Matty Matheson facts for kids
Matheson in 2023
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| Born | February 7, 1982 Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada |
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| Spouse | Trish Spencer |
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Current restaurant(s)
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Previous restaurant(s)
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Television show(s)
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Matthew James Matheson, born on February 7, 1982, is a well-known Canadian chef, restaurant owner, actor, and internet personality. You might know him as Neil Fak, the handyman, from the popular TV show The Bear on FX.
Matty used to be the head chef at a restaurant in Toronto, Ontario, called Parts & Labour, which closed in 2019. Since then, he's opened several new and exciting places! These include Matty's Patty's Burger Club, Prime Seafood Palace, Ca Phe Rang, and Rizzo's House of Parm. He also appeared regularly on Vice's show Munchies and hosted Viceland's It's Suppertime! and Dead Set on Life.
Contents
Early Life and Cooking Start
Matty Matheson was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. His dad, Stephen, was an engineer, and his mom, Joan, was a waitress. The family lived in Nova Scotia until Matty was 11, then they moved to Fort Erie, Ontario.
Matty's grandfather was also a restaurant owner. He ran a place called The Blue Goose restaurant in DeSable, Prince Edward Island. Matty spent his summers there, learning about the restaurant business.
In 2000, Matty moved to Toronto and joined a cooking program at Humber College. He discovered he was really good at cutting and preparing meat. After a short time traveling with his friends' metal band, Matty decided to focus on his cooking career.
Matty's Career Journey
Becoming a Chef
Matty started working at Le Sélect Bistro in Toronto in 2003. There, he learned French cooking styles from Chef Rang Nguyen. In 2006, he moved to another restaurant called La Palette.
In 2010, Matty became the head chef at the new Parts & Labour restaurant. He stayed there until it closed in 2019. His unique personality and cooking skills helped him become famous, leading to his appearances on the online show Munchies by Vice Media.
On TV and Online
Matty was hired to host TV shows like It's Suppertime and Dead Set on Life on Viceland. He also has his own popular YouTube channel where he shares recipes and cooking tips.
He even appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where he showed host Jimmy Kimmel how to make a "stuffed shell family recipe."
In 2022, Matty joined the cast of the FX show The Bear. He plays a character named Neil Fak, who is a handyman. Matty also works behind the scenes as a producer and helps with the food ideas for the show.
Matty's Restaurants
Matty Matheson loves opening new restaurants!
- In 2015, he teamed up with Shlomo Buchler to create Maker Pizza. This pizza place has grown and now has many locations around the Greater Toronto Area.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Matty opened a temporary restaurant called Matty Matheson's Meat + Three in Fort Erie. It focused on American barbecue dishes. This pop-up closed in 2022.
- In October 2020, he opened a permanent location for Matty's Patty's Burger Club in Toronto. It had been a temporary spot in Hawaii and Shibuya, Japan, before.
- In April 2021, Matty worked with chefs Kate Chomyshyn and Julio Guajardo to open Birria Balam, a temporary restaurant in Toronto that specialized in the Mexican dish birria.
- Later, in October 2021, Matty, Kate, and Julio opened a permanent Mexican restaurant called Fonda Balam in Toronto. They then closed Birria Balam.
- In January 2022, Matty partnered with his old mentor, Chef Rang Nguyen, to open Ca Phe Rang. This Vietnamese restaurant in Toronto serves dishes like pho and bánh mì.
- April 2022 saw Matty open Prime Seafood Palace in Toronto. It's a fancy steakhouse and seafood restaurant that he had been planning since 2016.
- In November 2022, Matty opened Rizzo's House of Parm in Crystal Beach, Ontario. This restaurant serves old-school Italian-American cuisine. He named it after his daughter, Rizzo, and it's inspired by his wife Trish's Italian family.
All of Matty's restaurants are part of his company, Our House Hospitality Company.
Cookbooks and More
Matty has also written several cookbooks:
- His first cookbook, Matty Matheson: A Cookbook, came out in October 2018.
- On September 29, 2020, he released his second cookbook, Matty Matheson: Home Style Cookery. He made a series of YouTube videos to go along with this book.
- His third book, Matty Matheson: Soups, Salads, Sandwiches, is set to be released in October 2024.
In March 2020, Matty started a podcast called Powerful Truth Angels with artist Alex 2Tone.
He also co-founded Blue Goose Farm in Fort Erie, Ontario, in 2020. This small farm, named after his grandfather's restaurant, helps provide fresh vegetables for his restaurants and others in Toronto.
In 2022, Matty launched his own workwear clothing line called Rosa Rugosa. He also has a collection of kitchen tools.
Personal Life
Matty Matheson married Trish Spencer in 2014. They have three children together.
TV Appearances
Matty Matheson has appeared in several TV shows:
- Kenny Hotz's Triumph of the Will (2011)
- Last Call with Carson Daly (2016)
- VICE: Essentials (2016–2017)
- Dead Set on Life (2016–2017) - Host and producer
- It's Suppertime! (2017–2018) - Host, writer, and producer
- Workin' Moms (2018)
- The Burger Show (2018–2019)
- Craig of the Creek (2021) - Voice actor
- The Bear (2022–present) - Neil Fak, also co-producer and executive producer
- Trailer Park Boys: The SwearNet Show (2022)
- Selena + Chef (2022)
- Barbecue Showdown (2024) - Guest Judge
Awards
Matty Matheson and the cast of The Bear have been recognized for their acting:
- In 2023, they were nominated for an Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
- In 2024, they won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for The Bear.
