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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 02 September 2005 |
Three
Blackall Range chefs and their partners are breathing a little easier
following their wins at the 2005 Sunshine Coast Restaurant and Catering
Awards for Excellence on Monday August 22.
| | Misty?s Moutain Restaurant chef/manager Jeff Anderson with Janene Anderson, right, and waitress Michelle Nobes, left. |
And it isn't only because Misty's Mountain Restaurant, Perry's Restaurant and Maleny Manor won on the night. It is also because they no longer have to live in fear of the meticulous mystery diners who judge the awards. Misty's chef/manager Jeff Anderson said he still didn't have a clue who the judges were and on which night they visited.
As Sherry Wright from Perry's Restaurant said: "There's a judging period of about four months and everyone is aware of it and worried. You've got to be on your toes all the time. So you just hope you're not having a Fawlty Towers night on the night the professional judges come." Obviously none of the venues had a "Fawlty Towers night".
Maleny Manor was judged Best Function Event Centre and Caterer of the Year. The latter award was one of the top three awards presented. Perry's Restaurant was named Best BYO Restaurant and Misty's won Best Modern Australian Cuisine Restaurant.
The judges are all industry professionals, explained Sherry, and they don't miss a trick. She said restaurants were judged on 66 criteria. And she rattled off about half of them in 30 seconds. No wonder Perry's won!
"They judge you from how they're greeted at the door," she said. "Whether there's a reserved table for them, the appearance of the table, the cleanliness, hygiene, ambience, the service they get, whether their drinks are poured or not, whether their glasses are replaced, whether the food comes promptly. Whether the food on the plate is the same as what they read on the menu, whether the plates are warm, if the tastes are balanced. Is the meal value for money. Are they greeted when they come in and referred to by name as they leave?. Is the menu balanced? Does it have something for everyone? Cutlery and crockery clean? Does the menu read well? Do knives and forks match? Knowledge of the menu. This year judges placed more emphasis on service, and rightly so, said Peter.
| Simon and Marlene Murray from
Maleny Manor. |
"Service is so important because we're relying on tourism so much and you have to get the little things right," he said. "Your front of house staff and telephone staff and your meeting and greeting is crucial, as well as having fabulous food. It's important that everything is spot on." Simon and Marlene from Maleny manor were stoked to have won Caterer of the Year. "It's pretty awesome," said Simon. "We're just getting over the hangover today."
"We all go to Brisbane now and try to win the state award and then if we win that we try to go to the Nationals. At state level we're up against the Brisbane Convention Centre and Gold Coast Convention Centre. But you never know your luck. We've come this far."
"Little old Maleny is just absolutely amazing. It's a wonderful thing. There were some proud people there the other night I tell you." Simon said he was impressed by the thorough manner the awards were judged. "Professional judges came in and judge us on how we operate," he said. They worked their way around the Manor for about eight hours. They saw the guests from arrival to departure. Itwas pretty extreme but they were low key and just looked on and marked and tasted.
"They judge you on everything from your website to your food and everything in between - and everything that pops up through the night."
Misty's chef/manager Jeff Anderson said he was especially proud to win this year's award as nominations had increased to about 300 entries.
"It was a big shock to me. There was a lot more restaurants nominated this year," said Jeff whose light Modern Australian cuisine is influenced by Asian and Mediterranean styles. He said there was no great secret to the success which has seen his restaurant win two years running. "We just try to be consistently the best we can all the time. Like I always say to my apprentices I'm not the best in the world but I try my best all the time."
| | Sherry and Peter Wright from Perry?s Restaurant |
Jeff said the wins would help build a reputation for fine dining on the Range. "Most people write nice comments in the guest book and people from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are often surprised at the quality of restaurants up here. I'd like to congratulate the Maleny Manor and Perry's. It just shows the quality of restaurants we have here on the Range."
All three venues now contest the State Finals on September 19. The nationals are held October 17. Good luck
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Last Updated ( Friday, 15 September 2006 )
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Range News 2005 - ON 
