RESIDENT EXPERT
& Expert
Bringing smiles to the table, one bite at a time EXPERT
C hef Matty Neufeld’s culinary journey began at 15 with a sink full of dishes and a pair of perpetually pruned hands. Three weeks into his first restau- rant job, he was ready to quit — until a pizza dough position opened up. That small promotion changed everything, sparking a passion for cooking that became his career. After completing his apprenticeship at RRC Polytech and earning his Red Seal, Matty set out to learn from kitchens around the world. He cooked and studied in Thailand, worked at a two-hatted restaurant near the Sydney Opera House and spent more than two years cooking in Perth, Australia. His experiences abroad
deepened his interest in farm-to-table cooking and the slow food movement. An Australian mentor encouraged him to attend the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy, where he studied Italian cooking, gastronomy and slow food while working on a farm. He later refined his skills in a three-Michelin-starred restaurant before return- ing home to Winnipeg with a new appreciation for Manitoba’s ingredients and food community. Matty became executive chef at Pineridge Hollow before founding Prairie Kitchen Catering in 2018, where he is now executive chef and owner. Today, he and his team create food for weddings, corporate events, lun- cheons and “housepitality” dinners. His humour and creativity have also inspired a series of pun-forward pop-up dinners that turn food into entertainment. Beyond catering, Matty has competed in Gold Medal Plates, appeared on radio, news and breakfast tele- vision, cooked for numerous foundation galas and helped feed thousands of Manitobans displaced by the 2025 wildfires. He has also volunteered in elementary schools, teaching students about Canada’s Food Guide. At the heart of Matty’s philosophy is a simple be- lief: food brings people together. He is passionate about building community through local food and great hospitality, and he sees Manitoba’s food scene as a uniquely connected community of farmers, producers, chefs and guests. Some of his favourite food memories happen at home: picking garden tomatoes with his kids, buying bacon at the farmers’ market and making pasta with flour from a small family-run farm. For Matty, great food is about more than what is on the plate. It’s about the people gathered around it.
CHEF MATTY NEUFELD
SAVOUR MANITOBA | FALL 2026 | 5
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