The Heart of Australian Beef: Sustainability and Flavor Revealed with Sabina Kindler & Chef Thomas Mandzik
The central theme of today's podcast revolves around the intricate journey of Aussie Beef and Lamb, as we delve into the multifaceted perspectives of our distinguished guests, Sabina Kindler and Chef Thomas Mandzik. Sabina, whose extensive experience traverses the realms of agriculture, livestock genetics, and marketing, provides a profound narrative that encapsulates the sustainability, flavor, and passion inherent in Australia's revered red meat industry. Together with Chef Thomas, we explore the culinary applications of these premium products, highlighting their unique qualities that set them apart on global menus. Our discussion offers insights into the collaborative relationship between chefs and farmers, emphasizing the importance of provenance and quality in the culinary landscape. As we navigate through this episode, we invite our listeners to appreciate the depth and richness behind each bite of Aussie Beef and Lamb, fostering a greater understanding of their role in both gastronomy and sustainable agriculture.
The Walk-In Talk podcast presents a compelling discussion centered on the nuances of Aussie Beef and Lamb, featuring the esteemed Sabina Kindler, whose rich background in agriculture offers a unique perspective on the industry. Growing up on her family’s apple orchard in the Blue Mountains, Sabina's formative experiences laid the groundwork for her transition into the cattle sector. Her narrative unfolds as she shares her journey through various roles in livestock genetics and marketing, culminating in her current position representing Aussie Beef and Lamb in the United States. Sabina passionately articulates the significance of sustainability and quality in the meat industry, shedding light on how Australian producers maintain their reputation for excellence.
Chef Thomas Mandzik, the executive chef at the Tampa Club, provides an engaging culinary counterpoint to the discussion, preparing two exquisite dishes that exemplify the versatility and flavor of Australian meats. His insights into the culinary process illuminate the relationship between chefs and producers, emphasizing the collaborative spirit that drives innovation in the kitchen. The episode also addresses the critical factors that distinguish Aussie Beef and Lamb on the global stage, including their stringent grading systems and the emphasis on environmental sustainability.
This episode is a treasure trove of information for food enthusiasts and industry professionals alike, weaving together personal stories, culinary artistry, and agricultural insights. It serves as an invitation to explore the intricate connections between food, culture, and sustainability, reinforcing the idea that the act of dining is a shared experience rooted in tradition and innovation. Through this dialogue, listeners are encouraged to appreciate not only the flavors on their plates but also the rich narratives that accompany them.
Takeaways:
- The Walk- In Talk Podcast illuminates the intricate relationship between food, chefs, and storytelling in culinary arts.
- Carl Fiadini, the host, emphasizes the importance of flavor, hustle, and heartfelt narratives in the food industry.
- Sabina Kindler, a notable guest, shares her multifaceted journey from apple farming to representing Australian beef in the United States.
- Chef Thomas Mandzik highlights the significance of creativity and collaboration in developing new dishes within the culinary landscape.
- The discussion reveals the rising prominence of Australian Beef and Lamb, showcasing their unique qualities and sustainability efforts.
- Both guests advocate for the importance of mentorship and support for women entering the agriculture and meat industry.
Transcript
You've just stepped inside the Walk and Talk, podcast number one in the nation for food lovers, chefs and storytellers.
Speaker A:I'm Carl Fiadini, your host, shining a light on the flavor, the hustle and the heart of the industry.
Speaker A:We're the official podcast for the New York, California and Florida restaurant shows, the Pizza Tomorrow Summit, the US Culinary Open at Napham, and the North American media platform for the Burnt Chef project, recorded at Ibis Images Studios, where food photography comes alive and I get the first bite.
Speaker A:Find out more info@thewalkandtalk.com this week, we're taking a trip, at least in spirit, to the wide open grasslands of Australia.
Speaker A:My guest, Sabina Kindler grew up in the Blue Mountains on a small apple orchard before finding her way into the cattle industry.
Speaker A:From showing dairy cows in high school to studying agriculture at university to working in livestock genetics, and then traveling the globe as a marketing manager for Australia's largest beef producer.
Speaker A:Sabina has lived the beef story from every angle.
Speaker A:Today, she represents Aussie beef and lamb here in the US and she's here to share not just the science and the marketing, but the sustainability, the flavor and the passion behind one of the world's most respected red meat industries.
Speaker A:And joining us in the studio today, we've got a familiar face, Chef Thomas Manzik, executive chef at the Tampa Club.
Speaker A:Chef Thomas is back behind the stoves cooking two dishes for us.
Speaker A:And he'll also be sitting in on the podcast to add a chef's perspective to the conversation.
Speaker A:So stick around.
Speaker A:We've got Sabina's journey from farm to international kitchens.
Speaker A:Chef Thomas creativity in the studio and a deeper look at what makes Australian beef and lamb stand apart on menus across the globe.
Speaker A:Sabina, welcome to the program.
Speaker B:Thank you, Carl.
Speaker B:Pleasure to be here.
Speaker A:I am so excited that you're here.
Speaker A:We've been talking about this for.
Speaker A:You're welcome.
Speaker A:We've been talking about this.
Speaker A:It feels, I think it's about almost a year trying to get you on through Hayley and the gang.
Speaker A:So welcome aboard.
Speaker B:Thank you, Kyle.
Speaker A:Sabina.
Speaker A:We are going to find out about some delicious dishes.
Speaker A:And stay tuned.
Speaker A:Hang on.
Speaker A:Thomas, what did you do today, man?
Speaker C:Well, number one, thank you for inviting me down here.
Speaker C:Cause you guys were my test subjects for a couple new fall menu items that we're looking to unveil next week in the Tampa Club.
Speaker C:Menu for fall.
Speaker A:You have my vote.
Speaker A:You've done the right work today.
Speaker A:Talk about this octopus dish.
Speaker C:All right, well, the octopus dish, you know, I really wanted to Set something up.
Speaker C:Because fall at the club is kind of like where everybody shows up and it's very community.
Speaker C:So that's kind of the basis of what we're doing, along with making sure that's fall ingredients.
Speaker C:So with this occupant dish, I wanted to do something where everybody kind of gathers around this.
Speaker C:This potter and this tray.
Speaker C:So it has all these different jazzy sauces and things, but we.
Speaker C:We raised it first and a little bit of sherry and tomatoes and chorizo, and then we made a sauce out of that.
Speaker C:We did something kind of cool with saffron parsnip and a little saffron, kind of all Spanish, and ran that across the plate.
Speaker C:And then we finish it off with a karakuli and a squid ink mayonnaise.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So here's the thing.
Speaker A:I do love octopus.
Speaker A:Not everybody does, but I feel like the way that you put the dish together, anybody can eat it because you have all of these delicious sauces that kind of, you know, that are, you know, ammunition to the.
Speaker A:To the octopus itself.
Speaker A:That's brilliant.
Speaker A:Because now it's.
Speaker A:Now it's a family friendly dish.
Speaker C:Right?
Speaker C:And the only thought was maybe ketchup, but, you know, you can't do that at the Tampa Club.
Speaker C:So I had all these extras.
Speaker A:Don't you dare ketchup.
Speaker A:I mean, I'll try it.
Speaker A:I mean, whatever.
Speaker A:Yeah, okay.
Speaker A:I don't want no ketchup.
Speaker A:Get out of here.
Speaker A:So you brought savory, but then you also did some.
Speaker A:Some dessert.
Speaker C:Well, you know, I've.
Speaker C:I've noticed that the gotlet's been dropped a lot with the chef's open coming.
Speaker C:And I've been giving you that bonus special, that bonus extra.
Speaker C:So I had to bring something.
Speaker C:And, you know, every chef has to have one in their repertoire.
Speaker C:So mine is definitely the panna cotta.
Speaker C:And to make it a little bit my style, I added a fresh mango and then took some blackberries, made a paint, and, you know, as most might not know what that is, a paint is just pretty much a coulis that you splash across the plate.
Speaker C:And then we had a little dried blackberries, kind of as a crumble.
Speaker C:You saw that.
Speaker C:And then at the very, very end, on the drive in to go pick everything up to come here, I was like, it needs one more thing.
Speaker C:So I took some coconut and I made a crema and finished that off on a plate.
Speaker A:I can only see myself outside.
Speaker A:Sunny day, beautiful out, right?
Speaker A:Palm trees or shade tree, a hammock and a dish of that and just enjoy the hell out of myself, because it was that.
Speaker A:That's a vibe that I got from.
Speaker A:From that dessert.
Speaker A:And well done, man.
Speaker A:That's if that's your go to you, you know, slam dunk.
Speaker C:Well, it's cool that you say that, because where we got those mangoes was off of Bayshore Boulevard.
Speaker C:And there's always a nice, cool breeze when you're taking that walk down there.
Speaker C:So I think maybe you're just feeling it.
Speaker A:No kidding.
Speaker A:So that.
Speaker A:That was actually like a.
Speaker A:A Tampa local mango.
Speaker C:As local as we could find it.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker A:I feel like we're back in Miami, John.
Speaker A:We're playing ambassador today to Australia, so to speak.
Speaker A:It's all about Australian beef and lamb.
Speaker A:You brought the lamb, and it was fire.
Speaker A:Talk about it.
Speaker C:It was Australian lamb.
Speaker C:So this is the dish that I'm excited about putting on the.
Speaker C:On the menu.
Speaker C:And so what it is, is I took the rack of lamb and took all the, deboned it, and then from there, then I peppercorn crusted it, seared it for a little bit, and then, you know, you gotta have a little southern Florida twist to it.
Speaker C:So I took some English peas, some applewood bacon, and I made some grits with that.
Speaker C:And I thought that was really pretty on the plate, but I thought it tasted really, really good.
Speaker C:So the other day we took some cabernet and some raspberries just to see what it would do.
Speaker C:And we reduced that down into a syrup and then added a little bit of the lamb stock and made a jus.
Speaker C:So that went on the plate as well.
Speaker C:And then once we put it all together, it was like it's just missing one more thing, believe it or not.
Speaker C:So I was like, it needs that umami spike.
Speaker C:So I took a braised red cabbage, mixed all that together.
Speaker C:I made a nice little quenelle puree.
Speaker C:So it's kind of like the condiment on the side of it.
Speaker A:Yeah, but the grits.
Speaker A:Talk about the grits, man.
Speaker C:So the grits are stone ground.
Speaker C:You got the white cheddar mix all that together with some really good roasted chicken stock, a little bit of cream.
Speaker C:Once that came all to be, we pureed up some fresh English peas and some Yuki bacon, mixed it all together, and voila, those grits.
Speaker A:That's from Greg and Alan.
Speaker C:Yes, Marcia and Mill Aldearn Adesto.
Speaker C:So we take.
Speaker C:We have a partnership with them, and I thought that was a perfect match.
Speaker A:You open my eyes to more grits.
Speaker A:I love grits in any capacity.
Speaker A:And that was different.
Speaker A:I've never had that before.
Speaker A:So I appreciate you, you know, teaching me a lesson, man.
Speaker A:That's good.
Speaker A:And before we.
Speaker A:So before we bring our featured guest, you said something a few minutes ago, something about, you know, the other.
Speaker A:The other.
Speaker A:Some of the other chefs not.
Speaker A:Not pulling their weight or something like that, that.
Speaker C:Here it comes.
Speaker C:Here it comes.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:When you show up, you better bring it.
Speaker C:And three is the minimum, guys.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:Y' all heard it out there.
Speaker A:You know, Lee, I don't know if that was at you or, you know, it could have been, you know, Thomas Parker.
Speaker A:It could be anybody.
Speaker A:Josh out there, if you're listening.
Speaker A:All right, enough with you.
Speaker A:Sabina, welcome to the program.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:We had a wonderful pregame call the other day, and you have an amazing story, and I appreciate you for being on the program, and I appreciate your story.
Speaker B:Thank you, Carl.
Speaker B:That's kind of you.
Speaker A:I'm a gentleman sometimes.
Speaker A:So let's start with the apple orchard and the Blue Mountains in Australia.
Speaker A:Tell us the story about how you got started in this thing.
Speaker B:Yeah, so.
Speaker B:So my family have actually been growing apples for about 400 years on my mother's side.
Speaker B:So Australia hasn't been settled that long.
Speaker B:But that tradition started in Germany, where my mother's family is from.
Speaker B:And so when her family moved to Australia, that's the first thing they did is set up an apple orchard, which is where I grew up, which was pretty idyllic location, beautiful scenery, close to nature, and that's where, I guess my love of food and agriculture both started.
Speaker A:Yeah, but what is it about cattle and beef that pulled you away from fruit farming?
Speaker A:You know, the family business?
Speaker B:Yeah, that's a good question.
Speaker B:So I guess the.
Speaker B:The annual operations of growing apples were not that exciting to me.
Speaker B:You prune the trees in the winter, you harvest them in the late summer, early fall, autumn, and that just wasn't that exciting to me.
Speaker B:So when I went to high school and I had a really great agriculture teacher, Dane Pierce, her name was, and she was the only female teacher on the ag team.
Speaker B:And she really encouraged me when I had a bit of a natural aptitude, I guess, for animals in particular, and she got a group of us involved in showing dairy cattle.
Speaker B:For anyone who doesn't know what that is, you kind of parade them.
Speaker B:It's like a dog show or a teenage beauty pageant where you gotta groom them and make them look amazing, and then you judge them based on their physical characteristics and their ability to perform as a dairy cow.
Speaker B:And that's what Exposed me to the.
Speaker B:To the cattle industry.
Speaker B:And then at university I learned about the beef industry in particular, which is even more diverse with all the different breeds and growing systems.
Speaker B:And I just love working with animals.
Speaker B:I find it a very Zen thing to do when you're on the same wavelength as them and you're working in a very low stress environment and you just understand each other and respect each other, and particularly when you're a, you know, 170 pound human working with a thousand pound animal, there has to be a lot of respect in that relationship for that to work.
Speaker B:And I just really loved learning the tricks on how you do that and can manage animals in a really calm way.
Speaker A:I mean, you could have gotten into cheer or pageantry yourself, but no, no, you chose dairy cattle, dairy cows.
Speaker B:Dairy, and then beef.
Speaker B:I moved into the beef world pretty quickly once I discovered them.
Speaker A:Well, you said it was rare to enter Australia's beef industry if you're not born into it.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:And I just.
Speaker A:And I get that, you know, produce, which is where I.
Speaker A:My alma mater, if you will, into the food world, past restaurants, it's kind of like that.
Speaker A:You're typically born into it and, you know, or you fall into it, which was my case.
Speaker A:So what was it like breaking into that world?
Speaker A:How did you earn respect being.
Speaker A:Because you have to earn respect when you're not from that, that particular category or industry.
Speaker A:How did you do it?
Speaker B:Yeah, I think there's no question, Carl, you have to earn the respect.
Speaker B:And even though I grew up in a rural area, when I was meeting a lot of farmers for the first time, I was actually living in what they would consider the city, so living in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Speaker B:And I think as we see around the world we're at right now, there's a bit of a divide between metropolitan consumers and those who live on the land.
Speaker B:And there's a lot of misperceptions around what farmers actually do.
Speaker B:And there can be a lot of negativity projected on the farming community.
Speaker B:So I think farmers are inherently a little gun shy, I guess, in speaking with the city folk.
Speaker B:And because I was living in Brisbane, they identified me as the city folk.
Speaker B:So I just found that I really had to empathise with what they do in their businesses.
Speaker B:And I have nothing but respect for farmers because they have to be not just jacks of all trades, but masters of all trades.
Speaker B:Because as a farmer you need to be an expert in so many things.
Speaker B:Like, even if you just look at genetics and breeding, it's not as simple as just pulling and putting a bull out in the paddock these days, you gotta know about the genetics of fertility and eating quality and structure.
Speaker B:And what's your target market going to look like?
Speaker B:Are you trying to produce grass fed beef or grain fed beef?
Speaker B:And where are you going to source your bulls from?
Speaker B:Which cows are you going to join which bulls with like, there's just, there's honestly so much science that underpins agriculture these days.
Speaker B:And I think you have to be across a very broad array of that when you're talking to a farmer, because that's their everyday life.
Speaker B:And when you're across those things, you know, they appreciate that you understand what they do, and that earns you that respect.
Speaker A:It's not enough just to learn the science and genetics.
Speaker A:You also have to be a mechanic and you have to be a carpenter.
Speaker A:And you, you know, everything that breaks, you typically fix on that farm, you're typically fixing it yourself.
Speaker A:Total respect to farmers of any category at that.
Speaker A:Sabina, you've worked across the supply chain, you know, from genetics and breeding to marketing Australian beef, and you've done that in more than 30 countries.
Speaker A:What have you learned from the chefs and consumers overseas that kind of shaped how you tell the Aussie beef story?
Speaker B:The Aussie beef story and the lamb story just has so many elements to it.
Speaker B:And I think some really core messages that I learned are that chefs, they want to feel like they're a partner with you in your business.
Speaker B:They don't want to feel like they're just buying your product.
Speaker B:And so they're actually keen to deep dive into so many different facets of what you do on farm, which helps them tell the story to their customers.
Speaker B:I think, number one, they want to feel safe that they can access consistent supply and consistent quality of product in a red meat product.
Speaker B:But they also really want the provenance story.
Speaker B:I think that's really inspiring for them when they work with our products and the way they tell that story to their customers.
Speaker B:Chefs and farmers are both in the business of hospitality.
Speaker B:You know, they're both in the business of feeding people.
Speaker B:And farmers love telling their story to chefs just as much as chefs loves telling that story to their diners.
Speaker A:I think that's said splendidly.
Speaker A:I have Chef Thomas here.
Speaker A:He's like chomping at the bit to get on there.
Speaker A:Chef.
Speaker A:Go, baby.
Speaker C:100%.
Speaker C:That's a true and great statement.
Speaker C:You know, and the beautiful thing is, is that you are the conduit between the two of us, you know, the middle person.
Speaker C:If you Will.
Speaker C:And I've really seen over the last couple years, Australian beef has really been hitting the market and is such a beautiful product.
Speaker C:I think, I think you're.
Speaker C:The Wagyu, especially in Australia, has really been a great quality that most chefs are now putting it on their everyday menu.
Speaker B:Australian Wagyu is such a great story and such a typical Australian story.
Speaker B: porting Wagyu genetics in the: Speaker B:And so we were fortunate enough to bring a lot of the best Wagyu genetics out of Japan before they closed Japan's borders to exporting those livestock genetics.
Speaker B:And so we've been able to build the biggest Wagyu herd outside of Japan with some excellent bloodlines in it.
Speaker B:So, for example, Michifuku was a really influential sire who is so well known for those really fine flecks of marbling that you see in beasts.
Speaker B:And, you know, he's had a huge impact on the Australian Wagyu herd.
Speaker B:And that's just one of the factors that sets our product apart.
Speaker B:And I think also Australian wagyu is just raised really differently to American wagyu or Japanese Wagyu.
Speaker B:And it, you know, it has the unique terroir of Australia from our grass pastures and our wide open spaces and the unique and ancient soils that we have in Australia and their mineral composition.
Speaker B:But then also we feed them with different grains, so wheat, barley, rye, sorghum, oats instead of the corn and soy, and that really gives the product a different flavor.
Speaker B:So I think the Australian Wagyu works well for the American palate because Americans do love a steak.
Speaker B:The Japanese wagyu doesn't always lend well to a steak because it's so rich and so luxe, whereas the Australian Wagyu brings that beautiful beefy flavor, but it's still unctuous and rich and marbled and luscious to eat.
Speaker C:I, again, I agree with that.
Speaker C:I think it's definitely, when you think about it, it's like the Goldilocks effect.
Speaker C:The American Wagyu, I'm gonna get skewered for this one.
Speaker C:But it, it doesn't have that fat content and the intensity of the taste.
Speaker C:And obviously, you know, the Wagyu from Japan is such a treat, but it's a 1 ounce bite.
Speaker C:But we use, we use exclusively Australian Wagyu for our steak frites and it, but we can hardly keep it on the shelves.
Speaker C:It gets super popular and for the price point, it's really, really good.
Speaker B:So it makes me so happy to hear Thomas and I think the Australian industry has worked so hard at being uniquely focused on the experience the customer has when they eat our beef.
Speaker B:And that's what underpins our whole meat grading system in Australia, is actually the tenderness, juiciness and flavour the consumer can enjoy in a beef product.
Speaker A:First of all, Sabina, your description of the wagyu was spot on.
Speaker A:I'm probably going to have steak tonight in your honor.
Speaker A:I'm just saying.
Speaker B:Oh, that's amazing.
Speaker B:That's a great compliment, indeed.
Speaker A:I've had a great career over the last 25 years.
Speaker A:I've worked with literally thousands of chefs and you learn a lot and you know just about people.
Speaker A:Obviously there's a lot of food relevance to it.
Speaker A:And if you're into food, then knowing chefs and working with chefs is, you know, it's kind of a treat.
Speaker A:When you're talking about hosting international chefs on Australian farms, for me, I have to think that's pretty eye opening, pretty amazing, because now you're, now you're getting chefs from all the different countries, all the continents, and they're coming to you and you get to host them.
Speaker A:And I think that's beautiful.
Speaker A:Typically speaking, when you meet these chefs, how are they experiencing Australia?
Speaker A:The land, the grass, the cattle, Just the experience.
Speaker B:I think the first thing that strikes a chef who comes to Australia from another country is just how much wide open space we have, because it's a long drive to get to any of our farms.
Speaker B:And so that helps to sort of get them in the right mindset, I think, of what they're about to experience.
Speaker B:This is, hands down, one of the funnest parts of my job is taking shares to farms because you never know, you can never predict what their favorite thing is going to be.
Speaker B:So I love it if you take shafts to a feedlot.
Speaker B:In our feedlots in Australia, we freshly steam and either roll or flake the grains every day for the cattle to eat.
Speaker B:And so what that looks like in practice is you have a chute with a whole heap of freshly steamed rolled oats coming out of it, and the chefs will just go and grab handfuls of that and eat it.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like it's totally safe to eat for humans.
Speaker B:And it's just a rolled oat product and it's fresh and it's steaming and they can eat it and they understand why the cattle love to eat it.
Speaker B:And how that, you know, contributes to the flavor of the end product.
Speaker B:That's always a beautiful thing to see because everybody gets right into that and everyone's suddenly eating oats.
Speaker B:But then I had a group of chefs from the UK one time, and what they were most enamored by is the fact that we can just light fires whenever we want to, like to burn the grass, the dry grass on the pasture to make room for the, for the fresh grass to grow.
Speaker B:So they just had so much fun throwing matches out of the truck as we drove around the paddocks.
Speaker B:That was pretty fun to see.
Speaker B:But what I really love to see is when you're actually on a farm and you give a chef a piece of beef that has been grown on that farm and they cook it for the farmer, that is just the most beautiful experience.
Speaker B:And there's just so much respect happening in both directions in that interaction.
Speaker A:There were so many things I wanted to say as you were giving that description.
Speaker A:The oats, the tendency for chefs to play with fire and want to light everything on fire.
Speaker A:You know, it's a real thing.
Speaker A:It's a real thing.
Speaker A:Australia has a unique grading system.
Speaker A:It allows chefs to choose their marbling scores, the tenderness and the eating quality.
Speaker A:How does that precision change the way chefs think about building dishes?
Speaker A:And after you, Sabina, give your, give your thoughts.
Speaker A:I'd love chef to jump in on that as well.
Speaker B:Australia's grading system is world leading and it actually has 1.7 million consumer taste tests that underpin it, because the whole system is built around how the consumer rates the end product that they're eating.
Speaker B:So rather than just applying a quality grade to a whole carcass, which a lot of other countries do, we actually provide a quality grade for 39 different cuts on a beef animal.
Speaker B:And then we take that a step further by recommending a specific set of cooking methods that, for each cut, where the consumer will have the best experience.
Speaker B:So we know that some cuts perform best as a braise.
Speaker B:Others might be better to roast or grill or stir fry or thin slice for yakiniku or, or shabu shabu.
Speaker B:So that's the, the detail that our grading system gets into.
Speaker B:And when we're training a chef or just trying to provide inspiration, we can actually suggest, okay, you could buy this cut and break it down into these three cuts, and then you've got all these, you know, 12 different cooking methods that you can pull from for your menu.
Speaker C:Yeah, I really like that because it's almost like you're getting the Answers to the test, you know, because sometimes you're getting these pieces that, you know, you're kind of like, what am I going to do with this?
Speaker C:So let's figure it out.
Speaker C:And trial and error.
Speaker C:But with the grading system that, that's a, that's an amazing idea.
Speaker B:It grew out of necessity, Thomas, because if you, if you don't have a really solid grading system that underpins grass fed beef in particular, but also grain fed beef, you can have a really inconsistent eating experience.
Speaker B:You can buy the same cut one week to the next and it performs very differently.
Speaker B:Fun fact about Australia, we actually have more than one cow for every person in Australia and more than three sheep for every person in Australia.
Speaker B:So we are so focused on exports because we can't consume all that product ourselves.
Speaker B:So because we're focused on exports, that makes us very focused on what the consumer is looking for in a beef or a lamb product.
Speaker B:And so we work hard to sort of reverse engineer that to ensure they're going to have a great experience.
Speaker C:Yeah, because it's almost like a, you know, cover your own butt because you want to make sure that you know your, your product is being utilized at the best.
Speaker B:That's exactly right.
Speaker B:And, and what, what my company does meet in livestock Australia.
Speaker B:We're always working for the future sustainability of, of all our ranches in Australia.
Speaker B:We have 50,000 farmers who are our members and, and we represent them when we're here in, in the export markets.
Speaker A:That brings up something else.
Speaker A: edged to be carbon neutral by: Speaker A:That's a, that's a big deal.
Speaker A:What are some of the most exciting innovations?
Speaker A:You know, is it, is it what they're eating?
Speaker A:What, what's making that possible?
Speaker B:The target to be carbon neutral for our red meat industry in Australia is one that can only be achieved by the whole supply chain working together.
Speaker B:So what that means is we have all these incremental things happening at each stage of the supply chain that help contribute to us reducing emissions.
Speaker B:So on farm, that might mean sequestering more carbon in the soil through the way that you manage the pastures.
Speaker B:It might mean focusing more on your genetics to select for more feed efficient animals.
Speaker B:That's a thing when you're breeding cattle is some animals actually need to eat less than others to gain and grow at the same rate.
Speaker B:It might mean feeding supplements to those livestock which actually reduces their emissions.
Speaker B:So a really cool initiative that Australia has commercialized is a product called Asparagopsis, which is a tricky name for a very simple product.
Speaker B:It's a seaweed.
Speaker B:It's a red seaweed.
Speaker B:And if you feed cattle a small amount, less than an ounce of this seaweed a day, it actually can reduce their emissions, their methane emissions, by up to 90%, which is absolutely phenomenal because if you take an animal that produces methane and you reduce the amount of methane, it's belching out, and then that same animal is eating grass, which is pulling carbon out of the soil, and that actually means we're in a position where we can start to become not just climate neutral, but eventually part of the climate solution, if we can keep pulling carbon out of the atmosphere, through plants and into the soil, whilst simultaneously reducing emissions.
Speaker A:Some people say that I should go on a seaweed diet.
Speaker A:Just.
Speaker A:Just saying I'm trying to reduce emissions as well, you know, doing all right.
Speaker A:We're doing my part.
Speaker B:Well, fun fact, pal.
Speaker B:Cattle.
Speaker B:There's a common misperception that cattle fart and that's where most of the emissions come from, but it's actually from birthing.
Speaker A:Sabina, you've become a mentor for other women in the meat industry.
Speaker A:As we've spoken about before, it's not for everybody and you really need to gain the respect and acceptance.
Speaker A:What advice do you give to women who want to make their mark in this particular space?
Speaker B:When I studied agriculture, only 10% of the students in my class were female.
Speaker B:And that was pretty tough.
Speaker B:You know, it was.
Speaker B:It was really not a vocation that women were encouraged to enter.
Speaker B:And you didn't see very many women having success in agriculture at that point in time.
Speaker B:But I had, you know, a great example, role model in my agriculture teacher, and she inspired me to follow my heart because I loved agriculture and it's what I wanted to do.
Speaker B:So I did.
Speaker B:It was not always easy.
Speaker B:There are plenty of obstacles I've had to deal with, but I think I didn't realise how much the industry had changed until I heard someone I respect very much, a woman senator, Susan McDonald, who grew up on a beef farm.
Speaker B:Susan made her maiden speech in Parliament when she became a senator, and she reflected on how far women had come in agriculture in Australia.
Speaker B:And it made me really reflect on my own experiences and how much hardship they'd been and how much harder I'd had to work to break down those barriers, to keep going.
Speaker B:And that made me feel, okay, I want to be.
Speaker B:I want to make that easier for the next generation.
Speaker B:And here in America, actually, there's a group called the Women in Meat Industry Network, and it offers the opportunity to be Both a mentor and a mentee in the same program.
Speaker B:And so I joined that a few years ago when I moved to North America.
Speaker B:And it has just been the most valuable experience because it's made me see how much it helps just to have a professional female who's in your corner, you know, that someone that you can talk to, who's not a colleague in the same organization who can listen and guide you on advice.
Speaker B:And I've enjoyed being a recipient of that advice.
Speaker B:But I've also really enjoyed trying to help young women coming out in the industry to just succeed.
Speaker B:You know, I just want to help them succeed.
Speaker B:And that's so important to me because, like in any industry, women have an important role to play at the table.
Speaker B:I have friends in Australia who have had a much harder time than I have in succeeding in agriculture.
Speaker B:But we're really seeing those tides turn, and there is a world of opportunity in the agriculture space for not just women, but also men.
Speaker B:So many people don't realize how broad the field of agriculture can be.
Speaker B:We have engineers, we have geneticists, we have people who specialize in plants and animals and soils and mechanics and machines and innovation and technology and drones, and you name it.
Speaker B:You know, there's.
Speaker B:There's just so much that I think it's a really noble pursuit because we're feeding the world.
Speaker B:There's not a lot of other industries that can say that, apart from food service, of course.
Speaker A:It sounds like a terrific organization.
Speaker A:What's the name again?
Speaker A:Do you know the website called the.
Speaker B:Women's Meat industry network?
Speaker B:W Min and it's run by the Meat Institute.
Speaker A:So WM I.org you've spent 15 years working in the food industry.
Speaker A:You've trained chefs at the Armani Hotel in Dubai.
Speaker A:You have a bit of a background in that space.
Speaker A:How did it help you bridge the gap between agriculture, meat science, and the plate?
Speaker B:Growing up on a farm where we grew so much of our own food, and, you know, we were a fairly long drive from anywhere, means you have to learn to cook from yourself.
Speaker B:And we always had fresh produce to play with.
Speaker B:Like, you know, we had a huge vegetable garden.
Speaker B:We had all the fruit trees you can imagine.
Speaker B:We didn't grow a lot of our own meat, but we had chickens and from time to time we had goats and my grandmother had a cow.
Speaker B:So we had fresh milk and cheese and all those things.
Speaker B:And it makes you really connected to food in the way that you grow up.
Speaker B:And you have a really good understanding of where food comes from.
Speaker B:And then, yeah, When I started working in restaurants and getting exposed to fine dining, it just opened my eyes to a whole new world, I guess.
Speaker B:And I think really great chefs just really have an instinct for honoring the products that they work with.
Speaker B:And that's what I really love, is my two favorite themes are agriculture and food, and having a job where I can combine those two things and speak with authenticity about where the products come from.
Speaker B:From.
Speaker B:From all my time on farm and working with livestock, but also being someone as a consumer who loves fine food, but who also understands the challenges that a chef has.
Speaker B:Well, with.
Speaker B:With all the steps that they have to go through to put food on the table.
Speaker B:So I think being an empathetic person by nature, being able to help farmers tell that story to chefs and help, but also help chefs have the best success working with Australian products is.
Speaker B:It's really where my heart is.
Speaker A:Working in the food industry, working in restaurants really toughens you up.
Speaker A:And the fact that you have a love for food and agriculture, um, it's special now.
Speaker A:It's a great segue because you once stood up at a conference full of academics critical of red meat.
Speaker A:Tell us about that story.
Speaker B:I was at a conference which was focused around the Blue zone diet.
Speaker B:And so the, the, the speakers that they had pulled together were either dietitians encouraging the audience to go vegan, or academics saying how bad the red meat industry for the world.
Speaker B:And I was sitting there in the audience thinking, this is just not right.
Speaker B:They're presenting these tiny little pockets of information which are nowhere near the full story because even in the Blue Zone diets, they eat meat.
Speaker B:And the academics talking about how bad beef cattle are for emissions are just telling such a narrow piece of the picture because a, what other industry feeds us other than agriculture, and B, agriculture is one of the few industries that can actually help us turn around climate change from what we're learning and innovating with on farm.
Speaker B:And I thought, when we're presenting this story to 350 chefs, we have to tell the full story.
Speaker B:I think so many people and academics and nutritionists included, don't really understand how food is growing, right?
Speaker B:So I grew up on a farm.
Speaker B:I started agriculture.
Speaker B:I had my whole career, 25 years in agriculture.
Speaker B:And I think a lot of people are just missing the understanding of how we produce food to nourish the world's population.
Speaker B:So I just thought, well, if no one else is going to tell that story, maybe I need to.
Speaker B:So I asked the organizers for just a five minute slot on the agenda on day One after I was hearing all these messages and I said, just give me five minutes so I can just tell the rest of the story because the information presented was so selective.
Speaker B:So I did that, I did my five minute spiel and I, I tried to be very considered in what I said.
Speaker B:And, you know, it was, it was a little bit tough.
Speaker B:I literally got up after a dietitian who said, everyone should go vegan.
Speaker B:And I got up to say, well, what if cattle could actually be part of the solution?
Speaker B:And when, when we then had the lunch break, after I spoke, I had 17 people come up to me and thank me for what I said and ask me so many questions about how beef is produced.
Speaker B:And so for me, that's a win because we have chefs and food professionals learning more about how the beef industry actually works.
Speaker A:I want to thank you for that too.
Speaker A:And I mean that sincerely.
Speaker A:I am a huge proponent and advocate for beef, for proteins in general and produce as well.
Speaker A:Like, you know, everybody, you need your fruits and your veg, but by no means should we be looking to, you know, lower the intake of everybody's, you know, meat consumption.
Speaker A:That's ridiculous.
Speaker A:So the fact that you got up there and had the guts to do that in front of academia, sincerely, I think that's fantastic, and you're amazing.
Speaker B:Thank you, Carl.
Speaker B:That means a lot.
Speaker B:And I, you know, I, I, I'm, in some ways, I feel like I'm the luckiest person alive to have a job representing an industry that I firmly, deeply believe in.
Speaker B:And I think the red meat industry, the Australian red meat industry in particular, is going to change the world.
Speaker B:Really.
Speaker B:There's, there's so much full stuff coming out of what we do.
Speaker B:And red meat is such an important role in a sustainable diet, especially for women who are, who, who are often low on iron.
Speaker B:Iron is the number one nutrient deficiency.
Speaker B:And I just, I just want people to have both sides of the story so they can make the decision on what they want to eat.
Speaker C:Well, I think you guys are doing it right because, and, you know, you also, you know, making sure that you're championing that, you know, because you're, it is, you know, a nutrient that needs to be something that we all consume.
Speaker C:And I think that it's bundled up with all the other stuff like the, you know, the bad burgers and, you know, the microwave this and that.
Speaker C:But, you know, when it's an amazing product and it's, you know, and you have so much passion for it and the farmers are out there doing what they're supposed to be doing correctly, you know, in the grading system and everything.
Speaker C:You know, we.
Speaker C:We shouldn't.
Speaker C:We shouldn't be ignoring it.
Speaker C:We should be seeking it out.
Speaker C:So I appreciate that.
Speaker B:Thank you, Thomas.
Speaker A:You know, we can't end this podcast today without everybody kind of giving their two cents on what your favorite, you know, cut of beef is.
Speaker A:Thomas.
Speaker A:Go ribeye, Sabino.
Speaker B:You know, in Australia, we say ribeye is the cattleman's car.
Speaker B:That's generally what our.
Speaker B:What our ranchers select when they go out for steak.
Speaker B:But my personal favorite is the picanha, or we call it in Australia the rump cap or the top sirloin cap.
Speaker B:I love to grill that either with a really light sauce, like a ponzu, so the meat really shines through.
Speaker B:Or if it's a rich product like wagyu picanha, I might pair it with a chimichurri.
Speaker A:John.
Speaker C:Well, you gotta go rib eye, right?
Speaker C:But I gotta tell you, I like an outside skirt.
Speaker A:You know, that's.
Speaker C:That's not bad.
Speaker A:All right, so I'm down for the.
Speaker A:I'm down for the ribeye.
Speaker A:I think I'm gonna have to go rib eye.
Speaker A:But the picanha is, man, I think.
Speaker A:I think pecania is my number two, man.
Speaker A:I. I really, really love it.
Speaker A:And how you were talking about it with the chimichurri and the whole thing.
Speaker A:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker A:Forget about it.
Speaker A:I am all about that.
Speaker A:All right, so I'm having a great time today, guys.
Speaker A:This is.
Speaker A:The food has been tremendous, and I feel like this conversation has a lot of legs.
Speaker A:Sabina.
Speaker A:Australian beef and lamb.
Speaker A:The organization.
Speaker A:Can you talk about a little bit, like, what's the.
Speaker A:What's the.
Speaker A:Why do people.
Speaker A:Why should people care?
Speaker B:Aussie beef and lamb has been exported to North America for, I think, nearly 50 years now.
Speaker B:It actually has an important little role to play in the leading consumer demand when there's not the right type of American products available or not enough products available like we see right now.
Speaker B:So we're here as Meat and Livestock Australia.
Speaker B:We're the.
Speaker B:The national service provider for all of Australia.
Speaker B:We don't represent a single brand, but we're here to support consumers who are interested in our products with recipes and ideas on where to find those products and.
Speaker B:And how to buy them and integrate them into their meal planning.
Speaker B:But we're also here to support any food professionals working with our product or who want to know more about our products through the Aussie Meat Academy or on our website.
Speaker B:So you can reach me, Personally, I'm on LinkedIn.
Speaker B:Sabina Kindler is my name.
Speaker B:Or on Instagram, Sabinabk.
Speaker B:Or our company handle on Instagram, Islams.
Speaker A:All right, that is amazing, Chef.
Speaker A:Do you want to get connected here?
Speaker C:Yes, please.
Speaker C:I mean, I'm already using a bit of the.
Speaker C:The meats and stuff, but I definitely want to explore more.
Speaker A:Sabina.
Speaker B:Excellent.
Speaker A:Great.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'm gonna.
Speaker B:I'll link me your details or.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'm gonna link you up on the deets.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Love it.
Speaker A:Excellent.
Speaker A:And let's.
Speaker A:I appreciate you coming out, Jeff Thomas, doing the amazing job that you did, Sabina.
Speaker A:Finally we've done it, and I appreciate all of your time.
Speaker A:Yes, thank you, John, as usual.
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:Whatever.
Speaker A:Yeah, your.
Speaker A:Your photography, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker A:Really, really great stuff today.
Speaker A:I mean, there's some amazing plates.
Speaker A:They're gonna.
Speaker A:You'll see them over the next few days.
Speaker A:The video shows the photography and everything.
Speaker A:Sabina Thomas, thank you for coming out.
Speaker A:Thomas, what's your socials?
Speaker C:You'll find me hanging out on LinkedIn under Thomas Mancic and everything else at the Tampa Club.
Speaker B:God, I love you.
Speaker A:You're so good.
Speaker A:All right, John.
Speaker A:Appreciate you, baby.
Speaker A:We are out.
