Textures Dining

About Matthew & Allison

Matthew trained as a chef in the UK, with stints at the 2 Michelin-starred “Restaurant Marcus Wareing”, the 2-starred “Gidleigh Park” in Devon and 1-starred “Turners” in Birmingham, venturing also to the USA where he spent 4 years at “The White Barn Inn”, a 5 Star/5 Diamond Relais Chateau property in Maine, under the tutelage of Relais Chateau Grand Chef Johnathon Cartwright. Matthew spent time working as Head Chef at 5 –star hotels in both Spain and the Caribbean before making the move to Australia in 2015.

Working in such varied restaurants across the world has given Matthew a broad culinary knowledge and understanding of food. Wanting to break away from the “stiff” nature of fine-dining, he aims to focus on great food, fiercely seasonal, cooked with care and attention and presented in an approachable way. It is with this idea in mind that Matthew hopes to prepare food and menus that represent him and his passion as a chef.

Allison spent almost 10 years travelling the world as a private chef onboard superyachts, cooking for the rich (and sometimes the famous!) before returning home to Australia in 2015. It is a demanding and ever-changing work environment, which offers unique challenges and numerous learning opportunities. She has had formal culinary training in France, the UK and Canada, and has spent time cooking, sourcing ingredients and experiencing the local cuisines of Mediterranean Europe, Scandinavia, the USA, the South Pacific, South America and the Caribbean.

This final destination is where Allison and Matthew met and decided to make the next step of their culinary journey together in Australia. Like Matthew, Allison has a strong focus on the seasonal and local nature of food, having seen and experienced its impact in areas where the love of food is an integral part of culture and lifestyle.

Allison and Matthew are available as a team or individually to cater for local events, functions, and private dining in the Daylesford and Ballarat region.