Matt Abé

Refining his culinary talent at restaurants in his native Australia since the age of 16, Matt Abé has spent the past seven years rising through the ranks of the Gordon Ramsay Group in London where he now runs the kitchen as Chef de Cuisine under Chef Patron Clare Smyth MBE at three Michelin-starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. Born in Sydney, Matt initially had a dream to join the military and train to be a fighter pilot. The dedication to discipline, intensive training and perfect precision necessary to be a military pilot translated seamlessly to the kitchen and after studying hospitality in high school he decided to pursue his passion for food, taking up apprentice chef roles in a number of acclaimed kitchens. Matt then spent six years developing his craft as a chef in Australia, first at Aria in Sydney and later at Vue du Monde in Melbourne. At the age of 23, Matt made the decision to move to the UK to join the Gordon Ramsay Group, having grown up aspiring to work for Gordon one day. He accepted a Junior Sous Chef position within Mark Sargent’s team at Claridges without hesitation. After two years, he made the move to Restaurant Gordon Ramsay as Chef de Partie, progressing through the brigade. After four years of hard work at the restaurant he was promoted to the position of Head Chef and more recently Chef de Cuisine at one of Britain’s best restaurants. Now 30 years old, Matt heads up a three Michelin-starred kitchen, of which there’s only four in the UK. “To survive in the kitchen you have to be passionate and dedicated to the job in hand,” Matt says. “There's such an influx of young chefs now in the industry it has become very competitive.” Matt calls Chef Patron Clare Smyth “the perfect mentor” and both chefs share a similar drive, he adds “she has instilled in me the constant pursuit of perfection in every aspect of the job. The discipline and training gained within Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is a fantastic grounding for the profession”.