Matt Larkin, Director of Culinary
What do pizza, grilled pork on jasmine rice, and a cheeseburger have in common?
Matt Larkin has all of them as tattoos!
If that’s not a testament to his love for all things food and cooking, Matt’s culinary background sure is.
Matt began his career in Vietnam as a chef at Pasteur Street Brewing Co. which led him to Hong Kong where he worked the wood fire grill and expedited dinner services at one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in the city. These experiences granted Matt the opportunity to travel to many memorable places in search of good food: He has harvested coffee cherries, shaken durian from trees, and haggled for seafood fresh off the boat before grilling it up on the beach at sunrise.
The memories of his travels, especially the people who have influenced him and the flavors he will never forget, have tremendously impacted the way he cooks.
Though he has traveled far and wide for food, Matt’s home state of Ohio also has been an integral part of his culinary journey. In Ohio, Matt was lucky enough to work part-time on a local organic farm, and being a part of the process from seed to plate has surely inspired Matt’s approach to cooking. His hometown of Columbus is where Matt joined Chapman’s Eat Market and helped open a restaurant that would be named one of the 50 Most Exciting in 2021 by the NY Times. At Chapmans, Matt was able to showcase what it means to him to be a chef by planning two special dinners: A Vietnamese themed dinner where he was able to introduce people to ingredients he came to love in Vietnam, and a Juneteeth celebration that included partnering with a Black-owned community organization to serve a Black Panther Party inspired free lunch program, and a 5-course dinner menu celebrating the legacy of Ms. Edna Lewis.