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The Latest Stamps in
Glenn’s Passport
The last month has witnessed a number of
overseas jaunts for
Glenn. He recently spent time in Phuket, but not sunning
himself on the beach as most of us would do. Glenn was invited to
demonstrate to approximately 80 chefs at the Kata Beach Resort.
Always in high demand, Glenn then flew
straight to Hong Kong where he was
the celebrity chef at a culinary event. The main course (pardon the pun) was a six course
celebrity chef dinner at the
Balalaika Russian Restaurant.
What a fabulous venue operated by group Chef Stephan Hertzog. But
let’s not get too carried away, the dinner would not have been the
success it was without the help of local Brisbane Chef Shannon
Kellam. Glenn tells me that this guy is worth his weight in gold. Shannon operates Raphael’s Restaurant in Sandgate.
Following that there was a demonstration
conducted at Hong Kong Disneyland, one of the most exclusive Clubs
in Hong Kong; The Pacific Club, as well as a visit to the Rhine Garden
restaurant and the Café
Lagoon.
As
part of his role as Continental Director, World Association Chefs
Societies (WACS) Pacific Rim, Glenn will visit New York this weekend
and the following week for board meetings, then straight down to
Vietnam where we are back to the work demonstrating Australian
Cuisine, regional produce. Following that will be a couple of days
doing business development in the region then returning to Melbourne.
OK enough travel, not quite yet, Continental
Director’s hat back on and this time taking his partner in crime the
Australian Culinary Federations’ National President Mr Peter Wright,
the Chefs head over to the Asia Pacific Forum in Bangkok to ensure
the development of the Pacific Rim is on target and
exchange valued information and support with others in the industry.
As part of his role with the Frozen Food
Information Bureau, Glenn continues to increase awareness
of the usage of frozen foods in a professional culinary environment.
In Hong Kong, Glenn impressed his audience with an exciting five star menu
featuring elements that could be frozen ahead of time and included
frozen ingredients where possible.
He even stunned a food photographer by
revealing he had successfully frozen a cheese soufflé!
Pacific Passage
At the end of August, Glenn was off to
another sun-saturated beach haven,
Vanuatu, for the
second annual Salon Culinary and Trade Show hosted by the Vanuatu Chefs Association.
He was heavily involved in the event as part
of his role at WACS, but due to work commitments was unable to stay
and witness the talents of chefs working in Vanuatu and lend his
expert opinion to assist with the decision of Vanuatu Chef of the Year; the Vanuatu Apprentice
Chef of the Year and the Vanuatu Junior Chef of the Year.
Maybe next time.
X-Tremely Australian
Back on home ground, Glenn remains committed
to educating all Australians on our Aussie products which are grown,
packed and owned by Australians. As part of this commitment he
recently assisted the Australian Oilseeds Federation with the
creation of an oilseeds schools kit aimed at students aged 8-10. The
kit consists of a storybook paired with a teacher’s manual that
guides students through the step-by-step process oilseeds take from
the paddock to the plate.
Glenn aims to make a difference in the
paddock to plate experience, and helping to educate our children on
the journey Australian oilseeds take from the farm to our homes is a
great way to do just this.
An X-Tremely Charitable
Chef
Always keen for an opportunity to help
children in need, last month Glenn was invited to Chef Amuthupadai
as one of five celebratory guest chefs. Chef Amuthupadai is a scheme
that serves gourmet meals once a month to orphaned children in India.
Glenn says, “Chef Amuthupadai is an
excellent program and a fine example to chefs and associations
worldwide. I congratulate everyone involved in the initiative as
many children will benefit from this invaluable program.” As Glenn
enjoys giving to charity where he can and believes in the importance
of food education, he is looking forward to continuing his
involvement with Chef Amuthupadai in the near future.
Fine Efforts at Fine Food
Never one to stand still, Glenn flew in from
his various posts around the world to Melbourne, where he has spent the
past week wearing a variety of different hats at Fine Foods
Australia.
On the first day of the event, Glenn, in his
role as Continental Director, (WACS) addressed the crowd to share
the aims and objectives of WACS, providing an insight into their
activities around the globe including culinary competitions and
educational forums.
Also as part of Fine Foods Australia, the
Australian Culinary Federation hosted the Culinary Challenge, the
premier Australian cooking competition designed for the modern chef
and endorsed by WACS.
Glenn stated that this was one of the most
professional events he had attended in years and complimented the
efforts of the event organiser Gary Farrell, the Australian Culinary
Federations Victoria President Steve Bennet as well as the National
President Peter Wright who controlled the Global Chef
component.
Now, these guys are not the main course but
Glenn assures me that Gary and Peter are like salt and pepper –
they’re in everything. Sounds to me like they make a great team!
This event included the prestigious Global
Chef Challenge during which Glenn, as Honorary President for the
Australian Culinary Federation, was kept busy along with other
leaders in the industry looking to secure the Australian champion
who will then continue on to the Pacific region final held next year
in New Zealand.
Glenn likes to be involved with all things
X-Treme, and again got a slice of the action by being Chairman of
the judging panel for the Australian selection of the National Final
of the Pizza Challenge. Make that many slices of action!!
Glenn and his Corporate
Clients
Glenn’s Corporate clients have an
opportunity to add to this newsletter, so please feel free to
contact me with any information or bites you would like to include.
Stay Tuned…
As mentioned Glenn will be leaving shortly
for New York and Vietnam before returning to Australia
for the second International Chefs Day on October 20. Glenn will be
involved in a variety of exciting events and activities to
commemorate the day, so stay tuned - there’ll be plenty of news from
the X-Treme Chef to catch up on in the next issue of Main Course!
Got Something to Say?
We'd love to
hear your comments and suggestions for the next issue of Main Course
- simply email
glenn@xtremechef.com.au.
Want More
Information?
For more
information, visit www.xtremechef.com.au
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