Matt Knio, Chef/Owner
Origins
I grew up at the tip of Beirut, in the last house before you step in the water. I’m a son of a fisherman, so I grew up helping my dad. I just wanted to do something different, so as a teenager I went to the Ivory Coast to work on a cocoa plantation. I loved working with cocoa beans. When I finished my contract in Africa, I wanted to do something related to what I enjoy. I went to France to study pastry in Versailles. And then I came to the United States in 2002 to work for the Ritz Carlton in Dearborn, MI. before they closed. The reason I came here was not because of the work, but because my girlfriend was from here.
I left and opened my first store in 2003. It was not a great experience the first year I opened. I didn’t know the area and it was not a good area. So I closed that store and I opened one in Birmingham (MI.). Now we have seven stores. My three sisters all work with me. They manage the retail side and the farmers’ markets.
Company Mission
I mean, we’re a real 100% artisanal kitchen. We manufacture every single item we make from sandwiches to pastries to baked goods.
When you execute a fancy dessert, it’s usually amazing, but sometimes if you execute a simple dessert using the best ingredient with the best knowledge you have, you’ll have the best dessert with a minimum of mix and match.
Signature Products
The customers’ favorites are the fruit desserts. We have lemon raspberry tart and strawberry Fraisier. The almond croissant is a favorite for the customers.
I love chocolate, so anything with chocolate is my favorite dessert. We have Plateau Chocolate (topped with cocoa-dusted almonds) and Chocolate Croquant (different textures with hazelnut), and I have now uh an item that’s like cocoa beans, which is straight chocolate mousse, chocolate biscuit and chocolate crema and dipped in chocolate, so it’s all chocolate with single origin cacao from Ecuador. You really taste the chocolate.
My wife married me because I make chocolate. I can explain. Sometimes you don’t know how the world works. She’s from Miami. We were both on vacation in Lebanon. We met at the beach as teenagers. We stayed in a long relationship and we’d see each other yearly or every two years. When I was working on a cocoa plantation, fabricating the chocolate from the plant, that’s when she said, ‘just to let you know, I’m gonna take you because you make chocolate.’ We are married now and we have two boys. Thanks, chocolate!
Equipment ‘Must-Haves’
The best equipment I have is the Rondo lamination machine. It’s at the heart of the kitchen, and I got it last year. My big toy I call it. It makes my life a lot easier. When I started, I was laminating by hand. Suddenly this machine takes a lot of pressure off.
Production Tip
Consistency and organization, especially when you are producing for five or six stores and you have from 7 p.m. until 2 a.m. to finish the products, so the driver can take them to the stores. The routine has to be clear. And kitchen environment is absolutely important. A happy environment makes a happy product. In the kitchen, we have about 40 people; then each store has eight to ten people.
Our first store, the first baby, is in Birmingham. Once things started getting better in Detroit, we really started having a lot of success in Detroit and we’re still becoming known a lot in Detroit.
Secrets Of Success
Don’t give up. Follow your dreams and understand that there will be many obstacles. When I opened my first door in 2003, the first year and a half, I had a mattress and I slept in my office. I couldn’t afford an apartment. I would take a shower, and go right to the tiny kitchen. I was a one man show. I was the chef and the salesperson also. I still couldn’t even make the rent a couple of times. The food business takes a lot from a human being. If you are not in love and dedicated to your dream, don’t do the food business. Even today in my warehouse where I make the food, I have an apartment where I sleep instead of driving back. I see my wife and two boys maybe two or three days a week. You have to really love what you do to keep going in this industry, yeah, love and dedication and patience.
Future Plans
I’m an ambitious person. I want to open more stores. I want to become better in every aspect. My dream is to have a minimum of a dozen stores, maybe a minimum of one a year. I have one opening at the end of February in Rochester (MI). The menu in all the stores is the same, but each store looks different. One is rustic; one is modern; the one in Kio Harbor looks like a beachy store.
Photos Courtesy of MK Cannelle
For more info, visit www.instagram.com/mkcannelle_
(This article appeared in the Winter 30 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)
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