This digital cookbook not only offers practical culinary guidance to college students but also reflects Matty Matheson's personal journey and his passion for sharing the joy of cooking. As students embark on their collegiate adventures, they can now have these recipes as trusted companions in their culinary explorations. For Matheson, the book is purely about getting people excited about cooking. He describes it as a “choose your own adventure” cookbook that gives the reader a variety of techniques they can follow and build upon. Matheson hopes home cooks will bake the breads in the book’s first chapter, and then use them for a sandwich from the seventh chapter, or turn a vegetable dish in the third chapter into a soup from the sixth chapter. I was going to make this dish one Sunday night and then realized I had not brined the pork chops. I'm sure I could have gotten away with that but wanted to follow the recipe closely at least the first time to have a feel for the dish. So the dish was moved a few days forward so I could follow all the steps.

This is a very personal cookbook, full of essays and headnotes that share Matty's life--from growing up in Fort Erie, exploring the wonders of Prince Edward Island, struggling and learning as a young chef in Toronto, and, eventually, his rise to popularity as one of the world's most recognizable food personalities. I’m just trying to give you some fundamental ideas, techniques, and then whichever way you can take them, you can ride,” he says. “I think there are enough recipes in this book that people will be able to paint their own picture, make their own meals, get excited about cooking and keep learning.” Matty Matheson will take his culinary teachings to the next level by demonstrating how to cook four of these dishes in his 12-episode original YouTube series, titled Cookin' Somethin'.and I'm not a big fan of chopped tomato for a soupy child, I actually prefer a bolognese-ish sauce, which is probably the only way I add tomato into a child] This is my third year with Abrams Book's Dinner Party group and as always, they seem to have a fantastic lineup of cookbooks to expand your horizons and tastebuds. This is my second cookbook from Matty Matheson, and of the two, this one is definitely my favorite. I have made several dishes already from this cookbook, and many other bloggers have made the Chocolate Zucchini cake and raved about it, so much that I need to make it and see if my husband can guess the secret ingredient!

Despite the pandemic, Matheson has forged onwards with a number of different projects, including the new book, and a second season of his YouTube show, Just a Dash , which starts in October. The show, which he produced independently after parting ways with Vice, attracted an average of a million viewers per episode in its first season. He also recently launched a local barbecue takeout joint called Matty Matheson’s Meat & Three, and is working to open two new restaurants in Toronto. With a drive to share his zest for life, he creates dishes that reinterpret the flavors of his youth in Canada, as well as the restaurant fare for which he has become so well-known. Recipes include: Without onions I think a lot of food would be pretty shit. They create a robust depth of flavor like nothing else on planet Earth. I use them in spaghetti, curry, soup, fajitas—literally everything. Hell, I’d put onions in toothpaste. Now that i'm done gushing, in terms of the recipes you are gonna get a great mix of simple homecook dishes, pasta dishes, and lots of seafood from Matty's childhood out east. Some recipes are more advanced than others, but if all falls you can make a bologna bowl.

Inside Matty's Life

I'd totally expect that he cooks like this at home given his history in French restaurants like Le Select and La Palette, but I think the majority of his audience wouldn't see these as comforting, home style dishes and they almost certainly wouldn't associate them with the kind of personality they expect from Matty.

Matheson's talents extend to acting and executive producing as well; he's featured in FX's The Bear, where he also played an expanded role as DIY fixer Neil Fak in Season 2. Known from Viceland and Just a Dash, the acclaimed chef shares personal stories and memories of the food that defined him in this bestselling cookbook. In his own words, it reads: "College is a formative moment, maybe one of the most important of your life! You can totally reinvent yourself and be who you really want to be. Look at me. I was a punk kid who was terrible in school then I went to culinary school, found what I loved and became a chef. And I think that’s amazing. Contained in this cookbook are 12 recipes that I wanted to share with you while you’re out there in the world, figuring stuff out. XO Matty.” His culinary ventures have expanded to include his own food and music festival, Mattyfest, which started in 2019. In a remarkable feat, he has launched five restaurants in under two years, including Matty’s Patty’s, Fonda Balam, Ca Phe Rang, Prime Seafood Palace, and Rizzo’s House of Parm. Beyond the kitchen, he's a co-founder of the Toronto-based workwear brand Rosa Rugosa. Matty Matheson is part post-Bourdainian millennial cook (tattooed, casually clothed and foul-mouthed), part child (cue singsongs and quirky kitchen decor) and, obviously, part bad-ass in the kitchen.Matty's no-nonsense approach to food makes these recipes practical enough for all, while his creativity will entice seasoned cooks. This book is like cooking alongside Matty, sharing stories that are equal parts heartwarming and inappropriate while helping you cook dishes that are full of love.