Tough times require ‘outside the box’ thinking

THE AUSTRALIAN CULINARY FEDERATION’S YEAR STARTED WITH A BANG. As you will have read in this column last issue, our Youth and Catering Teams won a range of medals including Gold at the Culinary Olympics in February – representing a great achievement for Australia on the international stage. We were able to achieve this thanks to the dedication of our sponsors and support from members – so a big thank you to all for this.

The remainder of 2020 has so far been a tough year for our industry. Firstly surviving the bushfires, then floods and now COVID-19. We had planned a World Chefs without Borders event with ambassadors from the World Association of Chefs coming to Australia to raise funds and awareness for our affected areas. Due to the COVID-19 crisis and associated travel restrictions, this has had to be postponed until further notice.

March saw the COVID-19 crisis hugely impact the hospitality industry, businesses and workers. We are very aware of the financial impact this has had on the businesses and livelihoods of our members, committees, sponsors, communities and the industry as a whole. This has been and still is a very stressful time for all and it is essential we support our local businesses, farmers, friends and colleagues.

There are a number of resourceful initiatives occurring across Australia to support local cafes, restaurants and businesses such #Eat alone together, Save our Locals and many more. I and many chefs are also streaming sessions for WACs in June to showcase the Australian culinary sector.

The ACF Board is meeting regularly and while a lot of activities have been put on hold, we are working hard to return to face to face activities once it is possible to do so. In an effort to support our members, we will be looking to hold events at member establishments when restrictions are lifted across the country.

In order to motivate and support the young chefs that are thinking of entering the industry, we have had to think outside the box to ensure we maintain some sense of normality, excitement and motivation. In the competitive arena, we are implementing virtual first stages and heats – using a variety of methods such as online videos and submission of recipes, answers to specific criteria and judging panels. Whether finals will be on a show floor will depend on whether our principal partner proceeds with their shows this year. If they cannot proceed, we have alternative plans in place.

A number of positive initiatives have eventuated due to the isolation measures currently in place. These have included upskilling opportunities such as free training offered through many TAFEs, RTOs and WACS  via online forums – for example, ‘Sustainability – Train the trainer’ and ‘World on a Plate’.

New partnerships are also being formed with the ACF, thanks to the chefs’ forums, supports and conversations that have been occurring. These efforts are aimed at enhancing support for our members and the industry – as, now more than ever, we must be mindful of others and practice kindness and compassion so that we can get through these challenging times together. 

KAREN DOYLE
National President