Pop-up food event vendor. Street food ambassador. Restaurant owner. TV show host. Cookbook author. All-round nice guy. There are probably at least 20 other titles that Matt Basile can claim, but I’m tired from typing just those ones out – where does this guy get all his energy?

Matt is the owner/chef behind Fidel Gastro’s – the street food brand that includes Priscilla (the food truck) and Lisa Marie (the restaurant). He’s also the host of food travel show Rebel Without a Kitchen and published his first cookbook, Street Food Diaries last fall.

Matt isn’t just well known around the Toronto food scene. To give you an example of Matt’s global reach, a friend of mine (who lives in Malaysia) messaged to ask me if I had ever heard of Matt – she had seen his show and loved his energy and food ideas and after hearing he was from Toronto, wanted to know if I had tried his food before. Um… yes!

Photo credit: LiteFM

Street Food Diaries quickly became one of my favourite cookbooks of 2014 (click here to read my review) – the writing is fun, the recipes are easy to follow and the dishes are ones I could eat all the time.

Of course, there are a million things I could have asked Matt, but I decided to focus mainly on him as a cookbook author. But, keep reading – after the interview, I have a couple more special things lined up that you’ll definitely want to check out!

[Note: In his answers, Matt mentions ‘Ky’ – he’s referring to Kyla Zanardi, the amazingly talented photographer of Street Food Diaries, and Matt’s partner in life and in business.]

Tell us a little about yourself.

• Born and raised in Toronto – Italian-Canadian.
• I’m 30 years old and an only child.
• I’ve always been obsessed with steak.
• I have 2 degrees and started my career in advertising. So obviously now I cook.

 
Three fun facts about you that we wouldn’t read in your “official” bio

Hmmm…I’m a Seinfeld trivia nut job. I’ve been secretly writing Back to the Future Part IV annnnd I am terrified of squirrels.

Matt standing inside his restaurant, Lisa Marie. Photo credit: Alexa Clark

You’ve had so many successful projects (Fidel Gastro’s, Lisa Marie, Rebel Without a Kitchen) – were there any challenges that were unique to writing a cookbook that you hadn’t faced before with your other ventures?

The biggest difference with the book was that Ky and I opted to do it, for the most part, by ourselves which meant progress only happened if we pushed it. With the truck or restaurant you hire teams to do certain things and you come in the next day and they’re done. With the book, if you didn’t write a chapter then you had zero progress.

When your food business started to take off, did you already have a book idea in the back of your mind? Was writing a cookbook always a goal of yours?

It was definitely on our list of things we wanted to accomplish and we knew it would be rooted in street food but didn’t have this concept nailed down until much later.

You’ve travelled quite a bit for your TV show. Which cities have been your favourite? Which have been the most inspiring food-wise?

LA and Austin for North America. Hong Kong and Manila for international. These were my favourite places because of the cultural depth of the food.

Bigged-Up Pancake Pork Burgers from Street Food Diaries

Street Food Diairies focuses mainly on North America’s street food scene. How does Canada’s street food scene compares to the international one (ie. Asia)

It’s tough because from a policy perspective we are so far behind, whereas street food is typically how most meals are had in southeast Asia.

That said, from a depth of cuisine perspective Toronto, specifically, has some of the deepest cultural roots in the world. I had people take me around parts of southeast Asia, trying to get me to try all the national dishes, and I had already tried almost all of them back home. We literally have a global culinary community in this city, but the policy gets in the way.

What is your favourite recipe from Street Food Diairies?

Wow, that’s like picking your favourite kid… I would have to say… My… Errrr… Probably the Moroccan Beef Rib. It used to be one of the most popular dishes at Lisa Marie, but with the rising cost of shortribs I had to take it off the menu. So the recipe is in the cookbook so people can now do it themselves at home.

fried cornish hen and jalapeno cornbread waffles with pad thai fries from the Lisa Marie’s brunch menu

In Street Food Diaries, there’s a whole section devoted to brunch. Why do you think brunching is coming back in style?

I love brunch. I think brunch is meant to be absolutely epic. People, for the most part, want to eat one meal that will just knock them out for the day – just roll out of bed and eat hearty, awesome, unpretentious food. The proliferation of the brunch culture really does speak to how we have embraced a more casualness to dining.

Were there any recipes that didn’t make the cut or that you regret not including in Street Food Diaries?

I learned a new meatball trick after the book came out. Now when I teach the recipe I add in the new trick because it really does make a massive difference to ensuring your meatballs are never dry.

Before I submitted the manuscript I cut about 3 recipes from each section for a variety of reasons.

Are there plans for a second cookbook?

I would love to do a second book. I know Ky would as well. The question is: do we continue the theme or tackle something else?

A huge thank you to Matt for taking the time to answer my questions (I can’t believe I forgot to ask him where he got all his energy)! You can learn more about Matt on his site, (Fidel Gastro’s) or follow him on Twitter (@fidelgastros).

You can purchase Street Food Diaries from The Book Depository (free worldwide shipping) or Amazon.

Now, for the special ‘extras’ I promised you!

Now that you’ve read about Matt as a cookbook author, want to know more about him as a chef and food personality? Of course you do! Then check out Matt’s interview with my good friend and fellow Belly Monster, Davindra on Goat Roti Chronicles!

*** THE GIVEAWAY ***

Davindra and I have teamed up to offer TWO lucky readers their own copy of Street Food Diaries! There are a few ways to enter, so check out the Rafflecopter form below for more info!

Contest runs Wednesday, April 29 to midnight, Friday, May 16, 2015 and is open to Canadian residents only (sorry international friends!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Goat Roti Chronicles received copies of Street Food Diaries from the publisher for giveaway purposes. This in no way affected our opinions; all opinions expressed are our own. kitchen frolic received no monetary compensation for taking part in this giveaway. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. However, I am part of The Book Depository and Amazon affiliate programs and the product links shared in this post are affiliate links – if you click them and purchase something, I will receive a tiny commission fee (at no extra cost to you) which helps me keep this site running. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.