Publisher’s Notes • Tom Boyles

I hope you have been enjoying the past few issues of PMQ’s Pizza Australia as much as I have enjoyed working with the contributors and talking with people around the industry. With each issue I am getting more and more excited about the magazine’s direction and the Australian restaurant industry’s future. In this issue we have a few new things for you to read over.

To begin with, PMQ’s Pizza Australia is conducting the Australian pizza industry’s firstever Pizza Industry Census. The goal of this census is to collect specific information about who owns our industry and more about the demographics that make it up. You’ll find a sample of the census on page 17, but the actual survey can be found online at www.PMQAUSTRALIA.com by clicking on Aussie Pizza Census. The results will be viewable only to those who complete the survey, but there is a BONUS for taking the survey. One lucky participant will win a cool $100. That’s right, you could earn $100 for about 10 minutes of your time if you are the lucky winner. The winner will be announced in the June/July issue of PMQ’s Pizza Australia. Good luck.

Speaking of contest, Dairy Farmers is geared up for the 2008 Best of the Best Competition. The first qualifying round (state final) has already occurred, but that doesn’t mean you have missed out because there are still 4 state finals left. The winner from each state final goes on to the Dairy Farmers Best of the Best National Finals at the Fine Foods Show in Melbourne. The overall national winner will recieve a trophy, $5000 prize money and a $5000 joint marketing package to promote their establishment. Past winners have not only went on to various international competitions and WON, but have also seen career changing boosts to their businesses. There’s just one catch…you gotta be in it to win it. Check out details on page 26.

I think you are going to like many of the other articles you read in this issue too. You can learn new healthy pizza base recipes from the Dough Doctor on page 10 and learn more about Andrew Morris and the gang over at Spyral Equipment in the department Profiles in Pizza on page 12. Angela Brown continues her series on how to pair wine with Italian foods in Heard it Through the Grapevine Part 2 on page 30. Thinking about adding those gourmet coffees but don’t know if you want to become a barista? Darrell Vecchio introduces you to new automated equipment that can solve your problem on page 32. For those thinking of remodeling a kitchen or who are about to build your first restaurant, Brandon Farrell’s article on kitchen design is a must read on page 18. You’ll also find articles on Menu Engineering (page 28), Packaging (page 20), Gluten-free Pizza (page 22) and two great Product Showcases on pages 14, 15 and 16. So pour a cup of coffee, glass of wine, or grab a beer and settle in for another issue of Australia’s oldest and best pizza industry magazine: PMQ’s Pizza Australia. Expect the June/July issue the first week of June. See you then…

Thank you,

Tom Boyles