UnLeadership

44The Ingredients of Leadership

Chef Matt Basile spent over a decade disrupting the food industry as the founder of Toronto’s most recognizable food truck brand, Fidel Gastro’s, and popular gastropub Lisa Marie. Today, as the cofounder of Alchemy Grills, he’s taking on a new frontier—disrupting the barbecue and live-fire cooking landscape. In an industry steeped in tradition, Matt is always striving to do things differently. For two seasons, Matt hosted the reality television show Rebel Without a Kitchen, which aired on Netflix, Travel and Escape Channel, the Cooking Channel, and the Asian Food Channel. As a content creator, he also creates original content, including delicious recipes and grilling tips, which he shares on his YouTube channel. Matt and his partner, Kyla Zanardi, are also the best-selling authors of two cookbooks: Street Food Diaries and Brunch Life.

(Highlights from our interview, recorded August 11, 2023.)

YEARS AGO, I WAS WORKING in advertising as a writer but never felt connected to my work; I wanted to start my own company. The only thing I knew how to do was cook, so I came up with a business plan for Fidel Gastro's, a Cuban sandwich restaurant, and presented it to the bank for funding. Long story short, that didn't work out. I was ready to walk away when someone asked me to cook one night at a party, and something amazing happened—the whole energy of the party shifted toward me cooking food, which became like an extension of the party. This was an interesting ...