How would you like to have a meal prepared by a chemical engineer? Would you feel better if said chemical engineer also touted a business minor?

Perhaps these are not the sorts of qualifications you would typically expect of a chef, but these are resume points of Knox Mason chef and owner Matt Gallaher.

“By my junior year, I knew that I was going to pursue something else … I was on the path to do chemical engineering (but) cooking was a little more compelling for me,” Gallaher explained.

The culinary world had long been a part of Gallaher’s life; it would take a little time flirting with the idea of becoming a chemical engineer to help him make the decision to follow his passion.

Gallaher grew up in East Knox County, where he was always helping out in at least a couple of gardens. This, he explained, was his first exposure to food. When Gallaher was around nine years old, his mother opened a restaurant in Morristown, Tennessee, and the restaurant brought about his introduction to the food industry itself.

“My mom certainly was the introduction to real food,” Gallaher said. “I think that exposure to food at a young age and exposure to real food was pretty fundamental for me. I wouldn’t be a chef today if I didn’t have that exposure.”

After college graduation, Gallaher spent a total of four years in catering before developing a curiosity and desire to gain experience in fine dining. He set his sights on Blackberry Farm, where he applied for a line cook position in 2003. He got the job and worked his way up to sous chef after three years.

“Then, I got the opportunity to cook for bands on the road,” Gallaher said. “I got to cook in 14 countries and four continents; it was pretty awesome. I got to work with a lot of different bands — Kings of Leon was kind of the most significant band, because they ended up hiring me as a personal chef.”

But then in 2011 Gallaher received a call asking if he would interview to be the chef at the Tennessee Governor’s Mansion when Bill Haslam first took office.

“I didn’t think I would take the job because I really enjoyed my touring job, but they kind of convinced me to stay on and cook for them,” Gallaher said. “The entire experience was just amazing.”

Ultimately, though, Gallaher’s goal remained to open his own restaurant.

“By 2012 I was ready, and I feel like Knoxville was ready, and when I turned in my notice … there was not a moment of hesitation — (the Haslams) were just so supportive and still are to this day,” Gallaher said.

Gallaher wanted to be very thoughtful and intentional with the food in his restaurant that boasts “Southern heritage” and “modern aesthetics,” which gave way to Knox Mason.

“We’re always going to have fried chicken and biscuits and gravy on our brunch menu, and we do catfish and grits at dinner. So there’s always some Southern staples that are tried and true that we love and feel very close to, but we do change our menu regularly,” Gallaher said. “It gives us the flexibility and opportunity to be creative and change things up by using new ingredients that haven’t always been available.

“So the foundation is certainly in the Southern food and Southern techniques, but we’re able to expand that and explore a little bit with the modern aesthetics,” he added.

Gallaher recounted an article he read where a chef from an Atlanta restaurant drove the point that Southern food is not in a museum.

“Southern food is not an artifact that’s stagnant and static and never changes,” Gallaher said. “Southern food is always evolving and moving forward, and we have access to new ingredients now.”

Gallaher prides himself on sourcing ingredients locally and regionally, even with ingredients that might not be commonly associated with the area such as soy sauce from Kentucky and blue cheese and goat cheese from Franklin, Tennessee.

“We’re supporting our neighbors and local farms,” Gallaher said. “So if our local farmers prosper, hopefully we will, too, and we’ll grow together. It just really, I think, creates a sense of community.”

And on the topic of community, Gallaher is excited for what the future hold for our own community here in Knoxville.

“This is, without question, the most exciting time for food in Knoxville since I’ve been alive,” Gallaher said. “We’re not just getting new restaurants, but we’re getting restaurants that have a perspective, and many of them are going to be chef driven.”

As for what is next for Gallaher, he was careful not to say too much, but he did say he looks forward to opportunities for growth.

“Initially, the draw and motivation for me was to be able to just kind of be active and be creative,” Gallaher explained. “As we approach our third year, what’s really exciting for me and what’s motivating me to look to grow the business is my staff. I have such a wonderful kitchen staff and great front of house people, and I’m realizing I can provide opportunities for my employees.”

So while the future is hopeful yet vague, one thing is completely certain:

“I’ve still got a lot of years of cooking in me,” Gallaher said.