No one ever becomes something without help along the way.

This is the story of my Mentors...

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Those to whom I owe my knowledge and experience are all quite different. Some were patient instructors, some violent "Kitchen Nazis", but without them all, a piece of the puzzle would be missing. I am truly grateful.

First, there was Jim Hallett.
Who started it all.
Jim was the Sous Chef at my first serious fine dining restaurant. He was an awesome panslinger who had graduated Johnson and Wales and worked in Washington and New York. I had already been cooking a few years, but didn't really know the finer points of Haute Cuisine. Chef Hallett gave me books, long talks, and in the end, he lit the fire of creativity that inspired me to move to New Orleans and go for broke.



So there I was, in New Orleans at the Grande Dame of them all...Arnaud's.
Founded almost a hundred years ago by Count Arnaud, and taking up an entire block of the French Quarter, we could do over a thousand covers there, and did on many occasions (1400 on New Year's Eve). At the time the Executive Chef was Kevin Davis, and while not being a "Master Chef", he was definitely a master of French Creole Cuisine; and during my difficult and grueling time there, initiated me by fire into a new world of Fine Dining Kitchens. Interestingly, a man whom I always respected for his talent and professionalism, Tommy DiGiovanni, is now in charge of those kitchens. He is extremely good, and I would highly recommend a visit.


To Visit Arnaud's and Chef Tommy Click Here

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After Arnaud's, and some Floorstaff Training, I headed to Graham's...
Kevin Graham.
Master Five-Star British Chef, rated Number One in America SEVERAL times during the nineties.
It was Kevin Graham that made the Windsor Court into the unstoppable powerhouse Five-Diamond location that it became, and when he left to open his own venue, I was lucky enough to cook on the line. He and his Executive Sous Chef Anita continued my indoctrination into the harsh realities of Haute Cuisine, and I learned more in those months than ever before.



Italian Master Chef Andrea Apuzzo.
Hands down one of the most important Italian Chefs in all of American History. I am also proud to call him a friend. Besides introducing many dishes that we now consider standards, AND maintaining a Five Star Rating for DECADES, he has received every culinary award possible, including hereditary title and lands in Italy. It was Andrea who opened my eyes to the wonders and flexibility of Italian Cuisine, and later introduced me to Gunter Preuss.


To Visit Andrea's Just Click Here



German Master Chef Gunter Preuss.
What is there to say to the most highly decorated Chef in Lousiana history, who at one point maintained NINE stars in New Orleans, and gave me my first appointment as an actual "chef"? Except THANK YOU. Gunter Preuss taught me a deep respect for the cuisine; a reverence for history and food that I will never loose. I still make the fabulous world-famous Bouillabaisse that he taught me, just the two of us, early one morning in a quiet kitchen. I still cut every vegetable at that same angle and thickness....and I ALWAYS will. The Classics are the backbone of all modern invention, and without the respect for classic techniques and ideas that was my gift from Chef Preuss, I could never have done anything. Maybe it is old-fashioned to care about those who taught you, to remain forever grateful, well then...I am old-fashioned.


To Visit Broussard's, Master Chef Gunter Preuss, his lovely wife Evelyn, and their family (which I hope has grown larger since I last visited!): Please Click Here.



While at Brussard's I was also fortunate enough to serve as Saucier to Marc Hollger, the retired Chef to King Olav of Sweden. But the rest is, as they say, history. With the invaluable experience and expertise imparted to me by these Masters, I became a highly paid Food and Beverage Consultant. But in 1996 I was called back to New Orleans by Mark Uddo to open the Chef's Table Restaurant as Executive Chef. We did well, garnering Four Stars in only 3 months, and at the age of 29 that made me the youngest Four Star Executive Chef in Louisiana History. I became good friends with Mark, whom I respected highly, but due to situations beyond his control I was forced to leave that location. And unfortunately, recently the Chef's Table was forced to close (again, a situation beyond the control of Mark's hard work, talent and determination). In any case, I travelled to Houston and helped run the kitchens of the Omni Hotel's Flagship Restaurant with my good friend (and Pastry Master) Dwayne Fortier, while also working at the Number One Italian Restaurant in Texas (as voted by native Italians), Arcodoro. But, in early 1999 I bought my own restaurant in the Colorado Rockies and began the next phase of this long hard journey...

Thanks for listening!

Chef Victor W. Matthews, Jr.


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