Matt

Matt on the Hot Seat

1. What inspired you to become a Chef?

What inspired me? I think I was born a chef, haha! I don’t remember the time I didn’t think I was going to be a chef. I come from a family of chefs and cooking enthusiasts. Although nobody in my family urged me into getting into this industry, I took it upon myself to keep the family legacy alive and I love every moment of it. I don’t know if I will be the last generation of chefs in my family, but as long as I am around, I will always uphold the family treasures of culinary achievements and lip-smacking eateries.

2. Can you share a lesser-known fact about chefs?

Okay here’s a goodie: The “folds” in a chef’s hat are supposed to represent the many ways the chef can cook an egg. I know, the reason looks a lot more sophisticated, maybe the level of expertise of a chef or something of that sort, right? But the actual reason is a lot goofier, and I love to see the expression on people when I reveal it. It was probably some OG chef who came up with this idea, it’s kinda hilarious. 

3. How do you describe your overall cooking philosophy?

Cooking for me is experimenting. I never want to stick to a niche, there’s so much to explore in the culinary world. You might have noticed we expanded the whole restaurant mood and now have a food theme park called Foodland which is a celebration of food anomalies and is our chance to go a bit crazy with our creations. It feels like we’ve achieved the fine-dining, now it’s time to bag the whimsical food, and we do have some other experiments in the works as well. So, my philosophy is… keep experimenting!

4. What would you be if you weren’t a chef?

I don’t see myself being anything other than a chef. But for the sake of answering this question, I’ll say I’d be a good professor. As I’ve gotten more proficient in my kitchen, I have moved to a coaching position in the restaurant with sous chefs. So, considering that aspect of being a chef, I think I’d make a good professor of culinary arts. Wait… I’d however had a hard time being stern with the students when they indulge in mischief. Ughh, I take it back… I am meant to be a chef and chef only, haha.

5. When you’re not busy in the kitchen, what hobbies do you indulge in?

I’m a big travel freak. Most of the travel I do is for inspiration for my next experiment in the restaurant, but I do enjoy the traveling part as well. Escaping into a place that’s so different in terms of culture, people, food, even the air, is refreshing at a whole new level. It’s very enlightening and makes all my worries go away and just be grateful for the life I have.