Matt Conroy

The Path

The line of kitchens in Conroy’s career shows a steady shift from execution to authorship. He worked first as sous chef at Verde in Stratton Mountain, Vermont, then as cook at Craigie on Main in Boston, Massachusetts, before taking on the role of executive chef at Little Prince in Soho, New York. Each post adds a different operating range: resort service, city dining room discipline, and the responsibility of directing a kitchen. The middle point in that path was Oxomoco in Greenpoint, Brooklyn (2018), where Matt Conroy served as Head Chef and moved into the food style that would define much of his later work. From there, his career continued in Washington, D.C, where he became chef at Pascual in Washington, D.C. (from 2024) and chef at Maison Bar à Vins in Washington, D.C. (from 2025). Today, Matt is chef-partner of Lutèce, a role that keeps the daily demands of service alongside the larger work of shaping a restaurant’s identity.

The Work Today

At Pascual, the cooking is built to show its process rather than conceal it. Wood-roasted pork al pastor is carved straight off the trompo into tacos, a dish noted as a standout at Pascual and one that makes the kitchen’s choreography visible in every slice. Heat, rotation, carve, and fast assembly all stay in view. Tacos al pastor with roasted pineapple carry the same logic: flame, fruit, and carved meat are kept close together so the sweetness stays functional rather than decorative. The pineapple works as a counterpoint, catching smoke and cutting into the richness without changing the dish’s pace. Lamb neck barbacoa, served with ayacote beans, salsa cruda, and tortillas for making tacos, reads as a full plate built for assembly. The meat brings depth, the beans bring weight, the raw salsa brings sharpness, and the tortillas finish the job. Taken together, these dishes place Pascual in a tactile register—trompo, pineapple, lamb neck, beans, salsa, tortillas—techniques and ingredients used for immediacy, structure, and the final act of eating at the table.

Signature

Matt's signature dishes include guacamole, house tostadas, tacos al pastor with roasted pineapple, and lamb neck barbacoa. Each sits comfortably in the same world as the rest of his cooking: direct, textural, and built around contrasts of smoke, acid, richness, and crunch.

In Their Words “I had done a lot of French food, and I wanted to do something completely out of my comfort zone.”

Acclaim

Matt's honors include StarChefs DMV Mentor Award (2026) and StarChefs Rising Star Chef. Both speak to a career that has earned notice not only for the food itself, but for the influence and momentum gathered along the way.