About ExpatAsia
Born in Canada, Raised in AsiaWe are Calgary’s premier catering service that offers authentic flavors of S.E. Asia with a modern twist. We have our two best chefs specializing in authentic Asian cuisine. Read more to get to know us better.
Joel Matthews
Joel Matthews is the co Chef/owner of ExpatAsia in Calgary. I was born in Edmonton back in ’86 but shortly after, we moved to Australia with my parents and older sister Michelle. Dad was a chef with Hilton hotel and eventually transferred to Indonesia spending the majority of our time in Bali where I grew up.
I was never really into the whole cooking idea, although I liked cooking at home I didn’t think it would ever be a career for me. I dabbled in a few different “careers” from landscaping, working at nightclubs and restaurants but only in the front of house I was never interested in the kitchen side of things.
.It was only till I moved back to Bali where I got my first taste of a real kitchen with Gourmet café and the Alila villas in Ubud and Uluwatu. I liked the hustle and bustle of the kitchens and was beginning to think I had finally found what I wanted to do for my career. I moved to Melbourne, Australia which is where I really fell in love with cooking and the overall kitchen life. I worked at THE SMITH which was an Asian fusion restaurant under Head Chef Brad Simpson and Executive Chef Micheal Lambie from there I knew that Asian food was what I was meant to be cooking.
From Melbourne I came back to Calgary and started working for Anju under Chef Roy Oh. Then 2.5 years later my father and I are ready to take the plunge and do something for ourselves together, ExpatAsia is where we are starting where we want to serve Southeast Asian flavors in Calgary.
Jeff Matthews
Jeff Matthews is the Co-Chef/Owner of ExpatAsia in Calgary. As a chef, I ѕреnt mу еаrlу years trаіnіng rіght here in Cаlgаry and after graduating frоm SAIT, I took up a роѕіtіоn аt La Chаumіèrе Rеѕtаurаnt іn 1977. I thеn wоrkеd at thе Fоur Sеаѕоnѕ аnd Delta Hotels in Cаlgаrу as wеll аѕ thе fаmеd Queen Elizabeth Hotel іn Mоntrеаl. To quench my hunger to learn more, I bundlеd up mу уоung family and mоvеd tо the ѕhоrеѕ of sunny Australia with Hіltоn Hоtеlѕ.
Over the nеxt 30 years, I lived in S.E. Aѕіа аnd the Mіddlе East where I immersed myself in the cultures and сuіѕіnеѕ of countries spanning Japan to Mаlауѕіа, Thаіlаnd, Hоng Kоng, and India. I also ѕреnt one уеаr wоrkіng as a private chef for Hіѕ Majesty, Kіng Hussein and the royal family оf Jоrdan іn the Ammаn Royal Pаlасе before returning to Calgary.
Coming back to my roots in Canada, I brіng a wеаlth оf knоwlеdgе in nоt only Aѕіаn and European сuіѕіnе but a unique knоwlеdgе оn hоw tо marry flаvоurѕ from bоth, the East and West and create unіԛuе combinations wіth a bite and a twіѕt.
My greatest joy is that I now get to work with my son Joel who is as much a foodie as I am. We are most blessed to be able to create new and exciting dishes our way and then share them with you.
ExpatAsia Won Multiple Platinum Awards in Calgary
Testimonials
Thank you Joel for the great entertainment and food you brought to our anniversary party. My friends really liked getting involved and helping you in the kitchen. Sorry I spilt the sauce on the floor but that you came up with another one so fast. Crazy…. We will call on you again.
We had the best dinner party ever. As a Dutch person I have fond memories of Indonesian style Rijsttafel dinners growing up and your menu did not disappoint. The spices, flavors and presentation was magnificent. It was truly an authentic Asian cuisine experience.
What a great evening of food and fun. The Father and Son duo were a huge hit at our team building. You guys have so many great stories and you were so flexible with all our requests, we can’t thank you enough. One of the best catering in Calgary.