Matthew Accarrino ‘98

Chef/Owner, SPQR; San Francisco, CA

Matthew Accarrino ‘98 is the nationally recognized chef of SPQR in San Francisco, CA. Born in the Midwest and raised on the East Coast, he moved west to California in 2007. His unique culinary style draws inspiration from his Italian heritage, personal experiences, and classical training with some of America’s best chefs. He couples this style with an embrace of California ingredients and a strong belief in direct sourcing and even producing some of his own ingredients. The result is an intensely personal cuisine that is both technically polished and soulful; and which has garnered praise from publications such as Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Saveur, The Wall Street Journal, and more. Under his direction, the restaurant was recognized with a Michelin star in the 2013 and 2014 guides. Matt has been named a StarChefs 2010 Rising Star and in 2011 he took top honors at San Francisco’s Cochon 555 competition. Matt has been nominated three consecutive times by the James Beard Foundation as a semi-finalist for Best Chef: West. Food & Wine named him People’s Best Chef California in 2013 and editorially selected him for the prestigious Best New Chef award in 2014. Matt is co-author of the book SPQR: Modern Italian Food and Wine (Ten Speed Press, 2012). (San Francisco, CA) @mattaccarrino (Instagram)