Big Green Egg Champion: Matt Burgess
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The Maori master
A proud New Zealand Māori, Matt Burgess embarked on his culinary journey in Wellington before relocating to London in 1998. After stints at Soho House, Bluebird, Gordon Ramsay’s Maze Grill and Jamie Oliver’s Threadneedle Street, Matt was appointed group executive chef at Caravan and Vardo Restaurants, where he played a pivotal role in the brand’s expansion.
Matt now runs his own food consultancy and supperclub business, as well as the Kai by Matblak condiment brand. His Big Green Eggs – an XL and a MiniMax – are, he says, “the backbone of my business, handling a significant portion of the heavy lifting; the EGG is essential to my daily life.”
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What Matt says
A chat with Matt
Matt, who loves the EGG’s heat retention, fuel economy and airflow, has an approach that’s typically Kiwi: a love of bold but balanced flavours and a complete rejection of arbitrary rules. He was already known as a barbecue master when he first got his hands on an EGG – and it blew his mind. “It’s like you’ve spent your whole life watching black and white TV, then all of a sudden you’re given an OLED screen,” he says. “I became obsessed with it.”
As part of our 50th anniversary celebrations in 2024, Matt chatted with us about his journey from adolescent troublemaker to big-name chef, his unconventional approach to flavour, and the night he celebrated his birthday with Kylie Minogue.
What Matt says
