Matthew Kenney

Matthew Kenney
Matthew Kenney Photographed by Adrian Mueller
Born	(1964-08-31) August 31, 1964 (age 53) Connecticut, USA
Education	University of Maine (1988), International Culinary Center (1990)
Website	www.matthewkenneycuisine.com
Culinary career
Current restaurant(s) 2017: Plant Cafe, Bahrain 2017: plnthouse: The Good Kitchen, Miami, FL 2017: Oliver's of Montecito, Montecito, CA 2017: Essence Cuisine Shoreditch, London 2017: XYST, NYC 2017: Bar Verde, NYC 2016: Double Zero, NYC 2016: Matthew Kenney NM, Beverly Hills, CA 2016: Plant Food and Wine, Miami, FL 2015: Plant Food and Wine, Venice, CA 2015: MAKEOUT, Culver City, CA
Previous restaurant(s) 2015-2016: Arata, Belfast, ME 2012-2014: Tamazul, OKC 2013-2016: The Gothic, Belfast, ME 1993-2001: Matthew’s, NYC 1995-2002: Mezze, NYC 1997-2002: Monzu/Canteen, NYC 1999-2003: Commune, NYC 2003: Pure Food and Wine, NYC 2012: M.A.K.E., Santa Monica, CA 2014: The White Lotus, Miami FL
Award(s) won 1994: Food & Wine, Best New Chef in America; 1995: PBS Rising Star Chef in America; 1995, 1996: Nominated, James Beard Rising Star Chef in America; 1997: French Culinary Institute, Outstanding Graduate; 2006: VegNews Chef of the Year

Matthew Kenney (born August 31, 1964) is an American Celebrity chef, entrepreneur, author, and educator specializing in plant-based cuisine. He has authored 12 cookbooks and is the founder of Matthew Kenney Cuisine, an integrated lifestyle company as well as PlantLab Culinary (prev Matthew Kenney Culinary), a plant-based education and wellness business offering courses in 8 cities worldwide as well as online.

Born in Connecticut and growing up on the coast of Maine, Kenney developed a relationship with nature and the outdoors. After graduating from the University of Maine with a degree in Political Science he followed his love for food and became a chef. He attended the acclaimed French Culinary Institute, now the International Culinary Center, learning classical culinary techniques. Upon graduating (1990), he worked at various high-profile kitchens in New York City.

Kenney opened his namesake restaurant, Matthew's, in 1993 and gained immediate notoriety for innovative, Mediterranean inspired cuisine, twice earning a James Beard Foundation nomination for Rising Star Chef and becoming Food and Wine Magazine's 1994 Best New Chef. With traction in the NY restaurant scene, he continued his career by opening a group of restaurants: Mezze, Monzu Canteen, Commune and Commissary.

In 2004, Kenney shifted his focus from Mediterranean and Contemporary American Cooking to vegetables. His passion for yoga, wellness and animals influenced his decision. That year, Kenney and partners opened a vegan restaurant, Pure Food and Wine, in New York City. Kenney left that venture in 2006 to launch his own lifestyle company and continue writing books on the subject of plant-based cuisine. Pure Food and Wine has been featured twice in New York Magazine's "Top 100 Restaurants" and 5 times in Forbes Magazine's list of "All Star New York Eateries."

In 2009, Kenney opened his first culinary academy in Oklahoma City. It was the first state accredited culinary school specializing in plant-based cuisine. In 2012, he moved the renamed Matthew Kenney Culinary Academy to Santa Monica, CA and relocated his company to Los Angeles.

In 2016, Kenney became involved in a documentary film about the impact of eating animals on the environment. The film is scheduled to be released in Spring of 2017.