Matt Basile
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Matt Basile

Founder, Fidel Gastro’s

Matt Basile believes that food should be fun, and that in the food business you have to do things differently to be memorable. The creator of the Toronto-based street food brand Fidel Gastro’s, Matt started his career in advertising as a copywriter, but when he was just 26 years old he left it all to host his first underground popup in Toronto. In under four years, Fidel Gastro’s has grown from a fold-up table to a food empire receiving national and international attention.

Outside of Fidel Gastro’s, Matt also operates one of Canada’s most recognizable food trucks and a street-food inspired cicchetti bar called Lisa Marie. He is also the host of the reality television show Rebel Without a Kitchen on Travel and Escape Channel, the Cooking Channel, and the Asian Food Channel and hosts a original cooking shows on YouTube including Chefs In Cars Getting Takeout, Date Night with Grandma, YAAAA Brunch, and much more!

Matt and his partner, Kyla Zanardi, are the bestselling authors of two cookbooks, Street Food Diaries and, most recently, Brunch Life. He is also a food writer for both The Huffington Post and Vice, and is a regular guest on programs such as Global Morning and Breakfast Television.

In 2015, Matt was nominated for a coveted Canadian Screen Award for Best Host of a Canadian Reality Series.

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 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 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.

The Energy Pivot: Understanding Your Big, Audacious Hairy Goal and the Most Effective Way Forward

Sometimes entrepreneurs find themselves moving forward blindly, not because they don’t care but because it’s comfortable and they just don’t have the time or energy to stop and regroup.

Despite having the company mantra of “always be different”, this is exactly where Chef Matt Basile found himself — he was a victim of monotony. He needed to stop, but this didn’t require a complete overhaul of his business strategy and execution, instead a pivot — a slight refocus on how he used his energy and where it was directed — opened up an entirely new process and business venture for him.

Basile explains how to use and apply this same process to your business strategy to end monotony, strengthen creativity and innovation, and set your organization up for success in today’s disruptive marketplace.

The Fun Food Movement

As a chef, food-trucker, two-time bestselling cookbook author, television host, and food YouTube creator, nobody loves having fun with food more than Chef Matt Basile. His approach to food is simple — it has to be different and it has to be fun.

Basile loves to engage with people about food. Booking him for a private corporate brunch event; gourmet cheeseburger battle; or food and beer, wine, or beverage pairing not only comes with an innovative menu, but also a great story.