Matt Abdoo knows food has the unique ability to connect and uplift people. It’s something he learned at a young age and saw repeatedly reconfirmed throughout his culinary career. He calls this the “power of food,” and every meal he cooks is a celebration of that power. “Humanity so deeply needs to remember that there is one thing connecting us all, and it’s our need to eat.” Matt sees this power of food everywhere, and his life has been dedicated to sharing it with those around him.
Matt is a pioneer of “yankee-style barbeque” (a term he coined for pushing the bounds of traditional barbeque), but his culinary exploration started long before his time as an award-winning pit master. From his Italian-Lebanese family’s kitchen, to his freshman dorm’s kitchenette, to his time at a number of prestigious restaurants, Matt is a classically trained chef whose list of diverse culinary accomplishments is a departure from anything “low and slow.”
After completing his bachelor’s degree, Matt graduated as valedictorian from the Culinary Institute of America, and dove right into the culinary world. He made a name for himself once again, this time in fine dining. He cooked at restaurants like Pigalle and Marco in Boston, Il Ricchi and Il Rossellino in Italy, and Del Posto Restaurant in New York City, where he was made Chef di Cuisine after just two years. With those experiences behind him, Matt is deeply (and gladly) entrenched in both the business and craft of food, cultivating a sense of balance that proves integral to how he moves through the world. “You can’t not be in both sides,” he says. “It’s about the business and also the quality of the hospitality and experience.”
