Matthew Ryle

Matthew Ryle is the 2018 MasterChef: The Professionals finalist who has since become executive chef and

co-owner of Maison François (St James’s) and Café François (Borough Market) in London. His debut

cookbook French Classics (Bloomsbury, 2025) became an instant Sunday Times bestseller. He began

cooking at fifteen at the Michelin-starred L’Ortolan, trained at Bournemouth and Poole catering college,

honed classical technique at The Dorchester, and became head chef at Isabel in Mayfair at just 22. Maison

François earned a Michelin plate within six months, two AA rosettes, and top-100 UK restaurant status. His

cooking philosophy: “Taking humble and simple ingredients, preparing them in a classical way, and doing

special things to them.” Food for big tables, for sharing.