Watch this special message from Senator The Hon Don Farrell as we open the doors to Fine Food Australia.

Click below to watch the video!

If you haven’t registered for Fine Food Australia, you can do so here.

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Talking Trends, sponsored by Food Industry Foresight, will also highlight the value of iPads and cutting-edge software in the kitchen as well as developments in innovation, IoT, automation and robotics in foodservice and product development.

The event, held at Sydney’s ICC over two exhibition floors from 11-14 September, will feature more than 850 exhibitors and over 100 speakers. This year’s Hospitality and Retail Technology exhibitors, showcased on the upper-level, include leading providers Square, Triniteq, Zeller Australia, Quandoo, Payoneer, Pronto Software, Lightspeed and more.

Fine Food Australia Event Manager, Andrew Lawson, said being across new and existing technology is invaluable for any operator in the food, beverage and foodservice industry. “This was key in our decision to introduce the Talking Tech stage to our audience. New tech gives businesses opportunity to differentiate in the marketplace, streamline processes and thereby improve efficiency and operating costs.”

The rising importance of ChatGPT

Tim Kummerfeld from hospitality and restaurant business consultancy, Foodie Coaches, who are leading Talking Tech panel discussion Using AI to Boost Business Profits said Chat GPT is a game-changer for the restaurant industry. “We started playing around with Chat GPT right away and introduced it to our members in April,” he said. “The two biggest areas it’s currently assisting in is any aspect where writing is required and replacing internet browsing. It’s much more efficient than wading through multiple websites and links, especially if it’s a topic you’re not familiar with.

“ChatGPT is being used in marketing, policies, procedures, responding to guests, menus, checklists, staff correspondence, supplier negotiations, developing onboarding and training tools and just about every other aspect.

“You ask any hospitality owner what their number one problem is and 90 per cent would say, they can’t find good people. Admin is such a drag on productivity and, frankly, the mental health of business owners.  So, this tool, like dishwashing machines and bins on wheels will make life easier, improve productivity and improve the customer experience. There are ethical questions around AI for sure, but these types of applications are not in that arena.”

Fellow panel speaker Ashlinn Reid from Canberra café, Stella’s By The Lake, said her business has used ChatGPT to great effect. “For review replies I’ll copy the review and put it into ChatGPT and ask it to create a detailed response, and it will highlight words mentioned in the reviews to personalise it more,” said Ms Reid. “We have even asked ChatGPT for a code of conduct. We used all the relevant points from four different codes of conducts to create our own.

“ChatGPT has changed so much for me as time is a big thing. I can get my content schedule done two times faster now that I don’t have to sit there and come up with captions. The best thing is that, if you don’t like what ChatGPT has provided, you can ask for it to write up something different.”

AI is here to stay

Business futurist Craig Rispin from The Future Trends Group, presenting The hottest AI apps to transform your food business as part of Talking Trends, will delve into everything from smart inventory management tools which predict demand, to AI-powered recipe developers creating innovative menus.

“People in the industry should not be afraid of AI – the technology won’t replace all jobs, it will just be more the case of a person doing a job alongside AI,” he said. “AI has the power to increase productivity 10-fold or even 100-fold for every computing task.”

Mr Rispin said there are currently numerous examples of successful industry apps. “AI Palette’s predictive analytics software enables companies to track trends in real time, using data mining and machine learning to forecast future events, thereby reducing costs of creating new food products. Symphony Retail AI also utilises AI to enhance food supply chain efficiency, transparently price items, and optimally dispatch them to customers, leading to cost savings and reduced food waste.”

Mr Rispin added that he also has his own AI assistant called Athena and predicted this would become more commonplace in the future for busy business operators. “Athena helps me scan 1 million data sources worldwide, so I can forecast into any industry or major topic in minutes. I think everyone in the food industry needs their own AI assistant to make them appear to be superhuman, like I do to my clients who are some of the largest food industry companies worldwide.”

Technology training advances

Sven Almenning from Speakeasy Group which includes top Sydney venues Eau-de-Vie and The Sanderson, as well as Melbourne’s Mjolner and Boilermaker House, will also be part of the panel discussion Training Tech on the Talking Tech stage, explaining how cafe and restaurant owners can use digital solutions for fast, effective onboarding and training.

Mr Almenning successfully launched Ananas, an online training and staff management platform for the hospitality industry. There are various applications, including use as an onboarding and training tool for new staff, tracking training progress and setting up tailored training programs for each staff member. There are also editable onboarding document templates released each week.

“This has greatly contributed to transparency and trackability when it comes to staff movements,” he said. “And rather than lots of phone calling or emailing, it’s really streamlined everything.”

Mr Lawson said Fine Food Australia is thrilled to have the support of an internationally recognised tech brand like Square this year and to showcase such a high level of innovation and knowledge at this year’s event.

The Talking Tech stage is located on the Upper Exhibition Halls, to attend these sessions and many more, register now for Fine Food Australia.

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Adam Moore, an esteemed professional in the foodservice industry, will facilitate the conference, which is conceived as a dynamic forum. This gathering will provide an opportunity for the foodservice industry’s distinguished thought leaders to engage in valuable discussions.

At the heart of the program is the keynote presentation by David Koch, Australia’s acclaimed television personality and business commentator. Drawing on his rich experience, David will share his strategic insights and economic forecasts, providing an essential perspective on the evolving global and Australian economy.

The conference aims to promote knowledge sharing, cultivate innovation, and spotlight sustainability. The strong line-up of speakers features experts such as Melissa Pepers, CEO of Reimaginers, and Suresh Manickam, CEO of Restaurant and Catering, along with other emerging industry leaders. Their diverse experiences and unique insights will undoubtedly enrich the discourse.

One of the conference’s highlights of the day will be the panel discussion “The Next Shift: Leading Australian Manufacturers on Cultivating a Healthier, More Productive Workplace”, an important conversation on enhancing our workplaces to be more supportive, effective, and motivating.

As part of the FSAA’s 2023 Think Tank, Board Member Eugene Visione, will unravel the latest research findings on sustainable packaging practices. Emerging leaders, Chris Ghosn, Mel Van Wyk, and Fiorella Boretti,  will also present the latest research findings, providing practical solutions to contemporary challenges.

Minnie Constan, FSAA’s CEO, shared her enthusiasm: “This conference transcends is not just about dialogue; it’s a collaborative effort to shape the future of our industry. I eagerly anticipate welcoming all our partners and stakeholders to what promises to be an enlightening and transformative event.”

Beyond insights and knowledge, the conference provides a platform to connect with your industry peers and thought leaders. Seize this opportunity to build partnerships that could give a new dimension to your business.

Seats are limited, so don’t delay in registering your attendance here!

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The ACF competitions give chefs a chance to showcase their skills, promote their restaurant & compete with fellow professionals. It is an essential part of the development of young chefs, it enables them to perform in an environment that puts them against their peers, which is a great challenge.

Toowoomba Surat Basin Enterprise Most Outstanding Chef

On Monday 5th September, 5 talented chefs competed for the Toowoomba Surat Basin Enterprise Most Outstanding Chef. “The standard was fantastic & it is great to see our industry chefs back out in the Competition Arena.”

Leslie Chan competed in Meat, Seafood, Poultry & Tapas classes & won 2 gold & 2 silver medals

Sadatsune Sugita Competed in Meat, Seafood, Poultry & Burger classes & won 3 Bronze & 1 Silver

Trevor Jenkins Competed in Meat, Seafood, Poultry classes & won 2 silver Medals & 1 Gold Medal

Yuan-Qing He Competed in Seafood, Poultry, Paella & Plant base Vegetarian Classes & won 4 Silver Medals

Andrew Ballard competed in Meat, Seafood, Paella & Plant based vegetarian Challenges & won 1 silver Medal & 3 Gold Medals & is the TSBE Most Outstanding Chef 2022

Lakanto Pastry Comp

Santiago Rincon 1 Silver Medal 3 Merits

Tabasco Team Challenge

The teams in this challenge went head to head Wednesday & the competition was tough with all team members having been recently announced as members of the Australian National Culinary Squad.
Stephen Lunn from Tasmania & Stellio Ginis from Northern Territory  won a silver medal.
The winner of the 2022 Tabasco Team Challenge also with a silver medal was Andrew Ballard & Amber Heaton

Yum Cha Challenge

3 teams competed Thursday & the judges were very impressed with the food & presentation of the dishes
The medal results:

Cocco Yuan Bronze Medal
Sublimation Silver Medal
Phoenix Soars Kitchen Gold Medal

Tabasco National Apprentice Competition

1st Year Apprentice Chef
Victoria Archer Houghton & North Queensland Ben Gerchow  Merit
South Australia Mathew Grigg & Western Australia Thomas Kettle Bronze Medals
South Queensland Abbey Kuhnell & Tasmania Eric Trong Silver Medals
The 2022 1^st Year apprentice chef winner is South Queensland Abbey Kuhnell

2^nd Year Apprentice Chef
South Australia Kaylia Bonython Bronze Medal
NSW ACT & Regions Heather Kovacs Victoria Pippa McPherson, North Queensland Joshua Farrell, Western Australia Pearl Gille-Hille Silver Medals
The 2022 2^nd Year Apprentice Chef winner is Western Australia Pearl Gille-Hille

Culinary Students
Western Australia Siang-Yin Chen, NSW ACT & Regions Giorgio Fecci Bronze Medals
Victoria Tracey Robson-Garth, South Queensland Ian Yang, North Queensland Leidy Maldonado Ramirez, South Australia Jessica Helinda Silver Medals
The 2022 Culinary Student winner is Tracey Robson-Garth from Victoria

Final Year Apprentice Chef
Victoria Lella Subramaniam & South Australia Jessica Boda Bronze
NSW ACT & Regions Noah Cairnduff, Western Australia Ben Connell Silver Medals
The 2022 Final Year Apprentice Chef winner is Western Australia Ben Connell

Tabasco National Apprentice Competition Winner Tracey Robson-Garth from Victoria

A big congratulations to all the winners that participated this year and showcased their incredible talents! Visit Australian Culinary Federation website for more information and highlights.

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The Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award competition has been developing the Next Generation of Chefs since 1965. The culinary competition provides a platform for emerging talent to benchmark themselves against their peers, learn from leading industry experts and experience the opportunity of a life time.

Regional and Metro Winners 2022

NSW Regional        Entrée Bronze, Main Bronze, Dessert Silver

Western Australia        Entrée Bronze, Main Bronze, Dessert Participation

Queensland Metro        Entrée Gold, Main Silver, Dessert Gold

ACT        Entrée Bronze, Main Silver, Dessert Silver

Tasmania        Entrée Silver, Main Silver, Dessert Silver

NSW Metro        Entrée Gold, Main Gold, Dessert Gold

NZ North        Entrée Silver, Main Silver, Dessert Gold

South Australia        Entrée Gold, Main Silver, Dessert Gold

Queensland Regional        Entrée Silver, Main Silver, Dessert Silver

Victoria        Entrée Gold, Main Silver, Dessert Silver

Northern Territory        Entrée Participation, Main Participation, Dessert Participation

Golden Chef 2022

NZ SOUTH        Entrée Gold, Main Gold, Dessert Gold

A big congratulations to all the winners that participated this year and showcased their incredible talents! Visit The Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award website for more information and highlights.

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As the biggest food trade event in the Southern Hemisphere, over 100 top food experts, industry masters, baristas and Australia’s most exciting chefs from around the country also took to the various stages for presentations and demonstrations.

One of the highlights was the annual Innovation Awards which recognise the most exciting and innovative products in the Australian marketplace, judged by top food industry experts.

“The calibre of entrants this year for the Innovation Awards was incredible,” said Product and Event Manager, Andrew Lawson. “All the nominees were phenomenal but what really set the winners apart were products that were very unique displaying a high level of innovation.”

Winners below:

Best new food service product, presented by Hello Food Service: Clorox Australia – Glad to be Green Compostable Baking Paper. Comprised of a unique composition of materials, as opposed to regular baking paper which has a high amount of silicone, Clorox’s product is a win for sustainability says Commercial Manager McLean Bennett. “It is costly to make but we believe in economies of scale and the environment, so we are thrilled at how it’s performed over 12 months.”

Andrew Lawson from Fine Food Australia with McLean Barnett from Clorox

Best new retail product, presented by Retail World: Mama Emma – Gluten Free Potato Gnocchi with Pea Flour.
About to launch on the Australian market through distributor Raw Materials, Marketing Manager Alberto Bianco said, “the product is different to other gnocchi products in that it is made from 68 per cent steamed potatoes unlike others which are made from potato flakes. The result is a superior product.”

Alberto Bianco from Mama Emma with Nicholas Rider from Retail World

FCSI Best new hospitality equipment, presented by FCSI: UNOX – SPEED-X.
A game changer for commercial kitchens, SPEED-X is the first ever self-washing combi speed oven. “It’s a really exciting innovation as it’s the perfect combination of quality and speed,” said Managing Director Wayne Viles. “It’s just about to launch in Australia and we’re hoping it will be in hundreds of kitchens within 12 months.”

Wayne Viles from UNOX with Andrew Brian from Food Service Consultants Australia

FCSI best new bakery product, presented by Baking Business: Heuch Fresh – Weber Cooling Australia.
With natural resting time of freshly baked product taking up to a few hours, the Weber Cooling system can reduce cooling time to just over two minutes. “This greatly improves a bakery’s efficiency and output,” said Heuch Business Develop Manager Nick Hanley. “It also reduces baking time by 50 per cent. This is the most cost-effective cooler on the market and we are just about to launch which is exciting.”

Nick Hanley from Heuch Fresh with Alan Kirk from Baking Business

“It was amazing to be back in Melbourne this year hosting the ultimate food trade event, in order to inspire, educate and unite this incredible industry, which is the backbone of our culture and communities,” said Mr Lawson.

This year Fine Food Australia announced the Victorian Government is a strategic partner of the event for the first time, backing it through its Made in Victoria campaign, which celebrates Victoria is a national leader in food production and manufacturing.

Fine Food Australia is the only industry event supported by all key industry associations including Austrade, Australian Culinary Federation, Australian Food Service Advocacy Body (AFAB), Food Service Suppliers Association of Australia (FSAA), National Association of Food Equipment Suppliers (NAFES), Straight to the Source, and the Restaurant & Catering Association.

“We are proud to be supported be all the key industry bodies and associations, and will continue to showcase the latest our partners have to offer, whilst also providing education and insight from industry leaders through activations and presentations. Whether you have a well-established business or are a start-up, there is something for everyone at every event. We look forward to bringing the industry together once more next year.”

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“I also enjoy having a look at the chef competitions at Fine Food. It’s so important for chefs to encourage up and coming talent. They’re the future of this industry.

“Training has always been important, but it’s never been more important than now. We need more young people in the business.”

Adrian is also looking forward to reuniting with friends and colleagues in the industry after several tough years.

“In hospitality, everyone’s focused on their own business and their own venues,” Adrian says. “It’s not often we get the chance to catch up with your comrades. I always bump into someone and have a drink and a bite to eat.

“Fine Food brings the hospitality community together, and it’s perfect timing to celebrate things getting back to normal. We survived. A lot of us got through it. That’s a good reason to celebrate.”

If you’d like to see Adrian, head to The Source Kitchen at Fine Food Australia on 6 September from 11.30am-12.30pm.

Adrian will be the chief tasting judge at a unique cooking competition featuring the humble onion, with dishes plated up by Tonka’s Kay-Lene Tan, Nomad Melbourne’s Brendan Katich, Loti’s Elijah Holland, Australian Venue Co’s Telina Menzies and MCG chef Rhys Blackley.

Register free to attend Fine Food Australia and join industry peers.

The post Adrian Richardson might be one of Australia’s most famous and successful chefs, but he never stops learning. appeared first on Fine Food Australia.

Despite some shortages seen on supermarket shelves due to supply chain disruptions and unexpected surges in demand, the good news is that Australia is well placed to meet the needs of a growing population and to continue producing ample quantities for export markets.

According to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Australia ranks among the most food secure nations in the world, alongside Canada, Germany, and France.

The food industry accounts for approximately 20 per cent of domestic manufacturing sales and services income. The vast majority of food sold in this country is grown and supplied by Australian farmers.

Recent announcements from the Federal Government have outlined a series of initiatives to further support food production and help producers expand into export markets.

Delivering Ag2030

Australia’s primary industries are expected to be worth $83.9 billion in 2021-22. Despite devastating drought, bushfires, floods, a pandemic and global trade disruptions, the agriculture industry grew by 25 per cent in 2020–21.

The third edition of the Federal Government’s Delivering Ag2030 was released in February 2022 and details the steps needed to be taken to meet the agricultural sector’s ambition to become a $100 billion industry by 2030.

It focuses on expanding trade opportunities, strengthening biosecurity systems, bolstering supply chains and implementing ways to improve the competitiveness and innovative capacity of the industry.

Accessing export markets

Australia currently exports more than half of our agricultural produce, with beef and wheat topping the list.

However, high tariffs can lock Australian exports out of markets, while some subsidies may unfairly distort production, trade, and prices in both domestic and global markets.

To help agribusinesses expand and diversify their export markets, an $85.9 million investment program, Agri-Business Expansion Initiative (ABEI), was announced in December 2020.

The ABEI is jointly delivered by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment and Austrade, with industry collaboration.

It includes grants for market expansion, boosted in-country engagement activities, accelerated work on technical-market access, and greater collection and delivery of market intelligence to exporters. Austrade is responsible for a fifth element, which involves boosting business support services to assist more than 2,000 agri-food exporters each year.

In addition, a new legal framework for agricultural exports commenced on 28 March 2021. The Export Control Act 2020 is part of a wider initiative to strengthen Australia’s agricultural exports and market access and ‘make the laws more relevant, responsive and efficient, provide the same level of regulatory oversight, remove duplication, and ensure consistency across the commodities where possible’.

At a state and territory level, there are also many grant programs focused on helping Australia’s priority sectors bolster their resilience to future disruptions. Some funding is earmarked specifically for food and agribusiness ventures; some is for manufacturing ventures; still other grant programs and initiatives involve funding for research and development.

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An explosion of experimentation led to shortages of flour as people lovingly nurtured a sourdough ‘mother’ to life at home. Others headed for the unique qualities of fermented foods, such as kimchi and sauerkraut. Beverages kombucha and kefir also gained cult followings.

Two years later, the home experimenting may have abated but the popularity of these fermented foods and drinks has only grown due to a global demand for probiotics. This may be due to increased health awareness and concern for maintaining immunity and well-being during a global pandemic.

Whatever the reason, the microbial culture market has clear commercial appeal and is projected to be worth US$2.2 billion by 2024.

What is fermented food?

Fermented foods are foods and beverages that have undergone a process where micro-organisms (like yeast and bacteria) break down food components (like glucose) into other products (like organic acids, gases or alcohol).

Accredited Practising Dietician and founder of Your (Gut) Feeling, Annaliese Collier, encourages people to introduce a small amount of fermented food into their diet on a regular basis.

“Fermented foods have been associated with several positive health effects, including improved digestive health and increased availability of beneficial nutrients, such as vitamin B12,” she says. “They may also play a role in maintaining a healthy immune system, with further research still needed to understand the amount and strains of bacteria necessary for this.

“For the average person, fermented foods are a safe and convenient way to get those beneficial live bacteria into our gut, with the bonus of adding complex flavours and textures to meals.”

Rise and shine

There’s a wide variety of fermented foods making their way off the supermarket shelf and into bars and restaurants, complementing many dishes with unique flavours.

Sharon Flynn, the founder of Victorian-based outfit The Fermentary, says orders for her signature red sauerkraut have tripled in the past year as restaurants join the stampede towards good quality fermented products.

“I’ve noticed an increase in orders for our sauerkraut from one tub to three or four tubs a week, which shows there is a willingness to pay for good quality fermented food,” says Flynn.

It’s not only good for your gut, say the experts. While there is still research to be done, there is a growing consensus that fermented foods have another superpower.

“You can’t compare a can of sauerkraut that has been pasteurised to my hand-chopped, wild-fermented kraut” says Flynn. “It is good for digestion, and it contains all kinds of things that will release serotonin. So, you feel good, too – and you can’t put a price on that.”

Collier agrees and says while the pandemic may be partly responsible for driving people towards fermented foods en masse, there is another health benefit emerging.

“There’s also new evidence to suggest that there could be a link between fermented food consumption and improvements in our mental health,” she explains.

“This is very much a growing area of research, it’s likely that additional benefits associated with consuming foods in this traditional method are yet to be discovered, so watch this space.”

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From red wine to beer and every type of spirit and pre-mix option imaginable, non-alcoholic drinks are filling the shelves of bottle shops across the globe. They are also turning up on the menus of restaurants and bars who previously only offered sugary mocktails, soft drinks and water for non-drinkers.

According to the No- and Low-Alcohol Strategic Study 2021 from IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, the low/no-alcoholic market has cornered 3 per cent of the market in countries including Australia, the UK, Brazil, Germany, Japan, South Africa and the US, and is forecast to increase by 31 per cent by 2024.

Leading the way is the beer and cider category, which holds a 92 per cent share of all sales in the low/no-alcoholic market globally. While sales have recently slowed, showing only a 0.5 per cent increase, in contrast, the no/low spirits category – which has 0.6 per cent share of the market – increased volume sales by 32.7 per cent. Non-alcoholic wines are also growing in popularity.

This obviously presents opportunities for hospitality venues to join the party and meet the growing demand.

Cheers to that

During the lockdowns brought on by the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 in Melbourne, Brunswick Aces built the first Halal-certified non-alcoholic gin distillery in the world, as well as a bar and two e-commerce websites.

What started off as a backyard project among friends has turned into a viable commercial venture and Stuart Henshall, Brand director and Co-owner, says business is booming.

“It was an uphill battle in the early days to convince bars and restaurants to put a non-alcoholic cocktail on their menus,” he notes. “However, we used the success of the bar to go out there and show that there is a demand. The bar is absolutely pumping, it proves that it’s a thing.”

Brunswick Aces now supplies hundreds of bars and restaurants across Australia with non-alcoholic products, while also exporting to New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, the Middle East, Europe, UK, Canada, and the US.

“The fact that bars and restaurants are adopting non-alcoholic drinks to their menus makes it so much more accessible for people to feel comfortable,” adds Henshall. “They are not stuck with water or a sugary fizzy drink – and it also elevates their experience when they’re in that venue as well.

“We were quite badly hit by the pandemic in terms of our on-premises customers, but that’s now a key focus for us.

“The feedback that we get from our restaurant customers is that they are being asked for non-alcoholic drinks more and more. We’ve become a one-stop shop and source of expertise for bars and restaurants. We curate menus with them and supply everything.”

For low-/no-alcohol supplier Lyre’s, the story is similar. Chief Marketing Officer Paul Gloster explains that the entire range is designed to be true to the taste of the equivalent alcoholic spirit.

“The Lyre’s process is unique in that we never start with an existing product and take the alcohol out,” he says. “We start with the natural flavours, the aromas, the mouthfeel, everything that makes up the essence of the drink, and then carefully layer these onto a non-alcoholic base.

“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from world-leading, iconic restaurants that now range Lyre’s. They have discovered that there’s a great option available now for people who are not drinking.”

Maturing with age

The proof is in the data. IWSR forecasts that the no- and low-alcohol volume in Australia will grow by 16 per cent by 2024. The study also found that 71 per cent of Australian consumers intend to increase or maintain their no-or low-alcohol consumption, and 65 per cent plan to try new no- or low-alcohol brands.

Gloster believes restaurants not offering quality no- or low-alcoholic options are missing an opportunity.

“We’re seeing phenomenal growth; the reason is simple – venues are buying more and more because they have customers who keep coming in and asking to make it non-alcoholic,” he says.

“There were people who might sit down for a meal and have one drink and then switch to water. We are seeing a lot of growth out of those consumers because they still want to be part of the dining occasion, enjoying flavours that go well together.

“Extending the food and drink experience by enjoying a cocktail without the booze is a massive plus for many people.”

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