Page 29 - foodservice magazine June 2019

G
E
F
29
GLUTEN FREE
SAVOURY
PASTRIES
Free from gluten, soy, nuts & dairy
Choose from a wide variety of cockatil pies & gourmet rolls for your next event
HACCP approved. Freezer stable
GLUTEN-FREE DINERS, ALONG WITH VEGANS, VEGETARIANS AND THE FRUCTOSE INTOLERANT, ARE HERE, LOUD AND PROUD. INTOLERANCES HAVE RISEN AND DIVERSIFIED AS AWARENESS GROWS. SO DOES CATERING TO ALL DINERS AFFECT YOUR BOTTOM LINE? ALEKSANDRA BLISZCZYK ASKS CHEFS AND RESTAURATEURS WHO HAVE MADE AN ACTIVE EFFORT TO INCREASE THEIR ALLERGEN-FRIENDLY OFFERINGS HOW IT’S AFFECTED BUSINESS.
The turmeric-latte, raw “cheesecake”, grain bowl fads have fizzled, but diners are listening to their bodies more and more, and dietary flexibility is now imperative to running a kitchen.
Gluten, dairy, onion, garlic, nuts, eggs, meat, shellfish, soy – some diners are cutting out several food groups as a result of better and more widespread education on digestive health, and this is evident in their orders.
Veganism is one of the fastest growing movements in Australia and the world. In 2018, a Roy Morgan survey concluded that 2.25 million Australians over the age of 18 lived a meat-free lifestyle (roughly 10 per cent of the total adult population). In the same year 14 per cent of all Australians claimed to follow a diet that avoided wheat.
Rebecca Lines, restaurant manager and co-owner of Sydney’s Banksii, says on any given night roughly 40 per cent of their clientele will have a dietary requirement.
With dockets peppered with restrictions, kitchen and wait staff can face immense pressure. Chefs now are nipping this problem in the bud by designing menus to cover as many bases at once.
It’s all about flexibility, says Barangaroo House’s new executive chef Tom Haynes.
“80 per cent of Bea’s menu is gluten free. When we design a menu, we’re conscious of making sure that it’s inclusive of anyone and everyone. It’s less about offering alternatives and more about creating a menu that is already friendly to a range of dietaries.”
For example, Hayne’s roasted spatchcocks are stuffed with green rice, rather than breadcrumbs, to circumvent the need for a gluten-free poultry alternative.
“It’s a huge part of designing a dish or menu in modern times,” adds Ollie Hansford, head chef at Stokehouse in Melbourne.
“The steps we take in ensuring we are accommodating for all dietary requirements is to look at alternatives.”
Instead of soy sauce, Stokehouse only uses the gluten-free whole- soybean alternative tamari. They also favour rice flour and buckwheat flour over plain flour where possible, to avoid the unnecessary gluten. While these products can be a little pricey, the time saved during
Proud distribution partners
www.choicesglutenfree.com.au Phone 02 9476 3671
E
E
R
U
T
L
N