Matthew Kirkley, on Butter, Spatulas and Punk Rock

Matthew Kirkley’s first restaurant job was working as a busboy at the Melting Pot fondue chain’s outlet in Baltimore. From there he moved into the kitchen and then on to culinary school. He quickly discovered that seafood—not gooey pots of cheese—was his forte, so after graduation he began his career at Philadelphia’s Striped Bass. Since then, he has manned the stoves at some of Chicago’s and Las...