Matt Waldron

How long has Lulo been open, Matt?

12 years.

Wow. That’s a long time and it is such a great local, isn’t it? Still buzzing.

Yes it is.

I see that you’re doing amazing things like vegan ceviche, so as well as consistency, I guess it’s also about getting new people in. Is that the secret?

We need to be working with a modern concept in terms of diversity with clientele. Everyone has a wellness choice or a dietary choice so you have to take that on board as a business owner and chef.

Not all chefs are happy to do that though, are they?

We’ve always had that approach. We’ve always looked after dietary requirements, regardless of whether they are gluten free or coeliac or have religious beliefs that mean they need to avoid certain foods. We have always gone over and above.

Is that easy to do, working with a specific cultural cuisine?

With my modern approach, it’s easier. I specialise in fresher ingredients and we make a lot of things in-house, so we have the flexibility of plus and minusing ingredients to make sure we are delivering the correct dish.

I read that Lulo was inspired by a trip through South America.

Lulo is inspired by my wife, Michelle. She is from Colombia. The concept of the restaurant was a dedication to her. I have always loved all things South American. I opened the restaurant as a Spanish restaurant 12 years ago because no one would have heard of South America then and I have slowly developed the restaurant to what it is today. To the extent that we are currently getting a local brewer to brew us a lager on tap that is in a South American style. We’re getting behind the brand.

Before you opened Lulo, what was your background as a chef?

Numerous city restaurants, Yarra Valley, hatted restaurants, travelling and working in Europe. I’ve been in Melbourne 20 years. The first few restaurants in Melbourne were in Southbank; a lot of seafood restaurants, fine-dining. I was the head chef of local icon, Di Palma’s for four years. I helped them open their Kew restaurant in 1998. 

Italian food wasn’t my passion but back then when you’re young, you’re thinking about money and living. Then I found this opportunity to express what I wanted to express.

Did you always want to be a chef? Was that something that you knew you wanted to do?

When I was growing up, I had a grandmother who had a massive influence on my life in terms of cooking and creating things from nothing. She was a very old-school lady, an English teacher. She made everything. I still use some of her dessert recipes. I think that influence growing up with her gave me a connection to cooking. I studied Law as well. Sometimes when you’re young, you take opportunities. I pursued cooking because I saw a big future in it.

You didn’t start cooking in Melbourne then?

I started in Albury-Wodonga. I’m a north-east Victorian, born and raised. I went to school in Wangaratta. As soon as I finished high school I looked for opportunities in a bigger town and that was Albury. I quickly took over kitchens a couple of years into my apprenticeship. I feel as though I have been a manager my whole life. I’m a very self-taught chef, but you’re learning all the time. 

I think I got to the top of my game there. It took working in the best fine dining restaurant in Albury to realise this is not enough. I was thirsty for more. I didn’t have intentions to move to Melbourne, but I saw an opening in my life and thought, I’m going to go for it! Here I am 20 years on.

Obviously, it was the right choice.

I think so.

It’s such a hard job. There’s a lot of talk about the pressure, and the heat and the often very small kitchens and a demanding public. Has the public over the course of 20 years become more demanding and critical, do you think?

I suppose critical is a word. People have access to a lot more information today. People are a lot more food savvy. We get that and that’s why we try and stay a bit ahead of the game, using different ingredients, delivering a service in-house, in that we provide some education on the food, which can be novel to some people. We have shows like MKR and MasterChef and they can really change how people see things but at the same time, you can’t go past the real things and as you say, it can be a tough environment.  

How do you stay ahead of the game?

I don’t think I market enough. We do run Instagram and Facebook, but I think there’s more we can do.

In terms of you being out there to see what other people are doing and then staying ahead of that, what do you do?

I’m the diamond in the rough in the area. This area is heavily populated with Italian and Asian restaurants. I want to put something on the plate that you can’t do at home, that’s special and memorable, and doesn’t taste like anything else you can get around town. I want you to come to my restaurant because you need to eat my food and experience our cocktails, our wines and the service we provide.

Where do all those ideas for innovative flavour come from?

I’m inspired by a lot of things. But I also really know the area. I’ve been in and around this area for 20 years working in different restaurants, I think I know the Hawthorn and Kew clientele. 

The food is based on an idea I’ve had. It might be based on a traditional dish and then I reinterpret it into mine. Nothing is original, but I like to have my take on it. I’m the filter. I’m Australian, I’m not from South America. I’m a professional chef applying a technique to a dish.

What would your advice be to young chefs wanting to get into the industry?

The big emphasis on any career is research. There are a lot of believers out there who think this is the most amazing career because of shows like MasterChef, but that’s all a dream. At the end of the day, it’s hard work. If you’re not a creative person, you’re going to struggle in the industry eventually. You might be a workhorse earlier on, and you might earn your stripes, but if you’re not creative, I think the industry will eat you up. It is a dying industry and I’m worried about it.

I’m going to do a degustation in Northern Victoria at a local TAFE to try and restore the industry and bring back some life into the industry. I was approached by them to do a degustation because they are having the same problems in the country. They don’t have the staff anymore and the young people see it as way too hard. I want to try and give back to the community.

I’m working with the Mayor of Wangaratta to become a chef ambassador because I still love the area and I want to get behind the farmers and producers and that also helps young people fall in love with restaurants and cooking. You need to inspire people.

I wonder why it does feel so hard for young people now.

If you talk about 10 years ago when the café industry took off, it took off in a way that gave chefs a new life. That did create a work-life balance because they were working from 6 in the morning until 3.30 in the afternoon, which was the total opposite of what they had been doing. How many cafes opened in the last 10 years? Probably triple the number of restaurants that opened. Has there been an influx? Yes definitely. But those cafes are slowly closing. They’re working out that their overheads are more than they anticipated, and those chefs get burned out. The late nights and not seeing you families and so on, yes, that was hard, but I think the cafes mimicked that but on a different scale.

I hadn’t really thought about it that way. Now, just to get back to your food. You change your menu seasonally, so what are some of the features you’re looking forward to for autumn?

I am looking down the barrel of autumn, although it might be prematurely. People don’t know it but fish is seasonal. Things like yellowfin tuna, one of our signature dishes is very seasonal and a little over-fished, to be honest. Now I’m taking more of a sustainable approach and it feels a bit bold to take tuna off my menu, but I don’t want to compromise sustainability and I want to be conscious of those things. The ocean will dictate what we have on the menu.

What will the highlights be in terms of product?

Still certain green vegies. You’ll start seeing new season Brussel sprouts.

I love Brussel sprouts. When I was going up, everyone hated them because our mothers just boiled them, but nowadays they have a whole new life.

I’ve been doing Brussel sprouts for 10 years. I do like to celebrate the vegetable I’m doing. When we move on to pumpkin, I’ll feature a pumpkin dish that has pumpkin done two or three ways, something you’re not going to get anywhere else.

Lulo

798 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn