Hathorne Restaurant Appoints Mathew Meeker As Its Executive Chef

John Stephenson has not only become a good chef with his talent and efforts but also guided some talented chefs with the Hathorne restaurant kitchen. The restaurant was opened in Nashville three years ago. Stephenson’s starting team of Evan LoJacono and Joey Molteni have moved on from the restaurant to tap into new opportunities elsewhere. However, Stephenson has kept a talented group in place, despite the challenging business situations in the epidemic period.

A way Stephenson has achieved that is by welcoming chefs to perform pop-up operations at Hathorne, introducing the latter to the restaurant’s culture and offering them some try-out in the process. Thus, Stephenson lured Michael Hanna from St. Vito Focacciaria to introduce his well-known focacceria to Hathorne as a Sunday special and work in its kitchen when he does not sling his Sicilian-style street food and sfincione pizzas.

Stephenson has now brought pop-up maestro Mathew Meeker in to lead the Hathorne kitchen. Meeker appeared at Proper Sake, Bastion, and Hathorne earlier in 2021 as part of his Hester project.

Meeker has worked under a few great chefs in Nashville and had stints at The Continental, Butcher & Bee, Joyland, Husk, and Peninsula. Meeker’s experience with seasonal and local ingredients, plus his love for the processes of fermenting and preserving may suit the Hathorne approach.

Meeker not only regards Hathorne as a fun restaurant but also respects the identity that Stephenson and his restaurant team have made there. Meeker’s culinary perspective of using preserved and seasonally fresh ingredients in food items matches with the restaurant menu that customers know and like. Meeker expects to build on Hathorne customers’ favorite dishes and push the restaurant forward.

Stephenson is also quite excited to have Meeker work at Hathorne. He said that the Hathorne team is pleased to bring Meeker into their kitchen. Stephenson regards Meeker as a talented chef with much experience in the restaurant kitchens that he respects and enjoys. Stephenson stated that there is already a rapport between Meeker and the Hathorne team, and that he expects to continue what they built there, alongside Meeker’s fresh ideas.

Hathorne is one of the best-known restaurants in Nashville’s Sylvan Park area. You can discover the chops of Meeker to have as a dine-in or carry-out option from 05:00 to 10:00 pm from Wednesday to Saturday. Consider trying the Sunday special items from the St. Vito staff too.