Matthew Bird, 37, shared his views at a business networking event hosted by York Press and York St John University.
Matthew told the assembled businessmen how he went from washing dishes at the age of 15 to running his own restaurant.
Currently, he has just started teaching as a hospitality coach at York University, where he also trained as a chef some 20 years ago.
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Matthew recalled deciding that he wanted to become a chef because he was fascinated by the way chefs collaborate to plan meals.
The chefs began helping and teaching him recipes and new ideas, teaching him that small tasks can be invaluable as they can lead to something bigger.
Matthew enrolled at York University in catering and hospitality, fell in love with traveling to Italy, learning new foods, and worked at the Paris Air Show the following year, where major companies such as Boeing and Airbus host large-scale events. I saw you do it.
“The level of precision and quality they aimed for was unlike anything I had ever seen before. I learned that maintaining high standards is important in order to stand out in the hospitality world.” he said.
During Matthew's final third year at university, he worked at Middlethorpe Hall, and upon graduation he was told to keep learning and always looking at ways to improve himself.
After two years at Middlethorpe, he spent nearly four years as head chef at the Plow Inn in Allerthorpe. He said the experience was a “dream opportunity” for the 19-year-old.
The gastropub taught him to manage rotas, stick to budgets, and achieve goals.
It also taught him that “flexibility and a willingness to learn new things” is also important.
Matthew then met Gemma, who was his college classmate, and they married in 2012.
The couple decided to move to North Yorkshire and, after almost two years as general managers at the Carpenter's Arms in Funfoss, they took over a cafe in Pickering in 2013 and transformed it into Willowgate Bistro.
“It took a lot of time and dedication to run it, but that effort quickly paid off as we rose to the top of review sites like TripAdvisor and Google.”
However, the hard work caused health problems and Matthew contracted meningitis, forcing him to hire an apprentice chef to share the workload.
“It was special to watch him learn the ropes and develop his skills little by little.”
This led to a “lightbulb moment” and Matthew decided he wanted to teach more.
The family faced further health issues, then the pandemic hit and the restaurant closed, leaving Matthew to work as a cleaner at a food factory and serve takeout from a bistro.
Concerned about his health and money, he decided to study teaching and build a new career, and now works full time at the university.
However, the bistro is still open from Thursday to Saturday nights and has just won North Yorkshire's Best Restaurant award.
Matthew concluded: “Every day I share my experiences with my students and help them build a strong foundation, just like my tutor did for me.
“One of the pieces of advice I always give my students is the same thing my tutor told me: The basics may be strong, but the learning never stops.”
Other speakers at Wednesday's event included Brendan Paddison from York St John University and representatives from the West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.
The next York Press/LOCALiQ Business Networking Meeting will be held on Thursday, January 30th. Tickets can be purchased from EventBrite.
