WILLIAMSBURG— 2nd Sundays vendor and chef Matt Starcher appears in Season 5 of the cooking show “Next Level Chef.”
Starcher originally studied government and politics at George Mason University but left just a few classes shy of completing his degree before entering the restaurant business. He began working as a server before asking chef Jeanette Harris at the Holiday Inn Greenbrier if he could try working in the kitchen. She agreed, telling him he would have to start washing dishes and working in the pantry to see if he liked it.
Even before that opportunity, Starcher said he had always been passionate about cooking — he just never considered it as a career.
“All through high school and college, I cooked, cooked, cooked just for the joy that it brought people,” Starcher said.
From that start in the kitchen, he went on to cook at several restaurants and attended culinary school at Johnson & Wales University. Eventually, he became executive chef at Ship’s Cabin. After he and his wife started having children, however, he decided being a father was more important than working nights and weekends in restaurants.
Wanting to be present for important family moments, Starcher entered the corporate world, working for Nestlé and Cisco for 20 years. Two years before leaving Cisco, he began building a brand called MattDad.
“I read a book by Gary V called ‘Crush It.’ In that book, he talked about putting your family first and finding something you’re passionate about and working your tail off at it,” he said.
Starcher worked on the brand outside of his regular job for several years, teaching cooking classes along the way. In 2019, he was given the opportunity to move laterally within the company or leave to pursue MattDad full time. He chose MattDad.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began a year later, he and his wife had to pivot.
“Rhonda said, ‘Why don’t we try to sell that seasoning you’ve been giving away all these years?’” he recalled. “So we made a Facebook post and started marketing MaD seasoning.”
In May 2021, they received their first official bottle of MaD seasoning.
He began posting more on social media, sharing cooking content and building a cabin, at the encouragement of his oldest daughter. Eventually, his content went viral and was picked up by BuzzFeed and Tasty. His Instagram following and online sales grew significantly.
Once the seasoning product was established, the family began selling at farmers markets and live cooking events, where they shared their story while promoting the brand.
Starcher was first approached about appearing on “Next Level Chef” during Season 1 five years ago. At the time, he did not feel he could leave his family. That season’s prize included running one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants, and he had no desire to return to the restaurant industry.
“I liked the freedom of making cooking videos on my own, still putting them out there and teaching cooking classes when I wanted to, so I didn’t sign up for it,” he said. “Then I had a buddy on Season 2, and he reached out to me back in February of last year.”
A friend from Groark Boys BBQ told Starcher that if he was interested in applying, he had a casting contact and could pass along his information. Starcher submitted his details and, in March, received a call from a casting agency.
After Zoom interviews, background checks, blood work, health and psychological evaluations, and other screenings, he received a phone call in July from a FOX Network executive producer.
“At the end of that call, he told me to go ahead and pack your bags,” Starcher said.
Out of thousands of applicants, only 27 contestants were selected to travel to Ireland, with three alternates chosen.
Looking back on his journey, Starcher describes it as surreal; from the growth of his seasoning business to hearing from customers who say it has changed the way they cook.
“Just from that perspective, we’re blown away,” he said. “And then when ‘Next Level Chef’ came about, it was almost a year of getting ready for it to come on TV. It didn’t feel real.”
He said the experience reinforces his belief that it is possible to pursue a dream while keeping family first.
“You’re never too old to chase a dream if you’re really passionate about it,” he said. “Because if you’re really passionate about it and you’re not doing that, you’re selling yourself short.”
The first two episodes of Season 5 of “Next Level Chef” are available to stream on Hulu and Disney+ with subscriptions, or on Tubi for free.
To learn more about Starcher, visit mattdad.com.
