Talking with Matthew James Duffy about gluten being the common binding agent in his life as a chef, teacher, & father
Hi Matt! It is obvious that you are ALL about the gluten, but Let’s get right into it, why do you bake?
I have so many reasons why I bake! To name a few…I find it exceptionally rewarding to be able to share my knowledge and passion to influence and encourage people to explore the vast and versatile world of baking. I love teaching home bakers how to make professional quality breads at home. Also, the joy of people baking and coming together through baking is pretty awesome to see through all of my social media channels.
I love teaching home bakers how to make professional quality breads at home.
When did it all begin for you, and what were you doing before you became a chef?
At the time I was studying at the University of Guelph, and upon graduating I taught snowboarding . I actually started cooking as a job to pay for school when I was doing my business degree and just kept cooking after I graduated. After going out west to teach snowboarding, I came back to Toronto and was working as a bartender when I mentioned to someone that I wanted to go to cooking school. Being from a small town, word got back to my dad and he helped me go back to school. I ended up enrolling at Stratford Chef School. This is when my love of sourdough really began, and although I excelled I remember the chef throwing my first loaf in the garbage in front of me! This is something I love to tell my students now as a reminder that repetition with baking is how you get good.
Did you have a clear direction with what you wanted to do as a chef when you began that journey?
No, definitely not. Baking started as a hobby and grew into a career.
You have worked alongside some amazing chefs all over the world - across North America, Italy, Japan, Denmark, and Spain! Your career highlights are spectacular! Do you have any favourite learning experiences with travelling and food that stand out to you?
For sure, I really loved all of it! A few stand out moments in my career were the opportunity to work in Copenhagen at Noma and my time in Spain. Being on a scholarship to travel, eat and study Spanish gastronomy was truly amazing.
As a Red Seal Certified Chef, you have obviously had a fair bit of education and experience, and now you are working at Centennial College. What brought you to want to teach, and more specifically educate on food sustainability, organic grain, and all the things that align so well with what we care about at Anita’s?
Teaching was just like becoming a chef for me. I did not plan on doing it, it just sort of happened. I started teaching when my wife was pregnant. She is a cancer survivor and I had been working 80-90 hour weeks for almost a decade. I just knew it was time to slow down and try something else. When I first started teaching, I thought I would do it for a few months while I figured out my next steps, but I just enjoyed the time with the students so much I stuck with it. Now I couldn’t think of going back to a restaurant job.
What are the things you are most passionate about teaching and sharing with the world?
That’s easy - sourdough bread and flour!
What inspires you most in life?
My daughter, Juniper inspires me the most. Seeing her grow and learn new things is truly remarkable. I am also an avid cannabis cultivator, and I love looking at the lineage of genetics. This is what I do when I am not baking.
it’s [baking with 2 year old daughter] has taught me a lot and allowed me to let go of my pursuit for the perfect loaf.
Juniper is the sweetest little helper I’ve ever seen! What is your favourite thing to bake together? Do you have any tips for baking with kids?
I love baking challah with her. She is starting to really understand the dough and how to handle it which is so cool.
As far as working with kids goes it is really helpful to have LOTS of patience and you certainly cannot expect perfect products. As a high end chef I actually really value learning with her as she doesn’t care if the sourdough doesn’t rise or the pizza crust isn’t perfect. It’s taught me a lot and allowed me to sort of let go of my pursuit for the perfect loaf (not fully yet but somewhat).
What is your favourite thing to bake or cook?
I love it all! I really like seasonal products and working with what is local and fresh. For cooking techniques, I love cooking over a wood fire. This for me takes the most skill from the cook and produces the best results when done properly.
To understand a flour and its properties, it takes a LOT of practice.
Do you have a favourite Anita’s flour that you like to bake with?
I have been really enjoying using all of it-especially the whole grains. To understand a flour and its properties it takes a LOT of practice. I have not used much yet, but I am really looking forward to working on a 100% sourdough einkorn loaf.
Final question! If you could have a dinner party without covid restrictions, or any limitations, where is the party, who do you invite, and what are you eating + drinking?
Wow tough one. I’d love a small dinner party with my family on the beaches of the Seychelles. We would eat all foods cooked over the wood fire including fish, shellfish some roasted meats and lots of vegetables. I am not really much of a drinker, but there would be Spanish wines for the guests and I might be enjoying some MAC1 flower that has been grown organically in living soil.
Challah Recipe
The taste of challah is very similar to brioche — golden, rich and fluffy with a hint of sweetness. A staple of Jewish culture, it is a great, versatile bread to accompany any meal!
The flour Matt used to make the recipe in this story
