Chef Matthew Kenney
Owner, and Executive Chef of Matthew's in New York City

brad : Welcome to the TABASCO Chat. Please submit your questions to Chef Matthew Kenney of Matthew's.

brad : Chef Kenney is in the house.

brad : Do you have any opening comments?

chefkenney : It's beautiful here in New York.

Nathan F. Taylor : How did you get to be a chef?

chefkenney Well, that was a combination of luck, and coincidence. I was working in a Sicilian restaurant and I realized at that point that the best way to own a restaurant would be a chef as well. So I went to the French Culinary Institute, and i continued on my cooking career until I was lucky enough to be offered a job as a chef. i think the most important thing is to work in the right places under the right chefs and get a good background. So it was a combination of doing that and also meeting--i was very lucky--in meeting people who needed a chef.

Olivia : Where is Mathew's located in NY city?

chefkenney : Upper East Side on 61st Street and 3rd Ave., one block north of Bloomingdale's

food : what is your signature dish?

chefkenney : I would say Moroccan spiced crab cakes. And it's a combination of my upbringing in Maine and my travels in the Mediterranean.

Olivia : how long have you been cooking? did you cook before you became a chef?

chefkenney : I've been cooking about 9 years and the only cooking before I became a chef was for myself.

brad : you are a fast learner..

chefkenney {action: } laughs hysterically.

chefkenney : is nine years fast? thank you

Olivia : have you cooked anywhere outside of NY city?

chefkenney : no. i haven't. Not as a profession, but I have cooked in many places outside of NY as a guest chef and teaching.

food : where else have you traveled to study cooking?

chefkenney : Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Greece, Italy, France, Turkey

brad : What is the biggest difference between cooking from those areas and american cooking?

chefkenney : Probably the quality of ingredients. Although I have to say that it's becoming much easier to find those ingredients in this country... the gap is narrowing.

brad : How has American Cuisine affected those areas cuisines?

chefkenney : I'm not sure that American cuisine has affected those cusines, but American cuisine has been affected by those cuisines... made fresher and lighter.

Nathan F. Taylor : What is your favorite type of food?

chefkenney : To cook: Mediterranean. To eat: Japanese.

food : what is your favorite spice and why?

chefkenney : My favorite spice is cardamon. I think it's the one spice that can transform an ordinary dish into something exotic.

Olivia : is it hard to get into the French Culinary Institute? do you have to "audition"?

chefkenney : No, it's not that hard to get into the school. You need to write an essay, but most people with a passion for cooking can get in. But once you're in, you need to perform quite well to stay in.

Olivia : where have you been a guest chef? have you "guested" anywhere in Miami?

chefkenney : I've been a guest chef all over the world, in dozens of places. But never in Miami.

food : if you could cook elsewhere professionally, where would it be?

chefkenney : Probably Napa valley.

food : where was your favorite place to visit?

chefkenney : I would say Morocco.

blzebub : Give some examples of spices and ingredients that are unique to some of those geographic areas.

brad : good question.

chefkenney : The most common in Morocco would be couscous, coriander, cumin, lamb, olives, and almonds.

Olivia : do you ever make "malfoof" (stuffed cabbage leaves) a lebanese dish?)

chefkenney : Oh, I have never had that.

Olivia : do you cook lamb

chefkenney : Yes, all my restaurants have lamb.

Olivia : what is the best cut of the lamb?

chefkenney : The best cut for me is the shank.

Olivia : have you cooked anywhere outside of NY city?

chefkenney : No, I have not.

food : have you ever been anything besides a chef?

chefkenney : Well I graduated from college in pre-law, and I had one job before I started working in restaurants at Christie's auction house.

brad : did you get to handle any cool merchandise?

chefkenney : No, I worked in the press department promoting the larger auctions.

food : wow, prelaw to chef, that is a big difference!

chefkenney : Well it was a big difference, but it is becoming closer and closer all of the time.

brad : Do you have a disclaimer for raw Oysters?

chefkenney : No, I have never had a problem with them!

cro : how long have you been cooking?

chefkenney : 9 years.

Olivia : what was your favorite place in France?

chefkenney : You know I have traveled less extensively in France than in any of the other countries, but my favorite is the little cafes where you can get socca.

Olivia : socca- a dish?, or music? what's the dish made of?

chefkenney : It's a dish, traditionally known as a chickpea pancake. It's a bready dish made with chickpea flour and a lot of olive oil.

food : did you not realize you wanted to be a chef when you started law school?

chefkenney : Right I didn't realize at that time.

Olivia : can you give any hints for cooking lamb at home?

chefkenney : It's probably easier to cook lean cuts of lamb at home such as a loin or a lambchop which can be done on top of the stove. And for those cuts I would recommend a marinade of spices and yogurt.

cro : yogurt?

brad : as a marinade? do you dilute it?

chefkenney : As a marinade, yogurt is a great tenderizer. I dilute it, by mixing it with olive oil honey, lemon juice, coriander, garlic, chili powder and marinade it overnight.

brad : do you prepare flatbreads? and how can we do them at home?

chefkenney : Yes, and one of my restaurants Mezze is a concept based on flatbreads. We use a flatbread for sandwiches and for pizza. It is the most popular part of the restaurant.,

brad : how can make them at home?

chefkenney : It's quite easy actually... you can make it with a rolling pin. There's a really easy recipe in my book. Basically, it's not all that different from a pizza dough, but the proportions are different and traditionally, it's made without yeast. Although time to time we do use yeast in smaller amounts because we like the airiness that the yeast gives it.

brad : What is the name of your book - can we order it from amazon.com?

chefkenney : The name is matthew kenney's mediterranean cooking... and yes, you can.

food : do you bake lots of desserts at Matthew's? What is you specialty if so?

chefkenney : We have a very good pastry chef, and my favorite dessert at the moment is the almond milk soaked cake. It's an almond cake soaked in almond milk so it's very moist, very wet. And it's served with a pudding of figs and dates.

Olivia : what's your fave restaurant in the US besides yours?

chefkenney : My favorite restaurant is probably called Elio's. It's an Italian restaurant in NYC. Elio's is uptown.

Olivia : do you ever eat at any of the Indian restaurants in the Village?

chefkenney : No I haven't eaten at any of the Indian restaurants in those areas... the only ones I have tried in NY are in Midtown and Uptown.

Olivia : what is the best wine to accompany med food?

chefkenney : It's good to find a wine with some spice, a Sancere.... or red zinfandel. In the summertime I love rose.

Olivia : do you get a lot of celebrities in your rest.?

chefkenney : Yes we do get a lot. Recently we've had Brooke Shields, David Bowie, Alicia Silverstone, Sandra Bullock... one of the restaurants every day has somebody.

cro : what are your views on southern food. Being from the south I find "cajun" places outside of La just don't measure up.

chefkenney : cro is probably right. I think that southern food has not been done in NY. I actually look forward to going to Louisiana myself.

Olivia : i don't know if it's still there, but Baby Jake's is a new orleans style restaurant in NY city

chefkenney : Oh, it is still here, I read about it on one of the websites--I don't know where it is, but it is here.

Olivia : what are your other restaurants?

chefkenney : They are Mezze, Cafe M, Monzu, and the newest will be Metra Zur at Grand Central Station in November.,

Aubrey : I have a garden full of eggplants and I need suggestions on how to prepare them. Could you please suggest a way to prepare fresh eggplant?

chefkenney : I like it cold in a salad when it's sauteed in ratatouille and caponata...

sunmoon : I am now attending culinary school. and want to know if you have any pointers for me?

chefkenney : The most important would be to either work simultaneously or to pay close attention to the food industry so that what you learn in school, you can apply that knowledge to practical experience.

food : where are you from originally?

chefkenney : I was born in Connecticut and grew up in Maine.

food : yeah new england!!

Wayned : I am intrigued by Med food. As a Rest Chef in an Atlantic City Casino suggestion for an entree in a coffee shop/cafe setting?

chefkenney : When I'm in that setting I'm looking for a great cheeseburger, but that's me as a customer....

Wayned {action: } laughs hysterically.

chefkenney : but mousakka would be a good one to try. That's a traditional lamb-and-eggplant casserole.

Wayned : We had an Med month experience and we served mousakka it wasn't to well received. I don't think people knew what it was. Any other lamb dishes that can be used by scraps from a rack?

chefkenney : Well, yes. Another good dish would be kefpa (or kofta). Basically you grind the scraps in a meat-grinder. Season them with spices... and form them around a skewer into what's known as kefpa and grill them. They are excellent with Mediterranean dipping sauces.

brad : what types of sauces do you use?

chefkenney : Pomegranate (hazelnut), mint chutney, tahini yogurt, and coriander.

brad : I would like to thank chef Matthew Kenney of Matthew's. And thanks to everyone for participating.

brad : any final comments chef?

chefkenney : No i guess not, I can answer some questions at my email address medinc5@aol.com

brad : the chef will accept questions via email..

chefkenney : Thank you and enjoy the rest of your evening.

brad : thanks a lot chef.

Olivia : thank you very much for chatting chef!

brad : Be sure to come back next month for Chef John Novi, of Dupuy Canal House on Monday, September 14, 10:00pm ET

brad : thanks a lot.

brad Good Night!