{"id":54,"date":"2021-03-27T14:34:39","date_gmt":"2021-03-27T14:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chefmatthew.com\/?page_id=54"},"modified":"2021-05-09T18:34:31","modified_gmt":"2021-05-09T18:34:31","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chefmatthew.com\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t

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Chef Matthew
Maiara<\/b> <\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t $\"\"$ \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\tBiography\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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$\"\"$ My name is Matthew Maiara, born in Staten Island, New York to parents who both loved food and restaurants and living life with the inspiration food all around. We never had an event that didn\u2019t include food in some way shape or form.\u00a0 I remember my sister\u2019s confirmation back in the 70\u2019s.\u00a0 We had one of, or maybe even the first \u00a0\u00a06-foot hero.<\/p>

My Father attended hotel restaurant management school and aspired to be a restaurant owner, but as life goes, he ended up taking over the family business, Utica Iron Works inc.\u00a0 Back in the 1950\u2019s life was very different than it is today and when family called you listened and my Fathers dreams of the food industry was put on hold.<\/p>

My mother a foodie herself, was an early follower of Julia Child and James Beard.\u00a0 Common names in our household.<\/p>

As a young child growing up in New York, I was introduced to many different foods, of all nationalities.\u00a0 Working with my Dad in Brooklyn, we had Jewish, Italian, Jamaican, West Indian and of course the Brooklyn Terminal Market.\u00a0 In 1985 I joined the Navy, just 18 years old out of high school, I set out to see the world.\u00a0 I was stationed in San Diego, California. \u00a0On weekends, me and some of my shipmates would ride down to Tijuana, Rosarita, Ensenada, and Cabo San Lucas (before it was a Spring break destination) and a new view on cooking and life and living was born there.\u00a0\u00a0 They were so free and food was a passion and I knew I would have a career as a chef when my tour in the Navy was finished.\u00a0 Then came the Gulf war.\u00a0 When I returned home from the Navy in 1991, I studied culinary arts at the CIA, Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.\u00a0 It was an amazing experience and one of the best times of my life. \u00a0Hungry for more knowledge of food and gastronomy. \u00a0Learning every technique and studying under some wonderfully talented chefs was the experience of a lifetime.<\/p>

After the CIA I worked in many well-known establishments such as The Albany Marriot, the original Angelo and Maxi\u2019s and El Ballroom to name a few.<\/p>

Throughout the years, I have tried many techniques in cooking.\u00a0 One of my favorite pastimes is the backyard pizza oven.\u00a0 We have had many pizza parties in which all the kids, and grown ups too, make their own pizza.\u00a0 Its always a hit with guests and they can\u2019t wait until the next time we fire up the oven.<\/p>

Some of my more memorable adventures include our Desmond Family Reunion, held in Orient Point, Long Island, NY.\u00a0 For many years we would make the trip to the last exit in Long Island and make a wide variety of \u201cbeach cuisine\u201d, which included a Lobster Boil, Seafood Newburg and the family favorite \u201cchocolate fondue\u201d.\u00a0 All for about 60 family members.<\/p>

Food is what\u2019s on our mind most of the day Grocery shopping, deli\u2019s, take out, order in, food is everywhere; it\u2019s what makes us happy.\u00a0 When we plan a party one of the first things you decide on is the menu.\u00a0 Holidays, birthdays special occasions (like Valentine\u2019s Day), revolve around food because it makes us feel good, so enjoy family, food and fun and never go to bed hungry.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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- Memorable Moments<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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