Peter Little, owner of the popular gourmet dessert brand Lush Dessert uses the Metos Viking 4G mixing kettle for the production of all his desserts. “The Metos allows me to concentrate on what I need to do efficiently. That is, to produce quality desserts to the level you would expect a Chef to make in a five-star hotel.
Peter Little has learned the craft of dessert making in some of the world’s best restaurants. From an apprenticeship at the Sydney Menzies in the 1980’s to specialising in the dessert trolley section at the hallowed grounds of London’s 90 Park Lane – think Nico Ladenis / Chez Nico. Peter completed his overseas experience working with the fastidious Japanese at the Ramada Renaissance Hotel. “I have been very fortunate to have worked at some of the world’s best hotels and with some of the leading chefs. It was during my time in Japan I had the honour of working with Philippe Mouchel. Philippe trained with the great Paul Bocuse and it was an unbelievable experience for me to work with him. There’s no doubt in my mind that the only way to be a great chef is to work with great chefs.”
Armed with the technical skills and a hunger to succeed Peter returned to Australia and launched The Lush Dessert Company. “Twenty years under development and twelve years in business is how I would describe it” says Peter.
Lush produces a range of desserts including Lemon Curd, Dark Chocolate Ganache Mousse, Vanilla Bean Brûlée and a White Chocolate Ganache Mousse to name a few. With hundreds of stockists around the country, and growing by the minute, Lush Desserts Company is a great Australian owned business that is growing exponentially.
“Even though this is a seriously industrial business, using the Metos 150 litre kettle to produce everything we make, I like to think that every time a customer opens a tub of Lush Dessert he or she feels it was made especially for them – that’s my ‘secret sauce’ I guess – being prepared to spend the time doing things right and using the best equipment to do it with.”
Peter uses the Metos Viking 4G mixing kettle for the production of all his desserts. “The Metos allows me to concentrate on what I need to do efficiently. That is, to produce quality desserts to the level you would expect a Chef to make in a five-star hotel. The Metos kettle is smart. I like everything about it. No other kettle has been thought through in practical terms like the Metos for any production kitchen. The control panel is raised up high – out of the way, so at eye level, I can see my settings. I call my Metos a ‘weapon of mass production’ It conducts heat really well, the arm slices through things really well and moves the product off the edges perfectly – so no build-up and because it’s a seamless build, the clean-up is very simple and quick. The temperature settings are easy to use and with a great option to stop the cooking process but maintain temperature the Metos eliminates the potential for the operator to make mistakes – and mistakes cost money!”
When it comes to choosing a piece of automated production equipment, the Metos commercial kettles can produce serious volume when compared to traditional methods of using a pot on the stove. Furthermore, compared to traditional cooking methods where the heat comes from the bottom of the pot – using a cooking kettle, the heat comes from the bottom to the top meaning cooking is faster and the heat spread is far more consistent. The Metos 4G kettle version has the added versatility to be installed easily with its free-standing design.
Peter currently uses the 150 litre Metos 4G Viking commercial cooking kettle but with the demand for Lush Desserts growing and with eyes on an overseas market, further equipment investment and larger Metos kettles are definitely on the cards. “I want Moffat to come on the journey with me as I build this business. The support from Andrew Sinclair, Moffat’s Food Production Product Manager has been outstanding, from initial discussions to installation and handover, just spot on.
I have been working with Andrew on some exciting recipe ideas and innovative attachments that could be designed for even better performance from our Metos kettle. I think the collaboration between someone like Andrew and myself, the guy at the coal face each day, lends to some really exciting added value ideas for both of us. When the lockdown lifts my next collaboration with Andrew is going to be something I think the market is going to really love – A Japanese style New York cheesecake.”
While options are available to purchase a Metos kettle from other suppliers in Australia, the decision to partner with Moffat was an easy one. “The Moffat link was also a big deal to me because they support what they do. Whether you’re a high-profile chef or not, everyone gets the same Gold Standard of support.”
You can contact one of our Moffat IQ pros for a free obligation consultation to see how we can assist to tailor a solution to automate your food production process. Contact us today.
