Matt Moran’s path from Seven Hills to celebrated chef
Matt Moran Chef in his restaurant Chiswick at the Art Gallery of NSW.
“I can mix it with top-end money guys who come to my restaurant (Aria) and can still relate to people out in the west,” he said.
Moran was nine years old in 1978 when his family moved to Mackenzie Blvd, Seven Hills, from a dairy farm near Badgerys Creek.
Chef Matt Moran in his restaurant Chiswick at the Art Gallery of NSW. He has hinted at opening a restaurant at Blacktown or Parramatta.
Moran’s youth was spent riding his BMX bike at Grantham Reserve, playing baseball for Seven Hills and rugby league for Blacktown.
“It was my formative years and although it was pretty rough, I did enjoy it, of course,” he said.
“I still have good, lifelong friends I met while I was living in Seven Hills.”
He wryly suggested opening a restaurant in Parramatta or Blacktown.
“The area is not as bad as people think it is,” he said.
“It’s nearly the inner city at this rate.”
When it comes to the accomplished chef’s school days, he doesn’t beat around the bush — he didn’t care for it.
Moran attended Metella Road Public School in Toongabbie and Grantham High, Seven Hills, which became the Hills Sports High in 1999.
Matt attended Metella Road Public School, Toongabbie.
Matt attended Hills Sports High School when it was known as Grantham High, Seven Hills.
The 46-year-old said the high school lived up to its rough reputation while he was a student.
“I went to the school of hard knocks (so) I’m a pretty tough character,” he said
Moran said at the time he wasn’t interested in the academic side of school and had one teacher tell him he was never going to make anything of himself.
After becoming fed up with school, Moran dropped out when he was 15 and worked in the kitchen at the Parramatta RSL Club despite failing home economics while at school.
“I just wanted to do anything to leave school,” he said of his first job.
Moran then gained an apprenticeship with French restaurant La Belle Helene in Roseville, which fuelled his desire to become a chef.
“I’d never seen food like that before and it made me fall in love with cooking,” he said.
“I’d never envisioned I’d be a chef let alone opening a restaurant but I found something I really enjoyed and it progressed from there.”
‘Do what you love and you never have to work a day in your life’: Matt Moran.
Moran wanted students to discover their passion, whether they enjoyed school or not.
“Education is really important (but) it doesn’t have to be the be all and end all,” he said.
“Anything is possible if you put your mind to it and work hard.
“It’s the old phrase, ‘do what you love and you never have to work a day in your life’.
“People who want to become chefs should do it for the love of cooking, not for the celebrity because it is hard work.”
Hills Sports High principal Mitchell Struyve was pleased to see the chef stop by the school.
“It was fabulous to have him here and great to see that students have gone on to do wonderful things,” he said.
Source: The Blacktown Advocate, Jessica Oxford, July 21st 2015
Originally published as: Matt Moran’s path from Seven Hills to celebrated chef
