With iconic, contemporary design and an array of exciting new sports and cultural facilities Perth Arena is raising the bar in Australia – both for live entertainment and event dining.
While the Arena only launched late last year their kitchen facilities have already been rigorously tested with big names and high profile events like Pink, Elton John, WWE RAW, Disney on Ice and Jesus Christ Superstar. With Beyoncé, Michael Buble, Rihanna and Bon Jovi scheduled to appear over the next twelve months there’ll be no drop-off in demand.
It’s just as well the in-house catering team can cater for up to 15,500 guests at any one time. To cover such demand the vast new venue employs a central production kitchen, seven retail food outlets and two suite kitchens (which serve food to VIPs in the 36 private suites). There’s also a sophisticated new Sky Dining area - where event patrons can have their choice of meal cooked before them in a live kitchen environment.
The Sky Dining area is typical of the overall approach as the Arena redefines what event catering can offer to the masses. You won’t find any soggy hotdogs or lukewarm pies here. Instead it’s all about gourmet, healthy food.
Unlike most Executive Chefs, David Clem is responsible for the entire array of food production at the Arena – from casual meals at the venue’s retail outlets through to the refined options in the private suites and the show-stoppers in Sky Dining.
Clem says that quality was a priority when designing their food and beverages, and healthy, interesting meals had to appeal to the discerning foodie amongst event-goers.
While the Arena only launched late last year their kitchen facilities have already been rigorously tested with big names and high profile events like Pink, Elton John, WWE RAW, Disney on Ice and Jesus Christ Superstar. With Beyoncé, Michael Buble, Rihanna and Bon Jovi scheduled to appear over the next twelve months there’ll be no drop-off in demand.
It’s just as well the in-house catering team can cater for up to 15,500 guests at any one time. To cover such demand the vast new venue employs a central production kitchen, seven retail food outlets and two suite kitchens (which serve food to VIPs in the 36 private suites). There’s also a sophisticated new Sky Dining area - where event patrons can have their choice of meal cooked before them in a live kitchen environment.
The Sky Dining area is typical of the overall approach as the Arena redefines what event catering can offer to the masses. You won’t find any soggy hotdogs or lukewarm pies here. Instead it’s all about gourmet, healthy food.
Unlike most Executive Chefs, David Clem is responsible for the entire array of food production at the Arena – from casual meals at the venue’s retail outlets through to the refined options in the private suites and the show-stoppers in Sky Dining.
Clem says that quality was a priority when designing their food and beverages, and healthy, interesting meals had to appeal to the discerning foodie amongst event-goers.
Due to the large quantities of food prepared Clem says that his team slow-cook lots of produce overnight, making a significant difference to their operation and environmental efficiency. “Everything we do from a food production sense is about catering for the different needs of patrons, and trying to break new
ground”, he adds.
Even though the incredible new venue is already setting new standards Clem says that it’s only the beginning. As the venue itself evolves he says it’s likely they’ll incorporate even more exciting new restaurant concepts.
For Executive Chef David Clem perhaps the most impressive of this equipment is the Convotherm 12.20 oven. The unit has been implemented in several of the kitchen spaces, and has enabled his team to revolutionise the way in which their food is prepared.
“The (Convotherm) ovens have given us great results so far and their settings have enabled us to do off-peak cooking, which is an excellent way of bringing up secondary cuts and using kitchen and power resources outside of normal working hours,” he says.
He describes the Convotherm 12.20 as “an essential part of any kitchen these days”, offering “important versatility in terms of what you can cook”, and enabling his team to bring pre-prepared food up to temperature “virtually instantaneously”.
ground”, he adds.
Even though the incredible new venue is already setting new standards Clem says that it’s only the beginning. As the venue itself evolves he says it’s likely they’ll incorporate even more exciting new restaurant concepts.
IN THE KITCHEN
To ensure a consistently high level of quality across the venue, Perth Arena engaged Moffat and their range of equipment throughout. This includes Washtech, Waldorf, Convotherm, Turbofan and Crown products.For Executive Chef David Clem perhaps the most impressive of this equipment is the Convotherm 12.20 oven. The unit has been implemented in several of the kitchen spaces, and has enabled his team to revolutionise the way in which their food is prepared.
“The (Convotherm) ovens have given us great results so far and their settings have enabled us to do off-peak cooking, which is an excellent way of bringing up secondary cuts and using kitchen and power resources outside of normal working hours,” he says.
He describes the Convotherm 12.20 as “an essential part of any kitchen these days”, offering “important versatility in terms of what you can cook”, and enabling his team to bring pre-prepared food up to temperature “virtually instantaneously”.
