by Liz Daube
Staff Writer
The meat-cutting room of Matthew’s Market is a crisp 55 degrees Fahrenheit. In this sound-proof, spotless haven, chef and restaurateur Matthew Medure starts his day by frenching a slab of meat.
As he presses down on the veal chops to reveal the bones, Medure explains that this technique – called “frenching” in the culinary realm – makes the cuts more attractive. This attention to detail appears throughout Medure’s workspaces, from the roses arranged on the tables at Matthew’s restaurant to the kitchen gleaming with polished stainless steel.
He performs many tasks personally and delegates the rest to his estimated 100 employees. The staff is spread among Medure’s four main business ventures: two upscale restaurants (Matthew’s in San Marco and Restaurant Medure in Ponte Vedra Beach), a gourmet market and catering business and Fuseboxx, a Southside martini bar. Fuseboxx is the latest joint venture from the San Marco Group, a restaurant management company formed by Medure, his brother, David, and Pom Souvannasoth of Pom’s Thai Bistro.
Most of his time is spent in the San Marco market and restaurant, Medure said. Carefully arranging the meat in a display case, he explains that beauty is what he loves most about food.
“I told my mother, ‘I don’t know what you did to me,’ ” he said. “I look at food in its raw state, and I get excited about it. The fish order the other day made my day. Everything was just kind of glistening.”
Inside the meat-cutting room, Medure can watch for early-bird customers through the glass. But for the most part, the quiet mornings give him time to think.
“It’s kind of therapeutic for me,” he said. “I can plan the day and what I’m doing for dinner.”
The menu changes daily at Matthew’s restaurant, fluctuating with Medure’s tastes and seasonal food shipments. He said he doesn’t have an exact science for creating a new dish. His culinary skills come from experience and good instructors, from his mother to cooking school to The Ritz-Carlton at Amelia Island, where he began his career.
“You learn what ingredients do,” said Medure.
For example, fudge is one of his favorite desserts. Medure said cooking experience has taught him to eliminate all traces of fudge’s often gooey texture.
“Fudge is a matter of balancing sugar and milk, making sure you whip it a lot to make something dense more airy,” said Medure. “It’s rich as heck, but it finishes dry.”
It’s difficult for Medure to explain his success. He’s gone from selling his self-seasoned and -stuffed sausage at age 13 to owning, managing and often cooking for his applauded restaurants. Matthew’s, for example, has received AAA’s Four Diamond award, Mobile’s Four Star status and Florida Trend’s Golden Spoon.
“It’s just kind of happened,” said Medure. “I’ve always been ambitious.”
When asked about the future, Medure said his plate’s pretty full.
“I’m at my limit, I think,” he said. “I don’t need anymore. I don’t want anymore.”
Then, he mentions a planned market and restaurant in the Nocatee development south of Ponte Vedra. He talks about buying more organic produce for Matthew’s, adding dinner at the market and experimenting with “somewhat casual” menu items.
Back at the market counter, a customer orders an egg breakfast. A cook searches for eggs, but can’t find any. Medure joins him, eventually suggesting that they cross the street to look at Matthew’s.
The pair hurry past traffic and dodge a construction ditch where the sidewalk should be. They glide through the kitchen, bending and opening and shutting refrigerator doors, hunting for eggs.
When the elusive bounty is finally located, Medure reveals that the market doesn’t actually serve breakfast. Why go so far to make one customer happy? Perhaps Medure’s success can be attributed to his answer.
“We never say no,” he said.