Archive for the 'CEO Power Hour' Category

Cracking the Nut

Horticulture Australia Managing Director John Webster cracks the nut on food – from his picks in fine-dining to fresh, straight off the farm fruit.

By Yasmin Newman

 

Since graduating, you’ve always been involved in agriculture. How has this affected your view and experience of food?
It gives you higher expectations. I was actually brought up on a farm up in New England. Being involved with food from a farm level, you get to know the effort that everybody puts into the production of it; so you expect the same level when you go to restaurants.

 

John Webster

Where have you eaten in Sydney that meets these expectations?
My wife and I like to go down to Nicks at Cockle Bay. They have beautiful fresh fish and a good side salad and chips. Or for steak, Kingsleys. But Café Sydney is also pretty hard to beat – it’s beautiful food with a spectacular view of Sydney Harbour.

 

A large portion of the Horticulture Australia business comes from export agreements. When wheeling and dealing with international clients, where do you like to take them to impress?
We have one of the most spectacular harbours in the world, so I like to take them somewhere with a great view, like Banjo Pattersons up in Gladesville. But if it’s more for the food than the view, I like Est.

 

How often do you find yourself eating out?
That’s a hard question – my waistline tells me more often than perhaps I should! At least once a week, sometimes more.

As managing director of Horticulture Australia, you’ve seen the company grow around 70% to 84 billion dollar in annual budget. I take it you’re working some pretty hefty hours – what foods do you like to treat yourself to, to reward your efforts?
For me, it’s not so much the food as the experience. If I’m rewarding myself, it’s hopefully with my wife at a nice restaurant. And you mustn’t forget the wine that goes with it!

 

How about your wife, how does she like to reward herself?
For her it is chocolate. When we’re at a restaurant she starts at the dessert menu, works out what she’s going to have and then works backwards!

Working within the agricultural industry has obviously given you a holistic understanding of food. Do you take a holistic approach to eating?
Being involved in these types of organizations has given me an appreciation for nature – nature gives us such a wide array of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and meat. I firmly believe that a diet is something that contains a good balance across all of those food groups. The only thing that has changed over time is that we no longer do sufficient exercise. There should be an even balance, not these extreme diets.

You’ve held senior management positions in strategic planning, research and marketing. Do you take an equally regimented approach when cooking or is it a more relaxed affair?
I’m not a recipe type person, I like to wing it! I was lucky growing up on the farm -we had Italian share farmers and from a very early age they taught us flavour. The European influence was fantastic and I’ve always enjoyed cooking. When we have guests, it’s actually me who cooks. My wife tends to cook all the other times.

 

What is your favourite ingredient to cook with and why?
It sounds wrong from someone working in the fruit and veggie industry but I just love cooking roasts! Either lamb or beef and with all the vegetables with it.

 

Is food as important to you personally, as it is professionally?
To be honest, it’s more important professionally. I certainly enjoy food, but I’m not a foodie. I’m happy to take the lead from foodie friends, to follow their coat tails and get the benefit from it. My biggest concern is when food that has been placed in front of us hasn’t been well looked after and to me that’s not acceptable.


What are your thoughts on the organic movement?
I don’t get too involved in organic. I’m not anti in any way, but for me, knowing the quality of what’s produced commercially, I don’t have the incentive to chase organic.

 

 

Quick Bites

Favourite place for breakfast? Home. It’s a bit sad, but my breakfast is a bowl cereal and then a cup of coffee at Bambino Trust Café.

Favourite place for lunch? Unfortunately I don’t get that much time for lunch. I usually grab something on the run, from sushi to a sandwich.

Favourite place for a lazy brunch? Now that’s more enjoyable! We like to go to Glebe and stroll along until we see somewhere we like.

And dessert? I’m more an entrée and main course man. For me, you can’t go past fresh fruit.

Published on August 13, 2008 in CEO Power Hour. Closed

Wining and Dining

Mitchell Taylor, third generation of family-run winery Taylors Wines, drops into FoodinFocus for a chat about his favourite drink – the big, bold drop.

By Yasmin Newman

As managing director of Taylors Wines, you oversee all aspects of the business, and you’re known to be very hands-on with your approach. Are you equally hands-on in the kitchen, or is this a time to sit back and let some one else take over?
I’m a barbecue guy. I’m also a pasta freak. Since I’ve got a busy lifestyle, I have simple dishes I like to do. Luckily, I’m spoilt by my wife who often cooks during the week. She’s great with spicy foods like Thai and Indian.

mitchell taylor

With such a busy schedule, are you ever able to find the time to make cooking a little special?

I love barbecuing in general. But it’s particularly special when we’re entertaining at our estate in the Clare Valley. We’ve got a couple of different looking points – one has a relic of an old winery from 1892 and the other overlooks a damn in amongst the vineyards. We love to entertain with barbecues under the trees every few months.

Wine is obviously integral to your line of work, so I’ll take a leap of faith that you drink quite regularly. How often are we talking?

I find it hard to eat a great meal without a glass of wine – it’s a yin and yang thing, it just doesn’t work. I try to share a bottle with my wife most days, but as we’re fitness orientated we try to have 1-2 alcohol free days. But to be honest, we probably only do one!

While I’m sure you love all your wines equally, you must have a personal favourite?

That’s a bit like asking who your favourite child in the family is! Having said that, one that really stands out is the Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s the king of all grapes and when you age it properly and plan it, it’s fantastic.

Do you like to experiment with the wines you drink?

Definitely. We’re big fans of Alsatian wines from France, as well as wines from New Zealand. But we’re always looking for new varieties from around the world. I do a lot of traveling and have a lot of wine making friends, so we send cases to each other to swap and taste. It’s like collecting stamps, only better!

Speaking of traveling, what are some of the most impressive restaurants you’ve sampled whilst abroad?

We’re big fans of New York City. From a food perspective, it’s fantastic. We love Gramercy Tavern in particular for its have a wine list. We also recently went to the Sonoma Valley in California and visited Healdsburg – it’s a little town but it had around six to ten of some of the best restaurants I’ve ever had.

Do you ever just get sick of all the food and wine?!

When you’re on the road a lot, you’ve really got to pace yourself. Particularly in the U.S.! You go on these grueling trips where you might be in a different city every day, and of course you have to do lunch-dinner, lunch-dinner, as part of showing the wine matches. When I travel, I need some time to break it up so that I can chill out and relax.

As owner of winery, you are undoubtedly spoilt with good food and wine on a daily basis. But if you want to spoil your wife, where would you take her?

Being outdoors people, we love being in and around the harbour. So for something special, I take her to somewhere like Bennelong, Doyles at the Quay, or Wildfire. We don’t get to go that often, but we try to make time within our busy schedules at least once a month.

For a world-prestigious wine label, I imagine you are expected to be ‘in the know’ when it comes to food. Where do you take clients to impress?

Particularly for overseas visitors, I like to go to Circular Quay – The Harbourside Kitchen & Bar at the Park Hyatt, Ocean Room and Nick’s Seafood at Bondi Beach – it relaxes them, but it’s also really impressive. But it’s not just the views; it’s also the food. We have a fusion of so many styles here, as well as a focus on quality ingredients.

For a winemaker it’s a bit of a moot question, but how many wines do you have in your personal collection?

It’s not that large, all things considered. Probably 4000-5000 bottles. I’m lucky in that we have a family cellar behind us. With my personal collection, I try to rotate it and keep it as live and active as I can. The skill to it is that you always want to be drinking wine at its optimum. One of the tragedies in Australia is that we tend to buy and drink our wines too young.

The quality of French wines has long held a fascination with Taylors and prompted the family’s foray into the winemaking industry. How would you describe Australia’s wine scene today?

We’re at a very exciting stage – we’ve got a great industry and it’s seen globally as one of the most progressive and innovative. We’ve had an oversupply for a number of years, but now with the drought, the supply is coming back into balance. This gives us a great opportunity to start to market the quality of our wines, not just their good value. We’ve got some of the most talented producers here, we’ve just got to get out there and spread the word.

Published on May 1, 2008 in CEO Power Hour. Closed

The Food Advisor

 

Adam Lewis, Director and Managing Partner of McKinsey & Company, shares his trusted words on food.

By Yasmin Newman

Q: As Director of McKinsey & Company, I imagine you get to participate in some spectacular dining experiences with your clients. What is your most memorable experience to date?

A: You would actually be pretty surprised. For the most part, client dining is pretty reserved with smaller, quieter dinners. However, I recently went on business to South Korea. Each night there was whisky filled to the brim in tall glasses, packets of cigarettes on your bread and butter plate and nobody could leave until the boss’s head hit the plate. That was pretty memorable…

adam lewis Q: With travel making up such a large component of your work, where outside of Australia, have you had your most standout meal?

A: For me, I don’t remember spectacular restaurants, rather restaurants that remind me of a spectacular place – the French bistro in the middle of Paris, or a rooftop terrace restaurant in New York about three months after 9/11. In Deli, India, the Taj Palace was fantastic.

Q: McKinsey is known for priding itself on working as one with its high profile clients. How important is socialising over a meal to developing business relationships?

A: It’s very important, but not everybody likes to do it. I probably eat out about once a week. The trick with clients, however, is to find somewhere quiet where you can have a private conversation. Somewhere like Sushi e at Establishment, or Bathers’ Pavilion at Balmoral Beach. My favourite is Prime at the Westin. You’re in this cave-like place where it’s really quiet and dark, and you sort of don’t know who’s at the next table.

Q: Is food as important to you personally, as it is professionally?

A: Yes! I probably wouldn’t go so far as to describe myself as a foodie, but I’d be close.

Q: As director, you undoubtedly put in some long hours at work. What foods do you like to treat yourself to, to reward your efforts?

A: I’m pretty good at not rewarding myself for working long hours; otherwise I’d end up fat! But old habits die hard, and I’m an absolute sucker for pizza and a good bottle of wine at the end of the week … and sometimes Red Rooster! I worked there as a kitchen hand for about six years.

Q: McKinsey believes in building relationships based on trust. In fact, it’s the trusted advisor to some of Fortune Magazine’s most admired companies. What Sydney restaurant would you take a client to, to make a truly special impression?

A: Depends on what impression you want to make. McKinsey wants people to trust us, that we’re wise, and that we know what’s going on. So I tend to choose somewhere that is almost not the flavour of the month, but that I know has really good food and is really reliable. One of my favourites is Flying Fish. It’s got a great view, but it’s not heavily focused on it. The food is simple and tasty and the wine list matches well.

Q: Adam, you’re known for going to extra lengths to support your staff. You even open up your home and have your team over for meals. What’s on the menu for a team get-together?

A: My wife and I have gone through different phases. We went through the barbecue phase with Thai dipping sauces, then a steamboat phase and now where in a fondue phase! Since we host them in our cellar, it smells for about a week after. The great thing about all of these though, is that once you’ve prepared it, as a host you don’t constantly need to get up and check on the food.

Q: Truthfully, who is the better cook you or your wife?

A: I think my wife would say that I undercook everything and I would say that she overdoes everything!

Q: You’re Director and Managing Partner. Would you also describe yourself as Master Chef?

A: No, absolutely not! I’m competent, but not that adventurous. I tend to turn cooking into a production exercise. My wife says it’s like an engineer cooking!

Q: What are some of your favourite dishes?

A: I once watched Nigella Lawson make this pasta and chicken dish where she bakes the hell out of the chicken and throws it into pasta with olive oil. It’s fantastic, but really bad if you’re on a diet! I also like making proper curries from scratch.

Q: I understand that you’re quite the wine enthusiast. How important is a good wine to a special meal?

A: If you had to rate food and wine, I would say it’s more important than the food. A good bottle of wine can make average food fantastic. One of the things I get really frustrated about, is going to great restaurants with great food, but you can’t get a bottle of wine there that is more than one or two years old.

Q: What are some special wines you have tucked away for a special occasion?

A: I currently have about 2,500 bottles. However for my fiftieth, I’ve put aside a 5lt bottle of Pichon Longueville, a Bordeaux wine I bought back from Paris. I’ve got different wines pegged out for each of my wife’s birthdays and my own, as she prefers different wines to me.

Q: What are you currently enjoying?

A: At moment, a Curlewis Pinot out of Geelong, Prince Albert, an organic Pinot and a winery in Heathcote called Dead Horse Hill. I mostly have Australian wines, with a small collection of French.

Quick Bites

Favourite place for breakfast? The Westin Sydney

Favourite place for lunch? Azuma Japanese Restaurant, Chifley Tower

Favourite place for dinner? Prime

Red or white? Both, but not a chardonnay

Published on April 20, 2008 in CEO Power Hour. Closed

Wheeling, Dealing and Eating

 

Business world innovator, Giam Swiegers, CEO of Deloitte Australia, one of the country’s, and indeed the world’s, largest accounting firms speaks out about another subject close to his heart … his love of food.

By Yasmin Newman

Q: Giam, before becoming CEO of Deloitte Australia, you worked for Deloitte on three different continents and in more than six cities, including Chicago, Oklahoma City, Johannesburg and Brisbane. We Aussies like to think our food is some of the best in the world, do you agree?

A: I keep on telling people that what we have in Australia in some of the best. Whenever I travel overseas to visit partners and clients, that’s exactly what I say.

giam sweigersQ: Known as one of the ‘Big Four’, Deloitte is one of the largest personal services firm in the world, As a foodie, I can only think of all the incredible business dinners and lunches you’ve experienced as CEO. What would be the most standout restaurant in the world you’ve ever been to?

A: I have to give you two. I really don’t think there’s been much that I’ve been to that beats Tetsuya’s. I think it’s one of the best food experiences I’ve had. I also went to a restaurant in Paris called Tour D’Argent which was standout.

Q: What is it about Tetsuya’s that makes it so incredible for you?

A: The whole experience at Tetsuya’s is just sensational. Every course is a surprise. I treat myself by going there.

Q: How often is that?

A: Not often enough!

Q: You’ve been profiled in just about every business magazine; not surprising considering the prestigious awards, such as "Most Innovative Firm" Deloitte has won under your guidance. How do you eat to stay healthy and keep your energy levels up?

A: To be honest, I don’t eat as healthily as I should. I’m naturally a very high-energy person. I just love life. I exercise a lot, but I don’t think anybody that who knows me would put me in the healthy category.

Q: You’re widely known for your support and innovation for the advancement of women in the workplace, having championed several programs that create inspiring workplaces for them. Your wife is undoubtedly a lucky woman! Where do you like to spoil her for a romantic dinner?

A: Given a magic wand, I would repeat what we did in January and that was going to Koh Samui, staying in a really good hotel and then putting on shorts and walking bare foot to any one of the beachside restaurants to eat fresh seafood.

Q: Innovation is a word that continually crops up in everything written or said about you. Does your innovative approach extend to the kitchen?

A: Yes I think it does. My wife’s the harder worker in the kitchen and a much better cook. But we do enjoy cooking together, and we definitely like doing innovative stuff. Tetsuya’s being my favourite restaurant, I like to use Tetsuya’s cookbook. His dishes are simple but absolutely divine.

Q: What’s your signature dish?

A: My honest answer is that I’m a steak and red person. But, if I’m cooking and I want to do something fun, I would most likely make the avocado soup, or the pea and tomato soup out of Tetsuya’s book. I just love the taste of both these dishes.

Q: I’ve read a quote from you about the importance of spending time with your senior team. Where do you like to take your team for a good bonding session? Is it a nice lunch, or a beer after work?

A: It could be either. I’m very keen on a beer, well in my case more likely a wine, after work. But I have always felt that if you share a meal, there’s a bit more of a personal moment. After ten years in Sydney, I still really enjoy Doyles in Circular Quay.

Q: Encouraging cultural diversity is another key component of your leadership approach at Deloitte. Do your eating habits follow the same approach?

A: I think that’s the lovely thing about being in Sydney – the privilege we have of tasting foods from around the world. Coming from South Africa, I was not exposed to some of the finer Asian tastes. My wife and I spend a lot of time between different countries and tasting their food. My only regret is that I’ve not found a Portuguese restaurant I really love in Sydney.

Q: Your office is located just near Circular Quay. Is your favourite coffee joint on the way to work, or will you venture out of your way for a good cup of coffee?

A: I will venture out of my way, but I’m less fussy about the coffee than I am about the venue. Because I work in the city, I’ll walk a couple of blocks to sit under a tree. I just love being outside while I enjoy my cup of coffee.


Quick Bites

Favourite place for breakfast?

Easy question. Park Hyatt, Sydney

Favourite place for lunch?

Kingsleys. I go there more often than my doctor would like!

Red or white?

Definitely red. If given a choice, I like the E & E Black Pepper Shiraz.

Favourite place for dinner?

I’ve got three. If in Sydney, Testuya’s. If I’m in Melbourne, Ezard. However if I’m in the mood to have fun and the drink the best red wine you can buy in Sydney, I’ll go to a place called Stuyvesant’s House in Crows Nest. It’s one of Sydney’s undiscovered little gems. If you ever get the privilege of going into the wine cellar you will not believe your eyes. I’ve always left that restaurant with a big smile on my face.

Published on April 16, 2008 in CEO Power Hour. Closed