Matt Basile
Founder, Fidel Gastro’s
Matt Basile is the founder of the Toronto-based street food brand, Fidel Gastro’s, which, within four years, went from an underground sandwich pop-up to an internationally recognized food brand. Now, almost a decade later, he has a still growing business of food trucks, food experiences, and a massive catering division. In an industry steeped in tradition, Basile always strives to do things differently.
Under the Fidel Gastro’s brand, Basile operates one of Canada’s most recognizable food trucks and for six phenomenal years ran the gastro pub, Lisa Marie. 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.
In addition, 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. He also hosts original cooking shows on YouTube that include Chefs In Cars Getting Takeout, Date Night with Grandma, YAAAA Brunch, and many more.
Basile and his partner, Kyla Zanardi, are the bestselling authors of two cookbooks: Street Food Diaries and, most recently, Brunch Life. He has also contributed to both HuffPost 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.