THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE TASTE: MEET MATT SHAW

Every great kitchen needs that one steady presence—the person who opens up early, gets everything rolling, and quietly keeps things moving behind the scenes. For Turkey To Go, that’s Matt Shaw.

Matt is our Assistant Cook and one of the first folks through the gates every morning during the State Fair. Ask him which gates are open before 5 a.m., and he’s got stories to tell. By the time you’re craving your first turkey sandwich or leg of the day, Matt’s already been there for hours—heating things up, dialing in the ovens, and making sure every piece of equipment is humming.

When he’s not at the Fair, you’ll find Matt leading the kitchen at Carbone’s Pizza in Stillwater, MN, where he brings the same calm focus and consistency. But Matt’s culinary roots go back even further—to a life on the road, following the Grateful Dead in a Volkswagen bus and grilling grilled cheese sandwiches to make ends meet. It might’ve started as a road trip hustle, but that spirit of community, creativity, and scrappiness still shows up in everything he does.

This year, Matt’s especially excited that his daily ritual just got a whole lot easier, thanks to a fresh supply of high-quality coffee and lemonade from Mike and Kat’s Other Place—right on-site. Now he can walk across the kitchen instead of running elsewhere.

From tour life to turkey duty, Matt brings heart, hustle, and heat to everything he touches—and we’re lucky to have him.

Blake
Operating Partner, Feliz Inc.