Having walked through professional kitchens since he was 16, Matt has worked with the best and come up in the culinary world alongside some incredible chefs too. We chat about his time under Thomas Keller and the military like style in which Keller conducted his brigade.
 We chat about meeting Rene Redzepi at the Fat Duck, looking up to Charlie Palmer as one of his inspirations (Matt still wore black socks after Charlie drilled it into him), jumping on at NOMA in 2005 only a year after it had been opened and running with 5 chefs before opening up AMASS in a deserted industrial looking complex.

Matt’s proudest achievements has been creating an ego free kitchen filled with universal contributions from all team members, running the restaurants farm to a synergetic level with the menu, developing new sustainable practices that hadn’t been thought of (like using melted down candles to fill egg cartons and use them as fire starters for the Barbeque). Being in this place and driving forward with a simple ethos, has led Matt Orlando on a path driven to creating a world where you can operate under the word “responsible” and actually mean it.

It’s an inspiring chat filled with raw reflections of his time cooking at some of the worlds best restaurants, his humbling experiences as a young chef de partie (“those fucking potato chips”) for Charlie Palmer, we check out the restaurant farm and talk about where everything is heading to next.

The Roots Hospitality podcast is proudly supported by Sydney Direct Fresh Produce. The fruit and vegetable providore led by Luke Kohler, who has been supplying to Sydney restaurants and venues for more then 20 years and still smashing it out today.

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NOTE: Matt and I did this interview in late September 2022. In November 2022, AMASS restaurant announced its closure, effective immediately. 

Music by Roots Hospitality with samples from artist Ill Kitchen.