Class of 2014
Matthew Accarrino lives life in multiple gears, balancing work at his Italian-inspired café Mattina around the corner from the Michelin-starred SPQR with a lifelong love of competitive cycling. An injury at the age of 17 caused Accarrino to change tracks from professional racing to cooking, but he pursued the new mission with the same zeal. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he trained at Emeril’s in New Orleans, Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, and various restaurants in Italy, before joining the opening team at 1988 F&W Best New Chef Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York City. In 2009, he took over the kitchen of the then two-year-old Roman-ish SPQR, and in 2023, opened Mattina — originally an extension of the coffee and doughnuts service he’d started at SPQR during the pandemic. He’s content for now; a third restaurant would put the brakes on his riding time.
Dining and Cooking