Chef
Mathieu Palombino
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- New York City, New York, United States
i. Biography
Neapolitan-style pizza is the public craft most closely associated with Mathieu Palombino through Motorino in New York City. The work is built on simple bread, simple garnish and exacting ingredient selection: a form that reads plainly when the dough, heat, fat, smoke and toppings are under control. A Belgian hotel-school foundation, restaurant ownership and charcuterie work all sit behind that practice. From Hotel school in Belgium to The Bowery Diner, Chez Jef and his New York pizzeria, the through-line is precision, appetite and hands-on control rather than embellishment. “I try to stay pure and very organic in the way I cook. I try to cook in a clean and in a very pure manner.” Mathieu has said.
Coming Up
Hotel school in Belgium gave Mathieu Palombino a European technical base before professional kitchens added speed, adjustment and service pressure. The training shows in a cooking style where structure is present but not decorative. Technique is there to support the food, not to announce itself. The chef/owner role at The Bowery Diner placed Palombino inside an American dining idiom, with room for directness and personal judgment. The later chef role at Chez Jef from 2014 brought charcuterie and careful preparation into the foreground, including work where patience matters as much as flair. Across these roles, the cooking has favored clean instinct, manual authority and the understanding that simple food still requires control. At his pizzeria, that accumulated practice is expressed through pizza with a defined point of view.
Where They Are Now
The oven work at Motorino in New York City is where Mathieu Palombino’s public identity is most legible. He is chef and owner of the restaurant in New York City, and is also listed as chef/owner of Motorino Pizzeria in the New York City Metropolitan Area. The craft rests on heat, dough stretch, restrained garnish and the requirement that every topping justify its place. Neapolitan-style pizza is the specialty. For the Brooklyn restaurant, Palombino emphasizes simple bread, simple garnish and careful ingredient selection. That concise philosophy keeps dough and topping in balance, resisting the overloaded pie. Proportion is the working principle: crust, cheese, sauce, vegetable, meat and herb arranged so the whole remains coherent. The Brussels Sprout Pizza puts that method into a specific format: Brussels sprouts, smoked pancetta, mozzarella, garlic and pecorino. Palombino has described it as the most popular dish at the Brooklyn location. Within this register, the appeal is practical: green bitterness, smoke, salt, milk and sharp cheese carried by a base that remains central. The Soppressata Piccante pizza from the Hamptons mobile operation follows the same direct logic, topped with tomato sauce, fior di latte mozzarella, spicy soppressata, Calabrian chilis and fresh oregano leaves. Heat, milk, tomato and herb do the work without ornament.
Signature
Signature dishes include Brussels Sprout Pizza, Soppressata Piccante pizza, and Pâté de campagne at Chez Jef.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Mathieu
Who is Mathieu Palombino?
Mathieu Palombino is chef at Motorino — Pizzeria.
Where did Mathieu Palombino train or study?
Mathieu Palombino trained at Hotel school in Belgium.
What is Mathieu Palombino known for?
Neapolitan-style pizza.
