SEPTEMBER 2019 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 77
CHEF MATTHEW BOUDREAU
NEW AMERICAN DINING
BY ALAN KRAWITZ
Ask many people about coffee cake,
and it will likely hold little more
importance than a dessert they may
favor, or perhaps not.
But for Matthew Boudreau, the current
executive chef at the Preston
House & Hotel in Riverhead, it helped
launch his diverse and accomplished
culinary career.
“I can remember my grandmother
Edith was a great baker and she made
this fantastic coffee cake … and the
smells used to just fill the house,” he
recalls. “That coffee cake is now on
the menu at the Preston House.”
Boudreau’s now signature coffee cake
is part of the elevated-yet-approachable
dining experience that Preston
House owner Joseph Petrocelli envisioned
when he hired Boudreau as the
boutique hotel-restaurant’s executive
chef last year.
The chic farm-to-table New American
style restaurant seats 88, or
160 including al fresco in warmer
months. The 20-room, five-story hotel
located directly behind the restaurant
features studios and suites that offer
intimate service. The property built
in 1905 was once the home of Henry
Preston, the first salaried Suffolk
County sheriff.
Other staples at the Preston House include
a nice piece of fish, surrounded
by quinoa, roasted fennel and local
tomatoes; organic roasted chicken,
done in an ancho-honey glaze with
baby carrots, and my summer chana,
Boudreau’s take on the classic Indian
dish chana masala, sans tomatoes and
with accents on braised garbanzos
and vegetables.
“My philosophy is to give people a
new experience in an area that really
is starting to come into its own,” says
Boudreau, 41, who resides in Sag
Harbor. Boudreau says that something
akin to a “renaissance” is now
happening in Riverhead, similar to
changes that took place in Patchogue
in the last several years with its resurgent
downtown.
“People all over are eating healthy
and I strive to make healthier, trendier
dishes with more vegetables,” he
adds, pointing to his summer chana
as a shining example.
Looking back, Boudreau points fondly
to his days working alongside his
dad outside Fenway Park in Boston,
selling sausages.
“I was only 8 years old and I can remember
selling those sausages and
barking at the fans to get sales going,”
he recalls.
Selling those sausages
would ultimately
pay off, leading
B o u d r e a u
to a career
with more
than 20
years’ experience
w o r k -
ing in
kitchens
from Los
Angeles
to London,
getting an
early start in
the culinary
world at age 14.
By age 20, he was
already working
as a sous chef.
And, while Boudreau never attended
formal culinary school classes, he
had the benefit of learning on-the-job
while working at Café Max in Memphis,
Tenn., from two established
chefs who had attended the Culinary
Institute of America.
“It was both a great education ‘cooking
the book’ without incurring the
debt that attending school usually
brings,” he says.
Boudreau’s diverse background as
a chef includes working as a part of
the opening staff at top New York City
venue Balthazar, which morphed into
a gig as one of the company’s corporate
chefs traveling between Miami,
Los Angeles, and New York City.
Working in Europe, Boudreau joined
the Formula One
culinary
team as a
personal
chef.
During his time living in London,
Boudreau was tapped by Chef Anton
Edelmann to take over his new
restaurant Cru, which focused on
now-trendy farm-to-table fare and
small plates.
As an avid fan who considers barbecue
“near and dear” to his heart, Boudreau
competes regularly in contests
in Memphis.
“I have a large network of people I
converse with down in Memphis and
they’re all big fans of barbecue,” he
says.
Boudreau also recently won a Dan’s
Taste of Summer GrillHampton event
in the Hamptons for the third year in
a row.
“The event lets chefs showcase their
barbecue skills and we can really
cook.”
That award-winning approach
inspires Preston House’s ingredient
driven and flavorful fare that
takes a balanced and traditional
approach to food. And the charming
ambiance of the historic locale is just
gravy.
Says executive director Jennifer Petrocelli,
“We’re happy to be part of the
revitalization of downtown
Riverhead.”
The Preston House & Hotel
is located at 428 East
Main Street in Riverhead.
It can be reached at 631-
775-1500 (hotel) and 631-
775-1550 (restaurant)
or theprestonhouseandhotel.
com
MAIN DISH
“My philosophy is to give people a new
experience in an area that really is starting to
come into its own,” says Matthew Boudreau.
Chef Matty Boudreau
is an award-winning
barbecue competitor
and new American menu
creator.
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
