About Matt

Matt is British-born and grew up traveling extensively by sailboat for 11 years with his family. With a single kerosene stove and no refrigeration, cooking with his parents on a sailboat allowed Matt to learn how to improvise with limited ingredients and equipment.

He worked his first kitchen job in the country of Malta at the age of 15, and graduated from Northern Arizona University with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. With a sudden obsession in the culinary arts, Matt decided the only way to learn the skills he needed was to travel and work in varied locations, under a variety of chefs with very different backgrounds.

He has worked as a restaurant Chef in Flagstaff AZ, Bar Harbor ME, Mallorca Spain, Poole England, stagaire placement at a 3 Michelin star restaurant in London, Portland OR, and finally North Idaho.

Matt is now the Executive Chef at Wildwood Grilling in Sandpoint, where he lives with his wife and 2 daughters. After 18 years working in restaurants, he thoroughly enjoys his day job.

What are you most often grilling?

I do enjoy a good bratwurst.

What are you usually drinking while grilling? 

I am partial to IPA’s and Belgium Ales. Lately smoked beers have really been on my radar.

What’s your favorite thing to cook? 

I love to cook seafood from the Mediterranean in the Mediterranean style.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve eaten?

I worked as a Sous Chef at a Thai pub in the UK for several years. Alan, a Chinese immigrant and restaurant supplier, once gave me a gift that he considered a real delicacy. Jellied duck feet are most certainly weird and I did not enjoy them very much.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve cooked on a grill?

Tripe.

Worst  weather conditions you’ve ever grilled in:

Blizzards in north Idaho, and extreme humidity in Spain.