For Matt Paisley, food has always been centered around family. As a child, when he wasn’t stealing the saltshaker off his great grandmother’s table to go eat tomatoes off the vine in her garden, he was helping his mom cook for different church functions and family events.
“I always loved that everybody liked to gather around the kitchen table or the kitchen island, and it just kind of came became a communal thing and a way for family to connect and whatnot,” he says.
Today, as Senior Executive Chef at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, Paisley tries to bring that same feeling of community to students.
Paisley wears many hats as part of his role.
“My day starts pretty early,” he says. “I’m one of the first people to get to campus.”
Paisley’s day to day responsibilities include but are not limited to meeting with chefs, checking in the with the catering team, assisting with campus events and more. In addition, he’s currently working on the school’s spring menus.
Prior to joining Ohio University, spent his entire career in restaurants. It’s been three years since he made the switch to college and university dining and, “it’s been wonderful so far,” he says. One of his favorite things about the college and university dining segment is being able to get direct feedback from students.
“You’re right face to face with your diner, and you can get that instant feedback,” he says. “And we very much like to keep the students a part of our experience; they have a say in what we do.”
The dining team meets monthly with the Culinary Services Development Committee (CSDC) a student-led dining advisory group on campus to get their feedback and learn more about what students would like to see on campus.
Paisley noticed that today’s Ohio University students are health conscious and want to be educated about whatever cuisine they’re trying, they also enjoy fermented and pickled ingredients.
“A lot of our students love kimchi,” he says. “They love any sort of stuff like that.”
Nostalgia has also been big, he adds
“I personally view that food’s an emotional connection, and if I cook something like a meatloaf and mashed potatoes, and it makes you think of home, then I’ve done my job,” he says.
Paisley will get to try out some new recipes when he attends FoodService Director’s Chef Immersion Southeast event taking place at North Carolina State University later this month.
The three-day event, which is sponsored by Choolaah Indian BBQ, Bush’s, Irresistible Foods Group, J.T.M. Food Group, Lilly’s Fresh Pasta, Mondelez Away from Home, Simplot, and Tractor, allows attendees to learn from their fellow noncommercial chefs and get creative in the kitchen.
This is Paisley’s second Chefs Immersion event, and he’s excited about working with new products and connecting with his fellow college and university chefs.
“I’m looking forward to getting the chance to share information and the camaraderie of working with somebody new,” he says.
Dining and Cooking