Matthew Kammerer

Matthew Kammerer
Culinary career
Cooking styleCalifornian cuisine
Current restaurant
Award(s) won

Matthew Kammerer is an American chef and the executive chef of the Harbor House Inn in Elk, California[7] where he has earned two Michelin stars and a Michelin Green Star. In 2019, he was named a Food & Wine Best New Chef,[6] and he has been a multi-time James Beard Award semi-finalist.[8]

Biography

Kammerer grew up in West Long Branch, on the New Jersey shore, where early experiences dining out with his family sparked an interest in food and restaurants.[9] He began working in kitchens as a teenager, starting as a dishwasher and later gaining basic culinary skills as a prep cook.[10] He enrolled at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, where he studied culinary arts.[11]

Career

His early professional experience included positions in Boston and extended training stints in Australia, where he learned garden-to-plate practices.[6] He also worked in Michelin- kitchens RyuGin in Japan[12] and In de Wulf in Belgium, gaining experience in precise technique and seafood preparation.[13] Kammerer subsequently moved to San Francisco, where he worked for three years as Executive Sous Chef at Saison from 2015–2018, then a three-Michelin-star restaurant.[14]

Kammerer later sought a remote coastal location aligned with his interest in hyper-local, nature-centered cuisine.[15] After considering sites in the Pacific Northwest and California, he selected the Mendocino Coast and joined the Harbor House Inn in Elk, California.[16] The historic inn, originally built in 1916, reopened in 2018 with Kammerer serving as executive chef.[17]

Kammerer received one Michelin star in 2019[18] and subsequently two Michelin stars beginning in 2021.[19] He has also been awarded a Michelin Green Star.[20][21]

Kammerer has additionally appeared in media features and culinary programs, participating on the Apple TV documentary series Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars.[22]

References

  1. ↑ "The 2023 James Beard Awards Semifinalists". www.jamesbeard.org.
  2. ↑ Canavan, Hillary Dixler (23 February 2022). "Here Are the 2022 James Beard Awards Restaurant and Chef Semifinalists [Updated]". Eater.
  3. ↑ Wong, Maya (26 February 2020). "Here Are All the 2020 James Beard Semifinalists in the West". Sunset Magazine.
  4. ↑ "Going Green at Harbor House". guide.michelin.com.
  5. ↑ Al-Mousawi, Emma (21 January 2023). "Four Talented Young Chefs with Michelin Green Stars". Elite Traveler.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "F&W Best New Chefs 2019: Matthew Kammerer of Harbor House Inn in Elk, California". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
  7. ↑ Minh Le, Anh. "It's one of the hardest restaurants to reach in California. It's also world famous". San Francisco Chronicle.
  8. ↑ Kadvany, Elena. "James Beard awards snubbed the Bay Area. Are our restaurants still among the best in the country?". San Francisco Chronicle.
  9. ↑ Gibson, Amber. "Interview with chef Matthew Kammerer of Harbor House Inn". www.finedininglovers.com. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
  10. ↑ Kruik, Meg van der (2024-12-28). "Harbor House Inn & Restaurant Michelin Star Meals by the Sea". California Prunes. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
  11. ↑ Joseph, Lauren. "Chefs on the Films That Always Make Them Hungry". New York Times.
  12. ↑ "'Sea-to-table': Mendocino coast inspires Harbor House chef". The Press Democrat. 2018-06-29. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
  13. ↑ Duggan, Tara. "Why a Saison cook left San Francisco to cook on the Mendocino Coast". San Francisco Chronicle.
  14. ↑ Leilani Marie Labong Photography by John Lee (2017-10-11). "Saison chef transforms ranch into an exclusive supper club". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2022-05-27. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
  15. ↑ Paulsen, Sasha (2018-08-06). "The Harvest at Harbor House: Chef Matthew Kammerer creates a menu inspired by California's wild north coast". The Napa Valley Register. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
  16. ↑ Jr. • •, Joe Rosato (2022-05-20). "Mendocino County Chef Hoping to Make Invasive Purple Urchin Delicious". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
  17. ↑ Latham, Jeremy Repanich,Tori (2023-11-13). "The 50 Most Powerful People in American Fine Dining". Robb Report. Retrieved 2026-01-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ↑ biteclub (2019-06-04). "Remote Mendocino Restaurant Tapped in First Ever California Michelin Guide". Sonoma Magazine. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
  19. ↑ "2021 California New MICHELIN Stars". MICHELIN Guide. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
  20. ↑ Al-Mousawi, Emma (2023-01-21). "Four Talented Young Chefs with Michelin Green Stars". Elite Traveler. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
  21. ↑ Shortell, David. "Kohlrabi is King at California's Two MICHELIN Star Harbor House". MICHELIN Guide. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
  22. ↑ Morris, Matt. "Mendocino Co.: Apple Tv Spotlights Michelin-Starred Mendocino Coast Chef In New Reality Show". San Francisco Gate.
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