Fort Erie chef makes network debut
Fort Erie native Matty Matheson has made it to network television.
The celebrity chef appeared on a TV show other than his own this week, perhaps the most significant moment of his career.
The star of Viceland’s It’s Suppertime made his U.S. network debut on Wednesday night, as a guest on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers.
He participated in a cooking segment during which he prepared a cheeseburger for the talk show host.
Matheson has wrapped dozens of episodes of his own shows and appeared on numerous internet and Canadian talk shows, but this week’s visit to the NBC Studios set at Rockefeller Centre in New York City is the biggest and the most nerve-wracking, he said in an interview Wednesday.
“I had the same anxiety I had on my wedding day.”
Despite the pressure, Matheson said Meyers’ warm and approachable personality made things a little more comfortable.
“He’s super chill,” Matheson said about the talk show host, who spent many years as a cast member and head writer at Saturday Night Live before landing his own program.
“It was the best thing ever — just wild.”
On Late Night, the house band often welcomes guest musicians to sit in for a week to play the show’s intro and ditties before and after commercial breaks.
Sitting down at the drum kit this week is Alan Cage, drummer for post-hardcore band Quicksand, of which Matheson has been a fan of for many years.
He was able to shoot the breeze with him about music, but Cage also appreciated Matheson paying homage to New York City hardcore band Judge by wearing the band’s T-shirt on air.
Also appearing on the show were comedian John Mulaney and Seth Moulton, a Democratic U.S. congressman.
Matheson has been involved in Toronto’s restaurant business for more than 15 years and is a graduate of Lakeshore Catholic High School in Port Colborne.
Before Dead Set on Life and It’s Suppertime, Matheson cooked up a number of how-to videos for Munchies, the food division of Vice.
Matheson also has dabbled in acting, appearing as a character on the CBC series Workin’ Moms.