“In those days, that was pretty unusual for an Australian to do that,” he says.
“Most of the chefs were from overseas and they headed up all the kitchens in Australia; and there weren’t that many kitchens anyway. There weren’t that many restaurants.”
The business of food wasn’t new to McCloskey. His father’s family had a large bakery business, delivering bread, pastries and cakes, he explains. And while he wasn’t a baker himself, the business created a world of cooking and hospitality around him.
“My dad died when I was 10, so I took on the role of cooking family meals from a very young age, and it was something I was very comfortable with, being in the kitchen. I just love the kitchen, love chefs.”
Apprenticing under some of the country’s leading chefs and in the kitchen of some of the most impressive restaurants, McCloskey progressed from executive chef to food and beverage manager.
“It was interesting,” he says, “because I’d never wanted to step into front of house. I love the kitchen. I really, really loved the culture, chefs and food. So when they offered me the position, they really talked me into it and said that they felt I had the ability to be able to lead large teams of people, and wanted me to try, so they trained me in front of house.”
Following an award win, he was picked up by Hilton to open the Brisbane Hilton, eventually opening his own business, the Mode Group, when he was 30.
Quickly growing into a successful catering business, McCloskey says those 12 years brought about incredible highs and lows and some tough lessons.
“We sold [the business] after 12 years,” he explains, “and it ended up being a bad situation where we didn’t get paid for the company. It was a horrible situation. And to be honest with you, I nearly lost my life at that point,” he says, calling it a very dark time where he lost everything. Even his health and personal relationships took significant hits.
“I think there were many lows with my first business. I definitely didn’t understand cash flow. We grew very quickly and we were always a little bit on the back foot financially. It meant that I worked enormous hours to be able to keep the business afloat,” he says.
“Not from a creative perspective, but more from a financial perspective, I really learned the importance of never going into debt, managing cash flow and keeping the growth controlled. It’s so easy when you’re successful to just keep taking your contracts and growing, and then all of a sudden, you realise you’re in crisis.”
Starting The Fresh Collective was about a fresh start, he says, not necessarily fresh food.
“I got back on my feet and decided to start all over again… the second business, it was wonderful, having the experience of starting a company and running a company for 12 years.”
He says the previous experience allowed him to avoid similar mistakes and create a business that focuses solely on high-quality food. It’s allowed significant growth, partnering with iconic public venues, art institutions and corporate events nationwide.
It was also during that turbulent time, McCloskey says he reconnected with his love of theology and found faith – a passion that’s leading him to his next role as an assistant minister.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” he says as he steps back from The Fresh Collective, handing the reins to the existing chief operating officer, Carl Contractor, who was announced as The Fresh Collective’s new CEO in December 2025.
Over McCloskey’s 30-plus years of culinary experience, he says plenty of trends have come and gone, but few things have dramatically improved the Australian food industry as much as education around food quality and the contribution of immigration.
He credits the rise of shows like MasterChef to the overall boost in the average Australian’s understanding of food quality, as well as the improved accessibility we didn’t have three decades ago.
Likewise, immigration and its diversity of culinary expertise have also dramatically improved the food scene.
“Our chefs in Australia, we’ve got this beautiful produce, and then we sort of adapt, we learn from other cultures and adapt their cooking techniques with our produce and we create something new, which I think…we do in Australia better than anywhere else.”
Confident Contractor will continue to lead with the same ethos that’s brought much success to The Fresh Collective, McCloskey says he’s incredibly excited to see what’s ahead.
“I’ll stay on the side doing projects, so I’m still a little bit involved,” he says, indicating he’ll assist in the tendering process.
“We’re constantly looking at how we can improve…that’s just in our DNA,” he says.
