Wayne, PA-based chef Matt Pressler chats the restaurant life with The Whole Enchilada PR.

1. Life
on
the
Line
Let's
face
it;
making
it
in
the
restaurant
business
is
a
lot
harder
these
days.
Customers
are
savvier
(hence,
more
demanding)
than
ever,
and
with
the
economy
under
the
weather,
they're
also
spending
a
lot
more
time
in
their
own
kitchens.
And
forget
about
all
the
diet
restrictions
and
calorie-­‐
counting
going
on—it's
a
challenge
for
any
chef
to
cook
just
the
way
he
or
she
wants
to.
However,
as
Matt
Pressler,
chef-­‐owner
of
Matador
Restaurante
in
Wayne,
PA
has
figured
out,
if
you're
willing
to
adapt
a
bit,
chefs
and
customers
can
have
it
all:
creative,
health-­‐conscious
food;
affordable
prices,
lick-­‐your-­‐lips
libations
and
the
pleasure
of
not
having
to
do
the
dishes.
Certainly,
it
helps
if
you're
a
fan
of
Spanish-­‐Mexican
cuisine,
robust
riojas,
tempranillos
and
tequila,
a
culinary
cocktail
guaranteed
to
deliver
a
real
pop
to
your
palate.
But,
if
you're
not
quite
sure
what
makes
this
combination
so
special,
it's
a
safe
bet
that
Chef
Pressler
will
change
your
mind.
So
pour
yourself
one
of
the
above,
keep
reading,
and
get
to
know
a
little
bit
about
this
pro-­‐soccer
player
turned
chef
and
his
passion
for
cooking.
What
is
your
culinary
background?
I'm
one
of
those
chefs
that
took
a
circuitous
route
to
the
kitchen.
My
first
restaurant
job
was
bartending,
during
college.
One
night,
the
kitchen
was
short
on
staff,
and
I
was
called
in
to
help.
I
had
cooked
plenty
of
things
as
a
kid—pancakes
were
my
specialty,
and
also
marinated
chicken,
seared
then
finished
in
the
oven
with
a
French-­‐Italian
dressing
glaze—and
had
natural
ability
and
interest.
Management
noticed,
and
decided
to
leave
me
in
the
kitchen.
It
was
a
complete
departure
from
the
pro-­‐soccer
and
physical
therapy
path
I
had
started
walking
down.

2. Who
has
influenced
your
cooking
the
most?
For
me,
it's
less
about
having
a
culinary
mentor,
than
about
having
"operations"
mentors
who
taught
me
the
ins
and
outs
of
actually
running
a
kitchen.
My
passion
for
cooking
is
something
that
has
always
been
stirred
by
ingredients
first,
rather
than
the
final
product.
Traveling
to
Italy
and
Spain,
and
seeing
the
farms
and
the
freshness
of
the
produce
and
the
meats…
that
has
been
my
most
powerful
muse.
I
am
going
back
to
Spain
at
the
end
of
this
year
and
I
can't
wait.
How
would
you
describe
the
cuisine
at
Matador?
Authentic
Mexican-­‐Spanish—both
of
these
cuisines
have
an
incredible
range
of
of
ingredients
that
can
be
paired
in
a
number
of
combinations
that
make
each
dish
taste
totally
new.
For
instance,
simply
switching
out
an
ancho
chili
for
a
guajillo
pepper
makes
an
enormous
difference.
How
do
you
explain
the
differences
and
similarities
in
the
cuisine?
That's
not
too
tough…
both
are
similar
due
to
the
consistent
presence
of
rice
and
beans,
and
garlic,
along
with
overall
earthy
and
smoky
overtones.
But
the
differences
are
more
noticeable:
Mexican
uses
all
fresh
meats,
nothing
cured;
and
more
fresh
peppers,
rather
than
dried.
Spanish
dishes
are
richer
and
more
subtle…there's
no
fast
rush
or
sting
of
heat,
but
rather
a
rounder,
more
blended
flavor.
Plus,
Spanish
chefs
enjoy
using
dried
fruits,
nuts
and
preserves.
And,
there's
no
cilantro
in
Spanish
cuisine.
What
menu
items
best
exemplify
each
cuisine?
For
the
Mexican
side
of
things,
I'd
have
to
say
the
tequila-­‐infused
Jalapeño
Relleno
or
Poblano
Mole;
definitely
it's
the
paella
or
octopus
with
potatoes,
hot
paprika on
the
Spanish
offerings.
How
does
what
you
serve
differ
from
what
you
would
serve
if
you
weren't
worried
about
customers'
tastes
and
budgets?
I'd
be
more
adventurous
and
playful
with
ingredients—I'd
juxtapose
more
things
such
as
cherries
and
habeneros,
coffee
and
rice.
Or
how
about
roasted
garlic
ice
cream…
Other
lesser-­‐used,
hard
to
find/
pricier
ingredients
too,
such
as
roe
and
eel,
that
I
can't
build
into
the
budget
now,
based
on
our
price
point.
Even
our
most
"exotic"
dishes
are
geared
toward
a
more
conservative,
suburban
palette.
It
has
always
surprised
and

3. confused
me,
that
Main
Line
customers
are
willing
to
try
new
things
in
the
city,
and
pay
more
for
them,
than
here
in
the
suburbs.
Which
three
cooking
gadgets
or
tools
are
your
favorites?
I
have
lots
of
favorites,
but
the
lava
rock
mortar
and
pestle,
my
chef's
knife—a
6-­‐inch
hammered
metal
Shun—and
my
sous
vide
machine.
Got
to
have
that
for
our
chicken...
What
are
some
of
the
essential
characteristics
of
a
chef
who
is
going
to
shake
up
the
world?
I
think
No.1
is
a
strong
imagination.
It’s
hard
to
be
creative
if
you
can’t
imagine
an
ingredient’s
flavor
during
preparation
or
even
when
you’re
daydreaming
about
creating
a
dish.
All
chefs
need
to
have
a
high
respect
for
ingredients
and
an
ability
to
maintain
a
food’s
integrity
(and
flavor)
through
the
storing
and
cooking
process,
but
I
think
consistency
is
one
of
the
greatest
measures—anyone
can
make
something
good
once.
However,
like
any
artist,
it’s
the
passion
(and
skill)
to
stick
to
your
ethics
while
translating
your
vision
to
the
customer
that
pushes
chefs
to
the
top.
Go-­‐to
reference:
The
Spanish
Table
by
Steve
Winston
has
a
lot
of
history
and
authenticity.
Most
of
the
other
cookbooks
that
I
have,
I
read
for
brainstorming,
not
for
recipes.
They
can
inspire
me
to
get
out
of
a
rut.
What
is
your
favorite
music
to
play
in
the
kitchen?
Definitely
mood
dependent…it
can
range
anywhere
from
classic
rock
to
Frank
Sinatra.
I
also
have
to
share
the
music
decision-­‐making
with
the
guys
on
the
line,
so
it
depends
on
their
mood
too.
Which
are
the
most
over/underrated
seasonings?
Black
pepper.
It's
a
completely
flat
layer.
Underrated
would
be
adobo
seasoning,
which
is
great
for
adding
flavor
to
meat,
poultry
and
fish.
Garlic
is
pretty
overrated,
only
because
it
is
used
incorrectly
too
often...not
roasted
properly,
not
chopped
properly,
added
to
a
dish
at
the
wrong
time.
All
of
this
can
make
a
dish
taste
too
bitter
or
too
hot.
Cardamom
is
underrated—it's
perfect
for
both
sweet
or
savory
dishes,
with
its
earthy
flavor
and
aroma.

4.
Salt
on
the
tables,
yes
or
no?
NO.
Also,
it
would
be
good
for
diners
to
know
that
when
a
chef,
well
at
least
this
one,
puts
a
lemon
on
the
plate,
it
is
meant
to
be
used.
The
combination
of
salt
and
saliva
helps
circulate
a
food's
flavor
over
your
tongue.
This
is
another
reason
why
you
should
try
all
the
components
of
a
dish
together.
It
will
give
you
the
chef's
whole
vision,
which
is
especially
in
ethnic
dishes,
is
about
texture,
flavor
AND
color.
Is
there
a
guilty
secret—something
canned,
something
wholly
unsophisticated—in
your
arsenal
of
ingredients?
Well...yes.
Canned
corn
fungus;
it's
too
hard
to
get
in
fresh,
and
Uncle
Ben's
long-­‐grain
rice.
A
medium
grain
is
more
authentic,
so
it
IS
kind
of
a
culinary
sin.
We
do
at
least
crack
the
grains
though.
I
don't
use
in
our
paella
though.
For
that
we
use
calasparra
rice,
or
bomba.
These
suck
about
2/3
more
liquid
in,
which
builds
more
flavor.)
Which
item
in
your
home
fridge
would
you
least
like
to
cop
to?
SpaghettiOs
Is
there
a
food
you
can’t
bring
yourself
to
eat?
Well,
there's
so
many
great
foods
I
haven't
tried
yet,
I'm
pretty
certain
that
I
don't
need
to
eat
flesh
or
live
bugs.
You've
got
30
minutes
to
cook
a
nice
meal;
what
would
you
cook?
Hmmm,
how
does
rack
of
lamb
with
lobster-­‐loaded
rice,
drizzled
with
beet,
melon
and
guajillo
pepper
reduction
sound?
The
bright,
pinkish-­‐red
will
add
visual
interest
and
the
juicy,
sweet-­‐tart
juices
and
the
fruit
will
cut
through
fatty
flavors
of
the
lamb
as
well
as
pull
out
the
lobster's
sweet-­‐
salty
essence.
How
has
being
a
chef-­‐owner
changed
the
way
you
cook?
There
is
a
lot
more
stress
and
pressure
to
perform
when
you're
anxious
about
selling
and
not
wasting
what
you
prepare.
It
takes
a
bit
of
the
spontaneity
and
innovation
out
of
planning
a
special.
You
really
have
to
be
conservative
in
choosing
ingredients.
However,
this
has
helped
me
become
more
focused.
My
mindset
is
always,
"Every
dish
matters."

5. What
ingredient/s
can't
you
live
without?
Onions,
guajillo
peppers
and
garlic
When
entertaining
with
family
and
friends,
are
you
a
"group"
participant
or
do
you
start
to
take
control?
I
generally
aim
to
be
in
the
background
and
not
hover
around
the
food
as
its
being
prepared.
It's
important
for
me
to
not
be
a
chef
when
I'm
out.
It's
not
about
food
at
that
point;
it's
about
the
people
preparing
the
food
and
creating
a
social
experience.
What
has
been
your
greatest
culinary
conquest?
Matador—the
combination
of
running
the
restaurant
and
being
behind
the
line.
What
would
you
be
your
fantasy
restaurant?
A
restaurant
right
on
the
beach
where
you
could
build
ground
ovens
to
bake
fish
and
cook
paellas
all
day
on
driftwood.
People
are
more
humble
at
the
beach,
more
in
relation
to
the
earth
and
the
larger
world
around
them.
This
makes
them
more
appreciative
about
what
they're
eating.
Name
three
things
in
your
refrigerator
right
now...
Skim
milk,
pizzelles,
Chiuahua
cheese,
bell
peppers,
(a
variety
of)
fig
jam
and
some
questionable
leftovers.
…
in
your
summer
garden?
Tomatoes
and
hot
peppers
Worst
kitchen
disaster?
One
of
my
guys
had
the
large
cheese
grater
attachment
on
a
60-­‐qt
Hobart
floor
mixer,
and
he
put
his
hand
in
to
get
the
last
bit
of
cheese
out
while
the
mixer
was
still
on
high.
His
finger
was
no
match
for
the
blades.
What
motto
or
advice
do
you
live
by
whether
in
the
kitchen
or
out?
Do
it
right
the
first
time,
preparation
is
everything,
and
haste
makes
waste.
Matador
Restaurante,
110
N.
Wayne
Ave.,
Wayne,
PA
19087;
(610)
688-­‐6282,
www.matadorrestaurante.com,
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