The NU Kid on the block
Following the success of the Butcher’s Block café which opened in 2013 by George and Anthony Karnasiotis, the father and son team have opened the doors to their latest venture The Butchers Apprentice, marking their first foray into the nightime dining and cocktail scene.
The father and son duo aren’t strangers to taking risks, opting to renovate the iconic Wahroonga butcher shop into a casual, bright, trendy and modern café in the busy Sydney suburban shopping precinct. George and Anthony have made clever use of some of the original butcher shop items, with an old cleaver from the 1800s used as the front entrance door handle, and cleavers used as the handles for the tap beer. Old-style mincers, the original butcher’s meat hooks adorn the walls and the wait staff’s quintessential blue and white stripe aprons pay homeage to the original butcher shop workers. Such a unique twist on the modern café has certainly paid off.
“Since the day we opened the Butcher’s Block it has been controlled chaos. It has been really busy and the café was really well received,’ said Anthony.
“The Butcher Block just doesn’t have the capacity to serve dinner, the kitchen is way too small and the fitout isn’t suited to dinner service. So when the shop next door came up for lease we decided to take it on”.
Wayne Abraham of Platinum Commercial Kitchens worked closely with George and Anthony to ensure that the kitchen was equipped with the best equipment available.
“We really value Wayne’s knowledge and follow his recommendations,” said George.
“Wayne recommended that we purchase a Menumaster MXP as this one unit would replace three pieces of equipment. Not only did we save money on the equipment purchase but this has also reduced our electricity bill. You have to be happy with that!”
The pair also saved on equipment costs by installing a Frymaster fryer.
“The regeneration system in the Frymaster meant that only one fryer was required instead of several other units,” added Wayne.
The Butchers Apprentice kitchen is complete with a RATIONAL SelfCookingCenter®, a Garland 8 Burner range, a Menumaster MXP, Tecnomac Blast Chiller and a Purevac commercial vacuum sealer.
“I really like recommending Comcater equipment,” said Wayne. “Firstly because its equipment is great quality and secondly because Comcater provides us with great support. If we get good support we can’t provide our customers with good support. I feel comfortable recommending Comcater equipment.”
Now catering for breakfast, lunch or dinner, George and Anthony have it all covered. It is not surprising that both locals and foodies from all areas are flocking to experience The Butcher’s Block and the Butchers Apprentice.
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