from culinary Vagabond to medinah Maestro: Chef Matthew Gilbert’s Journey Through Music, Food, Wine and Golf

Left: In front of the famous Trimbach vineyard in Ribeauville in Alsace. I made the journey to Alsace to eat in Strasbourg and meet wine heroes like Jean Trimbach along the Route du Vin. Right: Spring 2025 Cover Story. 

Young chefs must engage deeply with diverse cultures and cuisines to develop into skilled culinary artisans. I recently visited Medinah Country Club, where I observed significant enhancements to the culinary operations, a transformation that Karen Moraghan of Hunter Public Relations highly recommended.

Culinary Director Matthew Gilbert has a unique background. His passion for cooking was inspired by his love of music. 

I invite you to read this comprehensive interview with Matthew, a proud native of Montana. In it, Matthew articulates how his global experiences are expressed through the universal languages of music, food, and wine. ~Diana DeLucia

GK: Can you tell us about your background and how you became interested in cooking?

MG: I grew up in a very musical family but not a very foodie family.  My childhood was spent in a small Montana town called Bozeman, which has beautiful and pristine nature, but at that time did not have much in the way of city life or the restaurants that come along with that. The vital part of music in my story is my passion and connection to it from a very young age. An important turning point early in my life was coming to understand that creating music and creating food is remarkably similar.  Notes are ingredients, songs are dishes, menus are albums. 

GK: How did your journey in the culinary world begin?

MG: My first entrepreneurial venture began when I mowed lawns around town at 10 or 11 years old. When I was fifteen, the bass player in my band got a job as a dishwasher in a fine-dining restaurant. He excitedly told me about it, and I thought, “Bro, hook me up!” And that’s how my journey into the professional kitchen began. I started working as a dishwasher at the Gallatin Gateway Inn in Montana, the closest thing we had to fine dining. I loved the energy and chaos of the kitchen and quickly learned a lot from the chefs there. 

​GK: Who were some of your mentors in the culinary world?

MG: Eric Carr was the first chef I learned from, but after he left, my first true chef mentor became Scottie Burton, a chef who had arrived from Boston. Scottie approached everything differently and was also a jazz and metal drummer, making our connection unique. He encouraged me to put together specials and taught me much about dish composition, like working with harmony and dissonance in music creation. Scottie’s guidance ignited my motivation to delve into every aspect of the culinary world.

GK: How did your education shape your culinary career?

MG: I attended the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont due to my trust in Scottie who was a graduate.  Even though the school is no more, I was there in its prime.  The small class sizes provided more hands-on experience, and the school’s restaurants served the public, which was exciting. During both years there, the curriculum included classes and internships. Scottie advised me to seek my first internship in Boston and work for Gordon Hamersley, a renowned chef. This experience in a high-level big city kitchen shaped my passion for cooking and helped me grow immensely both personally and professionally. 

GK: How did your experience with New American cuisine influence your culinary journey?

MG: Learning Gordon’s soulful version of New American cuisine, influenced heavily by French cooking, was a fantastic experience, although super intimidating to me at the time. I took the kitchen so seriously that I was afraid to make a mistake.  The environment was intense and the cooks that worked the line there were way out of my league.  Over time I earned a place on the team.  Courtney Loreg, who was also a NECI student intern and later won a James Beard award in Portland, ME, crossed over with my time at Hamersley’s. There was an even mix of women and men working there ​that showed me the value of equality and fair treatment in that environment, a principle that I still hold closely now.  

​GK: Can you share any memorable experiences from working with Gordon Hammersley?

MG: I had the opportunity to cook for Julia Child, which was awe-inspiring. On my station I also had a dish named after her on the menu called “JC’s Old Style New England Cod Cakes.” The joke was that Julia Child was almost as important as the other world-famous JC from the bible.  Working for Gordon, I cooked for many celebrities, got my butt kicked and learned a ton! When I returned to culinary school for my second year, I joined the “Super Block,” a group of culinary overachievers that held each other to a high standard. At that time, I made a meaningful connection with Josh Goetz, a culinary brother who I would go on to work with in Hong Kong years later.

GK: How did your time in France shape your culinary skills and perspective?

MG: For my second-year internship, my French mentor, Robert Barral, set me up at Restaurant L’Essentiel in Chambéry, where I worked under chef Jean Michel Bouvier, who had one Michelin star. The experience was both challenging and rewarding. I learned a million things the old-fashioned way. 

In France I was blown away by the common citizen’s culinary aptitude. My barber’s wife, with a remarkable knowledge of food, shared her favorite food magazines with me, deepening my appreciation for the French home cook. My roommate while working at L’Essentiel was a young Philip Tessier who would go on to Bocuse D’Or glory as the first American chef to podium! I also worked a harvest season in Burgundy, picking grapes and gaining a genuine appreciation for wine.

GK: What did you learn about winemaking?

MG: Working in Burgundy you drank a lot of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and I learned about growing grapes, fermenting and really the entire old world winemaking process. Winemaking is a lot less romantic than most people think, it is essentially farm work and each day we would return to the house sunburned and exhausted but also thoroughly buzzed and elated to be alive!  Later, I returned home to America to earn money to work at a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Montpellier, again assisted by Chef Robert. 

GK: How was your experience at the three-Michelin-star restaurant in Montpellier?

MG: It was definitely an intense experience for me! As an American kid in that environment, I stood out. There is no love for you there and any respect you were going to receive would need to be hard earned.  Jacques and Laurent Pourcel the head chefs, were intimidating, and the silence in the kitchen was even scarier than the yelling of Chambery. I had the opportunity to move through all the stations, focusing primarily on fish. I worked hard on my French skills which really helped.  Keep your head down and work your ass off, this is the only way in that environment.  It was amazing!

GK: Can you share your experience with La Maison Blanche and working in Paris?

MG: I was invited to be part of the opening team for La Maison Blanche, a prestigious restaurant located off the Champs-Élysées in Paris, with a direct view of the Eiffel Tower. I agreed and returned again to America to save money for my trip. No pay in those kitchens.   Once in Paris, I found a small hotel to live in in the 9th arrondisement and primarily worked on the amuse-bouche and garde manger station, preparing thousands of canapés and learning valuable skills like quenelles and sculpted vegetables.

GK: How did your travels and experiences in France shape your culinary perspective?

MG: During my travels, I ended up in Bordeaux, where I met a young Brazilian woman and of course fell in love with her.  She was inspired by Paulo Coelho’s book about the Camino de Santiago de Compostela and went to walk it while I worked. Upon return, she insisted that I walk the pilgrim route and eventually I did. The experience completely changed my life. After a couple of years in France and Spain, I knew that the rest of my life would involve traveling the world.

GK: Can you share your experience walking the Camino de Santiago?

MG: The Camino de Santiago was a profound experience. It’s a spiritual pilgrimage where people walk for various reasons. Pilgrims wear a scallop shell as their ID, and restaurants provide a budget-friendly three-euro menu. The food along the Camino is Spain’s most honest food, with each region offering different sausages and cheeses. The experience, including the toll of walking long distances, taught me about life’s relationship with pain and struggle.

GK: What was your experience working with Susan Spicer in New Orleans?

MG: Returning to the states, I moved to New Orleans to work for Susan Spicer. Initially, it was challenging due to my idiotically inflated young ego.  Susan could see that I badly needed humbling, and she delivered that humbling herself. The first three months felt like a living hell, but eventually, I passed the boot camp test. The rest of my time in New Orleans was incredible. I experienced Mardi Gras and the Jazz Festival and had the opportunity to work with celebrity chefs during the Super Bowl week that year.

GK: How did your dining experiences in New Orleans influence your culinary style?

MG: My girlfriend in New Orleans also worked at an excellent restaurant, so we dined at all the best fine dining spots in the city. I learned much about Southern cuisine. I was there when 9/11 happened. Chef Susan got me a second job at her new Kimpton property called Cobalt. I worked lunches with her there and dinners with her at Bayona, significantly influencing my approach to using and respecting ingredients. Susan’s “global eclectic” style inspired me greatly and I would say that stylistically, no other chef influenced me as much as she did.

GK: What was your experience like in Australia?

MG: I spent about six months in Australia, starting in Sydney and traveling to various regions, including Melbourne, Coonawarra, McLaren Vale, and Margaret River. I enjoyed watching surfers on the Indian Ocean, playing hacky sack with fellow nomads, and exploring the wine regions. I also skydived, did my first bungee jump in Cairns, and traveled on the Magic Bus from there down to Sydney. Visiting Uluru and Tasmania were highlights of my trip.

GK: How did your time in Australia shape your culinary journey?

MG: My travels in Australia were incredibly enriching. The people, their way of life and sense of humor are very vibrant. I explored diverse wine regions, engaged in local culinary practices, and discovered new ingredients and cooking techniques. These experiences broadened my culinary perspective and inspired my approach to food.

GK: After Australia, your life was a whirlwind, what did that entail?

MG: I stayed in New Zealand for about four months, visiting many places, doing more bungy jumps, and enjoying wine festivals. After New Zealand, I lived in San Francisco, where I worked at the Mandarin Oriental.  From there, I moved to South America, where I met my future wife and traveled to many countries, spending about ten months overall. I did some wine work, cooked for free all over the place, and worked on my Spanish skills.

GK: Can you share your journey to Egypt and how it impacted you?

MG: One day, living in Portland Oregon, a chef I had  badly needed humbling, and she delivered that humbling herself. The first three months felt like a living hell, but eventually, I passed the boot camp test. The rest of my time in New Orleans was incredible. I experienced Mardi Gras and the Jazz Festival and had the opportunity to work with celebrity chefs during the Super Bowl week that year.

GK: How did your dining experiences in New Orleans influence your culinary style?

MG: My girlfriend in New Orleans also worked at an excellent restaurant, so we dined at all the best fine dining spots in the city. I learned much about Southern cuisine. I was there when 9/11 happened. Chef Susan got me a second job at her new Kimpton property called Cobalt. I worked lunches with her there and dinners with her at Bayona, significantly influencing my approach to using and respecting ingredients. Susan’s “global eclectic” style inspired me greatly and I would say that stylistically, no other chef influenced me as much as she did.

GK: What was your experience like in Australia?

MG: I spent about six months in Australia, starting in Sydney and traveling to various regions, including Melbourne, Coonawarra, McLaren Vale, and Margaret River. I enjoyed watching surfers on the Indian Ocean, playing hacky sack with fellow nomads, and  exploring the wine regions. I also skydived, did my first bungee jump in Cairns, and traveled on the Magic Bus from there down to Sydney. Visiting Uluru and Tasmania were highlights of my trip.

GK: How did your time in Australia shape your culinary journey? 

MG: My travels in Australia were incredibly enriching. The people, their way of life and sense of humor are very vibrant. I explored diverse wine regions, engaged in local culinary practices, and discovered new ingredients and cooking techniques. These experiences broadened my culinary perspective and inspired my approach to food.

GK: After Australia, your life was a whirlwind, what did that entail?

MG: I stayed in New Zealand for about four months, visiting many places, doing more bungy jumps, and enjoying wine festivals. After New Zealand, I lived in San Francisco, where I worked at the Mandarin Oriental.  From there, I moved to South America, where I met my future wife and traveled to many countries, spending about ten months overall. I did some wine work, cooked for free all over the place, and worked on my Spanish skills.

GK: Can you share your journey to Egypt and how it impacted you?

MG: One day, living in Portland Oregon, a chef I had worked with in San Francisco called me and asked if I wanted to move to Egypt to work at a California cuisine restaurant in a Fairmont hotel that was opening on the Nile. Moving to Cairo was one of the greatest adventures of my life. We were there during the Arab Spring, which was eye-opening. I got married in Cairo and my wife returned to Peru for safety while pregnant. My daughter Aysha was born in Lima. Due to politics and cars on fire in the streets, we decided not to return to Cairo.  After nearly three years there, it was time to look east.

GK: How did you end up working at the American Club of Hong Kong? 

MG: That friend from culinary school, Josh Goetz, was working at the American Club of Hong Kong and informed me of a job opening. I took the offer, and moved our family there, marking the beginning of a new chapter that lasted about six years. I had worked in Michelin restaurants and five-star hotels, how hard could a club be?  This was my first club job, and if I am honest, I got my ass kicked there too for a while.  It took a full couple of years to get my feet fully under me.  The American Club is a huge club with dozens of restaurants and hundreds of cooks to lead.  Josh and I were co-chefs, each leading one clubhouse.  After a while I found my stride and the remainder of the time was some the best of my life both professionally and personally.  My son Antoine was born in Hong Kong in 2014, and we lived in 780 sq feet as a family of four!

GK: How did working in clubs shape your culinary career?

MG: Working in clubs was far more complex than I anticipated. Many young chefs feel creative culinary talent is wasted in clubs, but I quickly realized the challenges and lofty expectations. You have to be good at everything! It took time to adjust and earn trust, but I found that club members were like everyone else once I did. This experience taught me valuable lessons about adapting to different environments and meeting exacting standards.

GK: How did your experience with club members in Hong Kong differ from your current club?

MG: Many club members in Hong Kong were debenture members, often looking for immediate, short-term benefits, although for sure there were many amazing people too. It felt like a “squeaky wheel gets the grease” club. In contrast, my current club is warm and welcoming, with members extremely appreciative of our work and effort.  GK: How did your extensive travel in Asia impact your culinary learning?

MG: Hong Kong is so close to the rest of Asia. I spent time in Thailand, Vietnam, Burma (Myanmar), Bhutan, Tibet, Nepal, India, Cambodia, Laos, Japan, Korea, mainland China, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia, etc. Bhutan is my favorite of all of the places I have ever been.  This travel was terrific for both my culinary learning and way of life.  The Buddhist way of looking at things became a core part of my mindset, and that certainly contributes to my style of leadership and culture creation.

GK: Can you share the influence of key individuals during your time in Hong Kong?

MG: Robert Sereci was the club’s general manager, and Mark Gallaudet became my next incredibly significant mentor. Mark taught me a lot about conducting myself at a high level in the club world, especially regarding relationships, politics, membership, and the board. Working with a large leadership team and managing a vast staff in an octopus-like operation was challenging, but we were in the trenches together, and I learned more than ever before.  I came away from Hong Kong loving the culinary life more than I ever thought possible.

GK: What led to your move back to the States and transition to rural Idaho?

MG: In 2017, we moved back to the States to be closer to my family, as our kids were growing up without much contact with their grandparents. Mark contacted me about a chef position in Idaho. It was a radical transition from the concrete jungle metropolis of Hong Kong to rural Idaho, but it was a great challenging resort hotel and club, and it was close to where I was raised. Truly “God’s country” up there as the locals call it. Tons of snow, glacially formed lakes, absolutely pristine.  My kids loved it there, but it was  tough living so far from the urban life we had been loving.

The clubhouse at Medinah Country Club. Image courtesy Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Illinois, USA

GK: How did you end up at Medinah, and what changes did you bring? 

MG: Mark recruited me to Medinah, where Robert Sereci was again the general manager. He had taken the reins at a tough time for the club and improved systems and governance. I started my role just before the pandemic.  

During COVID we launched a successful prime cuts butcher-to-go program, purchased a giant smoker, and built a new way of staffing our kitchens by partnering with five local culinary schools.  These types of changes set the tone for what we have done here since.

GK: How did you adapt your culinary operations during the COVID-19 pandemic?

MG: We developed an extensive kitchen-to-go and beverage-to-go program, marketing everything through our app and website for touchless delivery. We built two outdoor restaurants around our food truck and smoker to keep up with the high round play on the courses. This experience was rewarding, allowing me to form deep bonds with my team. 

GK: How did your relationship with local schools benefit your culinary team?

MG: Everyone recalls how difficult it was to hire during the pandemic. We contacted local schools for recruitment during the pandemic, realizing that many businesses were not doing it. We started doing demos and industry talks at the different campuses.  This partnership allowed us to connect with many students, who now comprise a significant part of our long-term culinary team. We had seventeen students at one point, which was challenging but ultimately rewarding. 

GK: How did the H2B and J1 programs contribute to your workforce?

MG: Coming out of COVID, we worked hard on the H2B and J1 programs. J1 students stay for three months and leave just as our business season ends, while H2B workers support us through the shoulder seasons for six months. 
These programs brought highly motivated young people to our workforce, contributing significantly to our operations at a time of year when it was needed.

GK: What is the success rate of the student program?

MG: Most students in our program end up working here full-time. We have a variety of work arrangements, with some individuals working part-time and others full-time. The program has been remarkably successful, and I highly recommend this approach to any  chef out there looking to work on their team!

GK: How do you approach diversity in your culinary team? 

MG: As someone who has traveled extensively and married a Latina, I understand the importance of diversity. We speak only Spanish at home, and about 60% of my team here speaks Spanish. 

This has enhanced our professional interactions and served as a cultural bridge, allowing us to understand and appreciate diverse perspectives.  During summer we have as many as fifteen languages spoken in our kitchens and that is something that gives me immense pride to be able to be a part of. 

GK: How have your culinary experiences shaped your identity?

MG: My experiences have profoundly shaped my identity. As a white person from the middle of nowhere in Montana, I have developed a deep appreciation for the diversity of the world and the reflection of that in our food and beverage team. At this point in life, the most important thing to me is building a team and creating a positive and productive work culture. While I love food and creating dishes, the excitement of culture creation and team building is my favorite aspect these days. The larger the team, the more significant the challenge, and this is where my current expansion from Executive Chef to Director of Food and Beverage Operations comes into play.

GK: How do you manage diversity and conflicts within your culinary team?

MG: I cherish having as much diversity as possible in our team, although at times it presents challenges, particularly with multiple languages spoken in the kitchen. Different cultural backgrounds and points of view can lead to disagreements, especially in the heat of the moment during rush time. This takes a lot of active management from our chef leadership team, and I could not be prouder of the work they do to make the dream real. Our diversity brings a fundamental understanding of cooking deeply rooted in distinct cultural identities. This enhances our kitchen’s flavor profile and fosters a closer cultural connection and relationship with food.  To me this is all a great gift.

GK: How has your approach to diversity influenced your culinary program?

MG: Our diverse perspectives benefit us immensely. When we searched for a sous chef, we brought Hussein Alishawi, a Palestinian-Jordanian-American, onto the team. He is an amazing chef and person, and his flavors have been showcased all over the club. Chef Hussein and others on our team bring an identity to our culinary program that transcends my contributions. We are opening up our membership to various cultures and flavors and that has been very well received here.

GK: What is the significance of cooking and sharing food in your culinary environment?

MG: Cooking is a shared experience, and there’s an intimacy involved in creating something with our hands that others will eat. Many people trust us to prepare safe and nourishing meals at Medinah Country Club. This dynamic underscores the difference between service and hospitality. Creating a dish can sometimes take days, only for someone to consume it in a few seconds. This incredibly special process symbolizes the unique experience of bringing something to life together and ultimately sharing it with others human beings that we care for.