Since 2005, chef Matt Moran has been a staple on our TV screens, appearing on over 11 different cooking shows. While at times he’s been portrayed as a “big bad mean [TV] judge”, the real Moran couldn’t be further from the truth.
Speaking on Mediaweek and Chattr’s The Entertainment Hotline Podcast, Moran — who is currently an ambassador for Club NSW’s Perfect Plate 2023 Awards — admitted that people often have a “perception” of who he is.
“I love meeting young chefs,” he said before adding that just before the call, he had met a woman named Natalie who was shy when they first interacted.
“At the end of it, she’s got her arm around me and getting photos, and I like that side of it. People have that perception of who you are and they think you’re a big bad mean judge and whatever else and when they get to know you a little bit, it’s kind of nice.”
While a “soft marshmallow” now, Moran admitted that he wasn’t always like this.
“I think if you put yourself in the media, whether you like people coming up to you all the time or not, you choose your destiny and it’s part of being a good person, I suppose,” he said.”I’m probably a lot easier to approach these days than I might have been 20 years ago.”
He continued: “When you’re a young chef, you’re obviously trying to prove yourself and kitchens were pretty hard back in those days and you always had a big agenda and you wanted to make everything perfect and you were probably a little bit harder to get on within the kitchen. Tensions probably used to fray a little bit.”
Chef Matt Moran. Instagram
Matt Moran has purchased another establishment
Moran purchased his first restaurant when he was 22 which further added to the sentiment of feeling the pressure from a young age.
“When you’re a young chef and if someone comes to your restaurant and the apprentice makes a bad salad, it all comes down to the name on the door.”
Now, the 54-year-old owns an empire of sorts, including fine dining establishments Aria and Chiswick, the world-famous Opera Bar and the Influencer haven, North Bondi Fish, to name a few. He also provides food “for a couple of Stadiums” as well as some local country pubs, with another recent purchase in Bathurst, which will most likely be home to a bakery and cafe.
To say he is busy is an understatement; however, he’s never too pressed to jump in the kitchen or serve plates to his loyal clientele.
In fact, when he started his career at Paramatta RSL, Moran was keen to work the deep fryer; however, the cook that held the position had been there for five years. This meant that he was never able to do it, until recently, if you can believe it!
“I’ve got a country pub and I had to go in there because a few chefs were off and, and there’s a young, female sous chef…and she put me on the deep fryer. And I was just thinking to myself at the time, you know, I remember years ago, when I first started, I wanted to be able to do the fryer and now I’m finally on it, and I had a lot of fun.”
Moran with General Manager Stephen of The Rockley Pub. Instagram
Why Matt Moran loves mentoring young chefs
For Moran, the community of chefs he surrounds himself with is nothing short of a who’s who of the culinary world. From ice fishing in Iceland with Gordon Ramsay to calling Maggie Beer a “dear friend” and supporting his “mate” Darren Purchese on The Great Australian Bake Off, he’s worked with and enjoyed the company of many of the greats.
“We are all mates,” he admitted. “And just very recently, we had a very dear friend that passed [Jock Zonfrillo] and it kind of really reminds you how small our community is and how close we are and how much we stick together when things like that happen.
“There’s a lot of us spending a lot of time with each other and making sure that everyone’s alright and it is a community, and we all understand each other.”
In saying this, there’s a new generation of cooks rising the ranks, one that Moran feels honoured to mentor.
“I think there’s a certain time in your life — and look, don’t get me wrong, I’ve been a head chef and a restaurant owner for a long time —and I made that decision very early on that rather than have one restaurant, I’d multiply and have others. And part of that reason was, obviously, the talent that I had working for me was too [great] and rather than leave and go somewhere else, I actually expanded and keep a hold of those guys.”
Moran and Gordon Ramsay. Instagram
And this is where the Perfect Plate comes in.
“The whole idea of this for me really is that with clubs, people go there for entertainment… but there is another side. And by doing this, and setting a competition up, you’ve got all these chefs, they’re working clubs, and they want to show their wares and can actually do something a little bit different. And, they can show their talent off.”
To find out more about the Perfect Plate Awards, including details about participating eateries and competition dishes, visit perfectplate.com.au.
Listen to the full interview with Matt Moran on The Entertainment Hotline podcast.