Bar & Bites: Sandalford Wines exec chef Alan Spagnolo keeps calm and caters to weddings, parties, everything

Whether catering up to four weddings on the same day, juggling dietary requirements at a major corporate event, or rustling up woodfired pizzas for Italian opera superstar Andrea Bocelli, Sandalford Wines executive chef Alan Spagnolo keeps calm and carries on. Consistency, timing, flavour and presentation are watchwords for the 54-year-old veteran and his small army of chefs as they feed up to 1500 people a night at the multi-award-winning Swan Valley institution, which turns 185 next year. Cooking for hundreds of people can limit creativity, but the chef says he gets to express himself more in Sandalford Restaurant and Bar. “In the function side, it has to be streamlined but still has to present really well and be consistent,” he says. “You have to be super organised and your menus have to be very well created, so you can put it out without problems.” Sandalford hosts 16-25 big, overlapping functions a week during busy periods. “If there’s four functions going, there’s a lot of chefs here,” laughs Spagnolo, who usually has about 11 chefs in the restaurant, plus six to eight per function. A recent highlight was catering for 1500 VIP ticketholders at two Cold Chisel concerts at the venue. “When it’s running and all happening, and we have people out in the carpark directing traffic because it’s that busy here, it’s great to be part of that and see it all happen,” Spagnolo says. “It’s a really good feeling.” Spagnolo was just 14 when he landed an apprenticeship at Matilda Bay Restaurant. Since then, he’s worked with doyens of WA hospitality such as Phil Sexton, Kim Gamble and Russell Blaikie. In addition to becoming well-drilled in large-scale catering and fine dining, Spagnolo has experience designing venues and kitchens from the ground up. In 2008, he moved to Cairo to project-manage The Terrace Restaurant, Bar and Cafe — a “very exciting” hands-on role designing everything from the build to branding, creative direction and menu at one of Egypt’s premier dining venues. “That was fantastic,” Spagnolo says. “I’ve done a lot of opening of new restaurants and kitchens, been involved in that development stage. “That really helped me over there. It was very exciting. I really enjoyed it.” After returning to Perth as executive chef at the Prendiville Group-owned Cottesloe Beach Hotel, Spagnolo planned and developed the Odyssea City Beach, which he launched in 2016. While he took a breather during the COVID-19 pandemic, four years ago the hardworking chef returned to the Prendiville fold at Sandalford, where he soon collected Restaurant and Catering Association awards for restaurant and caterer of the year. He says menus for the restaurant differ greatly from those for big functions. Obviously, restaurant service allows for more creativity, and the chef loves working with top WA produce and local botanicals, such as Albany Futari Wagyu beef, Mahogany Creek duck, and Geraldton wax. Popular dishes include 12-hour slow-roasted beef short ribs and kangaroo tartare. Desserts are also more than an afterthought at the Swan Valley venue — Spagnolo recruited a pastry team to make sweet treats in-house. “I’ve always loved the dessert side of things,” he said. “I don’t think it gets done well in many places in Perth. It’s kind of overlooked. “But we are a special occasion place. People come here to celebrate. You have to send them away really happy.” Spagnolo loves feedback, whether chatting to customers in the dining room during service, or delving into Google reviews. “When you come down the driveway here, you have an expectation,” he says. “It’s so beautiful, you know you’re somewhere special.” So, what was Bocelli’s verdict on the pizzas? He loved them, of course — and there was no pineapple.