Chefs of BNE: Erkan Karakol

Elise Hanslip

on March 15, 2024 at 11:12am

As the curator of many travellers’ first or last taste of Queensland, Head Chef Erkan Karakol from Airport Retail Enterprises (ARE) is devoted to leaving a lasting impression on passenger’s palettes.

The combination of Erkan’s love for quality ingredients, relationships with local suppliers, passion for delivering excellence beyond the menu and commitment to building strong teams manifests in Coretto Café & Bar, Graze Grill & Bar, and The Common; venues where travellers can enjoy restaurant-grade food and service, within the terminal walls.

We interviewed Erkan to discover what’s entailed in being one of Brisbane Airport’s top chefs and what fires him up to deliver top-quality service on the daily. We also got a sneak peek at Erkan’s big plans for the opening of a new ARE venue within Brisbane Airport.

Erkan’s cooking skills are ingrained in his muscle memory, which is no surprise for a chef of over 19 years. Growing up in Germany with Turkish heritage, Erkan cooked with his mother for friends and family. This labour of love developed into his passion, which saw him study in a German culinary school and quickly climb to the title of head chef of crowd-favourite venues in Brisbane.

“What enticed me to join ARE and work at Brisbane Airport is the variety of clientele I could serve. People of all ethnicities travelling for all different reasons are after good food, and providing this to them sounded like a great opportunity. Plus, I love the challenge of running multiple venues.”

Before seven o’clock each morning, you’ll find Erkan roaming the Domestic and International terminals fulfilling his duties as Head Chef, which range from examining stock to meeting with suppliers, planning menus and checking in with the team in each of the ARE venues.

“My job is ultimately to support and help. I ensure that everyone in my teams likes to come to work each day, they have a great space and stock to use, all equipment is working well, and they have all the tools needed to succeed.”

Erkan and ARE take great care to provide the travellers of Brisbane Airport with food that’s on par with Brisbane’s top restaurants by engraining the simple ethos of ‘if you provide great quality, people will return’.

Rather than being hung up on airport dining stereotypes, Erkan employs a laser focus on simply being exceptional, which you can taste in their dishes.

“We aren’t any more expensive than top restaurants around Brisbane City, and we still provide the same quality dishes”.

With an average of 3,000 weekly aircraft movements across both terminals, Brisbane Airport is often a bustling space. Struggling to source great food on the fly? You can rest assured knowing Erkan and the ARE venues will show you exemplary service during peak periods.

“We’re able to deal with peak times in the airport thanks to our staff not just working as individual venue teams, but as a collective. Staff are well-trained and well-practised at moving across venues, supporting each other, planning for peak times in advance, and sharing resources.”

Erkan’s close relationship with Queensland suppliers means the ARE menus hero fresh local produce. You’ll often find Erkan out at the farms, fisheries and fields that supply each ARE venue sampling items, planning new menus, and checking in with the growers.

Find yourself travelling through the Domestic or International Terminal soon? Be sure to try Erkan’s favourite menu items packed with Queensland produce:

From Corretto Café & Bar - International Terminal, Level 4 (before security):
Sliced Avocado and Fetta with Beetroot Hummus on Sourdough
From Graze Grill & Bar - Domestic Terminal, Level 2 near gate 21 (after security):
Crispy Pork Belly Bao Buns
From Seeds by Bruno Loubet - Domestic Terminal, Level 2, Qantas Food Court (after security):
Bacon, Onion and Bechamel Savoury Croissant
From Mezze Za Za - Domestic Terminal, Level 2, Qantas Food Court (after security):
Juicy Lamb Zaatar with Tzatziki, Chips, Onions, Tomato and Spices
From The Common - Domestic Terminal, Level 2 near gate 25 (after security):
Crispy Pork Belly with Potato Puree, Hazelnut Garlic Chimichurri, Fennel, Orange and Rocket
From Newstead Brewing Co - Domestic Terminal, Level 2 near gate 38 (after security):
Double Angus Beef Burger

As Head Chef of three venues, it’s no surprise that Erkan’s favourite part of his job is managing multiple teams.

“I just love being able to help and support staff throughout both terminals to achieve excellence.”

According to Erkan, three venues weren’t enough, which has led to him being involved in the creation of a new ARE venue opening in the Domestic Terminal – The Independent.

“I love creating a brand and crafting a venue to give an experience to a customer. This ranges from picking the tile types for the walls to the colour of the chairs, and the feel of the cushions. We do all this even before making the menu, and the overall feel of the venue then plays a massive role in what we put on the menu.”

Passengers will be able to visit The Independent on the Virgin side of the Domestic Terminal shortly. With Luke Mangan, a celebrity chef from Sydney, first manning the kitchen, you can expect the menu to feature Luke’s fusion-style cooking, all while incorporating local ingredients.

“It’s not complicated what we do here, we’re just trying to give people the best quality food possible and surprise them with delicious dishes… We’re able to help them start a holiday right and treat them to quality food that Queensland’s so well equipped to provide. I just hope this means people want to come a bit earlier to the airport or stay a bit longer to experience the food.”