Page 50 - foodservice news magazine Nov-Dec 2018

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CHEFS’ CORNER
Chefs’ Corner
CHEF AND MASTER CHARCUTIER, ROMEO BAUDOUIN, OPENED SPECIALIST CHARCUTERIE ROMEO'S FINE FOOD IN SYDNEY'S ST PETERS EARLIER THIS YEAR. HERE HE SHARES WHAT HANDCRAFTING QUALITY, SEASONAL PRODUCTS MEANS TO HIM.
Romeo Baudouin, Romeo's Fine Food.
To me, charcuterie means quality pigs, traditions, techniques, you can’t accelerate the process. You must have patience and precision when creating. Do not be afraid to spend hours and hours in
a kitchen, repeating the same actions, try new ideas, make mistakes, start over until it works and all the hard work will pay off one day. Charcuterie must be rustic, handmade, and traditional. When you see or taste the products, something must happen, a reaction, a memory, a story, a feeling when you’re eating quality stuff.
I was first introduced to charcuterie when I was very young.
We are lucky in France to have exceptionally good quality meat, seafood, vegetables, fruit, bread, cheese, and cold meats, and the fact that my cousin was charcutier accelerated my pleasure of these products.
I am qualified charcutier,
but I’ve had experience as a chef and as pastry chef so my career path has not been very classic.
I started my apprenticeship in a small charcuterie where I studied the techniques in depth for
5 years. These years were crucial to my career, and I’ve continued to fine-tune my skills from
year to year.
From France, I went to London and worked at Harrods
and Mirabelle, and then
to Sydney to Guillaume at Bennelong, Victor Churchill and some others. I have seen many things at different levels, and
I enjoyed it all.
I had an opportunity to Romeo's Fine Food earlier this year, and I grabbed it. The
vision is to really break into
the Australian market, starting with all the classics of French charcuterie, but also to introduce new products that have been
in my head for many years.
The challenge will be that the product always keeps its identity and is handmade, visually pleasing, has exceptional quality and tradition. These will always be maintained as Romeo’s Fine Food evolves.
Charcuterie has exploded in Australia over the past ten years, I think it's only the beginning and the best is yet to come.
The demand will be greater in the coming years, and I hope
we will have the chance to
see a new generation of talent who will try their luck in this industry. I hope chefs and the operators will help support and advance this trade and skill as much as possible.
PHOTOGRAPHY: CRAIG WALL