In conjunction with Acer Arena and Food Companion International Magazine it was on.

 

Executive chef Eddie Cofie and Sous chef Martin Koestlin welcomed Sydney chefs over a lively 'chefs table' at the 21,000-seat Acer Arena in Sydney's Olympic Park to talk to chefs about catering to the mass market - and along came the large stadium chefs and the high-end dining establishment chefs.

 

"Our tasting session was held irrespective of what may have been happening on the day so guest chefs got to feel the full ambience of the kitchen." Eddie Cofie.

 

A chef's table experience at Acer Arena is like going to a fine-dining restaurant in the middle of a production kitchen area where you are greeted by the most professional looking team, and then sat down among some of the best linen, glassware and cutlery in town.

 

For a 21,00 seat stadium booking, clients come to view and taste the food first hand, make their choices and then return at a later date to experience the same food and all the entertainment that goes with it.

 

So it's just a regular event when you're booking a function at the Acer Arena for an event over 500, 700 or 1200 people where clients come on-site to select and choose their menu from a choice of items that they have selected from the function menu. "We've held some really memorable events here,'' says Driver. These include The Aria Awards, Pavarotti concert, Masters Tennis, The Rolling Stones concert and Disney on Ice. 

 

Chef Cofie prepared us:

 

 

We got to try everything presented us, and to finish off there was a general feedback session where we discussed budget, menu planning, food intolerances from guests, catering equipment on hand, beverages and staff hiring. Eddie has the freedom to then create and design whatever he feels after the satisfaction gained from clients after their visit and then sends a copy of the menu back to the client.

 

So whether your choice is working in a small-medium sized high-end restaurant or a large catering centre like Acer Arena, they both have their good points.  At Acer Eddie tells us the perks can be a little different as well, as you don't work under true restaurant conditions and restaurant hours, but it is flexible. Here you may go without buying in ice cream for two weeks depending on the menu. Cofie informed us that challenges come when the client does not order an ingredient, but then on the night the guest wants it. Or being advised that 58 require the vegetarian dish and then on the night 75 want it.

 

Eddie's not a new face when it comes to catering on a grand scale. Before this appointment he had many positions including executive chef of Ansett; working alongside Serge Dansereau and Ron Coleman at The Regent; The Savoy and The Connaught in London and P&O vessel The Canberra to name a few.

 

His philosophy regarding mass market catering is simple, if you start with quality ingredients you will finish off with a quality end product. Of course there's a bit more to it than just quality ingredients. The other key components are that the staffs share his passion for both food and service.

 

At The Acer Arena there are no outside caterers. Everything from the hot dogs to haute cuisine is under Eddie's control. That's why he reckons Acer Arena sets a new standard for arena catering in Sydney.

 

Acer Arena, was also formerly known as Sydney SuperDome, was where the basketball and the gymnastics were staged during the Olympics in 2000.

 

Please rsvp your name/establishment to Mel Nathan for the next chef get-together at Food Companion International on mel@foodcompanion.com