EXECUTIVE CHEFS CLUB www.alpha-group.com
Sky dining
Host Prakash Shand
flight paths to gastronomy Backstage tour for Executive chefs at Alpha Flight Catering, Sydney.
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ACF National President, Peter Wright
eamed up with a group of interested executive chefs, Food Companion International’s Mel Nathan welcomed head of catering Prakash Chand of Alpha flight Catering with Australian Olive Oil Association, Fonterra Foods, Meiko Australia Pacific and De Toni Bakery and Patisserie to showcase airline products for those with a passion for food.
Ho said Chand is a star performer when it comes to running an airline kitchen. “His non pretentious, no fuss, get down to business attitude impressed us all. The fascinating part was when we started to open up about purchasing and maintain products within the various budget restraints and choosing the right purveyors and price.’’
Host chef Prakash Chand of Alpha Flight Catering told FCI “It’s a great idea to get all the Executive Chefs from hotels, commercial catering, airlines and restaurants together every few months to share our knowledge, ideas and new products in the market from our purveyors to better the quality of our products and services to our customers.”
Nathan said it was good to see more members joining the Club so that they could exchange views and ideas on the industry and “keep the spirit of Australia progressing”.
Former chef from Alpha Flight Catering, Cheek Wong Ho, who flew over for the lunch gathering said it was great to meet some more executive chefs including product and marketing people. “Members of the club were very taken by how an airline kitchen actually runs, comparing it to their roles and what they are doing in their own catering venues,’’ he said. “Everyone gets something out of these club meetings. It was good to learn how airlines function, including; meal setup for each aircraft and loadings for business, first class and economy. “Regarding the halal kitchen tour we noticed it came with such strict guidelines for receiving in stores, including their storage facilities. Going through the various kitchen procedures with the task of cooking in different kitchens to maintain very high hygiene standards was interesting to say the least.
The Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil discussion with Dr Richard Gawel and Robert Armstrong opened up the chefs’ eyes giving them a myriad of ideas about new applications with their AEVOO’s. They all knew the organisation AOA has been around, but never did any leg work to find out more information about them. Some were guilty and said that “they would never ever use European oils ever again”. Shane Horner, executive chef from Spotless/Alliance Catering Australia told FCI that he knew using an AEVOO was like any other fresh ingredient. “You need to be careful when opening fresh olive oil, as the quality starts to decrease which can affect the whole dish, and in some cases ruin the dish,’’ he said. “Ten years ago when I worked at the Hyatt in Perth, if you were buying the best it would be Joseph olive oil – but now it’s all changed. There are so many brands on the market, it’s good news,’’ said Horner. overleaf r Richard Gawel D
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