Chef Matty Matheson Serves Up Truth with a Side of Mayo
Chef Matty Matheson is a Canadian culinary rock star and one of the most evocative and provocative names in food.
His signature no-holds-barred attitude, bottomless enthusiasm and creative approach to comfort food have culminated in a meteoric rise that’s been incredible to behold, catapulting him from the kitchen to television, restaurants and pop ups, cookbooks, collaborations, apparel, social media superstardom, and now grocery aisles. Known for bold flavour combinations and a charismatic, unfiltered charm that has captivated audiences worldwide, Matty recently launched Matheson Food Company, a retail line based on family recipes that breathes new life and character into pantry staples like BBQ sauces, salad dressings, and macaroni and cheese.
We connected with Matty to talk food, fame, and the magic of mayo…
MM: How has your journey from being a chef to a successful restaurateur and now a multifaceted foodservice entrepreneur shaped your perspective on the industry?
Chef Matty Matheson: I think it has fortified my love of the industry, and my love of restaurants. Everything I do outside of restaurants helps to feed into the restaurants, and the restaurants feed into everything else that I do—it goes hand in hand. At the core of it, in my mind, I am always a 26-year-old chef and my first love is restaurants; it always has been. Cooking in restaurants has given me everything and now I’m just learning to do new things outside of that world. But it begins and ends with restaurants every single day.
MM: What inspired you to look beyond traditional restaurant settings?
MM: I want to make restaurants that are true to myself. Everything starts with a feeling, a thought or a moment. Prime Seafood Palace is based on my love of growing up and going into my grandfather’s restaurant on Prince Edward Island called Blue Goose. Matty’s Patty’s came from a pop up I did in Hawaii where we gave out free cheeseburgers. Cà Phê Rang is my love and respect towards the person who gave me so much at an early age, at Le Select Bistro, Rang. Rizzo’s is a love story to my wife’s family. Every single thing that I have done correlates to a real moment and a real story and that’s what I’m going to continue doing, making things that have shaped me as a person. I feel that’s the most original and most creative.
MM: Can you share the concept behind your other brands, Rosa Rugosa and Matheson Food Company, and how they reflect your evolution?
MM: It’s all about creating. I love clothes, I love cookware… it was a natural progression. It was something I have always wanted to do.
I have said during interviews in the past that if I was to do something outside of cooking it would be in the fashion world. My love of clothes is real. It’s another way to show who you are. Good products take time and concern, it’s the same whether it’s clothes, food, condiments, cookware. Quality doesn’t lie, it’s about holding a standard.
MM: What elements of your new ventures are most important to you and how have they been received so far?
MM: I think the thing I truly love, about all our businesses that we have, is how small we keep them and that we do a lot of it—if not all of it—ourselves.
We are a small, independent company; we don’t have a huge roster of employees, we are working together to figure it out and make things happen. We are constantly creating and problem solving, whether it be a new concept, a new design, a new flavour or recipe, and we approach it as a tight knit team. I think it’s been received well. We take our time, and people are happy when they receive our product.
MM: You’ve just launched the “Real Talk with Matty” campaign with Hellmann’s mayonnaise. It may seem counterintuitive to some for a decorated chef to align with a heritage condiment brand. How did the partnership with Hellmann’s come to life and why does it make sense for you and your brand?
MM: I don’t believe it’s counterintuitive, I’ve always loved Hellmann’s, I was brought up on Hellmann’s. I’ve eaten it my whole life and we use it at our restaurants. I think this is an incredible partnership and it’s great to work with them—their mayonnaise is the best.
I’ve used Hellmann’s products multiple times in various videos over the last 14 years of my career, I use it in my cookbooks and my restaurants. Making mayonnaise is cool sometimes, but Hellmann’s is a go-to product.
MM: In a world where food cost is increasingly challenging for operators, does developing recipes using foundational brands and products make more sense to you than it might have previously?
MM: Absolutely. In the past, I wanted to make every single thing in house, from scratch, but my mindset has evolved a lot over the years.
During the pandemic we had our pop up, Matty Matheson’s Meat + Three, we opened Matty’s Patty’s, Cà Phê Rang, and even Rizzo’s. During that time, we started sourcing products from other companies, which meant we didn’t have to make every single thing in house for it to be a good menu item. We go through gallons of mayonnaise a week at Matty’s Patty’s as the base of our sauce. Instead of having it made from scratch, we use Hellmann’s. I think everyone wins—we have a great, consistent product, the cost works, and we can put out good food at an approachable price and ultimately feed more people.
I pride myself on that and see that as a success.
MM: What’s the secret sauce for a great collaborative experience between two strong and well-defined brands?
MM: Truly believing in each other is when it really hits. Something special happens when we come together to create something new and exciting and fun. It’s the best.
MM: Can you share three pieces of hard-earned personal advice for your colleagues and hopefuls in the foodservice and hospitality sector?
MM: Please don’t quit, believe in yourself, and be dumb enough to jump.
About Chef Matty Matheson | IG: @mattymatheson
Internationally recognized chef and personality Matty Matheson has been breaking barriers since his cooking debut. His expansive career has brought many opportunities to the chef, restaurateur, two-time New York Times best-selling author (Matty Matheson: A Cookbook and Home Style Cookery), executive producer and television personality. Matty’s presence in culture has grown exponentially in recent years as he’s developed a number of companies outside the almost half a dozen restaurants he owns and operates; from his made in Canada workwear apparel brand Rosa Rugosa, to his home goods brand Matheson Cookware and food product brand Matheson Food Company, to his role as an executive producer and actor in the hit TV show The Bear, Matty has brought his unique personality to the world in a variety of ways. In addition to the forthcoming season of The Bear, Matty recently announced that his third cookbook, Soups, Salads, Sandwiches, will be released on October 22 through Ten Speed.
