Award-winning chef and restaurateur Matt Moran is owner of some of Australia’s finest establishments including Aria, Chiswick and Opera Bar.
With over twenty years of cooking under his belt, his restaurants offer something for everyone such as the sharing menu at the exquisite Chiswick, diverse food with the best view in the world at Opera Bar to the relaxed beachside style of North Bondi Fish.
Moran takes time out from his busy schedule to tell us who inspires him the most and the best advice he has ever received.
What is your favourite food and why?
Tough question! As a chef this is honestly impossible to answer, I love all kinds of food and cuisines – I don’t do favourites. What I eat depends on the season and the mood… it’s always changing.
What are you passionate about?
Seasonality, fresh produce… food, my farm, my family… As a chef I find mother nature an endless source of inspiration. I really do get excited by the changing seasons and what’s thriving in the garden next.
What is your favourite holiday destination?
I really do love to travel and I’m lucky that as a chef I get to do a fair bit of it. Old time favourites are Tokyo and New York – the food is fantastic and I can literally just head there and eat for days! I also love India and Singapore for the vibrant street food culture and diversity of flavours. Peru is a city I’d love to go to but haven’t yet been and I’d love to check out Iceland as well. Both are doing some interesting things and capturing the world’s attention at the moment.
Who inspires you the most?
As a chef, I get to meet a lot of amazing farmers and growers. They truly are inspiring. They go to great lengths to bring us incredible produce and it’s not an easy life – they work incredibly hard. In Australia, we’re lucky to have so much great produce available to us. Hearing their stories, and that of their produce, really is inspiring.
Who would you invite to a dinner party?
Home is actually one of my favourite places to cook. I really do love entertaining for friends and family and do it often. Any chef would have an endless list of people past and present they’d love to cook for and I’m no different… I had Maggie Beer over yesterday – that was pretty special! I adore her. She’s a dear friend and such a remarkable woman.
What are you reading at the moment?
My schedule is pretty hectic these days so to be honest I don’t really read that much! I just truly don’t have the time. When I do, it will generally be to my daughter. Or sometimes she reads to me.
Best advice you have ever received?
Oh gosh! I’ve received lots of it over the years – some bad advice too! I’m really close to my Dad. He’s a fourth generation farmer with great values, just a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy. A lot of my work ethic comes from him and he always told me growing up that ‘’nothing comes easy, son. You have to work hard for it and put in the effort.’’ How right was he!
Who are you following on instagram or twitter?
Outside of my own restaurants I follow friends, family, people I meet at events or in my venues, industry people both here and overseas. I love social media, people argue the pros and cons of it but it’s amazing for keeping in touch, awareness and seeing what’s happening in the industry. It also helps make contacting mates overseas very quick and easy, I’m on my social media often.
Favourite movie or television program?
Life’s pretty busy so I don’t have a lot of time for movies and TV. Because I travel often I tend to catch up while I’m on the plane. I loved Breaking Bad, I’m into Game of Thrones at the moment and will also be catching up on Series 3 of Rake.
If you had a super power, what would it be?
The power to control time! To pause it and add more hours to my day. There are never enough.
About: Visit mattmoran.com.au for more information on Matt and his restaurants.
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