We’re delighted to introduce our new Chef Matthew Crouch, who started with us on Monday. Matthew is managing the pre-opening of the Black Barr Café & Bar. He’s busy creating the menus as well as setting up the kitchen, and the guest areas.

About Matthew

“I began cooking in 1997 whilst still at school on the Gold Coast and quickly realised this was the career for me. The passion, adrenaline and excitement of working in a busy place was mesmerising and I loved being in the middle of it. I left school not long after this to pursue an apprenticeship and finally gained my qualifications in 2001.”

“When given the chance to do my work in a way here in Townsville that would be minimally impactful of the environment while still providing a high-quality product on the plate, I was excited to take on the role.”

“In 2002 I began working for a small cruise company in North Queensland, focusing on delivering an eco-tourism experience for passengers on the Great Barrier Reef and in the Kimberley region in northern Australia. The work was amazing, and the locations and being close to nature even more so. A love for the ocean took me to Europe, North America, the South Pacific and eventually on to work in the polar regions, spending many Antarctic and Arctic summers taking passengers to pristine, untouched and truly wild places where the environment is yet to feel the press of human presence.

So, naturally when given the chance to do my work in a way here in Townsville that would be minimally impactful of the environment while still providing a high-quality product on the plate, I was excited to take on the role.

I can’t wait to see what the future brings for ecofriendly tourism in this area.”