Nothing takes us back to our past like the taste of a favourite meal.
That secret family recipe that came out on special occasions, the snack that was waiting when you got home from school or even the simple dish thrown together when everyone was too busy for something fancy… just one bite and we’re instantly transported back in time.
It’s different for everyone, chef Matt Moran discovered when his latest project, Memory Bites, had him asking his friends what their “blast-from-the-past” meal was – and then preparing it for them.
He also found it’s one of the best ways to get to know someone.
“The greatest thing about this has definitely been learning so much about the different people who came on the show,” Matt, 55, tells TV WEEK.
“Even Richard Roxburgh, who is one of my best friends!” he adds.
“I mean, I’ve known him for years, we went to Sicily together last year, we went to Japan together, I spend weekends at his farm and I thought that I knew most things about him.”
But then Matt made Richard’s mum’s famous lemon delicious and the memories that dessert sparked for Richard were “incredible”.
“I actually felt really guilty because there was so much I didn’t know!” Matt says.
The idea for Memory Bites arose from a concept Matt came up with during the Covid lockdowns when his restaurants were forced to close.
With no customers to cook for, the chef turned to his friends and asked what dishes they’d like to cheer them up. Recording the cooking and presentation for YouTube, he soon found the process was the essence of what made him want to be a chef in the first place – these were dishes that not only fed people, but also brought them joy.
That’s something Matt does whether there are cameras or not. He admits to happily hosting friends and family for meals whenever he can.
“That’s my whole life,” he says. “Whether it’s cooking at home for family and kids or entertaining for friends.
“My wife [Sarah Hopkins] is a judge now and I had two Supreme Court judges and a couple of District Court judges over for lunch recently. I just love to cook and I love for people to enjoy it.”
Add in the chance to learn more about his diners, including Richard, singer Christine Anu, comedian Ross Noble, actress Danielle Cormack and more, and Memory Bites is ticking a lot of boxes, he says.
“It’s not just cooking, but getting to hear people’s childhood memories… It was so much fun.”
Even better, the show has reignited Matt’s passion for being in front of the camera – something he thought had disappeared.
“When Maggie [Australian chef Maggie Beer, Matt’s co-judge on The Great Australian Bake Off and a fellow MasterChef Australia guest star] turned 80 recently, we chatted and she said: ‘I can’t believe you’re doing another show after you promised me you’d never do it again,’” Matt says.
“I was just a little bit disillusioned by TV, I didn’t want to do reality anymore.
“And then this came up and it is just a lot of fun… I’m not sitting around like on other shows, I don’t have those massive breaks waiting for someone to cook something or score with something or whatever, I just get there, I get changed, there’s no make-up and I’m just freakin’ happy!”
And yes, Matt confirms, there is a dish that instantly sends him back in time: his grandmother’s date scones.
“My grandmother knew how much my brother, myself and my father all loved those scones, so they were always there when we visited,” Matt says.
“It’s one of those memories that I’ll never forget… and to be honest one thing that I’ve never been able to achieve is to make them as good as she did.
“Maybe Maggie could make a date scone for me one day? Maybe that’s the reverse! I’ll get her on the show and she can make me the date scones!”
Memory Bites With Matt Moran starts Monday, March 10, 7.30pm on SBS Food
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