Miami Chef and Top Chef Alum Jeff McInnis is pretty committed to all things Aussie – he married a gal from Western Australia after all! And he’s been known to cook up a mean plate of his signature southern-inflected cuisine featuring Aussie beef and lamb. We caught up on a recent arvo with Jeff fresh off overseeing the opening of his latest restaurant, a 4th location of he and wife/partner/chef Janine Booth’s Root n’ Bone in North Carolina.
What should our readers know about your background?
I was raised in the South, found my way into kitchens pretty early on, including the Ritz Carlton and other great places to learn. I made it to the finals of an early-ish Top Chef season, and that opened a ton of doors to find investors and start my own place, which Janine and I did in NYC with the first Root n’ Bone.
We’ve grown from there, moved back down to Miami and now have 10 restaurants in the portfolio across 7 concepts including 2 in Puerto Rico. Especially with kids now in the picture, it’s pretty busy! We like to be involved, so on any given day we can go from developing a new concept to filling in for a chef who needs a break…and always trying to control food costs!
What Aussie meats do you use at your restaurants, and how do you feature them?
Especially lately, Aussie meats are readily available at the distributors we use. We have a phenomenal Aussie Wagyu Ribeye going on the menu at Stadium Club Orlando, a “big Aussie Wagyu Ribeye” at Root n’ Bone in Indianapolis, and the signature shortrib and brisket meatloaf at all Root n’Bone locations often uses Aussie grassfed. Janine’s Aussie Lamb sausage rolls are a super popular call at catering functions and the Regatta Grove venue.
We love to give Aussie meats a spotlight at events and catering, where it can really shine – at Miami Spice we do an Aussie Beef Carpaccio with pickled fennel, pistachios, black garlic aioli and crispy capers that’s pretty awesome. The quality is so good, we can use eye of round and have great food cost on a luxury item. That dish is on the menu at Mi’Talia Miami.
What do you like about using the Aussie products?
Flavor first, of course – the grassfed product out of Australia is just built different. It’s got excellent marbling, it’s tender, and has that true beefy flavor that we’re looking for. Wearing my procurement hat, Aussie cuts are so well trimmed, I get great utilization, like 90%. And because it’s so clean and the export systems are so good, it’s really easy to manage inventory. I can bring in whole primals and not worry about shrink.
How do guests respond to Aussie meats on the menu?
We probably get an automatic boost because Janine’s an Aussie, but overall guests respond really well. Just by coming in they’re trusting that we are making thoughtful choices about what we serve, and it’s coming from Australia for a good reason. Which is 100% true! And when it comes to lamb, guests know Aussie means quality.
Love it! We’re ready to come in for a bite!