Acclaimed Italian-Australian chef Danny Russo lays out his hospitality philosophy and explains why he chooses to partner with Bunzl.
When multi-award-winning chef Danny Russo first started overhauling Australian pubs and clubs a decade ago, some wondered whether his idea of serving upmarket fare in casual surroundings would stick.
But Russo proved his strategy had staying power. “You can’t just pull something out of the freezer and chuck it into the deep-fryer anymore,” Russo says. “Sit-down dining has become integral to the pub and club game.”
At major venues across the country, from The Beresford in Sydney to The Laneway Lounge in Perth, Russo has successfully implemented menus that prioritise quality while remaining down to earth.
“Juggling a 63-degree egg on a twig doesn’t get me excited,” he quips. “But understanding the seasons does.”
Russo gained a deep appreciation for the fundamentals of European cooking during his early years – first as a child in the kitchens of his Italian mother and aunt, and then as a young adult apprenticing in London, Rome and Marseilles.
While in Europe, he learnt to hunt for truffles and to identify perfectly in-season vegetables. “You can’t learn that sort of thing from a book,” he says. “You have to experience it.”
Back in Sydney, Russo helmed several acclaimed Italian restaurants, including L’Unico, which was awarded both a Chef’s Hat in The Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide and ‘Best Formal Italian Restaurant’ in the Restaurant and Catering Association Awards for three consecutive years.
Then he was tapped to transform The Beresford, a major venue in Sydney’s trendy Surry Hills. “I started off there as a consultant
fell in love with the project and decided to be the Executive Chef,” explains Russo. The overhaul was a resounding success, with Russo’s trattoria-style dishes attracting overwhelmingly positive reviews.
“The Beresford was well and truly ahead of its time,” Russo says proudly. “We wanted it to have so many X-factors that visiting the place just once was never going to be enough.”
Those X-factors included a unisex basin area for the bathrooms to promote socialising and the introduction of restaurant-quality platewear. “These days, before someone starts to eat, nine times out of 10 they take a photo and put it on Instagram. It’s our job now as chefs to provide those photo opportunities.”
Russo’s food service consultancy group, Russolini, works regularly with Bunzl to bring hospitality projects to life. “We work on projects Australia-wide, from Canberra to Perth to Brisbane, and we need a company that is able to provide the same resources and the same service quality across the country, and Bunzl is able to do it,” he says. “Bunzl can look after it from start to finish – it’s a given. For us, it’s an easy choice.”
Russo has never had more on his plate – but he still finds time to fundraise for the Council of Italian Restaurants of Australia (CIRA), whose mission is close to his heart.
“We send young Italian-Australian chefs to Italy, where they can work with some of the world’s best for a whole month, all expenses paid,” he says.
“In 30 years’ time, when I’ve retired, I want to be sitting down knowing that we can eat better than what we are today. I’m not interested in the next generation being as good as us – I want them to be better than us. That’s when you know you’ve achieved something.”
Follow Danny’s work on Instagram @therussolinigroup
