MATTHEW KENNEY
RIDING THE STORM
REQUIRES RATIONS, THE SUPER FUTURE? SO WHY NOT RATION FOR
Written by Maddie Dinowitz Photographed by Suede Williams Styled by Soaree Cohen
it ’ s not unusual to hear of success stories go - ing against the winds of the status quo—and yet, defiance with longevity is exceedingly rare. In French culinary school, most classically-trained chefs discover exactly what they want to do with food. Contrarily, Matthew Kenney—who, for over two decades, has led a global explosion of plant- based cuisine concepts from Venice Beach to Bahrain—learned exactly what he didn’t . Turned off by the tradition’s dependence on butter, salt, and fat, Kenney felt at a crossroads between his personal values and what he was trained to do. Impassioned by the booming health and well- ness movement of the 1990s, and a desire to do things differently, Kenney helped pioneer a cu- linary movement that has been amassing global momentum ever since. In his hometown of coastal Maine, Kenney fell in love with the apple cider and natural hon- ey sourced from his family’s farms. Here is where the chef found a deep connection between the earth and its flavors. “I developed a real sense of quality ingredients,” Kenney says. “I was always very attuned to sourcing the best product possi- ble. And that was just something inherent in the way I was brought up.” In culinary school, most aspiring chefs saw veganism as a roadblock—Kenney saw it as an opportunity. “I would never have done this if I didn’t think it was the most exciting cuisine and the future food,” he explains from his home in
world with more clarity,” he explains, “and understanding how things work and cultural influences on cuisine. It just gave me such a great viewpoint on the world.” Today, Kenney has opened over thirty establishments that seek to alter people’s views on conscious eating. Whether it be a food hall with several vegan vendors, a plant-based pub for college students, or a high-end restaurant that challenges beef consumption in Brazil, each concept has its own unique spin on it. “The restaurant business in and of itself is a storm,” he tells me. But the chef doesn’t just brave the storm—he rides
Los Angeles. “I felt like, ‘Wow, there’s a whole new frontier out here.’ It’s so much more interesting than simply buy- ing chicken breasts. We can create a whole new cuisine that doesn’t exist.” The world of Kenney—now an author, educator, and en- trepreneur—has only grown, resulting in a network of restau- rant concepts and workshops across the globe. From Los An- geles to Buenos Aires to Sydney, Kenney has transformed his vision into something greater—and that the movement has deep cultural significance is not lost him. “You start to see the
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