For me Christmas night is very special, it’s a night I host dinner for family and very close friends. We eat, drink and share special time together that gets locked away in my memory safe. And then there is Boxing Day morning, every year it’s the day for the big clean-up!
Unfortunately, Boxing Day just past was very different from any other. I was woken early by a phone call telling me of the terrible tragedy unfolding on the Sunshine Coast. My dear friend, chef, Matt Golinski’s house had burnt down, his wife, Rachel and his daughters had all perished in the fire and Matt was fighting for his life – and it didn’t look good for him. It felt like a bad dream. I just couldn’t process this information, I don’t remember what happened next, somewhere I lost 2 hours and then the phones rang non-stop and all we could do was wait, hope and pray for our friend, Matt, to make it through.
I met Matt on the set of Ready Steady Cook, eight years ago, when the series first began. There were 10 chefs in the mix and we all quickly formed a bond that is ‘family-like’, I know that sounds clichéd but it’s the truth. As the years turned over some of the chefs moved on to other wonderful shows- Gary Mehigan and George Colombaris to Masterchef and Manu Feildel to My Kitchen Rules, but we all formed close relationships that have continued to this day.
Top Comments
matt your story is amazing and inspiring!!!
A great initiative. I live the closeness of the chef community and the broader community. While I can't imagine his loss and all the pain in his rehabilitation, I can imagine the power that positivity brings. Best wishes for this long and hard road and thanks to Janelle Bloom for her beautiful and inspiring words. I adore that woman!