24-year-old Matt Mirosevich should have been boarding a flight to London to work in one of the best restaurants in the world in March 2020 after winning the prestigious Brett Graham scholarship. However, Matt’s opportunity of a lifetime fell apart when he arrived at Sydney airport to discover that all flights had been grounded due to an emerging global threat – COVID-19.
Matt’s Notting Hill fine dining dream working at the ‘The Ledbury’ was no longer.
“Just as I thought I had nailed it, the dream was taken away with one announcement at the airport,” he said.
“I was completely beside myself. I had spent the past five years working and sticking to the plan. I did everything right… I’d worked in high- end restaurants, won cooking competitions, saved money.”
Locked in a single-bedroom apartment in Pyrmont, Matt decided to think outside the box and emulate an experience that Sydneysiders were missing.
“It was a sort of epiphany. I was scrolling through Instagram when I saw a post someone had put up about how great it would be to go out for dinner again, and how they are stuck in their apartment eating packet meals,” Matt said.
“I realised I was allowed to go shopping, and the idea of cooking dinner for my neighbours popped into mind.”
Matt got to work designing and printing a three-course menu, with meal prices and a contact number included. The flyers slid under the doors of each unit for residents’ consideration.
“It may have come across as a little odd at the start. Initially, most residents just did it because there was not much else to do”.
“At the start, I was catering for six to eight people… Six weeks later it was 25-30 residents,” he said.
The meals proved a hit among residents craving a weekend restaurant experience.
“Every Thursday night, I would go to each door and enquire who wanted to order a three-course meal for Saturday night,” Matt said.
“After tallying up the orders, I would write myself an order sheet and go shopping for a few hours.”
Matt would spend the next two days prepping and cooking the meals, before delivering them to each unit on Saturday evening in warm takeaway containers.
“This brought a sense of normalcy and togetherness to the apartment residents, which was nice to witness.”
As restrictions lifted and life returned to normal, Matt received a call from one of the neighbours he’d made lockdown meals for.
“He asked if I could cater his birthday party – that marked the beginning of my catering career.”
Since then, Matt has plated up food for thousands of guests at hundreds of events between Sydney, Newcastle and Hunter Valley – including for well-known brands and celebrities.
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“I have been lucky enough to cater for the Kid Laroi, the Fall Guys crew, Shaq O’Neal to name a few. I also work with Porsche, Ferrari, Salesforce, and more.”
Matt has now launched a new business ‘Catered by Matt’ – and is on a mission to provide reliable, high-quality food and experiences to Sydneysiders and beyond.
“The goal behind the brand is to build a reliable company that our guests love working with.”
“I enjoy nothing more than seeing a group of friends light up with smiles as we serve the first few canapés or courses. I believe that great food should be at the centre of every event,” Matt said.
From quarantine to the small screen
Matt is also featuring as a chef in a brand new television series, due for release later this year.
“Recently I have finished filming a TV show. It was 10 weeks of rather intensive filming, and this show is set to be a massive hit! You will be able to see me cooking and doing what I do best,” Matt said.
“I cannot say too much now, but when it starts airing, trust me, you won’t want to miss it.”
