Born to Grill Stories: Meet Chef Tony

Chef Tony Matassa

Trained chef and BBQ jack-of-all-trades committed to sharing his love of outdoor cooking.

We could think of no better way to describe Chef Tony Matassa, BBQGuys' jack-of-all-trades for over 13 years, whose expansive knowledge of food science is rivaled only by his passion for the food itself. That last part isn't too surprising—he grew up in his family's Italian restaurants, standing on stools to stir simmering sauces from the time he was just a few years old. But when the Matassas closed their Baton Rouge-area eateries, college-aged Tony decided to continue building on his culinary background and blaze his own trail in the food industry.

He studied under various area chefs—most notably Chef Joey Distefano and French Chef Gerard Hemery, from whom he received hands-on training in old-school cooking techniques—and opened his own restaurant in the early 2000s. Coincidentally, that's where Tony met BBQGuys founder and CEO Mike Hackley. They formed a fast friendship, and a few years later, Hack asked the up-and-coming chef to produce a few recipe videos for his company's grill retail website.

Stunned by the quality of the grills, which reminded him of the commercial-grade equipment he used in professional kitchens, Tony hit the ground running and never looked back. In addition to transforming classic recipes into grilled dishes (have you seen what he did with New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp on the grill?), Tony became extremely involved with testing the ins and outs of every single outdoor cooking product we carried. He put his scientific findings into dozens of product demonstrations and testing videos over the years and helped raise the BBQGuys YouTube channel to new heights.

No matter what he worked on, Tony brought relentless energy and a love for details to make viewers at home feel like they were right there in the kitchen with a trained chef. Helping customers feel comfortable cooking and entertaining in their own backyard? There’s nothing mad about that science.

Q & A with Chef Tony Matassa

What BBQ flavors really drive your tastebuds wild?

TM: That's a tough one. I've got 4 or 5 in my head blowing me up mentally. So, I love something very loud, flavor-wise—like a chimichurri, something explosive. But at the same time, a lot of people jump onto heat. But the problem with heat is you can't taste anything else. But a satay or a chimichurri? You get 20–30 fresh ingredients in a marinade—basically, it's a soup by then—that you're basting into the meat. Plenty of heat, plenty of versatility! That's my jam.

Could you tell us about your earliest food memory?

TM: Spaghetti and meatballs! What were you expecting to hear? [Laughs.] The other thing I remember about food a lot was, well… that'd be my grandmother teaching me how to bake at her house, when I was very little. Too little to remember the teaching, but I do remember doing them with her. Real fond food memories right there.

Let's say you're cooking to impress. What's your favorite BBQ dish?

TM: Do you want the honest truth? Steak and rosemary potatoes. Stay with me now: every time someone eats one of my steaks, they're blown away! I just don't get it. All I do is a little coarse pepper, a little coarse salt and olive oil, and some clarified butter. Granted, I've probably done steaks a good 20,000 times. I guess when you do something often enough… That's my go-to because it's simple for me, but everyone seems to love it.

Everyone's got their go-to grilling style. What's yours?

TM: Given the choice, I prefer charcoal—but it's not the argument most people have. It's just primal! Live fire! If I have the time or the choice, that is. But, more often than not, I'll cook on gas. It's just convenient. I'm a chef, I'm a busy man! The last thing I want to do when I come in is sit and make a fire. But when I'm in my element and left to my own devices, then it's gonna be charcoal.

What's your favorite style of BBQ?

TM: You know, I don't have a particular style I adhere to. You'd probably call mine commercial char-broil in general. But… to really think about it, I do love a great dry rub on an excellent cut of meat. Really draws a lot of excellent flavors together. Hmm. Guess that makes me a Texas man, eh?

Out of pork, poultry, beef, and game, which one would you pick to live without?

TM: Really going for the jugular, aren't you? [Laughs.] Huh. Guess I could deal with never eating pork again. Wouldn't love it, but I could deal. See, with beef, there's just too many things I couldn't live without. Seafood, that's my love. Chicken, there's just too much I can do with it. I'd hate to give up bacon, but I'd figure it out if I had to. That turkey bacon stuff, maybe? Oh, I hope not.