Toronto celebrity chef Matty Matheson says it was a no-brainer hooking up with KFC
· Toronto Sun
Toronto celebrity chef Matty Matheson continues to put his skillful fingers to good use, hooking up with KFC for a chicken collaboration this month across Canada.
Visit milkshakeslot.com for more information.
After turning down other food deals, Matheson said this offer was just too good.
You could say finger-lickin’ good.
“When I first got the call, I was kind of stoked because I felt like there’s so many new chicken places, but I think KFC is just iconic,” said Matheson, 44, who was in Toronto recently for the launch at the Dundas St. W. KFC.
“I remember when I first moved to Ontario, I lived in this small town and the family next to us, I was in Grade 5, and I remember their dad coming home with a bucket of chicken and it was the first time I saw one in real life. It was one of those things. Friday night, get a bucket of chicken and watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or something.”
Among Matheson’s KFC offerings are the Matty Melt Slider, the $10 Matty Mega Melt Poutine, the Matty Melt Sandwich and the Matty Mega Feast.
So far, the collaboration runs until Feb. 23, but whether it extends beyond that time, Matheson says, “Who knows? I’m open to whatever.”
OPENED A RESTAURANT IN HAMILTON
Outside of his KFC collab, Matheson’s newest T.O.-area restaurant is the Iron Cow Public Restaurant at Hamilton’s TD Coliseum . That venue re-opened after renovations in December, not long after Paul McCartney christened the venue with a show in late November.
“It’s amazing,” said Matheson of the English pub-style 185-seater. “I couldn’t be more proud being in Hamilton. I think the food is unreal. The space is massive and it’s a great place to gather before a show, after a show, y’know. It’s crazy. In my mind, I never thought any of this would happen, so I feel very grateful for the opportunities and stoked that we can feed people.”
His other existing Toronto restaurants include Prime Seafood Palace (PSP), Matty’s Patty’s , Maker Pizza, and Rizzo’s House Of Parm, the latter in Crystal Beach.
Filming fifth season of The Bear
Matheson is also currently shooting the fifth season of the FX huge hit, The Bear (streaming on Disney+), in which he’s played the Chicago restaurant’s loveable handyman Neil Fak.
When the show’s creator Christopher (Storer), who Matheson had already been friends with for a decade, started sniffing around for him to be a show consultant on the pilot, the chef easily graduated to co-star as well.
It helped that he had made many TV appearances on Vice’s Munchies and later hosted shows like Dead Set on Life and It’s Suppertime!
“I had three different shows with Vice, made a lot of television,” said Matheson. “There’s still a video that I put up weekly for on my YouTube channel as well so I think I’m comfortable in front of a camera.”
CAN’T SAY WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE BEAR
And no, he couldn’t tease what lies ahead for the show’s beloved restaurant staff of The Bear .
“Yeah, there’s a lot of time travel, dinosaurs,” he joked. “You think Disney let’s me talk about anything?”
However, he does say there’s a similarity between being on a TV show and running a restaurant.
“Yeah, it’s such a collaborative group effort,” said Matheson. “And it’s this amazing thing where like I’ve been a chef for so long, like (the show creator) is like my chef so I’m a sous chef. So I’m there to produce and help and give opinions and just suggestions and work with all the different departments. It is an amazing thing where everyone is working towards one goal.”
He said he thinks the show’s appeal is “a lot of people identify with going to work. Every single day people are waking up, getting bad news, getting good news. Especially now, things are happening constantly. How are we showing up for each other? And in the restaurant business specifically, we are of service. We are going to work, preparing food, trying to feed you nutrients by cooking it the way we believe is best. People serving you beverages. Trying to make you feel like you belong in this crazy world.”
Matheson, who was born in eastern Canada, has made his home in Fort Erie, Ont., for the last seven years with his family.
After suffering a heart attack at age 29 and getting sober at 31, Matheson says has no future new restaurant plans.
In fact, quite the opposite.
“My dreams right now, to tell you the truth, are to slow down,” he said. “It seems like I’m busier and busier than ever but (I’d like to ) spend more time at home with my family. I’ve got three kids, a beautiful, amazing wife, and I’m trying to find that balance.”