Ingredients of success

Would-be chefs inspired by reality TV cooking shows are gambling with their financial futures by opening their own business, according to Gold Coast restaurateur Sridhar. Sridhar, who runs four successful restaurants in India and Australia, says new restaurant owners do three things wrong and fail to do three things well. Unlike the profane and brash Brit Gordon Ramsay, Sridhar offers his advice in a softly spoken manner. Studies show 95 per cent of all restaurants won't see out five years and Sridhar says he knows that wrong motivations are the number one reason why most restaurants fail. ``Many people start restaurants for a variety of reasons, but the overwhelming one has to do with ego,'' he says. ``That's not necessarily a bad thing, every chef or restaurant owner who wants to make a name for himself has to be very confident in what they're doing. ``The mistake is letting your ego be the sole driver of what you do. That arrogance will cause you to make errors in judgment that will cost not only your money but also your reputation too.'' The second mistake is under-estimating the work involved. ``Some naively believe that all they need to do is open the door, offer good food and then business will be great,'' he says. The Courier Mail (Brisbane), July 28.

Back for more; buffets

Dining spreads are bigger, better and fresher than ever, discovers David Sutherland. There's no doubting the indulgence of the grand dining spread that is the buffet. With so much food laid out for the taking, it's time to abandon the guilt so often associated with dining out and simply dig in. "People certainly enjoy the bountiful aspect of buffets," says Tony Carter of hotel operator Accor Australia. For breakfast, most hotels worldwide offer a spread. It's a convenient way of getting guests to serve themselves over several hours. But the number of hotels and restaurants that serve buffets for lunch and dinner is dwindling. The cost of quality produce has risen to the point that only venues that balance their costs carefully and host large numbers of guests can make a profit from all-you-can-eat bonanzas. A couple of decades ago, places could get away with serving up tepid food out of bains-marie but nowadays the dining public is far too sophisticated. So buffets have had to adjust or die. The Age (Melbourne), July 29,

Japan's sushi chefs seek tuna nirvana

Their prized terriers are given samba-dancing lessons, their choicest beef herds are treated to daily massages and now, in an effort to produce the most delicious sushi in the world, Japanese tuna are to be given acupuncture. The company in Osaka that patented the technique claimed that calm tuna thrashed about less in their death throes. Once the fish have received the brief treatment, the flesh has a better flavour, Toshiro Urabe, the president of the Osakana Planning Company, said. The tuna do not need to be dosed with chemicals to keep them tasting fresh after transportation. The acupuncture can be used on bream and the company plans to begin testing it on salmon. ``With their costs rising every day, Japanese fishermen cannot compete in these markets any more,'' Mr Urabe said. ``This is about giving them the chance to give the fish they catch added value.'' Weekend Australian, July 26.

Clean Seas profit left in the cold

CLEAN Seas Tuna has downgraded its annual earnings to a loss of about $1 million due to cold water reducing the growth of its kingfish. The result compared with earlier advice of a profit of between $1 million and $2 million. Clean Seas chairman Hagen Stehr said while the downgraded earnings guidance was disappointing, the company remained positive about the outlook for its various products. Mr Stehr said lower growth rates, lower inventory valuation and marginally reduced sale prices in June and July had also impacted the result. This had occurred as the company introduced a new processed frozen product range and expanded its export market client base, he said. Stehr said Clean Seas remained positive as it matured from an aquaculture fish producer to a full food service company. The Advertiser (Adelaide), July 29.

Trans fats terminated -- Schwarzenegger leads way with a ban in California

Los Angeles: California will become the first US state to ban trans fats in restaurants and bakeries under legislation signed by state governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Restaurants will be forced to stop using trans fats by January 2010, with the ban extended to bakeries a year later. ``Consuming trans fat is linked to coronary heart disease, and today we are taking a strong step toward creating a healthier future for California,'' Mr Schwarzenegger said. Most of the Republicans in the state assembly opposed the legislation, which was proposed by Democrat Tony Mendoza. Food outlets that violate the new law will be fined between $25 and $1000. The trans fats ban will not apply to packaged goods sold in supermarkets and stores. The California Restaurant Association, which opposed the ban, described the new law as a ``very narrow and misleading approach to a much larger health issue''. The association claimed that banning trans fats, without taking other precautionary steps, would not significantly improve the health of Californians. Sunday Telegraph, July 27.

National law to limit under-age drinking

The Federal Government plans to unify laws across all states and territories to control the supply of alcohol to minors but has ruled out banning young people aged 18 to 21 from buying alcohol from bottle shops. Health Minister Nicola Roxon said there were no plans to introduce a British-style ban on under-21s buying alcohol from liquor stores and supermarkets, a move about to be introduced in parts of England and Scotland. The Government's taskforce on binge drinking, the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy, wants to wipe out the numerous inconsistencies across Australian jurisdictions affecting minors and alcohol. In some states, Victoria for example, it is deemed acceptable to serve alcohol to a minor in a private home if they are supervised by an adult - who does not have to be a parent. Restrictions on supplying alcohol to minors relate only to licensed premises, or to public venues. State penalties vary from $550 to $20,000. The Sun Herald, July 27.

Food, not so glorious food: childhood allergies on the rise

There are no cures and no vaccines, and more of our kids are at risk, writes Mario Xuereb. Tomorrow, schoolboy Monte Kellett will take the walnut challenge. Paediatricians will feed the seven-year-old mashed walnuts mixed with yoghurt, in the safety of the Royal Children's Hospital, to gauge his body's response. The previous time Monte ate walnuts they were in a small wedge of carrot cake his mother Jude picked up from a city cafe. Minutes after eating a "smidgin" of it, hives covered Monte's body and head, he itched furiously and laboured to breathe. Mrs Kellett rushed her son to a GP for a shot of antihistamine, and the symptoms settled after two hours. A similar response at tomorrow's test means Monte can add walnuts to his already extensive list of allergens, which includes peanuts, cashews, dust mites, pollen and grass. According to the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, one in three Australians will develop an allergy - double the rate of 25 years ago. Food allergies in infants have soared fivefold between 1993 and 2005. Sunday Age (Melbourne), July 27.

A toast to Tasmanian truffles

From just a good idea 17 years ago to the first inoculated hazels and oaks planted in 1994 and, five years later, the first harvest of just five of the black fungi, truffles have now become one of the state's true culinary success stories. Last weekend, as his truffles were on the menu at Meadowbank Estate, Duncan Garvey, who with Peter Cooper pioneered the whole business, was flying back from a very successful first release of his fresh truffles into Hong Kong and Macau and through to northern Asia. At the same time, the Wursthaus in Hobart and restaurants around the state have truffles grown by Tim Terry on his farm Askrigg at Deloraine, while at The Terrace in Launceston's Country Club they're serving the produce of a 2000-tree trufferie growing almost next door to them at Prospect. And, of course, Garvey and Cooper's Perigord Truffles of Tasmania has expanded beyond the island and is now digging good harvests in New South Wales and Victoria. Sunday Tasmanian, July 27.

Have your baby in a luxury hotel

A Sydney hospital will set up a maternity unit, complete with on-site midwife, in a four-star hotel. The Prince of Wales Private Hospital, at Randwick, plans to transfer new mothers to the Crowne Plaza Coogee Beach by limousine. Mothers will be able to order meals from the hotel's room service menu, husbands will be encouraged to stay, and the costs will be included in obstetric cover provided by private health funds. Only women who have uncomplicated pregnancies and deliveries will be able to move with their babies into an ocean-view suite, which can cost as much as $400 a night.Visitors will be welcome, and flowers will be automatically redirected to the hotel room. Prince of Wales is the first hospital in NSW to offer the service, which is understood to be modelled on the Baby Bliss program Ashford Hospital has at the Adelaide Hilton. In Melbourne, St Vincent's and the Mater Private Hospital have four dedicated rooms at the Park Hyatt. A Prince of Wales Private midwife will be at the hotel 24 hours a day to assist mothers and babies, and an obstetrician and a paediatrician will have to sign off on the hotel transfer. Sunday Telegraph, July 27.