Louisiana-born and reared chef Michelle Matlock is mum on the secret to the gumbo she’s prepared and doled out from New Orleans to Hollywood. Not so good at keeping secrets,Communitas Hospitality is spilling the beans that Matlock will be serving up her savory version as executive chef for 10th & Piedmont. From toddlerhood on, family matriarchs had much to do with Matlock’s kitchen schooling, and her fisherman father instilled rod-and-reel skills. She completed her formal culinary education through the American Culinary Federation Apprenticeship Program at Delgado Community College followed by an apprenticeship under French master chef René Bajeux at New Orleans’ renowned Windsor Court Hotel Grill Room. NOLA welcomed Matlock to the kitchens of some of its finest restaurants, including the Royal Café, Acme Oyster House and Cobalt, a trendy restaurant she opened in the Hotel Monaco for famed chef Susan Spicer. Hollywood called Matlock to pack up her pans and head west to become executive chef for Element Film’s restaurant division. Now, Matlock brings her piscatorial passion for fresh and sustainable seafood, the intrigue of international tapas and borderless cuisine, and bounty from local farms to the menus of 10th & Piedmont. She enjoys tinkering with Communitas’ new smoker to turn out delights from well-respected barbecue to the unexpected smoked caprese salad. Perhaps her greatest joy is training and encouraging her staff and teaching them what she knows. That is, except for the seven-generation gumbo secret.
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