Meet the Chef

Chef Matthew Beck grew up in Rappahannock county, the foothills of Shenandoah National Park. It was there, surrounded by nature, in his Memaws kitchen, that he fell in love with food. A trip to Europe at the age of 12 was the catalyst he needed to dive into cooking and hospitality as a career. Matthew began volunteering his time with the high schools culinary program, helping with fundraiser dinners and cooking as much as he could. Fast forward to 15, he began working in a casual BBQ restaurant in Sperryville, less than a year later he started working at The Blue Rock Inn and got his first real taste of fine dining. Upon completing high school, he went on to get his degree in culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of Virgina, graduating amongst the highest in his class. He took that knowledge and moved to the Outer Banks to work with Chef Sam Mcgann at his Duck institution, The Blue Point. It was there that he acquired a deep appreciation of seafood and local product, while sharpening his skills in a very busy kitchen. After years living in the Outer Banks, Matthew moved to Charlottesville and found himself in the kitchen at local favorite, Oakhart Social. He worked his way up through the stations and landed on sauté, where he stayed for years. After moving back down to the Outer Banks and another stint at the Blue Point, Matthew returned to Rappahannock county and accepted a job at the world renowned, three Michelin starred restaurant, The Inn at Little Washington. He started working the cold side, within a couple of months he was running a team of two cooks as the lead of the station. In his time at The Inn, he moved his way around the kitchen, learning the hot side stations as well as running dinner service as expediter. He accepted a sous chef job at the neighboring cafe, Patty O’s and helped establish procedures and manage the team. In spring of 2023, Matthew took on the role of Chef De Cuisine at The Shack, Ian Bodens award winning restaurant in Staunton Virginia. He began working closely with local farmers and producers and developing the hyper seasonal menus weekly with Chef Boden and team. There were plans in the works upon his arrival to Staunton and roughly a year after starting, he helped Chef Boden open his most ambitious project yet, the boutique inn, and tasting menu restaurant Maude and the Bear. In the years that followed, he again worked closely with the seasons and best farmers to collaborate tasting menus to tell a story of the current time, Chef Boden’s story, and his own history. The accolades were soon to follow, The Washington Post 40 Best Restaurants, a James Beard nomination for Best New Restaurant, and The New York Times 50 Best restaurants, were amongst a few of the many awards that Chef Beck helped achieve in his time there. In summer of 2026, Beck stepped away from his role at Maude and the Bear, moved back to Rappahannock county and started Bird in the Briar patch, an homage to his Memaw, and a close chef friend who bestowed the nickname, Bird.