A Day In The Life..
“Ever wondered what a day in the life of a top Sydney chef looks like?”
Some of our key management team have lifted the veil on what a typical day looks like for them, from our Head Chef Dave Maisey to Owner and Director Andrew Utiger, read below to get a sneak peak into a typical day working in hospitality in Sydney.
Dave Maisey
Head Chef and Part Owner
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU FIRST WAKE UP
“Head to the beach for a swim or to the ocean pool”
HOW DO YOU GET TO WORK
“Motorbike”
WHEN YOU ARRIVE, WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU DO
“Set up the coffee machine/ make a double shot black on ice/ get pint of sparkling water/ check emails and bookings for the day”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO EAT AND DRINK
“Nice fresh simple food/ any food shared with family and friends. Sparkling water (can’t get enough). Cold beer on a hot day. Glass of red with dinner or after dinner with some dark chocolate. Classic Margie on the rocks when hanging with good friends on a weekend”
HOW DO YOU MOTIVATE YOUR TEAM
“Getting a good fun banter going between the crew and cracking a few jokes making everyone laugh”
WHAT IS YOUR GO TO LUNCH DISH AT TREEHOUSE
“Currently it would have to be the Linguine with chicken and buttered leek ragu( when working with Franca Manfreddi she introduced me to this dish and knew it was my favourite so would always make a little extra in the pan for me everytime a customer ordered it).”
AFTER LUNCH, WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOUR ARVO
“Head home to my family”
WHAT DO YOU DO TO UNWIND WHEN YOU GET HOME
“Put my headphones on and listen to some music whilst pottering around the home kitchen getting the family dinner ready and field random questions from the grommets.”
COLM O’NEIL
GENERAL MANAGER
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU FIRST WAKE UP
“I thank the heavens above for giving me another day here, a few hail marys, washed down by a delicious cup of barrys tea.”
HOW DO YOU GET TO WORK
“I’m glad you asked, I ride to work across the Anzac Bridge and Harbour Bridge on a 150cc Vespa with an Irish flag on the front, which at any time could be swept up into the air by a gust of wind like Mary Poppins!”
WHEN YOU ARRIVE, WHATS THE FIRST THING YOU DO
“I do some recon to make sure the site is secure, mostly by observing with binoculars from a close by tree. Once I am confortable the site is not compromised I will make another delicious cup of Barrys tea.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO EAT AND DRINK
“If am training for a triathlon, I love simple rice and chicken, feeling clean. If I am training for a 3 day St Patricks day weekend, pizza and wine are my go to. If I am feeling lucky, a bagel from the lovely Mel.”
HOW DO YOU MOTIVATE YOUR TEAM
“With promises of lavish gifts and boat parties on the harbour.”
WHAT IS YOUR GO TO LUNCH DISH AT TREEHOUSE
“Steak Sanger, washed down with some CCR tunes. (10 pints of Guinness if I could swing it!)”
AFTER LUNCH, WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOUR ARVO
“I like to prepare for the night ahead and the following day. Once that is covered, I will entertain the thought of a delicious and soothing cup of Barrys tea.”
HOW DO YOU GET HOME FROM WORK
“I walk in slow motion to that Hog of a vespa, kick start it, and ride home with the sun setting, my hair blowing freely, to a beach boys song.”
WHAT DO YOU DO TO UNWIND WHEN YOU GET HOME
“I like to watch a nice drama free tv show, like MAFS, something to really get my anxiety up! Then I will pour myself a delicious wine, tell myself it will all be ok, and tell mother Mary we did it, we did it again!”
KASEY JUNG
RESERVATIONS AND EVENTS MANAGER
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU FIRST WAKE UP?
“Coffee. The most important thing. I then like to read whatever novel is in my rotation for half an hour over said coffee. Currently reading: What you are looking for is in the library by Michiko Aoyama.”
HOW DO YOU GET TO WORK?
“The train across the bridge to North Sydney. You get a great view from a viewing area next to North Sydney station of the harbour bridge and some of the skyline so I sometimes like to walk by that in the morning or evening.”
WHEN YOU ARRIVE, WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU DO?
“Check new emails and reservations for the day. Then I follow up on any enquiries for events, new or in progress and where they are all up to. For any events we may have on in the evening of that day I make sure we have everything ready for them by the morning, e.g. personalised menus printed, floor plan that suits the needs of each event. I tick away at all of this until our lunch service begins when I jump out and help on the floor.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DRINK/EAT?
“Barry’s tea, kept stocked by our resident Irishman. We are all hooked and there’s often someone asking ‘anyone want a barry’s?’”
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLAYLIST TO PLAY FOR THE DAY?
“Atmosphere is so important to us, from the lighting to the décor, so we match the music to the vibe of the day. Wednesdays (as I write this) is a Happy Funk Mix kind of day. Everyone’s in a good mood now that it’s hump day and they get a beer in front of them, so what’s better than some Boney M playing in the background.”
HOW DO YOU MOTIVATE YOUR TEAM?
“We are all very close here and have become close friends and family. So, we want to help each other as much as we can, which is a great motivator in itself. This place runs on teamwork and we’re lucky and have such a great group of people working here who understands that and embodies the ethos of teamwork and care; in each other, the customers and the work. Something particularly special about hospitality is that you are catering to customers often celebrating something. Be it an occasion like a birthday, a workplace accomplishment. Or even relationships; anniversaries and even just friendship, like having a lunch with your friend. Even those small occasions are celebrations and the relationship between the waiter and the customer is symbiotic, we feed on each other’s energies so we try to make it the most pleasant experience we can for our patrons and take pride in their experience.”
WHAT IS YOUR GO TO LUNCH DISH AT TREEHOUSE?
“The Mexican Vegan bowl, available on both the lunch and dinner menu. It is filling but fresh and so it is fuelling for then my afternoon.”
FAVOURITE DRINK?
“We have our new menu of our curated cocktails we have launched, all named for 70s movies. My current favourite is the Mad Max, a play on a spicy mango margarita. This has currently replaced my usual favourite of a Tommy’s Margarita with a salt rim. A margarita on our balcony after a day of working, with the sun out, is heavenly. If I’m with friends, especially as it gets cooler, my go to bottle of wine is the Hughes and Hughes Pinot Noir from Tasmania, it’s light with notes of berries and so delicious.”
AFTER LUNCH, WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOUR ARVO?
“If we have events that evening, I will organise the space so it ready in time. All of our spaces are so flexible, especially our terrace where we do our drinks and canape events. So, we flip the furniture to make it more suitable for the type of event, e.g. move out the dining tables to cater for a standing canape event. I’m then back in the office for any more emails/enquiries/phone calls coming through. During this time, I usually fuel myself with another coffee, and perhaps another Barry’s tea. For any events that evening I run through every detail with the evening managers who are the real stars of the show, in organising and running the events in the evening and making sure everything is perfect.”
HOW DO YOU GET HOME FROM WORK?
“The train back across the bridge again. Depending what time, I get out though the journey home is made that touch nicer by the sunsetting over the bridge as we go over it. The sky goes light gold and reflects on the water as we pass over the harbour bridge.”
WHAT DO YOU DO TO UNWIND WHEN YOU GET HOME?
“I make dinner and catch up on whatever is newest of my various reality tv shows. Or if no new episodes of my reality shows for the evening then it’s Law and Order: SVU.”
ANDREW UTIGER
OWNER AND DIRECTOR
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU FIRST WAKE UP
“Alarm goes off at 5.45 ,snooze button no good as our 2 large dogs slide open the bedroom door and prompt me to attend to their morning routine, 20 minute walk and 10 minutes of exercise every morning. A coffee ,a bowl of fresh fruit and nuts a slice of toasted homemade bread and in the car by 7am”
HOW DO YOU GET TO WORK
“By car from Avalon”
WHEN YOU ARRIVE, WHATS THE FIRST THING YOU DO
“Walk through the venue to make sure that the basics are done and see what needs attending to, go through the previous days shift report and address any queries and issues.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO EAT AND DRINK
“A great sirloin steak ( medium rare) some beautiful pasta tossed in butter and a salad.”
HOW DO YOU MOTIVATE YOUR TEAM
“Being on the floor during busy times and helping wherever I am needed with service, stock deliveries……………gives me a good idea of all areas of the business and keeps me in contact with all our fabulous staff”
WHAT IS YOUR GO TO LUNCH DISH AT TREEHOUSE
“Chicken salad ,Pokie Bowl, or one of our amazing pasta dishes.”
AFTER LUNCH, WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOUR ARVO
“Meet with managers and staff, book work and making sure we are ready and set up for afternoon and evening trade.”
WHAT DO YOU DO TO UNWIND WHEN YOU GET HOME
“A walk with my wife, cooking, chess, reading.”
