Chef Matthew Lewis

Chef Matthew Lewis

I come from a long line of excellent cooks, all originating from Louisiana. Family gatherings and local events always surrounded the production and consumption of high quality food. One could say that my passion for the restaurant industry comes from my upbringing.

I began working in the food and beverage industry at the age of 15 with a position at Dairy Queen. At 16, I moved to become a server at a local cajun restaurant, where I was given the opportunity to cook for lunch on the weekends. At LaGrange College, where I graduated with a BA in English, I spent my professional time working as a combination server, barista, and bartender at the French style Ou La La cafe. 

Just before beginning my first semester in graduate school, I took up a summer position at a local pizza restaurant in Covington, LA. I loved my time there and was left hungry for more than just a few month's experience. Graduate school didn't feel like my true passion, so I finished the semester strong and left to pursue a career in cooking.

I landed a line cooking job at Kevin Rathbun Steak in Atlanta, GA--a Prime steak house that consistently ranks nationally in its category and makes 100% of its food from scratch. During a 2 year stint, I made my way through the line gaining skills at each station. Following my time working for the talented Chef Rathbun and his similarly talented chef de cuisines, I moved on to pursue an academic foundation at the Culinary Institute of America.

I graduated with honors from the Culinary Institute of America, earning the Brillat Savarin Professional Medal of Merit. During my tenure at the Institute, I spent my externship period spending March to August of 2013 working under the wonderful and extremely educational tutelage of the acclaimed Blue Hill at Stone Barns under Chef Dan Barber and his team. During this time, I learned so much about what it is to be a cook, have rigorously upheld standards, and a baseline knowledge of products .

Following graduation, I joined the team at Fish and Game restaurant in Hudson, NY. Chef Zak Pelaccio and his team create weekly tasting menus based on the bounty of the region, sourcing all of its products from a 40 mile radius. Here I learned how to create a "food system" and use nature's bounty year round--utilizing fermentation, pickling, and canning during the cold months and fresh produce when during the growing season. 

I am most interested in pursuing food that is beautiful in ever sense of the term: aesthetically, ideologically, and in terms of flavor. My background is American, Southern American, and French style cuisine. Other special regional expertise includes New Orleans Creole/Cajun, as well as Georgia and Low Country Southern cuisine including Barbecue.

I have experience with vegetarian cuisine as well as cooking for clients with food allergies and those who are picky eaters. The challenge of creating menus alongside a client and creatively deriving solutions to fit their needs excites me.

Client Testimonials

  • Just want to let you know that the dinner was a great success. My husband loved it - and he's a tough critic, and I actually managed to surprise him (very hard to do). Chef Matt did a fantastic job, the food was absolutely delicious, and everything went smoothly, from the cheese platter through the soup and main course. A great time was had by all. Thanks for coordinating this, and special thanks to Chef Matt for pulling it off.

    Janet C.
  • Delicious!!!! Unanimous by all even my finicky little guy. And my daughter could not believe it was all gluten free.

    Allison B.
  • Last night’s cooking class with our 4 kids went great. Matt was very nice and the food was yummy as always. We had enough leftovers that we'll be enjoying it tonight!

    Lori M.
  • We had a wonderful time with Chef Matt at the cooking class. He was very knowledgeable and really helped us with our skills. It was a lot of fun and he did a great job with the class. Thank you both so much, we really loved it.

    Adam W.

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