Matthew Kenney

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Matthew Kenney
Kenney in 2016
Born
Connecticut, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Maine (BA)
International Culinary Center
Culinary career
Current restaurant(s)
    • Plant Cafe, Bahrain (2017–present),
      * plnthouse: The Good Kitchen, Miami (2017–present),
      * Oliver's of Montecito, Montecito (2017–present),
      * Essence Cuisine Shoreditch, London, (2017–present)
      * XYST, New York City, (2017–closed)
      * Bar Verde, New York City, (2017–present)
      * Double Zero, (2016–present)
      * Matthew Kenney NM, Beverly Hills, (2016–present)
      * Plant Food and Wine, Miami, (2016–present)
      * Plant Food and Wine, Venice, California, (2015–2024)
      * MAKEOUT, Culver City, California (2015–present)
Previous restaurant(s)
    • Arata, Belfast, Maine (2015–2016),
      * Tamazul, Oklahoma City (2012–2014),
      * The Gothic, Belfast, Maine (2013–2016),
      * Matthew’s, New York City (1993–2001),
      * Mezze, New York City (1995–2002),
      * Monzu/Canteen, New York City (1997–2002),
      * Commune, New York City (1999–2003),
      * Pure Food and Wine, New York City (2003),
      * M.A.K.E., Santa Monica, California (2012),
      * The White Lotus, Miami, Florida (2014)
Award(s) won
Websitematthewkenneycuisine.com

Matthew Kenney is an American celebrity chef, entrepreneur, author, and educator specializing in plant-based cuisine. He is the author of 12 cookbooks, founder of dozens of vegan restaurants, and founder of the companies Matthew Kenney Cuisine and Matthew Kenney Culinary, a plant-based diet education business.[1]

Early life and education[edit]

Kenney was born in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and grew up in Searsport, Maine.[2][3] After graduating from the University of Maine with a degree in political science, he became a chef.[4] He attended the French Culinary Institute, now the International Culinary Center, learning classical culinary techniques.[4] Upon graduating in 1990, he worked at various kitchens in New York City.[4]

Career[edit]

Kenney opened his namesake restaurant Matthew's in 1993 in New York City. He became Food & Wine magazine's "1994 Best New Chef".[5] He opened the restaurants Mezze, Monzu[6] Canteen, Commune, and Commissary. Kenney has said the economic slump caused by the September 11 terror attacks caused his restaurants to close.[7] Between 2021 and 2024, at least 17 of Kenney's restaurants closed.[8]

Pure Food and Wine[edit]

Kenney, partner Sarma Melngailis and investor Jeffrey Chodorow in 2004 opened a vegan restaurant, Pure Food and Wine, in New York City.[9][10][11][12]

Kenney left Pure Food and Wine in 2005, and the owner and manager sued him, alleging he broke his contract.[13]

Culinary academy[edit]

In 2009, Kenney opened his first culinary academy in Oklahoma City.[3] In 2012, he moved the renamed Matthew Kenney Culinary Academy to Santa Monica, California, and relocated his company to Los Angeles.[14] In 2013, he established a campus of the Academy in Belfast, Maine.[7] In 2017, he sold the Academy to Adam Zucker.[15]

Matthew Kenney Cuisine[edit]

In 2012 Kenney formed Matthew Kenney Cuisine, a Los Angeles-based restaurant lifestyle company offering a variety of plant-based services and products, including hospitality, education, media, products and services.[16][17] As of 2022, Matthew Kenney Cuisine operates more than 50 active restaurants, in more than 12 countries.[16]

In 2017, he was sued for unpaid rent at the popular Plant Food and Wine in Miami.[15] In December 2017, he faced debt and foreclosure proceedings in Belfast, Maine, on a building that housed his former culinary academy.[18]

In 2019, Matthew Kenney Cuisine opened an all-vegan food hall Plant City in Providence, Rhode Island.[19][20] In 2019, he launched Ntidote Life nutrition bars with Dr. Amir Marashi.[21][22]

Legal issues[edit]

In 2022, the contents of Kenney's restaurant Sestina were auctioned off by the state of New York for unpaid taxes and the Double Zero in Boston was closed by sheriff deputies because of unpaid rent. His restaurant Plant Pub Fenway was evicted for unpaid rent, also in 2022.[8]

As of 2024, multiple lawsuits that allege fraud, illegal labor practices, harassment, or failing to pay creditors, landlords, and employees, have been filed against Kenney and his companies in at least nine states.[8]

Restaurants[edit]

Active[edit]

  • Make Out, Culver City, California (2015–present)[23][24]
  • Double Zero, New York City, (2016–present),[25]
  • Matthew Kenney NM, Beverly Hills, (2016–present),
  • Plant Food and Wine, Miami, (2016–present),
  • Plant Cafe, Bahrain (2017–present),
  • plnthouse: The Good Kitchen, Miami (2017–present),
  • Oliver's of Montecito, Montecito (2017–present),
  • XYST, New York City, (2017–present),
  • Bar Verde, New York City, (2017–present),
  • Plant City, Providence, Rhode Island (2019–present),[16][20]
  • Baia, Hayes Valley, San Francisco, California (2020–present),[26][27][28]

Closed

  • Matthew’s, New York City (1993–2001),
  • Mezze, New York City (1995–2002),
  • Monzu, SoHo, New York City (1997–1999),[6]
  • Cafe M, Stanhope Hotel, New York City (1998–)[29][30]
  • Commune, New York City (1999–2003),[31]
  • Canteen, SoHo, New York City (1999–2001),
  • Commissary, New York City (2001–2003),
  • Pure Food and Wine, New York City (2003),
  • Free Foods NYC, W. 45th Street, New York City (2007–2014),[32][33]
  • Free Foods NYC, 52nd Street, New York City (?–2009),[34]
  • Arata, Belfast, Maine (2015–2016),
  • Tamazul, Oklahoma City (2012–2014),
  • The Gothic, Belfast, Maine (2013–2016),[16]
  • M.A.K.E., Santa Monica, California (2012),[16]
  • The White Lotus, Miami, Florida (2014),
  • New Deli, Venice, California (2018–2021)[35]
  • Heirloom, Lower East Side, New York,[16]
  • Cafe 118, Winter Park, Florida,[16]
  • Blue/Green juice bars, various locations in New York City and one in Darien, Connecticut[16]
  • Sestina, New York City, (2020–2022),[36][37]
  • Liora, Baltimore, Maryland (2021-2023)[38][39]
  • Double Zero, Baltimore, Maryland (2021-2023)[38][39]
  • Double Zero, Venice, California (2019–2023)
  • Hungry Angelina, Long Beach, California (2020–2022)
  • Plantpub, Boston, MA(2022-2023)[40]
  • Essence Cuisine Shoreditch, London, (2017–2023)
  • Sestina, Culver City, California (2020–2023)[41]
  • Plant Food and Wine, Venice, California, (2015–2024),[42][43][8]

    • Awards[edit]

    Published works[edit]

    • Kenney, Matthew; Gugino, Sam (1997). Matthew Kenney's Mediterranean Cooking: Great Flavors for the American Kitchen. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books. ISBN 9780811814430.
    • Kenney, Matthew; Schwartz, Joan (2003). Big City Cooking: Recipes for a Fast-Paced World. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books. ISBN 9780811832229.
    • Kenney, Matthew; Melngailis, Sarma (2005). Raw Food for the Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow. Regan Books. ISBN 0060793554.
    • Kenney, Matthew (2008). Everyday Raw. Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423602071.
    • Kenney, Matthew (2009). Entertaining in the Raw. Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423609612.
    • Kenney, Matthew (2010). Everyday Raw Desserts. Gibbs Smith. ISBN 978-1-4236-0599-7.
    • Kenney, Matthew (2011). Everyday Raw Express: Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less. Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423618928.
    • Kenney, Matthew (2012). Raw Chocolate. Everyday Raw. ISBN 9781423621065.
    • Baird, Meredith; Kenney, Matthew (2013). Everyday Raw Detox. Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423630166.
    • Kenney, Matthew (2013). Everyday Raw Gourmet. Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423634805.
    • Kenney, Matthew; Baird, Meredith; Winegard, Scott (2014). Plant Food. Everyday Raw. Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423630630.
    • Kenney, Matthew (2015). Cooked Raw: How One Celebrity Chef Risked Everything to Change the Way We Eat. Workman Publishing. ISBN 9781939629975.
    • Kenney, Matthew (2016). The 90-Day Raw Food Diet: The Simple Day-by-Day Way to Improve Health, Heighten Energy, and Get the Glow!. Familius LLC. ISBN 9781942934073.
    • Kenney, Matthew (2017). PLANTLAB. Regan Arts. ISBN 9781682450888.

    References[edit]

    1. ^ "Matthew Kenney Cuisine | Crafting the Future of Food | Thailand". Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
    2. ^ "Uncooked", Observer, September 12, 2016
    3. ^ a b Kamila, Avery Yale (October 12, 2011). "Natural Foodie: Celebrity chef looks to open minds, palates to raw food". Press Herald. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
    4. ^ a b c "Plant-based Chef and Founder", Matthew Kenney Cuisine
    5. ^ M Elizabeth Sheldon, Matthew Kenney Academy, "Best Cooking Classes Around The World", Food and Wine, Readers Choice Issue, January 2014
    6. ^ a b Ruth Reichl, "Diner's Journal", NY Times, May 30, 1997
    7. ^ a b Kamila, Avery Yale (September 16, 2015). "Dynamo chef with Maine roots keeps raising status of vegan cuisine". Press Herald. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
    8. ^ a b c d Anderson, Brett (April 22, 2024). "Behind a Vegan Chef's Holistic Empire, an Ugly Reality". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
    9. ^ Felsenthal, Julia (January 25, 2016). "Chef Matthew Kenney on the Plant-Based Revolution Coming Soon to a City Near You". vogue.com. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
    10. ^ Fabricant, Florence (October 12, 2005). "Owner and Manager in Dispute With Chef". The New York Times. Retrieved August 10, 2016. Since opening Matthew's in 1993 on the Upper East Side, Mr. Kenney has had several failed restaurants and faced financial and legal troubles.
    11. ^ "Dynamo chef with Maine roots keeps raising status of vegan cuisine - The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram". pressherald.com. September 16, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
    12. ^ "A Rough Time in Smoothie World: Raw-Food Queen Scuffles With Chelsea Market". observer.com. January 13, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
    13. ^ Fabricant, Florence (October 12, 2005). "Owner and Manager in Dispute With Chef". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
    14. ^ Odell, Kat (August 8, 2012). "Raw Food Guru Matthew Kenney Opening Restaurant and Culinary School Inside Santa Monica Place". Eater LA. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
    15. ^ a b miamiheraldfood (July 19, 2017). "This Plant Food and Wine chef is out after lawsuits — but restaurant remains open". Miami.com. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
    16. ^ a b c d e f g h Kamila, Avery Yale (April 17, 2022). "Maine native and vegan chef Matthew Kenney adds to his restaurant empire". Press Herald. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    17. ^ "Almond burrata, biodynamic wines at Plant Food and Wine, opening soon in Venice". Los Angeles Times. December 3, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
    18. ^ "Celebrity vegan chef's debt pushes historic Belfast building to brink of foreclosure". Bangor Daily News. December 18, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
    19. ^ Pelletier, Jenna. "Acclaimed vegan chef opens plant-based food hall in Providence". Providence Journal. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
    20. ^ a b Axworthy, Nicole. "Matthew Kenney to Open All-Vegan Food Hall in Providence". VegNews.com. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    21. ^ Metz, Emma (October 21, 2019). "Inside The Exclusive Launch Of Matthew Kenney & Dr. Amir Marashi's Plant-Based Nutrition Bar". Guest of a Guest. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
    22. ^ Kamila, Avery Yale (January 20, 2019). "2019 brings new vegan products to Maine". Press Herald. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
    23. ^ Kang, Matthew (June 22, 2015). "Matthew Kenney's MAKE OUT Planting Seeds for Expansion Across SoCal". Eater LA. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    24. ^ Cessor, Aidan. "Make Out is not just a restaurant, it's an experience! — Lily Maxson, Kid Scoop Media". Culver City News. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    25. ^ Holmes, Mona (January 24, 2019). "Matthew Kenney to open a plant-based Italian restaurant in Venice in March". Eater LA. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    26. ^ "Vegan Chef From SF's Baia, a Former Boyfriend and Business Partner of 'Bad Vegan' Sarma Melngailis, Says She Deserves Second Chance". SFist. March 24, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    27. ^ Saria, Lauren (March 25, 2022). "Celeb Chef Behind Hayes Valley's Baia Says Sarma Melngailis of 'Bad Vegan' Deserves Another Shot". Eater SF. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    28. ^ Phillips, Justin (August 4, 2020). "S.F.'s buzzy vegan restaurant Baia nearly sold out of mozzarella sticks opening day". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    29. ^ Fabricant, Florence (July 1, 1998). "Off The Menu". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    30. ^ "Chef Creates Heat In, Out of Kitchen..." Crain's New York Business. September 22, 2006. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    31. ^ Grimes, William (May 31, 2000). "Restaurants; Mingling Is the Main Dish". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    32. ^ Signore, John Del (December 20, 2007). "Matthew Kenney, Chef". Gothamist. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    33. ^ "Pure Food & Wine's Matt Kenney Opening Free Foods NYC Today". Midtown Lunch. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    34. ^ "FreeFoods NYC Closes 52nd St. Location". Midtown Lunch. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    35. ^ Elliott, Farley (March 28, 2018). "Vegan star chef Matthew Kenney adds a meatless deli to the wilds of Venice". Eater LA. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    36. ^ "State seizes Sestina for nonpayment of taxes; owners cite 'technical difficulties'". EV Grieve. September 6, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
    37. ^ "New York State is selling off the contents of Matthew Kenney's restaurant Sestina". EV Grieve. September 22, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
    38. ^ a b Tkacik, Christina (April 25, 2023). "Liora and Double Zero restaurants shut down in Inner Harbor". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
    39. ^ a b "Matthew Kenny Arrives in Baltimore With the Launch of Double Zero Pizza and Liora". VegWorld Magazine. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
    40. ^ Adams, Erika (March 1, 2023). "Plantpub's Fenway Outpost Is Done After Less Than a Year". Eater Boston. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
    41. ^ Holmes, Mona (November 18, 2020). "Only Plants Are Invited to Matthew Kenney's Slick New Culver City Pasta Bar". Eater LA. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    42. ^ "Plant Food and Wine". Thrillist. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    43. ^ Elliott, Farley (June 12, 2015). "Plant Food and Wine Is Matthew Kenney's Slick New Vegan Outpost on Abbot Kinney". Eater LA. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    44. ^ "Every Food & Wine Best New Chef Ever, Since 1988". Food & Wine. May 12, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    45. ^ "Best New Chefs 1994, Matthew Kenney". Food and Wine. American Express Publishing Corporation. Archived from the original on August 9, 2010.
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