Brisbane show serves up new business

Media release: 8 August 2019

The second Food & Hospitality Queensland Expo was held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre this week, with the industry-only event inundated by visitors eager to see the latest products and suppliers for their business.

Exhibition Director Tim Collett says the show’s success reflects the industry’s growth and appetite for new products and services. He says, “A few years ago we saw a real need for Queensland to have its own food and hospitality expo. We have been blown away by the way Queenslanders have embraced it and made it their own”.

The event had 150 exhibitors showing the latest food, drink and equipment ideas. There were also special events including Aged Care Catering Summit, Queensland Chef of the Year and the Brisbane Café School.

At the centre of the show, the Queensland Chef of the Year saw 28 professional chefs produce two dishes in an hour from a mystery box of ingredients. The BCEC’s own Sous Chef Mathew Lee took the prestigious title, in a closely-fought Grand Final with Jason McCormick from Plate Art, Anthony Dunne from Mr Edwards Ale House and Grant Parry from Videre at Royal Pines Resort.

Lee won $2,500 and a Unox oven, plus a trip to Sydney to compete in the Australian Chef of the Year at Foodservice Australia in 2020.

“Chefs are the heroes of our industry and it was fitting to feature this competition at the heart of the show,” says Collett. “The competition was a real highlight and drew great crowds, particularly for the Grand Final.” Thanks to our sponsors Unox, Australian Pork, PFD Food Services, Totally Workwear, Winterhalter and The Wholesale Fruit Company.

The Aged Care Catering Summit on Monday 5 August was also well received, with delegates from aged care facilities and home care providers keen to find out more about the future of dining in this booming market.

Proudly sponsored by Rational Australia and hosted by Mary Atkins, the Summit included speakers such as Aveo Group’s National Food Services Manager John Casey, Cherie Hugo from The Lantern Project, John Fallon from Cater Care, Jo Cleary from Dining Experience Specialists and Professor Liz Isenring from Bond University.

Lunch and food-to-go was the focus at the Brisbane Café School, with free workshops throughout the two days sponsored by Mission Foods and Freedom Foods Group. Highlights included espresso masterclasses and a book launch with Joshua Clifton, smoothies and bowls with the MilkLab team, the latest lunch trends with Liam McLaughlin, wrapping tips from Adam Khazaal and pizza secrets with Mosaic Pizza.

On the exhibition floor, visitors could try out the latest kitchen equipment from the likes of Unox, Comcater, JL Lennard and Stoddart, and taste hundreds of food and beverage products for the hospitality and retail industries.

Iconic Brisbane supplier Hospitality Superstore had a strong presence at the show with demonstrations and workshops on both days. “This was a fabulous event for the Brisbane market,” says Sales Director Dane Nicholson.

“We were really excited to be involved and showcase our leading brands including Moffat, Skope, Irinox, Espresso Enterprise and International Catering Equipment. We met a lot of our current customers and hundreds of new ones.”

Steven Nelson from tableware supplier Euroswift was also impressed. “There was constant traffic flow and we connected with lots of commercial caterers. Food & Hospitality Queensland certainly delivered those authentic buyers.”

The next Food & Hospitality Queensland will be held in 2021 at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.

For more information go to www.foodandhospitality.com.au

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Caption: The Brisbane Café School at Food & Hospitality Queensland offered free workshops over the two-day show.