Pop-up restaurants will cater to opera-goers during the Handa Opera production of Aida.
Fresh Catering executive chef Geoff Haviland has been well cast as the main protagonist in a monumental performance catering for Sydney's largest pop-up restaurant during the Handa Opera production of Aida. With the city skyline as the backdrop for the biggest stage that has ever been set on the harbour, it may well be one of the roles of his lifetime.
The ambitious chef arrives at the stage door to start work about 4am each day to help ensure all is running smoothly for an event he says has been "months in the planning".
"It's a complex culinary project to manage. The dining options are really diverse, with multiple pop-up locations, varying food options and an average of 3000 diners per night," Haviland says.
While much of the drama is centred around the stage dominated by a 15-tonne, 8-metre-tall head of Nefertiti, there will also be a lot of action behind the scenes at the Egyptian opera. Haviland says he works closely with a full-time logistics officer to orchestrate a team of 60 chefs and 230-odd wait staff in order the high-end experience operagoers are after.
Apart from adhering to rigorous health and safety regulations at the purpose-built pop-up, Haviland talks of tight margins, waste percentages, mobile fridges being stacked in reverse order for efficiency, the labelling of food, teams of chefs doing last-minute finishes to dishes and a dedicated offsite production facility working around the clock to prepare food "just in time so it's as fresh as possible".
"There are tight time frames and everyone is under pressure so you have to be super organised. The key is communication when it comes to both the planning and the execution because there are so many little factors you have to consider. I have spreadsheets for everything," says Haviland, who has many years' experience managing five-star hotel kitchens in the Middle East.
The Aida opera is set to welcome 50,000 guests over the course of the four weeks of the Egyptian-themed opera and Haviland's menu reflects the flavours of the Middle East.
"By the end of the show's run, we will have prepared 3 tonnes of hummus, 12,000 chicken skewers, 15,000 portions of falafel and 6 tonnes of lamb. But that's why I love the challenge of large-scale catering: my aim is that what we served on opening night will be consistently delivered until Day 28," he says.
In addition to the slow-cooked lamb and halva parfait options on the Platinum Pop-Up menu, diners can enjoy chermoula-rubbed salmon with Moghrabieh salad at the Northern Cantina, spiced chicken kebabs at the Northern and Southern Terraces, spicy lamb sausage rolls at the Qantas Garden Bar and chilled sparkling wine and oysters from pop-up oyster bars.
