Draft:Rupert Noffs
Rupert Noffs is an Australian singer, actor, cabaret performer and writer. He is the grandson of Reverend Ted Noffs, founder of the Wayside Chapel. Noffs trained at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). He is also known as co-founder of the New York restaurant The Lucky Bee, which received coverage in The New York Times and The New Yorker.
Early life and education
[edit]Noffs is the grandson of the Reverend Ted Noffs, founder of the Wayside Chapel in Sydney’s Kings Cross and co-founder of Lifeline. Rupert studied at The Scots College in Sydney on a scholarship, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).[1]
Career
[edit]Profile coverage
[edit]Noffs was the subject of a profile by writer Lee Tulloch in The Sydney Morning Herald titled "Almost Famous".[2]
In 2026, Noffs was profiled by The Australian Women's Weekly in a feature discussing his experience caring for his mother, Mandy Noffs, during her battle with Alzheimer's disease, as well as his return to performing and connection to the legacy of the Wayside Chapel founded by his grandfather, Reverend Ted Noffs.[3]
Youth and community work
[edit]Noffs has been involved with the Ted Noffs Foundation, a youth organisation supporting young people experiencing drug and alcohol issues.[4]
In 2010 he hosted a visit by Prince William and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to the foundation’s PALM youth program in Sydney.[5]
Fashion and social enterprise
[edit]Noffs co-founded the sneaker label Gideon Shoes, which aimed to produce ethically manufactured footwear in Australia.[6]
Hospitality
[edit]Noffs and chef Matty Bennett co-founded The Lucky Bee, a restaurant which opened on the Lower East Side of New York City before later operating in Australia.
The restaurant was covered in international publications including The New York Times and The New Yorker.[7][8]
The restaurant was later reviewed in The Sydney Morning Herald by food critic Terry Durack.[9]
Noffs and Bennett were also recognised in the Village Voice "Best of New York" awards, which named them "Best Restaurant Couple".[10]
The restaurateurs and their restaurant were profiled by Out magazine.[11]
Performance and media
[edit]Noffs later returned to performing, appearing in cabaret and theatre productions in Australia. His solo cabaret show Broadway, Baby! received a review in theatre publication Stage Whispers. [12] He also appeared as a judge on the Australian television music competition series All Together Now broadcast on the Seven Network.
A review of Choose Bob! 40 Ridiculous Years in Australian Arts Review described his performance as Bob Downe’s nephew Philip McKrevis as "pitch-perfect".[13]
Documentary
[edit]Noffs and his family were featured in the ABC documentary Compass: The New Noffs, which explored the legacy of the Noffs family and the work of the Ted Noffs Foundation.[14]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Compass: The New Noffs". ABC.
- ↑ Tulloch, Lee. "Almost Famous". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ↑ "Rupert Noffs opens up about caring for his mother Mandy Noffs". The Australian Women's Weekly. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ↑ "The amazing Noffs brothers". ABC Listen.
- ↑ "Prince William visits Sydney". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ↑ "Manufacturing malaise". Ragtrader.
- ↑ "Thai Street Food Now at the Lucky Bee on the Lower East Side". The New York Times.
- ↑ "The Lucky Bee's Unconventional Thai Street Food". The New Yorker.
- ↑ "The Lucky Bee review". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ↑ "Best Restaurant Couple". Village Voice.
- ↑ "Husband Restaurateurs Matty Bennett & Rupert Noffs on Love & The Lucky Bee". Out Traveler.
- ↑ "Broadway, Baby! (review)". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ↑ Shearn, Rohan. "Choose Bob! 40 Ridiculous Years". Australian Arts Review.
- ↑ "Compass: The New Noffs". ABC.