Speaker Profile

Margaret River-born Matt Stone has gone on to become one of Australia’s leading sustainable chefs. Forming an early connection with restaurateur and sustainability champion Joost Bakker, Stone has collaborated on several projects with an environmental angle, from hyper-local Greenhouse Perth, to zero-waste Silo in Melbourne. In 2015, Stone was named executive chef at Oakridge in the Yarra Valley, where he, alongside Jo Barrett, forged a new identity for the restaurant, founded in a connection to the land, and site-grown or locally sourced ingredients. In 2021, he departed to collaborate with Bakker on Future Food System, a pioneering closed-loop home and restaurant in Melbourne’s Federation Square. Stone’s most-recent project is the highly anticipated You Beauty in Bangalow, where he is owner and chef. Matt is also part owner in the Eltham Hotel, Eltham & Ciao Mate in Bangalow all in the famous Byron Bay and surrounds region of Northern NSW.