“Matthew is a native of Anniston, Alabama. He spent most of his childhood in the hilly northeastern part of the state. A significant influence early on was cooking with his mother and learning the family recipes. Matt comes from a big Cajun family, so there were many trips to Louisiana as a kid, getting steeped in Louisiana’s flavors and everything. This is where family and connection helped Matt to learn recipes his mom grew up with. The family’s chicken and andouille gumbo is a favorite dish to make out of the bunch.
As a youngster, Chef Dorough spent most of his time outdoors. Hunting with his dad, fishing with friends, and backpacking with the Boy Scouts were all routine. Growing up partly on his dad’s sheep farm, Matt was able to experience the ins and outs of farm life. This fostered an appreciation for sustainable and local agriculture.
Matt met his wife, Jamie, at Auburn University. She later convinced him to switch paths and take those natural cooking skills to the next level, which prompted a move to Asheville in 2016 to pursue AB Tech’s Culinary Arts Program. An “internship” at Chestnut in 2017 was a definite skill builder and foreshadowed what would come. After the summer, Matt juggled work, school full-time, and AB Tech’s Hot Food Team. After graduation, Matt and Jamie left the country on a 3-month “backpacking” trip through Western Europe. Though the budget was very tight, this was a very important time to experience so much Old World culture and the culinary background that went with it.
Returning to Asheville in 2019, we were grateful to welcome Chef Dorough back to the Chestnut fold as Sous Chef. We are so happy to have Matthew Dorough as our Chef de Cuisine as we continue to grow together.”