As a kid, Matthew Accarrino had a singular passion — bicycle racing. He put in the training, rode the countless miles, and competed whenever he could. Yet, at 16, his dream of becoming a Professional Cyclist were shattered. A bone tumor in his leg, nearly cost him the leg. He was spared that outcome, but the removal of bone and replacement with a metal rod left him with a two-year challenge of literally learning to walk again. At this critical crossroads in his early life, he turned his passion to cooking and embraced a philosophy he was determined to live by. “My entire life is about doing what I want to do. There is no such thing as work,” he said.
Trained by some of the world’s most renowned Chefs, Matthew’s passion for cooking led him to California. Drawn to its natural abundance of fresh ingredients, farmers and a climate that yields unique seasonal flavors, Matthew’s life truly became influenced by the ingredients around him. Today Matthew is the Chef at San Francisco’s SPQR restaurant. And, against all odds, he’s back on his bike actively competing in races, training every day and integrating his love of cycling into his ever-changing menu. He learned foraging in Italy, and now deliberately uses his bike rides through locations such as the Presidio, Sausalito and Golden Gate Park to see and gather what is growing in abundance— what can be foraged form the wild and incorporated into his dishes.
What starts at the break of day on long training rides flows seamlessly into his innovative menus and numerous responsibilities at the restaurant. Helping him to keep it all together is his Samsung Galaxy S8, featuring tough Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5. Everything he does is in real time. Communicating with farmers, registering for his races, tracking his training, playing his music, capturing images of fresh ingredients, running his business, promoting his business — it’s all Matthew and his Samsung Galaxy S8, succeeding on their own merits.