The Chefs Office

I'm looking at my copy now. (Gourmet Traveller November 2005) Can't see anything specific in reference to recipe ownership but the article is purely in reference to their Best New Talent Award Winner and his unique approach.... and highlights 6 recipes..... There are some very interesting comments with major relevance to this thread though. I'm by no means a copyright expert and I'm sure it won't be long before Gourmet Traveller pick this up and comment either here or in print. So when it comes to their magazine, let's leave it to them. I'll advise if I see anything relevant in print from down here.

I could not agree more (as you may have seen by my comments in the earlier threads on this subject). I'm not such a big believer that this needs massive wide and varied discussion. IMHO ethics should play a part here. IMHO it's plain and simply wrong.

I'm with you on this one. Our lamb is very very good. If I sent them a self addressed envelope, will they send me some USDA approved beef back? I'm an Aussie but god damn do they have good meats over there!

Always a pleasure. Let me know if any dramas.

To partake in discussion around what my whole life has been spent doing. I suspect this is the case for many other food industry professionals on these boards. This business is my life. I have found a way to mix my passion (food, cooking and kitchen life) with my (now) profession (recruiting chefs). I'm not aware of any concentrated effort between users on this board to bring down Interlude or anyone else. I'm not aware of any collusion in the slightest. If it's happening then I'm not involved. I don't think this is happening. I do think this post is an issue that many professionals are passionate about. I've also never met any staff from Interlude, eaten there, been there etc. I'm sure they are a great bunch of guys, have a great restaurant and they can obviously cook. I have even heard excellent reviews from many friends that have been there. I wish them every success in the world, I hope they run great labour and food costs, serve excellent food and gain three hats. My problem is with straight copying of menu items without credit where credit is due. I have this issue with any restaurant, not one specifically. However, this thread is titled "Interlude food similarities". I can guarantee you if there was a thread called "Food similarities between restaurants around the world", you will see continuity from me. EDIT: My name is Judd Howie, click links in my signature and you can find out much more about me (if you are interested that is). ;+)

With all due respect, I am on a completely different planet to you on this one I'm afraid.

That's one aproach. As an alternative opinion, perhaps more fingers should get pointed. Need the edge? Find it yourself. $0.05

Yes, I'm very interested to see how the likes of Gourmet Traveller, SMH, etc. approach this one. A bit prickly.

Although I highly disagree with any blantant copying (and am in no way defending what is happening here), I feel throughout this whole discussion there has been one point missing. How does the taste of the offending dishes compare to the originals? Can they stack up? We are talking about food after all, not photography. (I can make my fried chicken look like the Colonel's but be damn sure it doesn't taste like it.) Yes, I am obsessed with the Colonel at the moment.

There are some striking simlarities there

It's in Sydney. Give the office a call on Monday on 93680058, ask to speak to James Hooper and let him know Judd lined you up for a spot in the course. Any issues, drop me a note back here and I'll sort it. Judd

You rock! Thanks! I will contact all the above you have mentioned also. I owe you one..or several... Please let me know if I can assist in any way.

OK, now I can see why it's in such demand! Thanks for your help everyone, as you can see my general Japanese knowledge is quite poor.

Hi Hiroyuki! Awesome, thanks for your help! Subscribed to the thread above and will right now contact Chojin Chef Club as you described. Would very much appreciate any further links, etc. you may be able to put me on to. I'm a chef recruiter and do find it hard to locate top end Japanese cooks. Right now, I'm looking for a world class Japanese Chef to head up Japanese kitchen operations for the new and soon to open Wynn Casino in Macau. /off topic - I was just following the links you gave and came to this page: http://www.e-kujira.or.jp/topic/etc/05/1204/ Check out the marbling on that beef half way down the page!! WOW!

awesome! will be tuning in on a regular basis!

Can anyone point me in the direction of a Japanese Chef's mailing list/group/club? I need to get in touch with Japanese Chefs en masse. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Hi! Are you doing this as a lead in to a career? I guess you have to do what your passion drives you to at the end of the day.. but.... this is how I see it... 1. In Australia, pastry chefs (and kitchens) are a dieing (is that how you spell it?) breed. There are less and less pastry kitchens around as our high labour cost dictates that properties outsource much of their pastry needs. There is a big increase in the number of good pastry production houses out there as a result of the labour issue. Hotels for example, just can't afford to run a whole pastry kitchen these days. Only a few are left. Internationally, pastry and pastry kitchens are still alive and well. There are great career opportunities out there. So I guess it depends on what/where you want to do/go. If you stay in Australia, the value of a good pastry cook wil go up, but the number of jobs will go down. 2. Cuisine - big demand here and overseas, whole world of opportunities. This career can take you anywhere and your passion and effort will dictate your success. It's not an easy job, it's not full of glamour (unless you get your mug on TV) but the people who like it, love it and live it. Cooking is a game that's not for everyone. I love it. If you are undecided, before forking out any hard earned I'll let you in on a little secret. My company has just received substantial government funding to run (for the next year) free 4 week full time courses in commercial cookery that will end up with you certified at certifcate 3 level. If you are interested, I'd love to hold a spot for you. /gossip on I'm also talking with a certain restaurant in Bray (UK) to send the highest achiever over the year of courses to them for a stage /gossip off /gossip on again Shangri La Hotel Sydney has a newly confirmed head chef (thanks to me ;+)), should be in town in around 6 weeks. Coming in from The Dorchester and should cause a good shake up on the cuisine scene here in town. /gossip off/dinner time/

I'm also looking for a full time (day shift) kitchen to rent in the Sydney area from now until the end of the year. Basically Mon - Fri 9 - 5. Capable of accomadating 15 trainee's. Have just received a large government grant for commercial cookery training and will be running courses full time throughout the year. Of course, we are prepared to pay $$ for the kitchen rental $$.

Haven't seen the review but completely understand where you are coming from. Happens all the time. This is why I often get myself in hot water....and why I try to stay as far away from that end of the "scene" as possible. I prefer to deal with the real people in the industry, but I am from the kitchen after all. No one can deny that every restaurant does need to deal with the "marketing" aspect of the business. This is where I'd rather leave it to the pro's. On the flip side, I guess it's likely hard to find someone who knows their stuff and can write as well.

I do hope you managed to have a chiko roll whilst here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiko_Roll or http://www.simplot.com.au/Hosting/corp/Sim...A256F27000D2C01 if not, come back.

I primarily work at the senior end of the market but can easily comment in general. Australia (including very much so Sydney and Melbourne) is in the grips of an diabolical kitchen talent shortage. Staff standards have dropped in a big way. To stay open many kitchens will almost hire anyone with a heart beat and the ability to hold a knife. I know of places where Chef de Partie's are being paid Chef de Cuisine wages just to stay. These days you look at a cook the wrong way and they walk to the next restaurant. They know they won't be out of work for a day. These guys know their value and ride it for all it's worth. Thse factors are killing standards and have real effects of bringing restaurants to their knees. With rising wages and lowering food quality, diners vote with their feet and restaurants fold. A lot of imported talent coming into the country to help this issue. Around 90% of the roles I work on are overseas (Europe, Asia, Middle East, Caribbean, Maldives, Seychelles, etc.). The simple fact is that for the high end roles, Australia just isn't in the same ball park as the rest of the world. We have some good things happening here but still are very "young" and not really that established on the global scene. I guess population, distance, economy, culture, etc. are all causes of this. The industry training organisations are well aware of the chronic staffing issues and are working to solve them but the industry won't see results for years. To get us out of the merde now, the industry as a whole should have been paying more attention ten years ago. I see quite a few more years of pain ahead when it comes to staffing shortages before things turn.

It's about time you guys got some decent food down there. 8+P edit: XO is very very south right now, went south around christmas. edit: Crown already has some extremely good kitchen talent, Walter Wagner/Marcus Moore are some of the best professional chefs out there. Crown runs under their direction.

Yep, I thought that a bit weird as well. Sailor's Thai?

I was going to ask which Court House hotel. I was beginning to think I was going mad because The Court House Hotel in Sydney on Oxford St is a 24 hour afair that would be lucky to serve an edible Chiko roll (I seem to have vague a memory of being ejected from there at around 5am in the morning about 10 years ago!). By the sound of your review though, I'l check out the Melbourne version next trip down.

To begin with, I wasn't such a masive fan of Grandad and the Ewok from The Movie Show but it was bearable. Now that the poser school is in place, there is just no way I can watch it. But hey, I guess they are the ones with their own TV show. I'm just some stooge. 8+)