Under-35 Leaders series: Mathieu Rebelo of Main Street Cafe

The Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce and the Revelstoke Mountaineer are partnering to share our new Young Professionals Series in late May and June. We’ll be profiling select under-35 Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce members to highlight the dynamic new wave of chamber membership and their contributions to local commerce and the community of Revelstoke. The weekly series culminates in a June 23 workshop on cloud commerce hosted by the Kootenay Rockies Innovation Council, followed by a business & beer session at the Big Eddy Pub featuring networking and technology presenters. Here is part V in our ongoing series:

Mathieu Rebelo, Chef/Owner, Main Street Cafe

Revelstoke Mountaineer: What is it that your company does, and what do you do for the company?

Mathieu Rebelo: Main Street Cafe is a well established cafe that has been serving breakfast and lunch for eleven years under the ownership of Shelley Klassen. My wife Anna and I recently purchased the business and we will be operating it under the same name. Our mission is to serve delicious breakfast and lunch all made from scratch using the best fresh, seasonal, and natural ingredients we can source. I am completing renovations and plan to re-open in the coming week or so. Prior to this venture I obtained a Red Seal chef certification, gained professional experience in Canada, Europe, Asia and New Zealand and worked as a sous-chef at the 112 Restaurant for the last three years.

RM: What’s your advice to an ambitious newcomer to the Revelstoke private sector who’s looking to move up?

MR: Take the risk, work hard and believe in yourself. I think that Revelstoke offers a lot of opportunity and has a bright future. It also has amazing people and a very strong sense of community. Everyone seems to know each other so if you work hard and respect others then people here will go out of their way to help you achieve your goals.

Mathieu worked as a chef aboard super-yachts for several years, traveling the world and improvising menus with fresh ingredients from port-side markets. Here, he’s in the Mediterranean off a Greek island. Photo: Contributed by Mathieu Rebelo

Through your professional involvement in Revelstoke, what positive benefits do you deliver to the community?

During my career I was fortunate enough to live and work in a lot of different parts of the world and I plan on using everything that I learned from my travels to bring different influences into the food at the Main Street. I think I will also bring benefit to the community by making ethical decisions while operating the cafe. I believe the food and agriculture industry is seriously compromised by big corporations making decisions that put their profit above the people and the environment. As a chef/owner I have the opportunity to choose to buy and serve ingredients that come from local farmers and reputable sources that share the same values as I do.

More than anyone, what individual (outside of your family) inspires you the most?

Most of my inspiration comes from the people I meet that have a positive attitude. Anyone that can fully enjoy the present regardless of their struggle or misfortune is inspiring to me. Professionally I have had the chance to work with a lot of great chefs and they have all had an influence on my career.

Mathieu snowboarding at CMH. Photo: Brodie Smith

What’s your biggest accomplishment in your professional career?

Having my own restaurant is my biggest accomplishment although I am yet to serve a customer! It has been my dream for a long time and I am happy to finally be able to work hard for myself. Prior to this, working as a private chef on a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean was an amazing experience and a great way to see that part of the world.

Share a secret with our readers about doing business in Revelstoke.

I feel like Revelstoke has a lot more secrets to share with me about doing business than I do and I am always ready to listen and I look forward to learning.

What are some passion projects you’re involved with outside of work?

To be honest planning to own my own restaurant has been my passion project for quite some time. I also recently joined the Columbia Valley Skateboard Association as a director. Growing up I spent most of my time at the skatepark and feel like it helped me in so many ways. I am happy to be involved with the group and to be contributing to build an amazing skatepark for this community.

Why do you choose to be a member of the Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce?

I think the chamber is a great network of local businesses and a good way to support initiatives that bring positive impact to our local economy.

What’s your go-to saying?

Work hard, play hard

When I’m not at work I’m:

In the shower or sleeping! Before I bought a restaurant I enjoyed snowboarding, mountain biking, camping, paddling and fishing.

How can Revelstoke Mountaineer readers connect with you?

[email protected]
250-837-6888
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Main-Street-Cafe-Revelstoke/