Matt Cranston
Joining a collection of personalities in the Leading Characters series is Matt Cranston; the dynamic, versatile and unassuming Head Chef, experienced in all manner of dining settings.
Matt Cranston at The Cow © Christian Banfield
“I liked the idea of being a Chef. The food scene was very different from what it is now; it was all chefs in big hats in big kitchens; it looked quite exciting from where I was sitting.”
Matt Cranston
Chefs smartly attired, immersed in their element, performing in kitchens — coordinating, preparing and producing delicious food; this was a captivating vision for Matt Cranston, leading him to enrol and subsequently be accepted onto the Professional Chef Diploma at Westminster College, Vincent Square. Highly regarded as the best catering college in Britain during his enrolment in the early nineties, Matt commenced the course, affirmed with his belief of landing where he should be, in the great company of fellow aspiring chefs.
Matt began his first formal employment in the hospitality industry at the exclusive Les Ambassadeurs Club; however, it wasn’t long before stepping into his next important role, which would see Matt extend his passion, experience and expertise with food. Dining with his father one evening at Bibendum, Cranston senior envisioned his son working at the highly respectable restaurant. Ambitious, encouraged, and inspired by the dinner, Matt approached Simon Hopkinson, then the Head Chef of Bibendum, for an opportunity to train alongside him. These formative years working under the directive of Hopkinson was where Matt’s understanding of food became realised, fuelling his desire to explore, experiment and embark on new challenges in alternative dining and kitchen settings.
Matt’s innate leadership skills, boldness and appeal for skilful challenges placed him confidently early in his career as Sous Chef, working alongside other prominent industry figures such as Fergus Henderson at St John between 1994 and 1996, and later in 1999 until 2001 with Rose Carrarini at former Villandry. In 2012, Matt spent the summer working with Michelin Star Australian Chef, Greg Malouf during his tenure at Petersham Nurseries Café in Richmond.
Having worked alongside great chefs, Matt continued progressing his career, stepping into successive Head Chef positions and leading a diverse directory of establishments, from formal dining, independent restaurants, gastropubs, catering, restaurant groups, pop-ups, private consulting and everything else in between; Matt has steadily acquired a cultured spectrum of experiences and unassumingly supported, transformed and revived restaurants and dining offerings across London, Paris and Barcelona.
Dynamism and versatility feature prominently in Matt’s experience, continuing to grow and extend beyond thirty-five years. Between 2001 and 2006, Matt catered for the art, fashion and publishing worlds, working with Vanity Fair, international fashion houses Burberry and Versace, retailer Zara, and creative personalities such as Mario Testino and Antony Gormley, catering for themed parties and location campaign shoots. Changing course in 2006 and advancing towards 2022, Matt further incorporated an array of supplementary experiences to his curriculum vitae, advising and developing menus as a consultant, acting as a private chef for personal clients, and further Head Chef roles at historical and well-established local favourites around London, such as The Brackenbury, The Anglesea Arms, and Lardo.
In 2022, Matt became the Head Chef at The Cow Saloon Bar & Dining Rooms, joining their mutual specialities in Modern European and Seasonal British Fare. Maintaining The Cow’s much loved signature dishes, Matt has experimented and developed the menu offering, establishing new favourite dishes, elevating and further popularising the much loved Notting Hill institution into a superior dining destination.
Words by Hitomi Grace