To the world, Matty Matheson is best known as the burly handyman Fak on the award-winning FX dramedy “The Bear,” but for those plugged into the Toronto food scene, the 42-year-old is part of the cohort of young chefs that ushered in a wild-west era of casual fine dining in the late 2000s. During that time, small 30-seat, chef-driven bistros began popping up in Parkdale, King West and Ossington, serving familiar plates and flavours prepared with the attention of a fine-dining chef, but served at a recession-friendly price point.
In Matheson’s third and latest cookbook, ”Soups, Salads, Sandwiches” ($48, Appetite by Random House) arriving on shelves this month, there’s a return to those earlier days of simple flavours served with a chef’s flourish, like adding roasted squash and honey to a grilled cheese, or compressing a baked lasagna into a dippable sandwich. Matheson spoke with the Star on his (and the reader’s) evolving tastes and, of course, what he’s craving when on set and away from Toronto.