Co-founder, Nomad Group
Juror
Rebecca Yazbek is the co-founder, and creative and managing director of Nomad Group, a Sydney- and Melbourne-based hospitality company that comprises Nomad Sydney, Nomad Melbourne, Reine and La Rue, and Beau. Founded in 2013 with Nomad Sydney, Yazbek and her now husband Al spotted a gap in the restaurant market for a cellar door in the city. Since opening, Nomad has garnered awards from hats to goblets and is now considered a Sydney Institution.
In 2023, Nomad Group opened Beau in Sydney along with Reine and La Rue, which was awarded best new restaurant in Melbourne. Both restaurants have being lauded for their incredible design.
Prior to opening Nomad Sydney, Rebecca completed a degree in interior architecture at the University of New South Wales and went on to commence her PhD on technology and how it affects the built environment. It was during this process and working in the industry that Rebecca found a passion for restaurants as a microcosm of human interaction. Meeting her partner Al Yazbek, a restaurateur already, cemented her passion, drive and vision in the hospitality space.
As the company has grown, Rebecca is most proud of the achievements of her team. She relishes finding and nurturing talented individuals and aims to create a hospitality company that celebrates quality, craftsmanship and care with integrity and connection to all of the industries and people that support the restaurant sector.
When Rebecca is not working, flying between Sydney and Melbourne or dining out, it is her three small children that she loves to spend time with, preferably in the ocean, swimming.