Jordan Toft's guest appearances

Jordan Toft

The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry

Slammed Hospitality Talk

Exploring Careers with Bec Stoneman

Samin Nosrat

Dan Barber

Massimo Bottura

Christina Tosi

David Thompson

Hetty McKinnon

Magnus Nilsson

Ferran Adria

Luke Powell

Annabel Crabb

Ken Burgin

Tim Watkins

Kate Reid

Caitlyn Rees

Momofuku Seiobo

OwlTail

Merivale Executive Chef Jordan Toft talks to us about their Apprenticeship program, a fantastic opportunity for aspiring chefs.

Merivale Executive Chef Jordan Toft talks to us about their Apprenticeship program, a fantastic opportunity for aspiring chefs.

Jordan Toft has been a chef for Saudi royalty and he's run a chalet in the Haute-Savoie in the French Alps. In Sydney, he's known for his work at Bert's (which was nominated for New Restaurant of the Year in the last Gourmet Traveller restaurant awards), The Collaroy, Bar Topa and Coogee Pavilion. His next venture – a restaurant on the middle floor at Coogee Pavilion – has been more than four years in the making. Jordan started his career as a teenager and has since worked with many great chefs (he was mentored by Peter Doyle during an influential stint at Est). His career has sent him to Italy and France – and we spend a lot of this conversation talking about Europe because a) Jordan had one of the best meals of his life at Michel Bras's restaurant in Laguiole, France (the lunch he ate preceding it is pretty hilarious, BTW) and b) because Jordan and I recently went on a Eurail trip that zipped through Spain, France and Switzerland. We talk about the highlights of travelling via train carriages through this part of the world while flexing a Eurail pass. Some of the memorable experiences we had included eating at Llet Crua, in Barcelona (a cheese shop that specialises in revived Catalan cheeses); foraging for wild Spanish flowers and herbs on the Costa Brava coastline with Evarist March (a "gastrobotanist" who works with the acclaimed El Celler de can Roca); eating desserts inspired by old books and Game of Thrones at Rocambolesc (the gelato parlour run by Jordi Roca, the world-renowned pastry chef); Jordan running into a strangely familiar face at a traditional Lyon restaurant; and taking ultra-scenic trains around Lake Geneva, including the GoldenPass Classic "Belle Epoque" trip up a Swiss mountain to eat mushroom fondue and see Gruyère cheese being made from two-hour-old milk at Le Chalet. Oh and there's the time Jordan bought 150 euros of jamón and schlepped it through two entire countries, too! This was a fun country-hopping conversation. Thanks to Eurail and Example's Rebecca Gibbs for making the aforementioned trip possible! You can see my Instagram Story highlights of the trip here (featured are some of the places that Jordan and I chat about during the podcast).

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/jordanwtoft/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Jordan Toft</a> has been a chef for Saudi royalty and he's run a chalet in the Haute-Savoie in the French Alps. In Sydney, he's known for his work at <a href="https://merivale.com/venues/berts/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Bert's</a> (which was nominated for New Restaurant of the Year in the last <a href="https://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/dining-out/restaurant-awards/new-restaurant-of-the-year-2019-the-finalists-16252" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Gourmet Traveller restaurant awards</a>), The Collaroy, Bar Topa and Coogee Pavilion. His next venture – a restaurant on the middle floor at Coogee Pavilion – has been more than four years in the making. Jordan started his career as a teenager and has since worked with many great chefs (he was mentored by Peter Doyle during an influential stint at Est). His career has sent him to Italy and France – and we spend a lot of this conversation talking about Europe because a) Jordan had one of the best meals of his life at <a href="https://www.bras.fr/fr/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Michel Bras's restaurant</a> in Laguiole, France (the lunch he ate preceding it is pretty hilarious, BTW) and b) because Jordan and I recently went on a <a href="https://www.eurail.com/en" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Eurail</a> trip that zipped through Spain, France and Switzerland. We talk about the highlights of travelling via train carriages through this part of the world while flexing a <a href="https://www.eurail.com/en/eurail-passes" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Eurail pass</a>. Some of the memorable experiences we had included eating at <a href="http://lletcrua.cat/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Llet Crua</a>, in Barcelona (a cheese shop that specialises in revived Catalan cheeses); foraging for wild Spanish flowers and herbs on the Costa Brava coastline with <a href="http://naturalwalks.com/en/about-us/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Evarist March</a> (a "gastrobotanist" who works with the acclaimed <a href="https://cellercanroca.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">El Celler de can Roca</a>); eating desserts inspired by old books and Game of Thrones at <a href="http://www.rocambolesc.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Rocambolesc</a> (the gelato parlour run by Jordi Roca, the world-renowned pastry chef); Jordan running into a strangely familiar face at a traditional Lyon restaurant; and taking ultra-scenic trains around Lake Geneva, including the <a href="https://www.goldenpass.ch/en/goldenpass/offer/view?id=13" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">GoldenPass Classic</a> "Belle Epoque" trip up a Swiss mountain to eat mushroom fondue and see Gruyère cheese being made from two-hour-old milk at <a href="https://www.lechalet-fromagerie.ch/en" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Le Chalet</a>. Oh and there's the time Jordan bought 150 euros of jamón and schlepped it through two entire countries, too! This was a fun country-hopping conversation. Thanks to <a href="https://www.eurail.com/en" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Eurail</a> and Example's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/rebeccalouisegibbs/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Rebecca Gibbs</a> for making the aforementioned trip possible! You can see my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17846435365418716/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram Story highlights of the trip here</a> (featured are some of the places that Jordan and I chat about during the podcast).

Jordan Toft – Bert's, Coogee Pavilion, Bar Topa, The Collaroy

All About the People: Jordan Toft on The Keys to a Successful Kitchen Jordan Toft has been in the cooking business for a long time:  20 years, in fact. He got his start at the tender age of 15 working in the Sydney Opera House kitchen, and has been working as a chef ever since. He’s also lived on three continents, working in restaurants located in France, Italy, and the United States. Over the years and across his travels he’s learned several key things that have helped him bolster his career, and he spoke with Slammed Hospitality Talk to share some of these nuggets of wisdom. When managing a kitchen, Jordan says, the most important thing to consider by far is relationships. In the hospitality industry, people are both the biggest assets and the hardest challenge. It’s not easy sometimes to keep the morale up in such a high-stress environment as a kitchen during the busiest hours of the day. But as we say, the hospitality industry is all about the people, so head chefs must lead by example and inspire their staff to do their best. Fostering a sense of teamwork is paramount to boosting your restaurant’s success. Staff who feel like they’re a part of a team, and that they have some say-so in running things – whether they’re a sous chef, head chef or lowly line cook – will work better and give you their best effort. If everybody works better in the back of house, this will motivate the front of house, as well. And an overall better work experience will create a better customer experience. These days, Jordan says, with so many flashy cooking competition shows, people might get the wrong idea about what it takes to be successful. Young people are not so much lazy as misunderstanding the amount of work it takes to achieve such levels of success. And unfortunately, many people can work hard for decades and not see the results they want. Jordan advises young aspiring head chefs to take your time. Learn your craft – preferably for about ten years, as he did, focusing specifically on perfecting his cooking craft. He spent some time getting to know chefs that he respected, such as Peter Doyle, and learned as much as he could from them. He started young, so he could easily put concerns about money aside and focus purely on the craft of cooking. By his late 20s he was in a place where he could focus on climbing the ladder and striking out on his own. As an older chef, he advises other veterans to give advice and guide young aspiring chefs so they can learn their craft and pass on their own industry knowledge. This is all a part of developing relationships with your staff so you have a healthy work environment. Hard work is necessary, of course, to achieve success as a restaurant, and costs can get high, but it’s important to remember that it’s not just about the money. It’s also about the craft and creativity that goes into making a great dish that people enjoy. Something as simple as pulling someone aside and telling them that they did a great job that day will help boost morale. Of course, things will not always go so well, but Jordan only berates employees when they’ve done something wrong and underhanded – not when it’s an honest mistake. Gone are the days of employees enduring a boss’s tirade for hours on end and still showing up to work the next day. Now a good kitchen is run as a supportive environment to foster talent and teamwork. Organization is also key to running a successful kitchen. If all the staff and equipment are running smoothly, then you can better concentrate on creating great product. Organization ranges from managing how the cool rooms are to labeling and shelving food items and keeping equipment clean and up to par. If any hiccups occur in the kitchen, the whole system can be thrown off, and focus shifts to getting the system right again – not a good use of the kitchen staff’s energy. Jordan burdens a lot of the organization upon himself, especially for scheduling purposes, taking a top-down approach so there’s a clear sense of responsibility and accountability. It’s also important to keep in mind the creative side of food. Jordan specializes in running farm-to-table establishments, creating daily menus to reflect the availability and seasonality of the local food he was sourcing for the restaurant. The most successful restaurants in the business offer something a little more than just something to eat – a whole experience can often come packaged with it. Serve a great product, and the great experience will follow. In the future, Jordan looks to open up another location of his restaurant, Coogee Pavilion, as well as focusing on his current ventures. If you want to keep up with what Jordan’s doing on social media, you can follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @jordanwtoft. Jordan’s Ten Takeaways   If you’re a young aspiring chef, take your time to learn the craft. The opportunities will easily follow.   With kitchen staff in particular, building group morale is essential to run a successful kitchen.   Building relationships is key in the restaurant business – with customers, staff, and farmers if you source your ingredients directly.   Good organization will allow you to focus solely on the product.   Veteran chefs take note: just as young chefs should seek guidance and advice, you should be willing to give it.   Keep your menu balanced between your signatures and your mainstays to manage costs and keep prices reasonable for your particular restaurant tier.   Make sure you focus on your product – if the food’s not great, people won’t come back to your restaurant.   Young chefs should also keep in mind that it takes a lot of hard work to reach a certain level of success, and be prepared to put that work in. In the end, it’s all up to you, what you make of your career and success.   Even as a chef, consider the guest experience as well. Keep in mind that there’s no strict dividing line between the front of house and back of house.   Though creativity and craft will help you stand out, don’t lose sight of the numbers – you can have the most creative dishes around, but if you can’t recoup costs, your restaurant won’t last long. 

All About the People: Jordan Toft on The Keys to a Successful Kitchen <a href="http://slammedhospitalitytalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/jordantoftslammedhospitality.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>Jordan Toft has been in the cooking business for a long time:  20 years, in fact. He got his start at the tender age of 15 working in the Sydney Opera House kitchen, and has been working as a chef ever since. He’s also lived on three continents, working in restaurants located in France, Italy, and the United States. Over the years and across his travels he’s learned several key things that have helped him bolster his career, and he spoke with Slammed Hospitality Talk to share some of these nuggets of wisdom. When managing a kitchen, Jordan says, the most important thing to consider by far is relationships. In the hospitality industry, people are both the biggest assets and the hardest challenge. It’s not easy sometimes to keep the morale up in such a high-stress environment as a kitchen during the busiest hours of the day. But as we say, the hospitality industry is all about the people, so head chefs must lead by example and inspire their staff to do their best. <a href="http://slammedhospitalitytalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/jordan-toft2.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>Fostering a sense of teamwork is paramount to boosting your restaurant’s success. Staff who feel like they’re a part of a team, and that they have some say-so in running things – whether they’re a sous chef, head chef or lowly line cook – will work better and give you their best effort. If everybody works better in the back of house, this will motivate the front of house, as well. And an overall better work experience will create a better customer experience. These days, Jordan says, with so many flashy cooking competition shows, people might get the wrong idea about what it takes to be successful. Young people are not so much lazy as misunderstanding the amount of work it takes to achieve such levels of success. And unfortunately, many people can work hard for decades and not see the results they want. Jordan advises young aspiring head chefs to take your time. Learn your craft – preferably for about ten years, as he did, focusing specifically on perfecting his cooking craft. He spent some time getting to know chefs that he respected, such as Peter Doyle, and learned as much as he could from them. He started young, so he could easily put concerns about money aside and focus purely on the craft of cooking. By his late 20s he was in a place where he could focus on climbing the ladder and striking out on his own. As an older chef, he advises other veterans to give advice and guide young aspiring chefs so they can learn their craft and pass on their own industry knowledge. This is all a part of developing relationships with your staff so you have a healthy work environment. Hard work is necessary, of course, to achieve success as a restaurant, and costs can get high, but it’s important to remember that it’s not just about the money. It’s also about the craft and creativity that goes into making a great dish that people enjoy. Something as simple as pulling someone aside and telling them that they did a great job that day will help boost morale. Of course, things will not always go so well, but Jordan only berates employees when they’ve done something wrong and underhanded – not when it’s an honest mistake. Gone are the days of employees enduring a boss’s tirade for hours on end and still showing up to work the next day. Now a good kitchen is run as a supportive environment to foster talent and teamwork. <a href="http://slammedhospitalitytalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/jordantoft1.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>Organization is also key to running a successful kitchen. If all the staff and equipment are running smoothly, then you can better concentrate on creating great product. Organization ranges from managing how the cool rooms are to labeling and shelving food items and keeping equipment clean and up to par. If any hiccups occur in the kitchen, the whole system can be thrown off, and focus shifts to getting the system right again – not a good use of the kitchen staff’s energy. Jordan burdens a lot of the organization upon himself, especially for scheduling purposes, taking a top-down approach so there’s a clear sense of responsibility and accountability. It’s also important to keep in mind the creative side of food. Jordan specializes in running farm-to-table establishments, creating daily menus to reflect the availability and seasonality of the local food he was sourcing for the restaurant. The most successful restaurants in the business offer something a little more than just something to eat – a whole experience can often come packaged with it. Serve a great product, and the great experience will follow. In the future, Jordan looks to open up another location of his restaurant, Coogee Pavilion, as well as focusing on his current ventures. If you want to keep up with what Jordan’s doing on social media, you can follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @jordanwtoft. Jordan’s Ten Takeaways <ol> <li> <blockquote>If you’re a young aspiring chef, take your time to learn the craft. The opportunities will easily follow.</blockquote> </li> <li> <blockquote>With kitchen staff in particular, building group morale is essential to run a successful kitchen.</blockquote> </li> <li> <blockquote>Building relationships is key in the restaurant business – with customers, staff, and farmers if you source your ingredients directly.</blockquote> </li> <li> <blockquote>Good organization will allow you to focus solely on the product.</blockquote> </li> <li> <blockquote>Veteran chefs take note: just as young chefs should seek guidance and advice, you should be willing to give it.</blockquote> </li> <li> <blockquote>Keep your menu balanced between your signatures and your mainstays to manage costs and keep prices reasonable for your particular restaurant tier.</blockquote> </li> <li> <blockquote>Make sure you focus on your product – if the food’s not great, people won’t come back to your restaurant.</blockquote> </li> <li> <blockquote>Young chefs should also keep in mind that it takes a lot of hard work to reach a certain level of success, and be prepared to put that work in. In the end, it’s all up to you, what you make of your career and success.</blockquote> </li> <li> <blockquote>Even as a chef, consider the guest experience as well. Keep in mind that there’s no strict dividing line between the front of house and back of house.</blockquote> </li> <li> <blockquote>Though creativity and craft will help you stand out, don’t lose sight of the numbers – you can have the most creative dishes around, but if you can’t recoup costs, your restaurant won’t last long.</blockquote> </li></ol>