Emerging leaders in wine and hospitality win scholarship

Jason Barratt from Supernormal in Brisbane and Caitlin Baker from Pilot and Such & Such in Canberra have been awarded the 2025 Tranche Scholarship.

Now in its third year, the scholarship is led by Michael Hill-Smith AM MW (chairman) and his daughter Mathilda Hill-Smith (director) from Shaw + Smith.

The annual scholarship of $15,000 is awarded to emerging leaders in the Australian wine and hospitality industry.

“This year saw the strongest pool of applications to date, with an extraordinary breadth of talent across Australia’s hospitality industry,” Mathilda says.

Jason Barratt is the executive chef at Supernormal. He honed his skills at some of Australia’s most celebrated restaurants including Attica, Stokehouse, Rae’s on Wategos and Paper Daisy at Halcyon House, and co-founded cult sandwich shop Hector’s Deli.

Passionate about sustainable seafood, he plans to use the Tranche Scholarship to stage at some of the world’s most progressive seafood restaurants and visit California-based non-profits, FishWise and Seafood Watch.

His trip will allow him to explore how different restaurants and countries are responding to shared environmental and ethical challenges and bring this global perspective back to Australia.

Jason Barratt.

Caitlin Baker is chief of staff at Canberra venues Pilot and Such & Such, where she has become known for her thoughtful approach to team culture and leadership.

In 2024, she was named Sommelier of the Year (NSW & ACT) by the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide. Alongside her work at Pilot and Such & Such, Caitlin has been the driving force behind industry initiatives Venus Vinifera and Subject Matters, who aim to increase tenure in hospitality and create a connected and educated hospitality community.

Caitlin plans to use the Tranche Scholarship to attend the MAD Symposium in Copenhagen and visit other grassroots initiatives overseas that are reimagining hospitality culture.

She will then apply these experiences directly to her work with Venus Vinifera and Subject Matters.

Mathilda Hill-Smith, Tranche Scholarship Director: “The Tranche Scholarship is about investing in people who will shape our industry.

“Jason and Caitlin don’t just talk about the future, they’re actively building it – what they learn overseas will translate into better kitchens, better dining rooms and ultimately a better hospitality industry in Australia.”

In 1988, Michael became the first Australian to pass the Master of Wine examination.

He is a co-founder of Shaw + Smith, Tolpuddle Vineyard and MMAD Vineyard, and co-chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards in London. He has long been a champion of Australian fine wine.

Mathilda has worked with the likes of Domaine Clarence Dillon, Château de Santenay and Berry Bros. & Rudd in London, and is now based in the Adelaide Hills with Shaw + Smith.

A freelance food and travel writer, she contributes to publications such as Escape. Mathilda was recognised in Harpers Wine & Spirits’ 30 Under 30 Faces of the Future in 2021.

Previous winners

Nina Throsby, group sommelier at Gibney and Shorehouse in Western Australia.
Lily Lapper, restaurant manager of Merivale’s iconic venue Mr Wong in NSW.
Georgie Davidson Brown, head sommelier at Chiswick Woollahra in NSW.
Sam Bray, head chef at Manky Sally’s, Taphouse of Moo Brew, owned by MONA’s David Walsh in Tasmania.

Main photo: Caitlin Baker.