Danish chef Christian Puglisi says sustainable workplaces can fix Tasmania's chef shortage

A 2016 survey of the Tasmanian hospitality industry found that chefs, cooks, bakers and pastry cooks were the hardest roles to fill across the industry, with many businesses struggling to keep positions filled long-term.

Puglisi, who is visiting the state for the Great Chef Series at TasTAFE’s Drysdale campus, said employers had a role to play in building rewarding workplaces for their staff. 

“I think as a restaurateur you also have to remember to make it interesting for people to work there,” Puglisi said. 

“(You can’t just) expect a dedicated, happy workforce that wants to do everything, I think it’s important to have something to offer.”

The mastermind behind the only Michelin-star certified organic restaurant in the world, Puglisi said changes needed to be made to keep skilled workers in the industry. 

“To keep people interested in cooking and being in a restaurant, it needs to be sustainable in the sense that it needs to be a good job for many years.

“It tends to be a very hard job for the amount of years you can deal with it, and then people quit and do something else.

“That’s the biggest problem with our industry - it is very hard work.”

Luckily, TasTAFE students are living proof that talented young Tasmanians are still pursuing careers in the hospitality industry. 

Puglisi said he had been impressed with what he had seen since arriving in Launceston on Tuesday. 

“We're trying to get to our goal which is to do a good dinner (on Wednesday) and as it is with any sort of apprenticeship, when you work with young people they see what you do, you get them to do stuff and that’s how they learn.

“There's plenty of people and they’re doing well which is really good.”

Puglisi will work alongside Drysdale cookery apprentices on Wednesday to prepare a 10-course degustation at Drysdale campus.