I love to learn. But not because I'm incredibly smart or an armchair intellectual. Because for me nothing could be more fun than experiencing and learning something new. I like to say "it's not that I can't sit still its that I don't want to!"
Growing up I moved around a lot. I lived in ten houses before graduating high-school. And if you consider boarding school a house that put me at eleven. But I never dreaded moving. I remember always looking forward to the next adventure.
I was fortunate to experience a wide range of different communities and each was unique. And I learned from all of them. From Schlater Mississippi to Westport Connecticut, Batavia Ohio to Newport Beach California or Chattanooga Tennessee to Mercer Island Washington. Every city was an opportunity to experience something totally new and add to the list of great stories I had already collected.
Now that I'm all grown up I'm again spoiled because I get to travel around the world and learn from some of the best Chefs, Fishermen (and women), Farmers and countless others. I'll never start an oyster farm but I could probably tell you about the how Donny Merry started his and how he continues to improve the process. Similarly, I'll definitely never work in a Michelin 3 Star restaurant but I've spent about forty days staging in those kitchens because the process is incredible and although my experience is far from the real thing I love being a part of it and learning.
So after however many years of me collecting these experiences I want to share them. But beyond the small server trainings or in-house demos I often do. So I thought I'd share some of my experiences and hope someone finds them interesting or enjoyable. And if nothing else it allows me to enjoy reliving them!
Why "Dead Fish Guy"?
When I started my company I was like a door to door salesman but I never knocked. It didn't take long to realize that going in the front door and asking "is Chef available" got me exactly nowhere. So I'd find the back door to the kitchen and just walk in where I'd find myself in front of Chefs who would always ask "can I tell Chef who's here?" 9 times out of 10 the Chef was "busy" when MATTHEW was there to see them. So one time I said "Matthew the fish guy" and the sous looked really confused and immediately asked "like aquarium fish?" I laughed and said "no mine are all dead."
Since then I've introduced myself as "the dead fish guy" and its worked.
Simple. Direct. Accurate.