About us

Matt’s Foods is a personal chef and catering services business founded in 2019 by Matt Paine, a professional chef born & raised in Newport Beach. Chef Matt prides himself on working with the highest quality ingredients to create customizable menus to suit each client’s tastes. His unique set of skills and experience allow him to cultivate virtually any culinary experience. 

Chef Matt has been affectionately referred to as a mad scientist in the kitchen, for he loves to experiment with all sorts of different cooking styles and ingredients from all over the world. His boldness and expertise in the kitchen is reflected in every dish.  

“Flavor is the first and last thing I always think about,” says Chef Matt. “No matter the technique or the ingredient, the food has to taste amazing.” 

Chef Matt started exploring egg cookery at the young age of five. By age seven, he was seasoning hotdogs with different herbs and spices, wrapping them in aluminum foil, and cooking them on the griddle. Throughout high school, Chef Matt worked at The Cannery Seafood of the Pacific making sushi, salads, and desserts.  After graduating from Newport Harbor High School, Chef Matt spent a year studying food science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. It was there, he realized that his true talent and passion lie in the kitchen. This led Chef Matt to study at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in New York City. 

During his time at the Culinary Institute, Chef Matt accepted a coveted internship at two-star Michelin restaurant, Melisse, under Head Chef Josiah Citrin. Chef Josiah preached the “pursuit of excellence” in every single dish, which is what made Melisse the most highly rated restaurant in Los Angeles County for over fifteen years. Chef Matt returned to the Culinary Institute inspired to discover his own pursuit of excellence in both food and business. 

His breakthrough came in 2016 in the form of cranberries. Five days before Thanksgiving, Chef Matt decided to make a delicious homemade cranberry sauce to share with his neighbors.  The sauce took off, and over the next five days Chef Matt sold nearly 300 pounds, doing it all alone in his parents’ kitchen.  The cranberries eventually led him to cheesecakes, then salsas, and eventually his infamous 7-Layer Sunday Dip, which is always a favorite during the Super Bowl. He continued to sell his favorite seasonal products at farmers markets, by order online, and in local shops in Orange County. All four The Butchery locations carry his cranberry sauce every Fall. These are only a few of the products that Chef Matt offers.

Simultaneously, Chef Matt continued to grow his following of loyal customers, which prompted a natural transition into more work as a private chef, where he featured five-course fine dining experiences. His favorite fine-dining experience he's cooked has been his use of Mexican flavors in non traditional ways. The best example of this is his infamous compressed watermelon dish. It’s comprised of watermelon at the peak of it season, creamy goats cheese, Tajin (a chili/lime seasoning), pistachio, honeydew melon, micro arugula oil, and a housemade chamoy sauce (Mexican condiment made from chilis, sugar, lime, and fruit). Still, Chef Matt desired to find a way to join his passion of cooking for people, and creating culinary products for them to take home and enjoy themselves.

The answer came in 2019, when Chef Matt started Matt’s Foods. Now under one umbrella, Chef Matt has been able to combine his love of creating private culinary experiences and developing seasonal products, while allowing each endeavor to inspire and push the other.

Soon, Chef Matt will be unveiling his latest culinary product, the Take-it-Home Taco Kit, which will include homemade corn tortillas, homemade salsa, homemade guacamole, limes, onion, cilantro, refried beans, and pre-marinated carne and pollo asada. Everything you need to have a chef style taco night at home with your friends and family.

Matt’s Foods is truly the ultimate in customizable culinary experiences and products.

Whatever you can dream up, Chef Matt can cook it.