Sometimes life’s most important moments come at unexpected times. For Matt Kelly, it was standing over a sink washing dishes part-time during college. It was there that he caught his first glimpse of the controlled chaos of a professional kitchen – and it was love at first sight! Eventually, he had worked his way through each station in the kitchen, and left hungry for more.

In 1998, he enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America, and spent the next two years as a student, touring Hudson Valley Farms -- Old Chatham Sheepherding, Egg Farm Dairy, and Coach Farm – or mesmerized by past episodes of “Great Chefs, Great Cities.”

Inspired by the areas farming community, and the synergy between chefs and farmers, Kelly applied for his externship at America’s most celebrated country inn and restaurant in Virginia, The Inn at Little Washington. While there, he lived on Goat Hill Farm, an organic farm which also serviced the Inn, so experienced the joys of “farm-to-table dining” first-hand. Inspired by Chef Patrick O’Connell’s commitment to excellence through teamwork, he won a coveted position among the Inn’s kitchen crew following graduation. There, he spent two years fine-tuning his palette and experiencing quality at its best, meanwhile working alongside rising chefs from around the US, and studying the southern, seasonal influenced classic cuisine for which O’Connell has become so well known.

In 2002, Matt moved to Raleigh with aspirations of becoming an integral member of the area’s dining scene. He first joined the ranks at the Four Diamond awarded Four Square in Durham under seasonally focused chef Shane Ingram, but was forced to seek experience elsewhere when business slowed following September 11th. Then chef Warren Stevens of The Fearrington House Restaurant in Chapel Hill, a Relais & Chateaux property consistently rated with AAA Five Diamonds, hired Kelly as Sous-Chef, where he remained for one year. There he focused on mastering the business of running a top-rated kitchen. But when Kelly was recruited by William D’Auvray, the talented chef at the acclaimed Pacific Rim-influenced Fins in Raleigh, he seized the opportunity to learn about pristine seafood, and Asian flavors and techniques, by one of the best in the region.

Optimistic about Kelly’s future, Chef D’Auvray encouraged him to open his own restaurant. That search didn’t last long. When Kelly discovered Vin Rouge in Durham, he uncovered his biggest challenge yet – to reinvigorate restaurateur Giorgios Bakatsias’ local French bistro. In 2004, and as Executive Chef for the first time at age 27, Kelly set to work, upgrading every detail of the dining experience, first improving upon the ingredients and hiring studied staff, then adding French classics such as sweetbreads, veal hearts, truffles and more. Just a few short months later, in the fall of 2005, the News & Observer heralded Chef Kelly’s efforts with a 3 ½ star review, and went on to name Vin Rouge the “Most Improved Restaurant of 2005” in North Carolina’s Triangle, and USA Today featured it as well. Kelly’s ability to steer Vin Rouge away from complacency and into culinary and financial success demonstrated his maturity as a well-trained chef.

In January 2006, with Vin Rouge wildly successful, Bakasias tapped Kelly to lead the kitchen at Grasshopper – his recently opened Asian bistro -- located next door to Vin Rouge, but gastronomically worlds away. As usual, Kelly embraced the challenge with fervor, excited to explore Maylaysian, Thai and Vietnamese cuisines once again. Today, Grasshopper is better than ever.