May 11, 2016 – Jeninni Kitchen + Wine Bar has named Matthew Zimny the restaurant’s new executive chef, likely signaling a broadening of the culinary landscape of the restaurant’s signature Mediterranean cuisine.
In the role of executive chef, Zimny replaces Jeff Weiss, an expert in Spanish charcuterie who helped open the restaurant in late 2013 and headed its kitchen until he left last August. Zimny joins chef Trevor Mathiak, a member of Weiss’s culinary team to who has run the beloved Pacific Grove restaurant and wine bar’s kitchen since September.
“Since October, we’ve launched our popular weekend brunch and several seasonal menus,” said owner and sommelier Thamin Saleh in a statement. “Trevor and our team have been instrumental in making this happen. Now, Matt gives us the chance to continue to take the restaurant forward and explore new and exciting directions.”
Zimny, who will slip on his chef coat and roll up his sleeves this Thursday, looks forward to continuing the restaurant’s Mediterranean cuisine, focused on fresh, local ingredient-driven recipes.
Hailing from kitchens across the Midwest, the Alaskan frontier, and the California coast, two years he moved to the Monterey Peninsula, where he worked at La Bicyclette and Casanova in Carmel, and later at Affina Food & Wine.
“Since I have been here in California, I have developed a passion and obsession with the Mediterranean and its food culture,” said Zimny in a statement. “I was a very good customer at Jeninni, and I love what they do with food – the spices, the techniques, and the authenticity of their flavors. I’m so excited to be part of the team. I’m looking forward to working with Thamin, Trevor, and the rest of the talented staff there.”
A native of Michigan, Zimny began his culinary career in the neighborhood bakery at the age of 15. He worked in restaurant kitchens in the Midwest, at one point, alongside famed Chicago chef Charlie Trotter. In 2004, Zimny moved to Alaska to serve as a private chef for the Kenai Fjords Wilderness Lodge, and later as executive chef of the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge on the south side of Denali.
“I have been very fortunate to work in areas that are rich with beautiful and fresh ingredients,” said Zimny, “from awesome seafood in Alaska to the freshest produce and fantastic meats, eggs and cheeses here in California. I want to prepare dishes that are simple and have minimum interference with the integrity of the seafood ingredients. I like to bring the maximum flavor out of a dish by simply letting each ingredient speak for itself.”
For owner Saleh, Jeninni, which was voted Best Restaurant by Edible Monterey Bay’s readers in 2015 and serves food spanning the cuisines of Spain and Morocco to the Levant, Saleh’s birthplace, fulfills a lifelong dream. For his patrons, the unique restaurant, located in the historic Holman Building, fulfills a need that is sure to continue be met with Zimny’s arrival.
Jeninni Kitchen + Wine Bar • 831.920.2662 • www.jeninni.com
About the author
A fifth-generation Northern Californian, Lisa Crawford Watson has enjoyed a diverse career in business, education and writing. She lives with her family on the Monterey Peninsula, where her grandmother once lived and wrote. An adjunct writing instructor for CSU Monterey Bay and Monterey Peninsula College, Lisa is also a free-lance writer, who specializes in the genres of art & architecture, health & lifestyle, food & wine. She has published various books and thousands of feature articles and columns in local and national newspapers and magazines.
