Catering In Melbourne

The Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering National Awards for Excellence were recently held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. Sydney’s QUAY restaurant has taken out the prestigious Restaurant of the Year, while the Australian Jockey Club Convention Centre at Randwick is Australia’s best Caterer.
 
Victorian entrants where successful in four categories:
 

Victoria is at risk of being unable to feed itself if the current drought continues and governments fail to safeguard the state’s food chain, a leading group of land managers and conservationists has warned. Victoria’s vulnerability was exposed earlier this year when food imports briefly exceeded exports, according to former federal bureaucrat and land management expert Dr Andrew Campbell. “If the current drought continues, Victoria could struggle to be a net food exporter within a couple of years,” he said. “There is no one magic bullet but government has to start looking at the whole food-chain security.” The crisis has brought traditional political adversaries to the table for the first time, with the Australian Conservation Foundation, farmers, policy specialists, corporate managers, restaurateurs, retailers and scientists uniting to explore what can be done to save Victoria’s food production and delivery network. A report sponsored by the group—Paddock To Plate: Time to Rethink Food and Farming—pinpoints land degradation, lack of water, rising fuel costs, climate change, international competition, undervaluing of farm produce and a lack of communication and planning by governments as significant contributors to present and future dangers. Sunday Age (Melbourne), November 2.

Many WA wine makers are set to freeze prices of top quality wines due to the gloomy economic outlook and fears of a wine glut, after a 27 per cent increase in national production last year. Wine production in Australia hit 1.2 billion litres in 2007-08 and the wine grape harvest jumped 34 per cent to 1.8 million tonnes as key wine regions bounced back from smoke damage and drought the previous year, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data. WA Wine Industry Association president John Griffiths said a jump in production had put downward pressure on WA wine prices. He said WA winemakers had said mass discounting was likely and the mood was gloomy, given the global economic outlook. “Twelve months ago the industry was a lot more buoyant,” he said. “At this time they’re very cautious because of what is happening in the wider economy.” The West Australian, November 3.

“Never eat in a restaurant that smells of truffle oil” is the latest addition to a set of eating-out guidelines that started 20 years ago with “Never eat in a restaurant that revolves or floats”. After news reports last week, perhaps I should add “Never eat chocolate gelato (or, for that matter, lemon gelato) in a restaurant where you have previously complained about the kitchen”. But that wouldn’t quite fit with the purpose of the list. The original idea was to guide travellers in search of a decent meal in an unfamiliar town or suburb. There are certain impressions you can form—long before you’ve had a chance to complain about anything—that will save you from finding yourself in the kind of place where the gelato might contain an unpleasant surprise. With the help of readers, I’ve been updating the list every couple of years and the time has come again to seek your input. How the restaurant rules have changed over two decades offers a fascinating insight into the evolution of Australia’s eating habits. The Sun Herald (Sydney), November 2.

Canberra’s hospitality industry is bracing for a horror day of trade on Tuesday as thousands of Canberrans head to the coast to celebrate the Melbourne Cup public holiday. Some business groups have anticipated it will be “even worse than last year” when bustling restaurant precincts were turned into a “ghost town”. The Melbourne Cup was one of the busiest days for the local hospitality industry until it was made a public holiday by the ACT Government last year in response to the Howard government’s WorkChoices laws which abolished Canberra’s union picnic day. The holiday is also gazetted for next year and will be reassessed in 2010. Australian Hotels Association ACT general manager Steven Fanner said the holiday was causing many restaurants to not open their doors on Tuesday because of increased staff wages and lack of bookings. ACT Chamber of Commerce chief executive Chris Peters said many were also thinking about closing tomorrow as well, as they couldn’t find staff. Canberra Times, November 2

A family allegedly served ice cream containing faecal matter at Sydney’s Coogee Bay Hotel say an impending mediation with the establishment is not about money. The Whyte family claim they were dished up the free ice cream at an NRL grand final function on October 5 after complaining they could not hear the televised game over the pub’s loud music. Laboratory tests by the NSW Food Authority showed a sample of the dish tested positive for bilirubin, found in excreta. But the hotel has repeatedly denied the allegations and has refused to apologise to the family. A legal mediation between the parties has been tentatively brokered for Friday. Retired Federal Court judge Trevor Morling, QC, who chaired the Lindy Chamberlain royal commission and is a member of the ICC Court of International Arbitration, has been appointed as mediator by both parties. Herald Sun, November 3.

Value meals and beverages are to become the cornerstone of McDonald’s global growth strategy in the coming year, as the fast food giant pushes for its fifth consecutive year of sales growth despite the global economic downturn. McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner says the company is strongly positioned to weather the market chaos and continue its investment in “re-imaging” its restaurants and growing market share against its rivals. At the same time, McDonald’s Australian head of marketing Helen Farquhar has revealed the Australian operations will aim to lift drive-through revenues to more than 50 per cent of the business, aided in part by the launch of a new coffee product to be sold exclusively to drive-through customers. McDonald’s Australia has recently reported some of the strongest growth results in the world for the brand. The Australian, November 3.

Wine may be the established Hunter drop, but a growing number of boutique and craft breweries have the region’s vineyards on the hop. The latest brewery to reach the Hunter is the ambitious Murray’s Craft Brewing Company, which has earned a reputation among beer enthusiasts for its inventive and sometimes unusual beers. The man behind the company, Murray Howe, said the Hunter could soon become as well known for its beer as its wines. “Newcastle’s got the best home brewing scene in the country,” Mr Howe said. “There’s definitely potential for [brewing] to grow in the Hunter. I’m surprised there’s not another couple of craft breweries within the Hunter Valley.” Newcastle Herald, November 1.

The world’s largest dairy exporter, Fonterra Co-operative Group, has opened its new research and development centre - the Chicago Technical Centre (CTC) - in Chicago, Illinois.Fonterra has invested US$2.4 million in the state-of-the-art facility, which applies New Zealand intellectual property and technology to the benefit of both the New Zealand and US dairy industries. Customers will be able to come in and physically see the processes and taste the products, as Fonterra’s technical staff develop cheeses, yoghurt, paediatric formulas, beverages and bars.

“Our investment in the CTC reinforces Fonterra’s commitment to the US dairy industry and to innovation,” said Martin Bates, Fonterra USA’s President and Chief Operating Officer. “Along with the move, earlier this year, of our corporate headquarters to Chicago, the CTC’s location will allow more innovations to be tailored specifically to the needs of Fonterra’s customers operating within the US and Canadian markets.”

The CTC houses advanced processing equipment, a sample analysis lab and an ingredient supply site.

Keith Schafer, Fonterra USA’s Vice President of Technical Development, said the 15 staff employed at the centre will assist Fonterra’s customers, partners, and scientists in defining products using Fonterra specialty ingredients in formulating retail and food service products.

“The centre will allow Fonterra to work directly with our North American customers, which range from the five largest food companies to smaller, regional firms,” said Mr Schafer. “Fonterra IP and technology will be demonstrated at the facility. Staff will also work with universities and outside laboratories, as needed, on customer projects.”

Fonterra’s functional dairy proteins are leading ingredients in several application areas.

Recent Fonterra launches in the North American market have been the PowerProtein range for improved bar functionality and flavour; clear clean flavoured whey-based beverage ingredients; speciality milk protein concentrates for both the cheese and yoghurt industries to improve yields and textures; and a number of hydrolysates for the paediatric nutrition area.

The dairy co-op now has both their office and the new CTC in the Chicago area to make it simpler, faster and more effective to commercialise scientific innovations derived from their other research and development hubs in Palmerston North, Melbourne, and Hamburg.