Speaker Q&A (2018): Lynette de la Vega, Abuelo
Lynette de la Vega, director of Abuelo, is widely credited as a key player and pioneer of the original, disruptive Antipodean coffee movement. Named one of the “Coffee Kings” of Sydney, at her height, Lynette had five restaurants, 1,750 strong staff and celebrity clientele, who would queue round the block for a cup of her coffee. She even created the ‘babyccino’, the warm frothed milk drink now favoured by hipster toddlers worldwide.
Lynette is appearing on The Coffee Shop Legends Panel, alongside: Marco Arrigo, director of Bar Termini; Paul Ettinger, business development director of Caffe Nero; Peter Dore Smith, director of Kaffeine; Andrew Tolley, co-founder of Taylor Street Baristas; and (chair) Clare Benfield, editor of Café Life Magazine.
Which food-to-go operator do you particularly admire and why?
Merivale in Sydney. They create food spaces that are great destinations that are solid and rarely disappoint.
What do you feel is the key for operators to successfully compete against their competitors?
I don’t think in terms of competition. I think if you start out that way you lose from the beginning. You should only do what you think is right for yourself (from the point of view of a good customer that you personally understand) and you do it really well with integrity, not do what is popular or cheap.
What do you see as key trends for food-to-go in the coming year?
The key trend is food not to go but to enjoy in house in a space that is designed to feel good, and in less of a hurry as a break from work.
What’s your bestselling product at the moment?
Huevos divorciados de Turco: Labneh poached eggs separated by salsa roja and chimichurri, with avocado and smoked paprika, served with toast.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?
It is incredibly rewarding to employ genuinely nice people, who are professional but not stiff. I also love that we can provide a platform that allows our guys to step up to new challenges, that push their boundaries revealing to them new talents they didn’t know they had, using food preparation techniques that are not traditional or overworked. It is also incredibly rewarding on the other side of the equation to hear from customers that they enjoyed the whole experience and see the detail we go to.
And the most challenging?
The most challenging aspect is to stay ahead with the workload and still have a life.
How important is lunch! to the food to go sector?
I feel like lunch! is a very important show, as it provides an opportunity for individuals within the industry to come together to discuss new challenges and showcase innovative developments. It brings together the entire food-to-go industry under one roof, and I’m really honoured to be a part of it.
Describe the lunch! trade show in 3 words:
Innovative, entrepreneurial, exciting.
Who or what inspires you to be even better?
I don’t look outside too much for inspiration as I prefer to be inspired by the produce and the process of finding new ways to bring them together as a new dish as simply and freshly as possible.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Watch everything that comes in, order produce well from good suppliers and question everything.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that most people don’t know:
I invented the babyccino in my first cafe/restaurant Zigolini’s in Sydney in 1987.
See Lynette at lunch! 2018
The Coffee Shop Legends Panel: 3.15pm in Keynote Theatre 2 on Friday 21 September.
