MATTHEW (FRONT ROW, SECOND FROM LEFT) DURING HIS TIME IN MISSOURI
Five years ago, Matthew Bomford was on the other side of the world immersing himself into a soccer scholarship in America. Now he is the face of the next wave of Tasmanian hospitality emerging stars. W hen the room fell quiet as the presenters prepared to announce the Rising Star awards at the AHA National Awards for Excellence in late November, Matthew Bomford admits he was already bracing himself to clap politely for someone else. After all, the category has long been dominated by the heavyweights interstate – often those from major population centres where big budgets, big venues, and even bigger professional networks tend to shape careers. Instead, a 26-year-old from Hobart, who stumbled into hospitality only a few years ago with zero experience and a fair amount of nervous energy, heard his name called. And just like that, Tasmania had its first national Rising Star winner since 2010. “I was very shocked on the night. I really expected the classic New South Wales or Victorians to win those awards, but to be the first Tassie guy in 15
years, it was a bit overwhelming, a bit of a shock,” Matthew says on taking out the Hotel Industry Rising Star (General Division) category. “It’s really hard to quantify. It’s really feels amazing to get the recognition for the hours that you do put in. Hospitality can be an unforgiving business so getting that recognition for the hard work and the growth is really great.” Now full-time at St. Albi Bar + Eatery, Matthew didn’t begin his journey dreaming of managing bars or shaping guest experiences. In 2020, he was living a young 20-something’s dream, attending college on a soccer scholarship in the United States, studying education and sports science in Missouri and imagining a future on the field or in the classroom.
Then everything changed.
“I was living in the States when Covid started really hitting, and I didn’t want to get stuck over there, so I came back home. I was unemployed for a little while, and I started running out of funds, so I knew I had better start looking for a job,” he says. “I reached out to a few places, and obviously businesses were slowing down so they weren’t
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Tasmanian Hospitality Review December/January Edition
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