Courier Mail
Edition I - Good Life Tue 31 Jan 2006, Page 014

Food Truths - Peter Heitzinger

By Phil Brown

Peter Heitzinger, 54
co-founder, Spoon Deli Cafe.

AUSTRIAN-born Peter Heitzinger has been a graphic designer, hydroponic farmer and jeweller. He and his wife Christine and their two children moved from Tasmania when Peter went to Bond University on the Gold Coast to do an MBA, which prompted another career change into the hospitality industry. His company Chala Management Services has established the Spoon Deli Cafe chain that now has five outlets in Brisbane, with more to come.
What makes a great cafe?

If it has a great atmosphere, great food and service it will seem like a home away from home and that's why people will just want to be there.

What sort of music do you like listening to at a cafe?

Something a bit alternative . . . we will play things like Moby, stuff from the Hemisphere label . . . things that are little out of left field.

Which food can't you do without?

I like small, simple interesting meals; quality not quantity. I enjoy degustation and Asian food, though there are a lot of people out there not doing it to a professional level. I enjoy eating at Madame Fu's, New Farm, in particular, and I like spicy dishes. Mind you, I don't mind eating a pot of mussels at the Belgian Beer Cafe Brussels, either.

What did you eat at home growing up in Austria?

High-carb central European-style cooking. I'm talking schnitzel with white wine sauce and noodles, pasta dishes, cream-based high-carbohydrate dishes. The food is still the same. I was there last year and they just keep on doing it . . . but I could never eat like that all the time.

Where in the world is the food best available?

Everywhere in Australia. When we first came to Australia the food was very basic with a narrow range of ingredients. The reason it's so good now is that it has had the opportunity to develop. In Europe it is already established but here there has been room to move, to change and develop.

If you had a food dream what would it be about?

A degustation banquet served with matching wine.

What do you always have in your fridge?

An empty jar of cucumbers. I might have to throw that jar out one day.

What's the secret of success in business?

You really have to believe in what you are doing and to stand out from the crowd. To have a competitive advantage you have to give people something that can't easily be repeated elsewhere. We try to empower our staff to achieve that.

Caption: Peter Heitzinger, co-founder, Spoon Deli Cafe.
Illus: Photo
Library Heading: FOOD, CAFES AND RESTAURANTS
BIOG: PETER HEITZINGER
Column: Food
Section: GOOD LIFE

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