PERTH chefs are not the only ones to have embraced the emergence of the truffles in Western Australia, with the Truffle Festival held in Mundaring on August 2 and 3 attracting more than 10,000 visitors, up from about 2,000 the previous year.
The annual event is the brainchild of renowned chef and owner of The Loose Box Restaurant in Mundaring, Alain Fabregues, and is the first truffle festival of its kind in Australia.
Celebrity chefs such as Shannon Bennett (pictured) have been coming all the way from the east coast to hold master classes for the two days of the festival.
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Poor service and inexperienced staff have almost become the signature dish of Perth's hospitality sector, if you believe the bad press the industry has received in recent months.
For their part, restaurateurs say the staff shortage has softened since the start of 2008 and some quality Western Australian front-of-house professionals are being recognised by the industry on a national level.
Must Winebar sommelier Emma Sputore has been named as a finalist in the 'best sommelier' category at the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year Awards, to be announced on August 18.
Ms Sputore, who has worked at the popular Highgate eatery for five years, is the first Western Australian ever nominated as a finalist in this category.
The World Skills Australia competition in July acknowledged another WA front-of-house professional.
Sorrento Beach-based White Salt head waitperson, Megan Clark, received the silver medal in the national competition held in Sydney.
And the competition involved a lot more than carrying a plate from A to B or taking an order correctly. The tasks included cocktail making and service, guéridon service (preparing food at the table), which involved salad, carving of the main course, dessert service, as well as espresso coffee making, a theory test and the making of a mocktail from a mystery box of ingredients.