Top chef Waji Spiby pulls pin on Taste and fires parting shot at Hobart City Council
TOP chef Waji Spiby will not be taking part in the Taste of Tasmania this year because it has “all got too hard”, he says.
Spiby’s scallops and calamari have been the “go-to” stall for thousands of Taste visitors over the past 12 years and is one of a handful of stalls that is not attached to a shopfront or restaurant.
But he said the introduction of a cashless transaction card – and Hobart City Council taking a 10 per cent cut – had prompted his decision.
“I am sad because this is part of my business, because I need the money to keep my business running and because, despite all the craziness, it was a fun thing,” Spiby said.
He said Hobart City Council did not have a person with appropriate experience running the state’s premier food and beverage festival, the council’s Taste committee had been disbanded and there had been no stallholder representative to liaise with council for the past two years.
“Last year was the hardest ever because it was all run by council,” he said.
“These people don’t understand hospitality.”
To top it off, he had been given a stall position close to the entrance.
Spiby pays a stallholder fee of $19,000. Costs for gas and electricity takes his total bill to $20,000.
The council will take 10 per cent plus 1 per cent GST with each cashless-card transaction in a trial that is an attempt to make the event cost-neutral.
Lord Mayor Sue Hickey said she was disappointed Spiby had decided not to take part but “the Taste is bigger than any one individual stallholder”.
“It is a commercial decision for Waji whether he participates and we respect that,’’ Alderman Hickey said.
“We tried to work with Waji to address his concerns but his demands could not be met.”
She said council had operated the Taste for 27 years and had some of the best event organisers in the country.
“We have deeply experienced and dedicated staff who have for many years delivered the iconic Taste that we all love,” she said.
“It is difficult to comprehend why Waji would be so critical now and [it] makes me wonder about his motives.”
All stallholders at this year’s Taste were invited to be part of a new stallholder reference group, including Spiby, who declined, she said.
Source: The Mercury, Jennifer Crawley, 30th November 2015
Originally published as: Top chef Waji Spiby pulls pin on Taste and fires parting shot at Hobart City Council
