Conclusion

My generation of chefs and restaurateurs were the "baby boomers". Driven by a completely unwarranted belief in ourselves, we set out to change the culinary world and create an authentic Australian cuisine. It was a quest for the Holy Grail. Some of us, through luck, talent and hard work, survived, but the Grail still eludes us. Perhaps one day?

So what have we all achieved during my 21 years at Mietta's?

Produce has improved hugely. Customer awareness, though firmly tied to the "hip pocket nerve", is a little better. Overall, staff training has improved. This was particularly so in the late 80s, but less today as many restaurants have given way to bistro fashion. In discarding the classics, they reduce dramatically the range of techniques which staff must learn and practise. Techniques as basic as making stocks are unused in many of today's popular kitchens.

All in all, I feel that there has been an appreciable improvement in the general standards in Australian restaurants, but that there's still a way to go.

Of course, the garnish has changed too - today we incorporate Asian, Italian and more lately, Middle Eastern, flavours into our food. Hardly new - after all, Jules Lavarack was doing this at Mietta's in 1974, and Cheong Liew shortly after in Adelaide - the addition of these exotic flavours to our Anglo-Celtic cuisine has created a great deal of excitement internationally about Australian food. This interest also comes from the relatively low cost of Australian restaurants to overseas currency and to Australia's "clean" food.

The more florid of our food commentators are devoting innumerable column centimetres to the "new Australian cooking". But despite all the hyperbole and the star status accorded the new ambassadors of our food, Macdonald's and the other fast food chains still have far more influence on Australian eating habits. It should also be noted that the base of the "new Australian cooking" is extremely narrow. I would suggest that the creative Australian chefs of quality number in their tens (not hundreds and certainly not thousands) and that 99 per cent of them are working in the major cities. As for the rest of Australia, even the hamburgers are cut from a pre-prepared loaf that tastes more of preservative than of meat.

So where will the next generation, the children of the "baby boomers", take us? I think that we are looking at a group more concerned with survival than experimentation. If this is so, then we will see a period of consolidation characterised by increasing conservatism. Already commerce is taking over from creativity. For example, in London this is the era of the BIG restaurant, making BIG money. This development depends upon maintaining standards, and also on resisting change.

This is probably a good thing, as standards and consistency are an essential part of a mature industry. It's all very well being creative, but if your creation is different every time you put it out and you can't get it out at all on Saturday night, then it has no place on a restaurant menu.

Fortunately, most of the chefs and educators we have shown are still in their prime and cooking well. They have added another layer to Australia's food culture and brought us into line with other English speaking countries by creating a version of modern "world cooking" with an Australian accent.

It will be fascinating to see what the fusion of our generation with the young up-and-comers will do to our food and our restaurants 20 years into the new millenium.

Until then - enjoy!