Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Ranney.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When I was a kid I naturally gravitated towards the kitchen. My Dad certainly wasn’t a professional chef, but the man could work a crockpot better than anyone I had ever seen. He was a coupon clipping, meal prepping machine and I couldn’t wait to hop in the mix. His love of food was contagious to the whole family.
Fast forward to my teenage years, I started working in the front of the house at a few large franchise restaurants. I started as a host, then a busser, food runner, then an expeditor; being at the expo line watching the kitchen line work was a blast. So soon there after I started picking up shifts on the line to see what it was like. I was a teenager and faced with the choice like every teen; what career do you want to pursue? Cooking was the only thing that really sparked any interest so I made the decision to pursue culinary arts as my trade.
After graduating I fell in love with the grind of cooking; long hours, high stress, injury, conflict, and friendships. I worked relentlessly, usually two jobs, barely sleeping, absolutely hooked on the mayham.
The world of craft beer really caught my eye. The art of making a good beer is very similar in nature to creating a wonderful dish, it takes vision, expertise, practice and know-how. I love the idea of using food to heighten the experience of having a beer. With that in mind, I went on to open The Slice and Pint with El Segundo Brewery. I lived everything pizza for four wonderful years. It wasn’t until the opening of Truly LA and the opportunity to work for Boston Beer that I decided to move on. Now we’ve had Truly open for almost a year and we’re looking to open a food program for Angel City Brewery before the summer of this year. The future is bright and full of fun
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Haha, I don’t know if smooth is the word I would use, but it’s been a fun road. Early on it was engrained in me to ask all the questions and learn as much as possible from each chef I worked for. So, in the pursuit of that knowledge, it shaped the moves I made from restaurant to restaurant and chef to chef. Each step of the road with the desire to learn a particular skill set or cuisine. I kept that up over the years, so I’ve become skillful in a wide range of cooking techniques. I’m still on that road to keep learning to this day; I hope it’s contagious to everyone around me.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a chef. I come from a wide background of different cooking techniques and styles. I would say I’m known for simply put for creating very good food. I am constantly changing and updating menus and try my best to have fun with my creative freedom. I am very proud of my professional humility. It has taken me years to find it, but I feel like now I am evolving and learning every day both as a chef and as a manager.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I feel like “success” evolves in definition the further down the rabbit hole I go. When I was younger success meant becoming a chef. Now that I’m a chef, success is becoming a better chef. I think I’ve achieved success and I’m successful on a day to day, but success is something I am constantly striving for. Some days you have, others days not so much.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.trulyhardsetlzer.com/trulyla
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trulyla_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrulyLosAngeles
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/truly-la-los-angeles-3
- Other: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/truly-hard-seltzer-la-52961985803
Image Credits
Brent Flentje
