People of The Institute       Alumni Profiles           Matthew Weingarten Culinary Arts '96     Matt Weingarten, executive chef of the hot newcomer Porcupine, started cooking in college in Ohio, when he moved with some friends to a house in the middle of beautiful farmlands and spent less time in class than in the kitchen. After obtaining a degree in literature, he taught English in Taiwan for a year and then decided to move to New York to work at top restaurants here. “I always thought I was a country boy,” Weingarten said, “but now I can’t imagine living anywhere else. It’s such a great place for when you get out of work at 1 in the morning!” His first job after culinary school was at An American Place, where he worked with a lot of local products and saw a lot of “farm to table,” which influenced what he does today at Porcupine. Weingarten also worked for China Grill Management and with Chef Katy Sparks at Quilty’s, whom he credits as a great influence. His two sous-chefs have been with him for the last five years and they all work in total harmony. Some restaurants the size of Porcupine, which sits 44 and has a cupboard-size kitchen, use precut items, Weingarten said, but he and his crew do everything from scratch, from butchering pigs to shopping for local, seasonal ingredients at the market. “It’s a very intimate way to cook,” he said. “Customers are eating the way I’d like them to eat without having to beat it into them. They’re very adventurous.” Porcupine is located at 20 Prince Street in Manhattan 2005