SADMATT

When I was a kid, my hair fell flat and my mom used a metal bowl to cut a straight line across my forehead. It wasn’t glamorous, but it got the job done. This is a photo of me with those bowls. 

This is me wearing a hat that says BROOKLYN — that’s where I live now. It’s not always easy to balance city and country, but Prospect Park does a decent job trying. Any time I can see a tree and a building in the same frame, it makes me smile.

Here’s a classic “before and after” — I used to look like this, now I look like this.

 

In kitchens, people become very close. When you spend your days and nights working next to someone — sweating, tasting, plating — they become your family.

But kitchens aren’t just about food. There’s intensity. Heat. Rhythm. Someone once told me that cooking is about confidence and control. You can tell a good cook by how clean they keep the sides of their pots.

I love to smoke, grill, pickle, and preserve — and I love salt as much as my mother does.

Here’s a classic shot: me holding a chicken at Raven & Boar Farm. Very chef-core.

I’m definitely a savory person, but let’s be honest — if you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk.

I grew up playing the drums, but these days I mostly grab a spoon and bang on a case of Modelo or a few upside-down deli containers. It still counts.

Also, I love plants. And cheese. A lot.

Lauren and I were married on 1/22/22. This photo was taken at Alinea on 3/12/20, the day before the world shut down. It still feels like the beginning of everything.