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DINERS, DAVIDSONS
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DINING HALLS
OU Executive Chef Matt Rapposelli loves his culinary profession...almost as much as his motorcycle DINER
BY GINA EDWARDS. PHOTO BY CONOR LAMB
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quealing down the winding highway, music blaring and blue jeans thrashing in the harsh wind, Matt Rapposelli pierces the unknown landscape on his trusty motorcycle, cruising to his next destination. But he’s not hunting for a leather jacket store or even a Harley-Davidson convention; instead he’s exploring uncharted cuisine, one eatery at a time. Rapposelli, executive chef at Ohio University, motors to various foodie destinations, unearthing the delectable dinners and quirky cuisine offered by hole-in-the-wall establishments all along the East Coast. “[The restaurant] could be a complete dive that does one thing really well, or a wild place that just has great food overall,” he says. From New England to the Carolinas, Rapposelli has no qualms about crossing borders for his trips. He’s even ventured as far as Nova Scotia, Canada—a 1,400-mile ride from Athens. Typically clad in a crisp, white button-down chef’s coat, sporting a beaming smile and jolly figure, Rapposelli doesn’t typify a motorcycle enthusiast. Yet, his eyes brighten as he discusses the purchase of his first bike, which sprung from a need for transportation and a fib… or two. “I went to a dealer and lied: ‘Yeah, I have a license.’ So I hopped on one,” he says. Having never touched a hog previously, he managed to ride it a wobbly eighth of a mile before returning to the dealer and buying it on the spot.
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backdrop » winter 2011
He then rode it the two-hour distance home despite being “scared senseless” on it, and has been riding ever since, albeit equipped with a license. Soon he found that motorcycle riding could assist him in scoping out delicious foods to satiate his professional knowledge and culinary curiosity, regardless of location. “I cannot tell you a trip [at] anytime that wasn’t based around food,” he says, adding that for business and personal trips, he researches out-of-the-way and unique places to visit. Traveling helps you to meet and see new people outside your own social framework, which can make you a very adaptable person, he says. Always trying to find the positive in his life’s journeys, Rapposelli appears to have found a hobby that fuses two of his favorite things. “Motorcycling and food go hand in hand,” he says. “Many of the same senses and emotions apply when you enjoy both: smell, taste, exhilaration, contentment and sometimes fear.” For him, these trips feature the perfect combination of the thrill of riding, the anticipation of what awaits and the experience of trying great food. One of his most memorable finds includes a “school bus” barbecue in Vermont. Rapposelli says the owner would drive his “restaurant” to a freeway interchange on weather-permitting weekends, and sell until he ran out of food. Rapposelli enjoys finding new people demonstrating alternative cooking techniques, like the school bus barbecuer, through varied combinations of ingredients, methods and
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I cannot tell you a trip [at] anytime that wasn’t based around food.” Matt Rapposelli, Ohio University Executive Chef presentation, which he then incorporates into both his personal and professional life. Usually he hears about the places from the regional food boards and blogs that he follows, but also from word of mouth. “Anybody who knows me will let me know if they have come across some-
thing cool,” he says. “It’s all about the networking.” When he’s not traversing several states for a distinctive meal, Rapposelli clambers upon his 2000 BMW R110RT to commute to work, where he trades his helmet for a chef’s hat. There, he does everything from planning meals to exploring local food options for
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the dining halls and solving students’ dietary calamities. “Once I helped a student whose jaw was completely wired shut to enjoy some of his favorite foods like pizza,” he says, adding that he concocted a way to prepare the food so that it would fit through a straw. He also helps to push innovations such as a “cook-chill” facility, which will allow for Dining Services to utilize more local foods in the dining halls. And one of his incorporations from the road—a tofu “po’ boy” sandwich inspired by a New Orleanian—helped OU gain a “Top 10” spot in a peta2 “Most Vegetarian Friendly” contest. Rapposelli says that food has been a huge part of his life, as his passion started early in his childhood. A native of the strongly Italian Highland Heights area of Cleveland, Rapposelli grew up around regionally authentic cuisine, and a very “food-oriented” family. After his Italian-born grandfather, Harold Rapposelli, immigrated to the U.S., he started his own food brokerage business. Later, Matt’s father, Harold Rapposelli, opened one of his own as well. Wanting to forge his own path outside of the family food tradition as a young adult, Rapposelli initially studied recreation and wildlife, and worked for the National Park Service in the Cascades of Washington State for a time. But financial constraints eventually sent him packing back to the East Coast for culinary school at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. From there he worked at a small luxury inn in Hocking Hills, and opened his own bakery prior to accepting the chef position at OU. Today, he and his wife continue to run a local bed-and-breakfast—the Cabin at Chimney Lake. For now, he doesn’t know where his next food adventure will take him, but he would like to one day make a motorcycle trip overseas, which he says he would do in a heartbeat. As for the future, he figures that he’ll never retire and will always be on the move. “I never know where I’m gonna be headed next,” he says, “but I’m really enjoying this right now.”
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