to you from me

Welcome bloggers, restaurateurs, chefs, and food lovers of all ages.

Its probably best to introduce myself. My name is Matt Rodgerson. You can call me Chef. I have been cooking since before i can remember but I really only started studying food and the restaurant industry about ten years ago.
I have a very serious passion for business and marketing which really paid off after i learned to cook.
I was professionally trained at the prestigious Ritz-Carlton, a Marriott company and have spent the past few years helping restaurant owners to see light of simplistic comfort food success. Throughout my blog I will show you amazing culinary creations, drop advertising tips and ideas, and show you how to DIY most of the things companies and consultants get paid big bucks for. Stay with me because most of the tools for success don't cost anything at all.

Now let me introduce my amazing staff. On the left we have patisserie guru Martin Evans. The man used to glaze the handles of my oven with simple syrup and wait with grins for the timers to go off. I have to admit i did get him back though on a regular basis.I learned a lot from the old guy, I miss the old days. On either side of me are my two industrial cleaning crew leaders Diego and Cesar. The other chef coat in the mix is my best friend and Sous Chef Jan-Paul Aukema (JP). I have taken this culinary wonder to every restaurant that we have been to. His skills in training staff members to do their jobs more efficiently is second to none. JP is definitely the fastest knife on this chop board. Watch out! on the far right is bellman Mate', who was a professional football player (soccer). He now runs a huge private league in Scottsdale, AZ.

This is a video we made for my wife (her blog )
one night while we were at work. She showed it to
her 1st grade classroom back then. You are hearing
her and our baker Martin Evan's comentary on our
desert refrigerator.I'm so dedicated to the DIY philosophy that i made my own wedding cake. It took me about 8 hours of work time between baking, decorating, and set-up. A big job but when you consider the cost, this cake would have cost me at least $400 dollars so it was well worth it. i always encourage people to do their wedding stuff themselves (catering, cakes, and decor) it sounds crazy to some people but makes for a much more personal occasion.