Matt Basile
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Matt Basile

Celebrity Chef | Co-Founder, Alchemy Grills

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 co-founder of Alchemy Grills, he’s taking on a new frontier — disrupting the barbecue and live-fire cooking landscape. In an industry steeped in tradition, Basile is always striving to do things differently.

In just under four years, Basile transformed the Fidel Gastro’s brand from an underground sandwich pop-up to an internationally recognized food brand. He also ran the Queen West gastropub and brunch hotspot, Lisa Marie, for six phenomenal years. It was featured on various TV series, including You Gotta Eat Here! and Chef in the City, and was also ranked as the ninth best brunch spot in Canada by OpenTable magazine.

Today, Basile has partnered with two seasoned entrepreneurs to launch Alchemy Grills. The Alchemy is the first barbecue to allow home cooks the option to smoke and grill food at the exact same time with one appliance. In addition to developing prototypes, Basile is developing recipes for an accompanying line of rubs and sauces and designing stylish merchandise for the brand.

For two seasons, Basile 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, on his YouTube channel.

Basile and his partner, Kyla Zanardi, are the bestselling authors of two cookbooks: Street Food Diaries and Brunch Life. He has also contributed to both The Huffington Post and Vice as a food writer and is a regular guest on programs such as Global Morning and Breakfast Television. In 2015, Basile was nominated for a coveted Canadian Screen Award for Best Host of a Canadian Reality Series.

Reigniting the Fire: Become a Calmer, Smarter, and Happier Entrepreneur

Chef Matt Basile’s multi-year-culinary journey has never been typical. As the founder of the widely successful food chain Fidel Gastro’s, Basile transformed it from an underground sandwich pop-up to an internationally recognized food brand — all within four years. Rarely having a chance to stop and strategize for his next step, the business he created to avoid working a regular, “everyday job”, quickly became a regular, everyday job.

In 2020, Basile left everything he had built to co-found a live-fire BBQ company. This new business has helped him slow down, re-focus, and, most importantly, re-connect with the entrepreneurial spirit he almost lost.

Today, Basile shares lessons he’s learned in the trenches as a founder, not only when it comes to creating a successful and sustainable business, but also how to heal from burnout, reignite that innovative spark, and keep that entrepreneurial spirit fueled.

Disrupting The Food Industry

In just eight years, Chef Matt Basile went from a copywriter filled with big ideas and no motivation, to owning one of Canada’s most recognizable food truck brands; publishing two bestselling cookbooks; owning and running the successful restaurant, Lisa Marie; being a leading authority on brunch; and being the first independent food company to have a stall inside the Air Canada Centre. And he’s only just begun.

Basile’s pursuit towards always being different, plus his advertising mindset and passion for food, has allowed him to approach an industry stanched in tradition with a fresh perspective and create food experiences that people actually want.

Hear his story from the beginning — the moment he came up with the idea, the family that inspired it all, and the endless sacrifices he made to make sure his business made an impact.

Cooking with Matt Basile

The always-enthusiastic Matt Basile, bestselling author of Brunch Life and Street Food Diaries, loves nothing more than to share his passion for food with others. His engaging cooking demonstrations are a fun, unique way to add some additional flavour to your event, whether in-person or virtual.

Basile leads participants through the prep and cooking process, while taking questions and sharing stories from his adventures as an acclaimed chef.

Celebrity Services

Matt Basile is represented by The Spotlight Agency for sponsorship, endorsements, public relations and media spokesperson campaigns, product launches, voiceovers, celebrity appearances, and more.  Please visit The Spotlight Agency for more details.