania for Kif Weber, a 2009 young restaurateur finalists.

You may now wonder, did we (EAFE & the audiences) manage to determine what the future holds for the Australian hospitality industry? We certainly feel that a very interesting discussion has been started and that it is one that will continue.  But ultimately it will be answered by young Australian talent, that EAFE & the judges are here to support particulary as they are the future.  We will leave you with a comment made by Australian culinary legend & EAFE young chef judge, Tetsuya Wakuda.

“For 23 years I have had my own business and to this day I have never had a dull moment.  It is a very tough business but at the same time incredibly rewarding… If you have passion, you are half way there… the rest comes from dedication”

If you would like to be involved in this discussion and play a part in determining the future of this industry please subscribe to get monthly updates of all things relevant & evolving.  You can alternatively visit our Culinary Conversations page and share with us your thoughts.

Talks were held in WA, QLD, TAS & VIC with thanks to some of our partners including Electrolux, San Pellegrino & Henschke not to mention some of our inspiring ambassadors (past finalists of the program) & judges who took time out of their busy schedules.  We were also fortunate enough to feature as part of the Australian Pork, Porkstar dinner in Adelaide, SA.  Our thanks go out to: