More Bad News for the Celebrity Chef Behind Plant City
Friday, January 12, 2024
The celebrity chef who is the culinary visionary behind Providence’s Plant City and dozens of other high-profile plant-based restaurants around the world is in business free fall, according to a new report in the Los Angeles Times.
“The unmistakable stench of rotting food filled the space formerly occupied by chef Matthew Kenney’s trendy Venice restaurant, Plant Food + Wine. It was coming from the walk-in refrigerator, where spoiled sprouts, garlic and other vegetables had been left to fester after Kenney — an acclaimed vegan chef and cookbook author — closed the restaurant in May,” wrote the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday.
The LA Times article is a scathing report of Kenney's restaurant empire that once spanned across the globe promoting plant-based foods.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn 2019, GoLocal broke the story of Kenney’s launch of Plant City in Providence. By all public accounts, the restaurant at the foot of the Michael Van Leesten pedestrian bridge has been a success.
As Kenney told GoLocal in 2019 he had been wanting to open a food hall and said Providence was a great city to launch the concept.
“I have been thinking about this since visiting food halls in Madrid ten or so years ago and love Eataly, they are great food experiences,” said Kenney.
“We think there is a lot of interest in a plant-based lifestyle,” said Kenney whose then-official title was CEO of MKC, but has become a leading evangelist and creative force in the commercialization of plant-based eating.
Fast Forward in 2022
In 2022, Netflix broadcast a series featuring Kenney and his once-partner Sarma Melngailis, chronicling one of their failed restaurants.
GoLocal reported on Kenney -- and the show -- in "The Man Who’s the Connection Between Netflix Series 'Bad Vegan' and RI’s Plant City."
“Matthew Kenney was not a well-respected businessman,” said Vanity Fair Journalist Allen Salkin on the Netflix show. “There was a lot of word around New York that Matthew was a guy who didn’t pay his bills…who stiffed a lot of investors, and was trouble."
Then, there was a series of stories in the Miami Herald about his business problems in that city.
And now, a chronicle by the LA Times highlighting his business failures and unpaid bills.
“Since September 2022, six of Kenney’s L.A.-area spots have shuttered, among them Double Zero in Venice and Hungry Angelina in Long Beach, along with at least six others across the U.S.," reports the LA Times
‘A close-down was inevitable,’ said Jack Darling, a former server at Kenney’s Sestina in Culver City, which folded in July. ‘As soon as I started, there was a lot of talk: ‘Yeah, Matthew Kenney — every time one business goes bad, he opens a new one,'” reported the LA Times.
Now, Bouncing Paychecks, Website Down, Evictions
Kenney’s restaurant in Venice, California was evicted.
The LA Times reported that they spoke to numerous former employees of Kenney’s who cited their paychecks bouncing.
“Seven employees of Matthew Kenney Cuisine and some of the chef’s now-closed establishments said at least one of their paychecks bounced, and several noted this occurred regularly. Some described racing to the bank to cash a paycheck ahead of colleagues,” reported the LA Times.
Part of Kenney’s business model was that celebrity influencers who would promote the restaurant on social media would receive as much as $10,000 in free food while staff was unpaid, according to the Times.
Presently, Kenney's corporate website is down -- only offering a 503 Error - Service Unavailable.
In Rhode Island, Operations Continue
In 2023, Kenney’s website continued to list the Providence Plant City location and three other locations — Plant City X in Middletown and Warwick, as well as the South Water Street 345 Speak Easy.
In January of 2023, Kim Anderson, the primary investor in Plant City in Providence, told GoLocal, “Matthew Kenney has been our valued partner in creating Plant City. We remain humbled that he and his team provided us the ability to create our revolutionary food hall & marketplace. We could not have done this without him.”
"We continue to collaborate on international opportunities for Plant City together. In our 4+ years working with Matthew we have found him to be an experienced restauranteur, and insightful strategist. Matthew Kenney Cuisine is not involved in our Bryant University expansion,” added Anderson.
UPDATED January 1, 2024 at 3:30 PM.
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