Matthew Bird, 37, gave his views at a business networking event organised by the York Press and York St John University.
Matthew told the assembled businesspeople how he rose from washing dishes at 15, to running his own restaurant.
Now, he has just started teaching at York College as a hospitality coach, where he also trained as a chef around 20 years ago.
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Matthew recalled being fascinated by chefs working together, planning meals, leading him to decide he wanted to become one.
The chefs began teaching him, helping with recipes and new ideas, which taught him small jobs can be invaluable as they can lead to something bigger.
Matthew enrolled at York College in catering and hospitality and was enthused by a trip to Italy, learning new foods, and working the following year at the Paris Air Show, where he saw major firms like Boeing and Airbus host huge events.
“The level of precision and the quality they aimed for was like nothing I’d ever seen. It taught me that keeping high standards is key if you want to stand out in the world of hospitality,” he said.
(Image: Supplied)
Matthew’s third and final collage year was spent working at Middlethorpe Hall, and on graduation was told you keep learning and should always look at ways for self-improvement.
After two years at Middlethorpe, he then spent nearly four years as head chef at the Plough Inn, Allerthorpe, an experience he described as “a dream opportunity” for a 19-year-old.
The gastropub taught him managing rotas, keeping to budgets, and meeting targets.
It also taught him “that being flexible and willing to learn new things” was also vital.
Then, Matthew met Gemma, a former college classmate, who he married in 2012.
The couple decided to relocate to North Yorkshire and after nearly two years as general manager of the Carpenters Arms at Fangfoss, they took over a café in Pickering, in 2013, which they turned into the Willowgate Bistro.
“Running it involved long hours and dedication, but our hard work soon paid off as we climbed to the top of review sites like TripAdvisor and Google.”
However, the hard work led to health problems, with Matthew suffering meningitis, forcing him to hire an apprentice chef to share the workload.
“There was something special about watching him learn the ropes, building his skills bit-by-bit.”
This led to a ‘lightbulb moment’ and Matthew deciding he would like to teach more.
The family faced further health problems, then the pandemic happened, closing the restaurant, with Matthew working as a cleaner in a food factory and offering take-aways from the bistro.
Health and money worries led him to decide to study teaching and forge a new career, with him now working full-time at the college.
However, the bistro remains open, currently Thursday to Saturday evenings, and it has just won an award for best restaurant in North Yorkshire.
Matthew concluded: “Everyday I get to share my experiences with students, helping them build a strong foundation just like my tutors did for me.
“One piece of advice I always give them is the same thing my tutor told me: your foundations may be strong, but learning never ends.”
Other speakers at the event on Wednesday included Brendan Paddison of York St John University and representatives from the West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.
The next York Press / LOCALiQ Business Networking meeting is on Thursday January 30. Tickets are available from EventBrite.
