DarrenRobertson
Chef& co-owner,
ThreeBlueDucksLennoxHastie
Headchef& owner,
FiredoorJoBarrett
Co-executivechef,
OakridgeJerryMai
Executivechef& owner,
PhoNomMelissaPalinkas
Executivechef& co-owner,
YoungGeorgeChefs leading
thewayWITHPLASTIC-
FREEKITCHENSIn the meantime, they’ve still got four large rolls of
cling film left, so the chef told his team: “Let’s see
if we can stretch this out and make it last a year.”
Jo Barrett credits her time at the now-closed zero-
waste café Brothl for inspiring the sustainable approach
at Oakridge in Victoria. “I am also a keen open-water
swimmer, and it makes me so sad every time I see a
piece of plastic floating by, because I know the damage
that it is causing to our environment,” she says. To her,
wrapping dough in sheets of plastic seemed excessive,
so her kitchen splurged on an eco-friendly alternative:
a prover, even though such equipment can cost
thousands. Oakridge’s old-school tactic of receiving
milk in buckets, meanwhile, has spared the world an
extra 8060 plastic bottles so far. “And we are just one
business,” Barrett says. “Imagine if everyone joined in.”
At Jerry Mai’s three quick-service Pho Nom eateries
in Melbourne, minimising plastic is a challenge: each
restaurant might deal with 200 orders a day with a
significant amount as takeaway meals. It’s why she’s
adopted the Returnr system. “It’s a new closed-loop
takeaway-food initiative where customers pay a deposit
for a reusable container and can redeem the deposit
in full when they return the dish,” she says. It could
be revolutionary if it takes off. For Mai, the “toughest
part” of going plastic-free has been convincing
suppliers to phase out Styrofoam and disposable
packaging, which she achieved after six months of
intense phone calls. It was the birth of her son two
years ago that inspired these changes. “I want to
preserve his right and his future generations’ right to
enjoy nature, breathe clean air and climb (and fall out
of) trees like I was able to when I was a kid,” she says.
Likewise, it’s the next generation that galvanises
Robertson. “For all of our younger chefs coming
through, it’s a priority for them,” he says. On a recent
trip to Buenos Aires, he noticed that many chefs were
having the same discussions about sustainability.
“There’s a global movement,” Robertson adds.
Banishing single-use plastic is also a priority for
Melissa Palinkas – co-owner and executive chef at
Perth restaurant Young George – who has spent
$8000 implementing a new container storage system.
“I found Cambro containers, and I haven’t looked
back,” she says. “They’re indestructible and have
suction lids to lock in freshness.”
For Hastie, the cost of such improvements isn’t a
deterrent. “The cheapest way is to continue using cling
film, obviously. It’s the easy thing and that’s what it is- it’s convenient. But the investment in the permanent
stuff is something that lasts,” he says. “It’s going to cost
the restaurant a lot more, but the environment a lot
less. And I feel better about that.” ●
GOURMET TRAVELLER 69PHOTOGRPHY JASON LOUCAS (OAKRIDGE), JAMES MORGAN (JERRY MAI), NIKKI TO (FIREDOOR, LENNOX HASTIE, DARREN ROBERTSON & THREE BLUE DUCKS) & GETTY IMAGES (STRAWS).