Matt Jennings

Matt Jennings is a nationally recognized chef, restaurateur, author, and founder of MAJC, The Workforce Engine for Hospitality, a digital community, academy and software platform, designed to support hospitality professionals. He is known for building thoughtful, ingredient-driven restaurants and for his leadership on sustainability, mental health, and culture in kitchens.

Jennings started cooking at 15 in his native Massachusetts, then trained at the New England Culinary Institute, graduating with Distinction. He cooked in acclaimed kitchens across the U.S. and abroad before returning to Boston, where he also gained experience in specialty food retail and met his future wife and pastry chef, Kate.

In 2003, Matt and Kate opened Farmstead, their artisan cheese shop and New England bistro in Providence, RI, earning national attention over an twelve year run. During this time he received four James Beard Foundation nominations for Best Chef: Northeast (2011–2014), was named one of Food & Wine’s “40 Under 40: Changing the Way America Eats,” was honored as one of Mother Nature Network’s “Most Sustainable Chefs in the United States,” and was recognized as a Coastal New England Rising Star Chef by StarChefs.

The couple moved back to Boston in 2014 to open Townsman, a 150 seat New England brasserie that was quickly celebrated as one of the country’s standout restaurants, including being named Food & Wine’s Restaurant of the Year in 2016. In 2017, Jennings published his first cookbook, “Homegrown: Cooking from My New England Roots,” which became a finalist for both a James Beard Award for Best Regional Cookbook and IACP’s Best New Cookbook.

After getting sober and addressing significant health challenges, Jennings sold Townsman in 2018 and co founded Full Heart Hospitality, a food, beverage, and hospitality consultancy, with partner Chef Jason Rose. In 2019, he and his family moved to Kate’s native Vermont, where they purchased a small farm just south of Burlington.
In 2025, Jennings launched MAJC, a first of its kind digital platform designed to give owners, operators, and managers the inspiration, tools, and resources they need to build more profitable and sustainable businesses. His food and ideas have appeared in Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Wine Spectator, Sunset, Yankee Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Saveur, Esquire, and more, and he has cooked and commented on PBS, The Travel Channel, The Food Network, and other national programs.

Matt and Kate live in Vermont with their two sons, Sawyer and Coleman, and their dogs Hank (a Bluetick Hound) and Stella (a French Bulldog).