Pioneering Chef Matt Stone on How the Australian Food Industry Has Changed Over the Decades

Australia’s food landscape has changed dramatically over the last several decades. For one, we’re no longer throwing as many Tupperware parties (maybe a bad thing), and we’re definitely not eating as much carpetbag steak as we used to (absolutely a good thing). Fine Food Australia, has been there through it all, and kept up with the times – offering a space for Australia’s chefs and restaurateurs to see the latest changes in the food service world, as well as where it’s going next.

At this year’s edition, which is taking place from September 2 to 5 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Fine Food Australia is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Whether your cafe hasn’t changed since 1984, your restaurant’s menu is stuck in 2004, or you’re new to hospo and keen to see where the industry’s headed in 2024 and beyond, there’ll be something at the show for you.

“There’s hundreds of stalls for everything from coffee machines to croissant laminators,” says chef Matt Stone. “Everything you can imagine that graces a hospitality venue, you’ll find at Fine Food Australia in some way, shape or form … And it’s actually really good to see what’s at the cutting edge in equipment and technology, like more energy-efficient new ovens, for when you need to replace stuff that breaks in the kitchen.”

From the work he’s doing now in Byron Bay with restaurants such as Ciao Mate and You Beauty, to past projects such as the zero-waste Greenhouse in Perth and the Future Food System pop-up in Melbourne, Stone has garnered a reputation as one of Australia’s foremost voices in sustainable cooking. He’s presenting at the exhibition’s opening day this year, running a workshop at The Source Kitchen, the show’s hub for culinary demonstrations – particularly those that spotlight how the industry’s changing for the better.

For Stone, who got his start in kitchens in 2002, reforming the sector in a positive way is a topic that hits close to home. “I’ve definitely been around for long enough to see a bunch of different trends and fads come and go – the industry’s changed hugely from when I started to what it is now,” he says.

“The way restaurants are run has changed dramatically: the most notable difference is that looking after people has become a huge focal point, which was well overdue for a long time,” Stone says. “From a service aspect, the professionalism has grown a lot – people are seeing the opportunity to travel the world and do lots of different things, so in Australia we’ve seen a lot of people, particularly in front of house, seeing hospitality as more of a lifetime profession.”

On the customer side, consumers are also better educated and informed.

“Because there’s so much more good information that people can access really easily these days, people are making much better decisions, so restaurants have less smoke and mirrors,” Stone says. “Before everyone was carrying around phones, information about – for example, regenerative farmers – was a lot harder to come across, so the industry’s changed a hell of a lot and it’s all pretty positive, I think.”

The most lasting change that Stone has noticed is that sustainability is now woven into the fabric of cooking, rather than being a separate overlaid skill set.

“A couple of apprentices I have in one of my restaurants currently, I think they’ll far exceed anything that we’ve achieved in terms of sustainability, because it’s in the mind from the very get-go – rather than learning the craft of cookery and then learning how to be sustainable on top, they’re learning the two together, hand in hand,” he says.

This year, Stone’s participation at Fine Food Australia focuses on another concept that would have seemed foreign just a handful of years ago, let alone 40 years ago: the low and no-alcohol movement. On Monday September 2 (the fair’s opening day), Aaron Trotman, founder of non-alcoholic wine company Non, and David Murphy, founder of Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Spirit Co, will be discussing the booming world of alcohol alternatives – followed by a tasting of Stone’s new limited-run collaboration with Non. Stone used a variety of plants endemic to his new home in Byron Bay for the seasonal release.

“We’ve got Davidson’s Plum, finger lime and lemon myrtle, three of the more known Australian native ingredients, as well as some cinnamon myrtle and paperbark,” Stone says. “It very much resembles a light Beaujolais, gamay-style red wine.”

He’ll also be preparing a paired dish to try with the drink, and sharing more . “We’ve just finished the drink, so I’ve had my head in the space of getting that right, but now I can start thinking about potential flavour combinations for the dish,” he adds.

Curious about what Stone will be dishing up to pair? Or interested in learning more about Australia’s constantly evolving food service scene? Fine Food Australia runs from September 2 to 5 at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre; Stone’s demonstration with Non and Lyre’s takes place on Monday September 2 at 3pm. Registration is free.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Fine Food Australia.