MATTHEW BICKFORD      |      MIKE RYAN

Matthew Bickford is a 30-year-old restaurant owner who has been cooking professionally for literally half his life. After gaining momentum during his first part-time cooking job in his teens, he has worked his way up through the ranks in various settings throughout the Twin Cities and beyond.

His first restaurant chef position was with D’Amico and Sons, where his dreams of opening a gourmet deli first took shape. He saw the relationship between good food and casual atmosphere, where even the most humble meal deserved fresh ingredients and quality technique.

Matthew then spent three years as the chef de cuisine at Zander Café in St. Paul. He was able to hone in on his own style of cooking while working in this neighborhood hot spot. He had the freedom to create meals and experiment with the freshest ingredients, as well as appreciate the loyalty of the regular cliental. While at Zander Café, Matthew had been asked to work with Tim McKee and his crew at Solera Restaurant. Believing that it would be an incredible learning opportunity to work with the James Beard nominated chef, he switched gears and became the event chef in Solera’s fast paced setting. He ended his tenure at Solera as the executive chef of three years, where he experienced the adventure of running a large, complex operation.

Matthew never lost sight of opening his own eatery, and eventually stepped down as the chef of Solera in order to concentrate on his own endeavor. He worked at La Belle Vie in the meantime, where he had fun cooking fine dining French cuisine at night while planning his gourmet deli with Mike Ryan during the day. His dreams of opening a restaurant where a gourmet meal comes between two slices of bread has now become a reality.

At age sixteen, Mike Ryan discovered a passion for restaurant work while busting suds behind a Hobart dishwasher. Ultimately he wanted to wield knives instead of suds, and therefore set out to work in a variety of different restaurant settings. He started out in a high production catering operation where he first began to form techniques of speed and organization. He moved on to working in hotel kitchens, a bed and breakfast, and a couple country clubs.

Eventually he learned that working for an independent restaurant with a more soulful cuisine was more what he was looking for. He then began gaining experience at many amazing restaurants with various talented chefs. Mike accepted a position at D’Amico Cucina with soon to be awarded Best New Chef from Food and Wine magazine, Tim Mckee. While at Cucina Mike had the opportunity to work with some of the most exquisite foodstuffs on the planet.

From Cucina, Mike moved on to Restaurant Alma. He was able to refine his cooking talents even further while working with James Beard nominated Chef Alex Roberts. Since Restaurant Alma has been at the forefront of supporting local and sustainable farms, Mike was able to cultivate relationships with various farmers and forigers in the area, which galvanized his respect for fresh produce and meats.

In the subsequent years, he has embraced the tendency to use only the best ingredients. This affinity has been fostered in likeminded kitchens such as La Brea bakery, Intelligent Nutrients, Crema Café, J.P’s and Clancey’s Meat Market. The culmination of Mike’s experiences resulted in the genesis of his own deli concept, where quality ingredients and great technique are essential.