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Food & Drink

What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson’s food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

By Toronto Life| Photography by Giordano Ciampini
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A Q&A with chef Matty Matheson about MattyFest, being big in Japan and his fancy new restaurant
Food & Drink

A Q&A with chef Matty Matheson about MattyFest, being big in Japan and his fancy new restaurant

This past Saturday, Toronto’s most outrageous chef, Matty Matheson, hosted his first-ever MattyFest at Echo Beach, a day-long celebration of food and music. Over 20 restaurants, including some of Toronto’s and Montreal’s top chefs, were on hand to exchange their delicious dishes for Matty Bucks, the event’s official currency. And lucky VIP-ticket holders had access to barbecue from three visiting American pitmasters. More than a dozen musical acts performed, including Metz, Danny Brown, the Descendents, Gogol Bordello and the headliners—the freaking Wu-Tang Clan. Here’s a look at all there was to see, do and, of course, eat.

There was plenty to eat, but the Matheson’s Matty’s Patty’s booth was by far the most popular:

What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

Maker—another Matheson-affiliated joint—had a booth, too, selling whole pizzas:

What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

Afrim Pristine from Cheese Boutique doled out Ontario burrata with pickled Ontario peaches:

What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

And Buca’s Rob Gentile served bombette Pugliese with a vegetable giardiniera:

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What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

Imanishi made okonomiyaki:

What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

And Five Points Chicken served Nashville hot chicken sandwiches:

What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

Leandro Baldassarre of Famiglia Baldassarre was churning out ravioli for a dish he named RZAvioli with reggiano and O.D. butter, in honour of the night’s headlining act:

What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

Pinky’s Ca Phe served lemongrass chicken banh mi:

What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

Chefs Julio Guajardo and Kate Chomyshyn of soon-to-open Balam made barbacoa tacos:

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What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

There was plenty of barbecue, including some made by visiting American pitmasters Bill Durney (Hometown BBQ and Red Hook Tavern, New York), Pat Martin (Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint, Tennessee) and Sam Jones (Skylight Inn and Sam Jones BBQ, North Carolina):

What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

Here’s the man of the hour:

What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

And here he is in cut-out form:

What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

This Matty is even larger-than-life than the real thing, if that’s even possible:

What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

Musical acts included the Descendents:

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What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

And Metz:

What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

And Danny Brown:

What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

The very entertaining Gogol Bordello:

What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

And closing out the night, the Wu-Tang Clan:

What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

Here are some other shots from the fun-, music- and food-filled day:

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What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan
What went down at MattyFest, chef Matty Matheson's food and music festival featuring the Wu-Tang Clan

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