Head Chef – Belon Restaurant Hong Kong
Born in Baltimore, Matthew Kirkley’s relationship with seafood began on the docks of the Chesapeake Bay, where he
went crab fishing with his father. There he developed the reverence for pristine fish and shellfish, honestly treated,
which still shapes his culinary point of view.
Kirkley entered the Culinary Institute of America in 2001 and began his career at Philadelphia’s Striped Bass. In
2003, he moved to Chicago to work at Seasons Restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel and then NoMI in the Park
Hyatt Hotel. In 2006, Chef Kirkley took a sabbatical from work in the Unites States to stage in Europe at the Fat Duck
and Le Gavroche in London as well as Le Meurice in Paris. Upon his return from Europe, Kirkley would move to Las
Vegas to become sous chef at Restaurant Joël Robuchon. In 2008, Chef Kirkley returned to Chicago to open L2o
under Chef Laurent Gras, followed by Ria in the Elysian Hotel.
In 2011, Chef Kirkley returned to the kitchen of L2o as Chef/Partner, leading L2o’s team to two Michelin stars for
three consecutive years. In the Fall of 2015, Chef Kirkley moved to San Francisco to take the helm of COI, following
in the footsteps of celebrated Chef Daniel Patterson. He was awarded a third Michelin star in the fall of 2017. Nearly
simultaneously, Chef Kirkley would win the National selection for Team USA to represent his country in the Bocuse
d’Or 2019. As the Head Chef of Team USA, he would go on to win Gold in the Bocuse d’Or Americas, and place 9 th in
the Bocuse d’Or World Finals.
Following the Bocuse d’Or, Chef Kirkley would move to Hong Kong. After a brief stint as Chef de Cuisine at Amber
Restaurant in the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, he would become Head Chef of Belon Restaurant in late 2020. He
would help design and oversee the restaurant’s upgrade and location move in early 2021, and would lead the team to
a star in the 2021 Hong Kong Michelin Guide as well as #88 on the World’s 50 Best List 2021.
Kirkley’s exposure to some of the most dedicated practitioners of haute cuisine has underscored his respect for the
profession’s history and craft, fine ingredients and precise execution. As a result, his cuisine is opulent but never
over-the-top. Kirkley’s touch is appealingly light, and the interplay of ingredients always harmonious. Unconcerned
with culinary sleight-of-hand, Kirkley pays respect to culinary tradition by coaxing flavor from every ingredient, from
the humblest to the most luxurious.
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