BURRADOO-based company Hot Rock Dining International will be competing for recognition in the Australian Export Awards in December.

Hot Rock Dining won the Emerging Exporter Award at the NSW Premiers Export Awards last month, allowing them to be in the Australian final of the Emerging Exporter Award, sponsored by AusIndustry.

Hot Rock Dining director, Venus Hilder, said she felt honoured by representing NSW at the national level.

"The enormity of this recognition has undoubtedly renewed our enthusiasm as a team, it brings us more inspiration and determination to stay-in-touch with our vision in terms of what we would like to ultimately achieve in the global market," Ms Hilder said.

"I would like to thank Australian Institute of Export, Austrade, DSRD and Tradestart for their valuable assistance. It is their combined ongoing practical education and training they provide, along with a wide range of export services and informative networking and recognition events that assists companies
like Hot Rock International Pty Ltd grow on the global export platform."

The federal Minister for Trade, Simon Crean, said the 13 finalists from NSW employed 5,500 people and generated export earnings of over $3 billion.

"That's a significant contribution to lifting Australia's trade performance and the Australian
Export Awards serve as a timely reminder that successfully engaging in the global economy is vital for our ongoing prosperity," Mr Crean said.

There are 84 national finalists competing across 13 award categories in this year's Australian Export Awards. Each of the finalists has already won their respective state or territory export awards.

Sponsor of the Emerging Exporter Award, Auslndustry NSW manager, Russell Edwards, presents a finalist certificate to Hot Rock Dining director, Venus Hilder, at a presentation in Sydney this week.

ONE gutsy Australian company has taken technology that is literally thousands of years old and used it to teach the world to grill Aussie-style.

From Turkey to China, Hot Rock Dining International's unique dining system provides healthy hot meals to hungry diners around the world.

Hot Rock has been recognised as a finalist in the emerging exporter category of Austrade's Exporter of the Year Awards.

The system the company sells starts by heating a giant stone in an oven. A hunk of raw meat, seafood or vegetables is then put on the stone, and the diner cooks his or her own meal at the table.

No oil is used, just a small amount of healthy sea salt, and the flavour and juices are sealed in.

Hot Rock is an add-on business which is based on an innovative product, enabling the proprietor of a restaurant to create a whole new exciting range of meals served within six minutes from order, with dishes only limited by the imagination.
Hot Rock's George Hilder said: "This is not entirely a new product as it has employed as a method of cookery that has been used down through the ages by different cultures."

Mr Hilder is currently on a mission to China: "At the moment I'm here with a gentleman from Hungary and we are pushing into Germany and the Czech Republic."

Mr Hilder said the system was an Australian invention manufactured in Australia, although the
source of the rocks was a closely guarded secret.

Mr Hilder said being recognised by the Australian Export Awards provided an extra push to
establish an international reputation with their product. He added:' 'We give our client base a point of difference with their competitors. When we set up a restaurant, we give them an exclusivity area which we don't change." He said the exclusivity area varied, depending on how big the city or town was: "For example, in Sydney we would have one per suburb.

"In regional country towns, we would put one in a town. In a regional centre like Dubbo or Wagga, we would put in one at one end of the town and another at the other end."

Mr Hilder said the firm started late in the 1990s:
"We started doing it in a small way and slowly expanded. I took it to Canada in 2000 and to the US in 2003 to a trade show there and launched the US push.

Mr Hilder said growing the company had been "easy". He added: "It was a walk in the park and it gets easier every year. The reason being, it's a different style of product.

"When you create something you get an immense personal satisfaction in putting your product around the world. Life is a great challenge and to be able to do something worthwhile has been a gift."

Mr Hilder said the company was going into more countries all the time: "We have just cracked Egypt and the Canary Islands and we cracked India last year. And we have started to generate a lot of sales through the internet."

The time taken between ordering and when the food arrives on the table is four to six minutes - and the customer does the rest. Hilder says big restaurants can serve up to 50 people in half an hour.

LOW fat, low maintenance - that's just what everyone is after. So it's no wonder Hot Rocks Dining has taken off.

In eight years, Venus Hilder and her former partner, George Hilder, have taken Hot Rocks Dining from a concept to an international success.

Unlike many new businesses, Hilder didn't wait to gain a reputation in Australia before launching worldwide.

With unabashed confidence, Hilder took the hot-rock cooking sensation to the US.

Hot Rocks Dining is an add-on product for restaurants and cafes. Customers get to cook their own meat on a specially sourced and manufactured rock that is heated in a specially designed oven.

It's fat-free cooking at its best and, for restaurant owners, is a no-fuss, cost-effective eating revolution.

"The idea came to my former partner about eight years ago," Hilder says.

"Cooking on stones is not a new idea. The Hawaiians, Fijians and islander have been doing it for centuries. We just reinvented it so it could be brought to the table.

"It sounds like an easy concept but there was a lot of sleepless nights and research and development that went into it before it was launched.

"Not only did we have to get the right types of ovens built and find the rocks, we had to liaise with chefs around the world to put together menus that could be translated to different countries."

HIGHLANDS' business, Hot Rock Dining International, has been recognised by winning a major award at the Premier's NSW Export Awards.

NSW Minister for Small Business, Tony Stewart, congratulated the Burradoo company for winning the Emerging Exporter Award at a ceremony in Sydney on Wednesday night. - "Hot Rock Dining markets and distributes its volcanic stone cooking product through distributors in various countries," Mr Steward said.

"(They) began exporting in 2005 and its biggest market is the United States."

This is the second time Hot Rock has been recognised at the awards after it was given a NSW Export Scholarship last year.

"It is a great recognition and a very humbling experience," Hot Rock Dining director, Venus Hilder said.

"It helps us to stay in touch with what to achieve in exporting."

Ms Hilder said the company had received valuable information and assistance from Australia and the Australian Institute of Export.
Hot Rock Dining has around 250 outlets using their stone cooking system in Australia, and about 350 overseas.

They have exported their wares to the UK, Turkey, Norway, Hong Kong, China, India, Spain, the Canary Island's, Vietnam, Philippines, New Zealand and Egypt.

Hot Rock Dining's USA chief executive, George Hilder said they tried to keep their manufacturing based local.

"We have had some excellent help from David Sandor and Paul Sealey at Able Engineering in Braemar in refining our ovens," Mr Hilder said.

"When we go overseas we are proud to say it is Australian made."

Hot Rock Dining has been in restaurants since 2000, however, they have recently developed a domestic use Hot Rock System, which will be available in Australia before the end of the year.

AUSTRALIANS are eating out more than ever, so it’s vital healthier choices are available and easy to spot.

That’s why the Heart Foundation is introducing the big red tick for meals eaten out. Australians are aware of the Heart Foundation’s red tick on supermarket items, and now the foundation plans to move its tick of approval into restaurant meals.

A menu carrying the Heart Foundation tick means it offers healthier choices because it meets the foundation’s strict standards for saturated fat, trans fat, salt, vegetable or fibre content and size of meal.

Just as it does with food on the supermarket shelf, the tick on food eaten out must be earned.

To earn it, food outlets have to meet Stringent nutrition and quality standards.

The Heart Foundation ensures these standards are maintained by sub food outlets to regu lar random audits.

Michael P from Shoreline Restaurant in Nowra has been in the industry for about 20 years.

He has seen a move by consumers toward more healthy food, but says for restaurateurs the need to keep a menu, which has rich foods as well as strict ly healthy foods, is as important as ever.

We’ve moved into using hot rocks, which are a great way to reduce fat in foods,” Mr Paris said.

With hot rock meals the customers get a trim piece of raw meat which they cook on a salted hot
rock. No oil is used in the process.

"I imagine those sorts of meals would pass a healthy tick test, And consumers are demanding healthier food, and I think the healthy tick means a lot to people these days. ‘I would have to look into it, but I would consider incorporating healthy heart food in my restaurant.”

Photo: Michael Paris with a meal that the Heart Foundation could give the big red tick of approval.

SOUTH COAST REGiSTER - Monday, August 28, 2006 - 41

To hear Wests Ashfield head chef Chris Mclntyre speak about the club's Ash Blu restaurant is like listening to a beaming father after his child has scooped the pool on prize night. And why wouldn't Chris be proud? With a gleaming new $1.5 million kitchen, first class staff and a menu which features only the finest quality ingredients. Ash Blu is certainly something special.

As Chris says, "I would back Ash Blu against any club restaurant in Sydney. There are some great restaurants out there so I won't say we'd be the best, but we're up there. I really mean that.
"Ash Blu is not your typical club restaurant, not by a long shot. You won't get rubbery deep fried calamari here. We offer Coffin Bay oysters and West Australian wok fried chilli mud crabs. Our meats are all Meat Standards of Australia graded. It's all top shelf."

And then there is Hot Rock cooking.

Ash Blu is one of the few restaurants in Sydney to offer customers the chance to experience the ancient art of stone cooking.

Using volcanic stone which has been heated for six to eight hours to reach 400 degrees. Hot Rock cooking features special stoneware plates which are brought to the table. Diners then cook their own steak, seafood or chicken meals.

As well as enjoying a new taste experience, customers know their meals are being cooked only in natural juices, with no oils or fats.

"The reaction we have had to Hot Rock cooking has been great," Chris said. "People have really taken to it."

After a quick perusal at the menu it's not hard to see why. Ash Blu offers such entrees as garlic king prawns with saffron rice and lime chilli sauce and main courses including 250 gram Emerald Hill strip loin, marinated ocean perch with chunky fries and baby green vegetables or 200 gram pork fillet infused with rosemary plus creamy mash potato and baby
greens.

Sound good? Try this one. The most popular Hot Rock dish is the seafood selection of prawns, scallops, sea bass and baby octopus, served with a mixed leaf salad. All dishes come with a selection of sauces.

Hardly surprising, given that for just $11.25 members can fill their plates with as much seafood, Asian or roast meals as they can. But even that pales against the enormously popular Sunday Lunch Seafood Buffet. Featuring such delicacies as West Australian crabs, Crystal Bay prawns, oysters, calamari, sweet chilli mussels and deep sea bass fillets, the "all you can eat" buffet has become a local institution between 11.30am and 2.30pm each Sunday. "There is a very broad choice of different types of meals to suit all occasions and tastes," Chris said. "I can guarantee you won't go home feeling disappointed - or hungry."

Ash Blu is open 11.30am to 2.30pm for lunch and 5.30pm to 9.30pm for dinner. The Plaza Food Court and The Point cafe and bar are open seven days of the week.

Wests Ashfield also offers members and guests the relaxing ambience of The Point bar and Cafe. Here they can enjoy a quiet drink, tea or coffee while choosing from a wide selection of sandwiches, cakes, quiches, pastries, pizzas and char grilled vegetables.

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