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Matthew Ratliff
Pastry chef
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Born and raised in northeast Ohio, Matthew Ratliff came through the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, then stayed on as a teaching assistant fellow. That early stretch set the terms of the work that followed: schoolhouse discipline, pastry precision, and a working respect for process. From there, he moved through pastry kitchens with deliberate momentum, carrying that training from one polished room to the next before Palm Beach became home base.
Coming Up
At the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, the rhythm of instruction and repetition shaped the standards that would carry Matthew Ratliff into professional pastry. His path then reads as a sequence of coastal hospitality rooms: pastry chef at The Ritz Carlton in Laguna Beach, California, pastry chef at Little Palm Island Resort in Florida Keys, and Executive Pastry Chef at The Inn at Perry Cabin in Maryland. Each post added another layer to a career built on timing, technique, and the quiet demands of dessert service. Since 2007, he has held the role of Executive Pastry Chef at The Everglades Club.
Where They Are Now
Since 2007, the pastry program at The Everglades Club in Palm Beach, Florida has run under the kind of discipline that shows up first in the prep sheet. Matthew Ratliff describes the production list as the force that organizes the day: “The most important thing in my kitchen is the production list. It rules all,” he says, a blunt read on the cadence behind the desserts. His attention to seasonality is just as direct, especially when fruit is at its peak; “I want to preserve fruits at their peak flavor,” he says, pointing to timing and restraint as part of the job. Flour sits at the center of that practical outlook. “My favorite ingredient is flour and it’s the most undervalued ingredient, too,” Ratliff says, putting a basic staple on equal footing with the more visible parts of pastry. Even his favorite kitchen hack is about shaving time without loosening control: “My favorite kitchen hack is using a drill to zest a case of oranges.” In this kitchen, efficiency and finesse are not separate skills; one supports the other.
Signature
Matthew's signature dishes include Two Face.
In Their Words “My favorite ingredient is flour and it’s the most undervalued ingredient, too.” “The most important thing in my kitchen is the production list. It rules all.”
Honors
Ratliff holds the World Certified Master Pastry Chef (WCMPC) credential and the Certified Master Baker (CMB) credential. In practice, those credentials sit alongside a long tenure in Palm Beach and a career built through instruction, repetition, and exacting pastry work. They mark a professional profile defined less by flourish than by consistency, technique, and control.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Matthew
What is Matthew Ratliff's current role?
As of 2026, Matthew Ratliff is Executive Pastry Chef.
Where did Matthew Ratliff work before?
Matthew Ratliff's earlier career included Culinary Institute of America, The Ritz Carlton, and Little Palm Island Resort.
Where did Matthew Ratliff train?
Matthew Ratliff trained at Culinary Institute of America.
