Matthew Raiford ‘98

Chef/Farmer, Gilliard Farms | Brunswick, GA

Matthew Raiford ‘98 is chef/owner and sixth-generation farmer at Gilliard Farms, a sibling-run sustainable farm in Brunswick, GA, that has been owned and operated by his family since 1874. Matthew is author of Bress ‘n’ Nyam, which will be released May 2021, and is a descendant of the Freshwater Gullah Geechie which is what his cookbook is based on. He has a culinary arts degree from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, and a certificate in ecological horticulture from University of California Santa Cruz and The Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. Trained in classic French cuisine and with an affinity for coastal flavors, Matthew has over 25 years of experience in the food and hospitality industry, including serving as the director of culinary at the College of Coastal Georgia and the executive chef of Little St. Simons Island and Haute Catering in Washington, DC at the U.S. House of Representatives. Matthew Raiford was named a 2018 semi-finalist in the James Beard Awards Best Chef in the Southeast category, and has been featured in the New York Times, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, and the Huffington Post, and has been a featured chef at food festivals across the country. (Brunswick, GA) @chefarmermatthew