Born to Grill Stories Meet Chuck Matto

Q & A with Chuck Matto

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way early: your TikTok duet with Gordon Ramsay. Earning his respect is practically half a Michelin Star right there.

CM: Thank you! I’m humbled, I’m shook, I’m shocked! As far as the love from Gordon, that was a big thing for me because I grew up watching — and still watch, with my wife and my daughter if she’s still up — Gordon Ramsay with my dad. He is a true legend to me. As far as getting his respect and accomplishments? Humbled by that.

How’d you learn to cook well enough to impress him in four short years?

CM: Honestly? I really don’t know! I mean, obviously, I learned from my mom. Mom cooked dinner every night, so we always ate together. Mom wasn’t trained; she didn’t go to chef’s school, culinary school, nothing like that — she just knew flavor and how to make things taste good. No recipes, just seasoning. It’s like, “No, just make that food taste good! If it doesn’t taste right, add a cup of this. No? Another half-cup. Make it work for you!”

I think cooking, for men, has lately obviously become fashionable — especially with barbecue. But... growing up? I remember Emeril Lagasse. And then from Emeril, it was Guy Fieri, and, after that, came Matty Matheson. We’re kind of in an era now where you’ve got these rogue folks that like to cook, loud and obnoxious and have fun, and anyone can do it: man, woman, child, doesn’t matter. Have fun, get in the kitchen! So, I think I took the spices and seasoning and the flavoring elements that my mother taught me, and tried to combine it with, you know, just living your life and having fun with the chefs that I related to growing up. That’s one of the things about Emeril, Fieri, Matty Matheson: they’re not buttoned-up classical French chefs. Let’s have some fun, pour some drinks, pop some pinkies, get loud and have a blast!

Taste over technique — clearly, that’s where you come from. And we have to say we agree: who cares if you’ve spent 10 years learning to boil rice perfectly or peel 1,000 perfect potatoes if the taste at the end of it isn’t there?

CM: I completely agree, 100 percent. That’s something you see on these cooking shows. The judges say, “You didn’t do this, you did this when you should’ve done this...” While those guest judges, who don’t know the technique, will be blown away. But then they’ll send that contestant home, saying “You didn’t put cream on your mashed potatoes.” So they used milk instead of cream! Everyone thought it was delicious! Who gives a damn? It’s good food! [Laughs.] I don’t think you have to have a set way to get to the end point — it’s about the end result. If it’s good, who cares about how you got there, you know?

Let’s talk catering. You’ve been seeing great success with your business. What can you tell us about your biggest, baddest cookout?

CM: Oh, that’s a good one. Let’s see… I’ve done team efforts, but the biggest solo effort? Man. Once, I was hired to cook for 130 construction workers. We’re talking 6 beef briskets, 13 racks of ribs, 80 pounds of mashed potatoes, probably 45 pounds of macaroni salad, and 120 cornbread muffins. That was all me — and it was a great gig! Great client, customers were super fun, but it was one of those things when you’re running around a cooler full of resting briskets, thinking “Holy… that’s a lot of food. There’s 145 pounds of brisket in here!”

Wow. That’s a lot of barbecue! With all this amazing food out there, what kept you focused on grilling? What specifically about barbecue really sung to you?

CM: You know, that’s a tough question to answer. Thinking about it now, at least in this current moment, I would honestly say... I think it’s the process. It’s the challenge of trying to get the meat just right. It’s the therapeutic experience of “Oh, it’s just me out here.” Fire! Smoke! Meats! Primitive! It’s different. [Laughs]

At the end of the day, you’re providing people with life. You can give someone five bucks, and they can spend that on whatever they want. But if you give someone food, you’re giving them fuel for their life! You’re sharing a part of your soul. And something that cooks low and slow, like barbecue generally does, I honestly feel you’re putting your essence into that — giving a part of you to others, and putting it out into the world. I’m all about spreading good vibes, and food is just how I do that. Barbecue is the perfect vessel to spread love. And I’m really drawn to that entire process, start to finish.

What would you say is the most mind-blowing food discovery you’ve made recently? Is there any new cooking style, or combination, or what-have-you that’s pivoted how you do things?

CM: That’s a great question. Lately, I’ve gotten back to basics; that’s not necessarily mind-blowing, but rebuilding your foundation has its uses. Really helps you chill out. With social media, the driving factor is, “Try new stuff! More content, more content, more content!” After a while, it’s like... Nah, let’s get back to the roots.

So, I’ve been making very simple, plainly roasted chickens. Very simply cooked steaks. You know I love to layer flavors — “Oh, we’re gonna brine it here and we’re gonna season it here and apply this, which is gonna be another layer of flavor.” But one thing that’s surprised me is, and this is refreshing to find: when you get really high-quality ingredients, you cook something well, you eat it while it’s hot and fresh: it’s freaking delicious. You put freshly-squeezed lemon on anything hot off the grill, and it’s amazing. You get some high-quality olive oil, and you can taste it. Comparing bottles at the store might go like: “This one’s 5 dollars, this one’s 15, what’s the difference?” There IS a difference, especially in that flavor. I’ve been enjoying the simple things and trying to find that extra punch in the basics. Mind-blowing? No. But reassuring, and comforting... and surprising, if that makes sense.

That definitely makes sense — there’s almost a purity to it.

CM: Right! Exactly. It’s rejuvenating, in a sense. I’ve probably made Aglio e Olio, like, four times in the last 9 days? I’ve been using different olive oils and trying different methods for mixing in the pasta water, just to see. And every time, I’ll tell my wife, “This is the greatest pasta dish ever.” One: it’s so simple. Two: outside of the carbs, which, [bleep] that, I’m not a carb-counter, live your best life… it’s heart-healthy! [Laughs.] Oil. Garlic. Water, minus the pasta. You can put chicken with that! You can put seafood with that! Pork, game meats, you can do so much with that basic pasta dish. Throw some truffle in there, maybe a pinch of lemon, a dash of cream. Such a simple dish but, from it, you can literally take 20 different paths, 30 different paths, and make something different and completely amazing every time.