The business
behind the plate.

The Café Success Stage is built around the day-to-day work of running a hospitality business. Phillip Di Bella of Coffee Commune opens it on Monday from 10am to 10.30am, with a session on the systems behind café profitability. We spoke with him before the show about building a business that needs its founder less; that story is linked below.

On Tuesday, from 1pm to 1.45pm, the same stage turns to The Bakery Advantage: How Food Became the Most Profitable Part of the Café. The panel brings together Jenna Muhor of Paddock Bakery, Gustav Lammerding of Banjo's Bakery Cafe, Sam Saulwick of The Bread Social and hospitality brand builder Giorgina Venzin.

That opens a useful question for our reporting: what makes a food offering work beyond its appearance in a photograph? We will be interested in the choices behind the menu, from preparation and consistency to what customers return for.

A good-looking product is the beginning of that conversation, not the end.

Tuesday's Business & Tech Stage programme includes Smarter Systems, Better Outcomes: Where Automation Creates Value, from 10.15am to 11am. From 1pm to 1.45pm, The Hospitality Tech Stack That Actually Works brings together Greta Wohlstadt of Anyday Hospitality Group, Alexandra Preece of Gradi Group, Larry Myers of HospoCaddy and Sarah Franklyn of Impact Data.

Our question for the technology conversations will be practical: what does this help a team do differently during an ordinary service?

Where AI or automation is part of the conversation, we're keen to hear what problem it solves, what it takes to use well and what difference it makes on a busy night. Time saved for a manager is even better when it goes back into the team and the guest.

Monday's programme looks further ahead. From 1pm to 1.45pm, Brisbane 2032: Hospitality's Biggest Opportunity of the Decade brings together Bernie Hogan of the Queensland Hotels Association, Lorelle Chittick of Brisbane Economic Development Agency, Lance Burrows of BVS Consulting and Matt Shea, food and culture editor at Brisbane Times. On Tuesday at noon, Anna Pholaket of Melrose and Sarah Baldwin of Joy are among the speakers on a panel about women shaping the future of hospitality.

Chef's Table pairs live cooking with the sourcing, menu design and business thinking behind a dish. The organiser's subjects run from native Australian ingredients and regional produce to sustainable seafood, zero-waste kitchens and whole-animal cooking.

Brisbane diners will know at least one name on it. Andy Ashby, owner and head chef of C'est Bon in Woolloongabba, presents Against the Grain: Rethinking the Rules of the Menu on Monday from 12.30pm. Monday also brings Matt Golinski on Queensland produce, Chris Jordan of Three Little Birds and Dom Bird of Wild Foods on First Nations knowledge and native foods, and Billy Gibney of Meat at Billy's on nose-to-tail cooking. Tuesday's line-up includes Adrian Richardson of Stanbroke Meats, Adriano Zumbo on dessert and Mindy Woods of Karkalla on native foods.

The competitions offer another way into the work behind a finished dish.

The Queensland Pizza Championships run across Best Classic Pizza and Best Creative Pizza categories, with heats on both days and the winners announced on Tuesday from 3.30pm. Johnny Di Francesco is head judge, with Daniel Semrani and Stefano Spataro also on the panel. The overall title is Queensland Pizza Chef of the Year, with a place at the Australian Pizza Championships in 2027. Brisbane finalists include Donnie's Brisbane and Alphonsus Pizza at The Glen Hotel.

The Queensland Professional Chef of the Year uses mystery-box ingredients and timed cooking challenges. Heats run on Monday; on Tuesday the final runs from 3pm to 4pm, followed by the winner announcement from 4pm to 4.30pm. Last year's winner, Alfan Musthafa of Warisan in Fortitude Valley, is back among the 2026 finalists, alongside chefs from Brisbane kitchens including Howard Smith Wharves, Greca and Montrachet.

For our coverage, the result will be only part of the story. We also want to understand what the judges notice, how competitors make decisions under pressure and which details distinguish careful technique from a dish that simply looks impressive.

The show also lists a Roasters Village, a space for small and micro-roasters, and a Producers Hub showcasing local producers, artisan products and startups.

These are places where we will be looking beyond the display. Who makes the product? Where does it come from? What has changed between the first version and the one a business can now supply reliably?

A conversation about an ingredient can become a conversation about a farm, a family business or a particular part of Queensland. Those connections belong in the food story as much as the restaurant that eventually serves it.

Brisbane Food Guide plans to report from the show on Tuesday 13 October, with original photography, selected interviews and follow-up coverage in the BFG Journal and on our social channels.

We will be looking for practical ideas, distinctive local businesses and conversations that help readers understand the people and decisions behind Brisbane food.

For us, the most useful story will connect something happening on the show floor with what happens later in a local venue. The plate is what the guest sees. We want to understand the work that makes it possible.