Meet Matt Basile, aka, Fidel Gastro

I’ve said this before and, and I’ll say it again, I truly admire a person who has the balls to get up and walk away from their corporate gig in order to pursue their dream. Matt Basile, aka, Fidel Gastro is one of those people. His career took him from an ad agency, to the meat department of McEwans, and then to a Marketing Copywriter position for an online trading company, before he decided to walk away to launch his food empire. Four years later he’s the owner of a successful catering business, a wildly popular food truck, and a restaurant. He’s also an author who penned his first cookbook with his partner Kyla Zanardi, and the star of his own TV series, Rebel Without A Kitchen.

Matt Basile, aka, Fidel Gastros, with his food truck Priscilla

I know you were a copywriter, but what exactly does a copywriter do?

It’s a two-part job. Half the time you are writing ad copy for brands, (headlines, blogs, banner ads), and the other half is creative development. Coming up with the big ideas.

Tell me about the day you decided to walk away from your corporate role?

It took about a week to prepare for. I got to my desk about an hour and half early that day. When both my bosses walked in I pulled them both aside and just did it. At first they were pretty confused, but then I put my new Fidel Gastro’s business card on the table and never looked back.

What’s your earliest food related memory?

My nonno used to hang fresh pasta in his spare room. He would hang it from everything. I ate it raw.

Who has been the biggest influence in your career thus far?

It depends how you look at it. My nonno was my inspiration for starting all of this. Kyla has been my fire, or spark, to power through and keep going.

Where did your signature, “Olé!”, come from and why the fascination with Elvis?

Both were accidents. The Elvis started at my first popup. I setup my table and it looked kinda boring, so I put up the Elvis bust that I grabbed from Honest Ed’s and people went bat shit crazy for it. So it stuck. The “olé” was also born on the night of my first popup. It was purely adrenalin. I couldn’t believe I had a line up and that people actually showed up so I just started yelling it and people were yelling it back!

Kyla Zanardi & Matt Basile

A huge part of your cookbook is the gorgeous photography by your significant other, Kyla Zanardi. How was it working with Kyla on a project as big as this?

Well she’s my partner in everything Fidel Gastro related. This was the hardest thing we have ever done but also the most rewarding. We talk about doing another one all the time.

John Catucci asked you if you were high when you came up with some of your dishes, how exactly do you come up with those crazy creations?

You’re killing me here Dave. I revert back to my old advertising days of creative development.

If you had to cook one dish for one person dead or alive, what would you make and for whom?

I would make sugo and bread for my nonno, who passed away a few years ago. It’d be at Lisa Marie, and he can have any seat he wants.

You’ve been at the forefront of the fight to allow food trucks on the streets of Toronto, how is that fight going and what can we expect from the city in the future?

It’s been repetitive. I feel like the same comments and arguements are being made. Progress is being made but it’s slow.

You’ve travelled all over North America and Asia as part of your TV series, Rebel Without A Kitchen. What has been your most memorable experience thus far?

We were in Manilla and visited the Wet Market. Not only did we get to buy some of the cheapest, freshest, seafood I’ve ever seen, we also got to cook it at the restaurants in the area. Everyone came out to greet us and it was probably one of the best food experiences of my life. I will never forget my first meal in the Philipines.

What’s the next food trend that’s coming to Toronto?

Everyone is saying the word BBQ now

Where do you go for a night out?

This awesome little place called sushi takeout and Netflix.

What can we expect from Matt Basile in the future?

So hard to say. Everyone’s expectation is more restaurants but we’re more interested in growing the company in unique and different ways. So I would say expect more things just being done differently.

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Now that you’ve made it to the very end of this article I have a little bonus for you.

You’ve learned a little about Matt, his past, his influences, and his prediction about Toronto’s next food trend now you can read a review of Street Food Diaries by my fellow Belly Monster, Stephanie Caruso on her site: Kitchen Frolic.

PLUS! Stephanie and I have teamed up to offer TWO lucky readers a chance to win a copy of Street Food Diaries by Matt Basile! There are a few ways to enter, so check out the Rafflecopter form below for more info. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out on this one, even if you don’t make a thing from the book, the photographs will have you drooling.

a Rafflecopter giveaway