Feature: Rail Catering
So the train chefs have to be willing to work
a long day, resilient and resourceful, especially when weather or a rail-related problem causes delay. But Nathan Mollenhof, who has cooked in restaurants in London as well as Australia, relishes working on the country’s iconic trains and being paid to travel. “I prefer the Ghan because of the hot and humid climate in the north, and being able to swim at Darwin while it’s raining is awesome, but there’s no better sight on the trains than the last morning through the Blue Mountains on the approach to Sydney – it’s just gorgeous.” Induction training covers the inevitable constraints and safety considerations of working in a moving kitchen. To minimise knife movements, much prep work is done at the kitchen and store in Adelaide, home base for all three trains and their crews. Dishes are devised by an executive chef with these conditions in mind and then discussed and tested by the chefs to produce feasible menus. Nearly all the food is sourced as locally as possible within South Australia, and the state’s wineries dominate a list of 29 wines which includes some bottles from New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia and one Tasmanian sparkling wine. Before year end, GSR will be appointing a celebrity chef to refresh menus. Trains have enough freezer capacity – one
is of walk-in size – to carry all provisions for a six-day round trip from Adelaide. Though the dishes rely on regional produce, there is no seasonal variation. The two-course lunch offers two main-course dishes and two desserts, while there is a dinner choice of two entrées,
four main courses and two desserts. Typical entrées might be cauliflower, thyme and blue cheese soup or lamb and pumpkin pie, while kangaroo tenderloin with sweet potato puree and beetroot relish or seared filet of Tasmanian salmon with lentils provide novel fare. Preparation for up to 96 covers in two dinner sittings starts at 5.30pm. The kitchen has fan- forced ovens and conventional coil burners with guard rails around them. “It was a new challenge not having gas,” recalls Nathan, “you can’t turn the heat up and down as quickly as you would like. Even though there are only two of us, we’re often bumping into one another.” There is a dishwasher but pots and pans have to be done by hand. Train manager Sally Sowden shares Nathan’s
love of travel and the fact that no two days are ever the same. The six GSR crews of about fifteen people soon become a tightly knit family, and in the ten years that Sally has been working for GSR she has seen a change from recruiting people for their hospitality skills to a greater emphasis on finding staff with the right outgoing and warm personality and then training them in the necessary on-board skills.” In terms of product differentiation, the trains
of GSR should benefit from the fast-diminishing opportunities to enjoy the pleasures of eating a freshly cooked meal served in style on conventional service trains. As buoyant bookings for tourist dining trains testify, the skills of Nathan and his colleagues are valued by many.
www.greatsouthernrail.com.au www.australia.com •
www.onboardhospitality.com 37
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