Matt Starcher of Chesapeake, Virginia- better known as Matt Dad and for his seasoning line MaD Seasoning- is on this season of Next Level Chef! His cooking journey is pretty incredible! Read it below in his own words or listen to our chat below!
I grew up in Chesapeake and, to be honest, I was terrible in school. I graduated from Great Bridge High School, married my high-school sweetheart, and eventually found my confidence in the kitchen. Cooking became my thing. I worked my way through restaurants like Mahi Mahs, Bistro 210, Ship’s Cabin, and the Willard in Washington, DC, learning the craft one plate at a time.
As life moved forward, my wife and I started having kids—four of them. With a growing family, I made the hard decision to step away from the restaurant world and move into a safer, more stable corporate career. That chapter lasted nearly 20 years. But the fire never went out.
In 2019, I burned the boats. I quit my corporate job at Sysco and went all in on my passion. I started teaching cooking classes at Kitchen Barn, doing what I loved again and sharing it with others. Then, one year later, COVID hit. Everything stopped overnight.
That’s when my wife looked at me and said, “Why don’t we try selling that seasoning you’ve been giving away as a cool chef gift?” I made a simple Facebook post. Then came videos on TikTok and Instagram. Things took off. One post led to another, and before I knew it, the seasoning went viral.
For the last five years, I’ve been grinding every single day on this dream—this passion project of helping people cook better food. Because I truly believe that when food tastes better, more people gather around the table. We started selling MaD Seasoning at markets and shows, and the response was incredible.
We tried everything to grow. We applied for Shark Tank and didn’t make it. We tried Rat in the Kitchenand didn’t make it. There were plenty of doors that didn’t open—but we kept going. Along the way, we developed six different flavors of MaD, which stands for Makes-a-Difference.
In February of this year, I was approached by a fellow social media influencer about Fox casting for Next Level Chef Season 5. In March, I began the interview and application process. And in September, I traveled to Ireland to compete on Next Level Chef.
What started as a kid who struggled in school turned into a chef, a creator, an entrepreneur, and someone still chasing the dream—one plate, one bottle, and one table at a time.