Matthew Tropeano of Pain D’Avignon - Biography

For Chef Matthew Tropeano, food was an integral part of his childhood from gardening with his father in the summer to helping his mother in the kitchen. His first job in the industry was when he was a teenager, as a bus boy at his cousin’s restaurant, Ristorante Primavera, from where he worked his way up to a more hands-on role in the kitchen. He used the opportunity to absorb everything he could, from pasta techniques and bread-baking to kitchen management and business operations. He went on to train in classic French cuisine and began working at The Bay Tower Room where he ended as the sous-chef. Tropeano worked as a saucier at Nana Restaurant under Chef David McMillan.

He followed up his Texas stint, with a move to New York in 2003, where he took a line cook position at the famed French restaurant La Grenouille. He was promoted to executive chef after just a year on the team and during his eight-year tenure at La Grenouille, he received a 3 star rating from The New York Times's former restaurant critic Sam Sifton. Most recently, Tropeano was the executive chef at La Silhouette , where he served straightforward French-American food with a nod to modern twists and bold flavors. The menu boasted dishes like the Foie Gras A La Botero: a decadent dish of seared foie gras, sweet plantains, pineapple sauce, and coffee gel.

In March this year, Tropeano was named the executive chef of Pain D’Avignon, where he hopes to continue to create an authentic European dining experience while highlighting local ingredients and products from the hub of Cape Cod.