________________________________________________________________________________________ Legal
Sea Foods
Sea-King greatness
From chef to CEO : Matthew King talks Legal Sea Foods ’ commitment to quality
Matthew King is a trained chef . But he ’ s also President & CEO at Legal Sea Foods . The two , we found out in a recent interview are not mutually exclusive . “ I began my career as a chef working through restaurants , hotels , country clubs , and sports venues ,” Matthew , or Matt as he introduces himself , begins . “ You name the venue ; I ’ ve probably worked in the kitchen .
“ I ’ ve worked in Boston , Florida , and New York ,” he goes on . “ Oh , and Ireland ! Can ’ t forget a place like that ! Eventually , I became head chef for two different restaurants , one of which was a steakhouse – I was enjoying life , and eventually landed at Smith & Wollensky , working my way to VP of Culinary . Then a series of acquisitions by PPX Hospitality Brands ( PPX ), our parent company , meant there was a new position opening as Chief Culinary Officer .”
PPX didn ’ t stop growing . It soon acquired Legal Sea Foods , a company that started out as a family fish market in Inman Square but has since transformed into a famous seafood destination with more than 25 locations along the Eastern Seaboard .
Post-acquisition , Matt took over as Chief Culinary Officer , which transpired to be a temporary position , because at the beginning of this year , he transitioned into the role of President & COO of Legal Sea Foods .
foodchainmagazine . com 135