Adam Wolfers departs Anyday, joins Kosta’s Takeawat
A star chef returns in style with a viral Sydney import after being ousted from the city’s hottest restaurant group.
How do you know Benji Terkalas is serious about sandwiches? When he hired one of the country’s leading Middle Eastern chefs as a consultant.
Adam Wolfers will be in the kitchen at the Brisbane debut of Terkalas’ Kosta’s Takeaway at Gasworks Plaza this weekend. The former Etelek, Gerard’s and Anyday chief joined earlier this month after being ousted from Anyday in late January.
Kosta’s debut was at Rockdale in Sydney and was an instant hit. Rosebery has since followed, as have stores in Circular Quay, Elizabeth Street and Martin Place in the city of Sydney. The key to its success beyond service and proper branding? Chef-made sandwiches.
“This came about through a friend of mine, Nathan Brindle, in Sydney. [formerly head chef at Ester]”He was helping Benji with Kosta’s business,” says Wolfers. “I told him I was done with Anyday and he said Benji was moving to Brisbane and needed someone to help him.”
“We got along really well and I’ve been following Kosta on Instagram for a really long time. So this was the perfect opportunity to see him for what he really is and… and maybe add my own touch to it.”
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The key to hiring Wolfers was that Kosta’s makes its sandwiches fresh from scratch.
“The difference between a made-to-order sandwich and one that maybe had been sitting on the shelf for a long time was what got me going,” he says. “I’ve made sandwiches before but they look really similar to sandwiches [in detail]: Where is the bread from? What materials do they use? “And the way they do things is very clever.”
The consultancy period is only eight weeks, but Wolfers says it could extend to something more permanent between Brisbane and Sydney if things go well.
“Stepping back into consulting is the next step in what I want to focus on,” he says. “That’s what I was doing before Anyday. I can help venues like Kosta’s set up and keep systems in place that offer a high-end dining experience, but in a takeout environment.”
Wolfers joined Kosta’s after being laid off from his role as group chief at Anyday, just two years after joining Brisbane’s powerhouse hospitality business.
“I was there for two years and learned a lot,” Wolfers says.
“It was a great company to work for, but I think they got to a point where they wanted to restructure the company.
“It was a hard thing to swallow, but I’ve been through too much in my life to let it affect me.
“They really look after the sandwiches [in detail]: Where is the bread from? What materials do they use? And it’s very clever how they do things.”
Adam Wolfers on Kosta’s Takeaway
“I definitely had a ride… three years ago when I had my accident,” Wolfers continues, referring to the paralysis he experienced while cycling. “Something like that [adjusted] My maturity level is such that I will not allow these events to affect me too much. “There are no hard feelings about it… I learned a lot and have nothing but praise for them.”
Wolfers is the newest and most well-known chef on a list of chefs Terkalas has brought on over the years to help improve the quality of its sandwiches.
In Kosta’s early days, former Cornersmith chef Cameron Harris and Tasty magazine recipe writer Helena Moursellas; more recently there was Brindle and Gabriel del Conti (previously bandleader on Love Tilly Group’s Ragazzi and Dear Sainte Eloise).
