Folks, I would like you to meet Mr. Matt Kellie, one of my beloved partners in chunk. This ranga (Aussie slang for eww, he’s a red head!) has been a good friend of mine for years. He inspired me to go to culinary school and follow my food writing dreams, and he fed me well along the way. From romping through Australia together to visiting a hermaphroditic horse in Omaha, there is never a dull moment with this man. Here are a few favorite moments from my friendship with Matt: *Matt is a great chef with heaps of experience. But that didn’t stop him from messing up a meatloaf…WITH A RECIPE. It was more like meat paste. And it was at my wedding rehearsal dinner, so I can never let him forget it. *Matt has a special relationship with an econo-sized tub of man jam (sunscreen). Here are a few things Matt would like you to know about him: Full Name: Matthew C Kellie Hometown: Omaha, NE Sign: Aquarius Profession: Stock Broker My last meal on earth would be: Grandma’s Fried Chicken with mashed spuds, gravy & her award winning pecan pie with whipped cream…promptly followed by the implosion of a major arterial wall. Feed me this food and I’ll kick you: Refried Beans from a can Personal Eating Motto: Bread & vegetables need good olive oil….everything else needs butter. Matt wants you to know: Recipes suck, throw them away. Listen to your food…it will tell you what it needs. Stop thinking in terms of ingredients & measures and start thinking in terms of flavor and balance. Describe flavor in connective terms, for example: a lemon doesn’t taste like citrus…its bright, its sharp, its tart, fresh, cleansing, cutting, sunny, summer, Mediterranean, pure, bold, honest, simple. A symphony isn’t just a composition of notes, its a vision, a passionate representation of a story. Once you learn how to cook your dishes will become a telling of your interpretation of your personal eating experience and that will have nothing to do with a recipe. Thanks for joining me, Matt! And look out for those crab legs! ~leena!
