With Matt Fleming, the newly appointed chef at the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre, future patrons are in for a real treat!
It’s not everyday you can enjoy a delicious pre-theatre meal, or a snack at the Encore Café, prepared by a 2-hatted chef!
Matt’s stellar career at leading restaurants, his commitment to quality training, his passion and skills with seasonal, local ingredients, and the fact that he is held in such high esteem within the industry for his skills and his personable, humble nature is inspiring, and we are thrilled to have him involved with the Shoalhaven Food Network.
What is your job title?
Head Chef at Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre.
What inspired you to become a chef?
As a child I hung off mum’s apron strings in the kitchen always, and have fond memories of pickling onions and preserving vegetables. I was always the first one in to help, and the last to leave.
What was your first job in hospitality?
That was in the stunningly beautiful Frederick’s French Restaurant, in the foodie hub of Camden Passage. While beautiful, it was brutal, with French being the only language spoken, and where I learnt the absolute importance of getting it right (finding myself peeling 20kilos of spuds if I didn’t!)
So what‘s happened in the intervening years to bring you to the Shoalhaven?
I backpacked around Australia with my then fiancé in my early 20’s, and fell in love with the beauty and culture here.
But it took another three years, where I worked as Chef de partie at the Lanesborough Hotel, Hyde Park, London, before we finally made the move to Australia and starting at Bistro Moncur, Woollahra. After 18 months I was made Head Chef (Edit: and we know at SFN that Matt was awarded 2 Chefs Hats for the 3 1/2 years he was at Moncur) From Moncur, I was “poached” to work for John Hemmes, founder of Merrivale, where we pushed to open Establishment just 3 days before the Sydney Olympics. It was such a great atmosphere! Over the 4 years I was with “Mr John” we received awards from Conde Nast, high recognition indeed, and awarded Best Hotel Restaurant in Australia by AHA multiple times. But when the time came to start a family, the Shoalhaven was where we decided to settle, and I’ve been so fortunate to have great opportunities here too.
Wow, that’s a huge amount of experience! How have you passed this on to your people wanting to get into the industry?
I try to lead by example with the many apprentices I have had and taught the basic 6P’s – Perfect Preparation Prevents Piss-Poor Performance! The 4 years I had the privilege of teaching apprentices at Nowra TAFE was so rewarding, I enjoyed giving back to the industry that has given me so much, and it was a great joy to see the students grow in their skills and confidence, and to share in their love of the industry.
What does the Shoalhaven Food Network mean to you?
We have so many inspired people in the Shoalhaven doing amazing things - it’s a great area for quality ingredients, not to mention a stunning destination. I love how the Shoalhaven Food Network is bringing it all together, fulfilling the true adage that “The whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts” and “together we can do more”. I especially love how the Network is creating apprenticeship opportunities for young people, and ensuring the future of the industry we love.
