Two years after buying The Rockley Pub in Rockley, NSW, celebrity chef Matt Moran has taken another step to expand his culinary footprint in rural NSW. This has come in the form of a restaurant in Bathurst that Matt plans on turning into a bakery.

“There is currently a restaurant on the site, and I don’t want to open a restaurant in town because it would jeopardise the pub. So I plan to open a bakery and sandwich shop and have some fun serving country items like vanilla slice,” Matt told The Daily Telegraph.

Matt is no stranger to the country, with the town of Rockley (where he purchased The Rockley Pub in 2021 and then later the land around the pub with the view to building luxury accommodation and a general store) being the place where his great-grandfather got married in 1883.

“I love the country and love being part of the local community. I love the farm. I love getting out of the city. I’m really drawn to the country and the produce and the lifestyle,” he said.

“While I would never leave the city for good, I can see myself spending a lot more time there as I get older.”