ANDREW MATTHEWS
Andrew Matthews was born in Melbourne, Australia, the youngest of three children. His mother Helen, a pharmacist, and father Geoff, a cardiovascular physician lived in Paris for several years where his mom studied culinary arts. Being raised in a family that appreciated food and wine, by the age of 16 Andrew began considering cooking as a career (much to his parents' dismay). He took a part-time job after school in a restaurant in Melbourne doing prep and applied to the William Angliss Institute of Technology, at first majoring in Food Science and then moving on to receive a Culinary Arts Degree.
After culinary school, Andrew was hired at La Madrague helmed by the French chef Jacques Heraudeau who had taken the concept of the original La Madrague from the South of France to Melbourne. The many French chefs and cooks he was surrounded by told tales of working in the great kitchens of Europe and urged Andrew to test his mettle by cooking overseas. Andrew spent the next two years on a culinary journey working in London, France, Scotland, Spain and New York, staging at Gramercy Tavern in NYC. He worked at Aubergine in London under Chef Gordon Ramsay for over a year leaving as a "commie chef". Returning to Melbourne, he was Chef de Partie at Fenix under chef owners Raymond Capoldi and Gary Meaghan who were major influences on him. They were pioneers in food-science techniques and Andrew's passion for progressive, innovative experimentation with food was encouraged. At 26, Andrew was Chef de Cuisine and Sous Chef under Chef John Lepp at the internationally acclaimed restaurant The European in Melbourne and found himself in charge of a staff of twenty-six. Andrew now felt ready to take on the challenge of New York. He set his sights on Gramercy Tavern. His older brother, a successful businessman living in New York, encouraged Andrew to enter a "green card lottery" which he won. He came to New York and worked as a junior sous chef under Tom Colicchio and John Schaefer at Gramercy Tavern. He then had the opportunity to open Boqueria under Seamus Mullen, one of the best Spanish chefs in the country, and spent two years there as chef de cuisine followed by an executive sous chef position at Town Restaurant.
Andrew was the Chef de Cuisine at One if by Land, Two if by Sea for over a year until being promoted to the position of Executive Chef. He has a passion and fascination for working with fresh, locally sourced ingredients and describes his food as modern American with a Mediterranean influence.
