Your culinary team
Matt Overdevest
Matt Overdevest started on his culinary career in 1995, a path that quickly transformed from a practical endeavor into a profound passion. Following his graduation from the Culinary Institute of America in 2000, he cultivated his skills through impactful periods in Kansas City, Madison and New York City where he absorbed the tenets of fine dining. The various restaurants were instrumental in shaping his modern American culinary style, deeply rooted in seasonal, local ingredients, a principle reinforced by his hands-on experience as a chef on an organic farm in western Wisconsin.
In 2006, Overdevest returned to the Midwest to helm the kitchen at Kalamazoo’s Food Dance, a restaurant known for its dedication to local sourcing. This was followed by a decade spent as a private chef in West Michigan, crafting personalized menus and managing diverse culinary experiences across multiple homes, private aviation, yachting, and international locations. In 2018, he ventured into restaurant ownership with Grand Rapids’ Marcona on Lyon, a Mediterranean-inspired establishment that garnered a strong reputation before its closure in 2020. Demonstrating resilience, Overdevest launched Steadfast Supper Club in 2020, an intimate home dining concept that has since evolved into Steadfast Private Chefs, a personalized culinary service for private events. Throughout his career, Overdevest’s unwavering dedication to farm-to-table principles and the art of high-end cuisine, underscores his reputation and thoughtfulness as a dedicated and innovative professional.
Kate Leeder
Do you have a mentor?
“Forever Carrie Nahabedian and more recently Missy Corey.”
What is your favorite cookbook?
“There are too many to list!”
What are your top 5 must have ingredients in your home kitchen?
“Excluding the basics of salt, pepper, evoo, my five are lemon, parsley, plain yogurt, fennel, and all my Diaspora spices.”
Who is your best audience and who are the people for whom you most like to cook?
“My best audience is Bill, my husband! And I love hosting and cooking for my friends!”
Sarah Wagner
Do you have a mentor?
“Shortly after I arrived in Chicago, a friend got me a job interview at one of the city’s oldest French restaurants: Café Bernard & The Red Rooster Wine Bar. That’s where I met Bernard Le Coq. I knew nothing about fine dining, wine, or French cuisine for that matter. But he gave me a chance. Bernard was a tough, sharp-tongued, hard-to-impress, old-school French chef. He didn’t make it easy, but he showed me what it means to truly care about your craft. He made me better, and for that, I’ll always be grateful.”
What was your first job in “the industry”?
“My first job was as a hostess at Cracker Barrel when I was 16, I cross-trained to retail and server after a year. I worked for Cracker Barrel till I was 21 and moved to Chicago to start my professional restaurant career.”
What are your top 5 must have ingredients in your home kitchen?
“Garlic, EVOO, Butter, Lemon, Sour Cream, Mayonnaise…sorry that was more than 5.”
What is the most essential item in your kitchen?
“Probably my stand mixer, I like to bake in my free time and I couldn’t imagine my life without it.”
Christian Lopez
Do you have a mentor?
“I wouldn’t say I have one mentor. I try to keep my ego in check and realize that every chef I work with has something to teach me. For right now the entire team at Steadfast would be my mentors.”
What is the most essential item in your kitchen?
“My most essential tool in the kitchen would be my wife. We bounce ideas off each other. It helps that she’s a chef for Tiny Dinners.”
What do you cook at home as a chef?
“I barely cook at home as a chef. Seems funny but at the end of the day it’s usually 99 ramen.”
Do you specialize in a particular cuisine?
“The cuisine I specialize in would be Vietnamese food. I’m originally from Vietnam so I started to focus on learning the culture and trying recipes as well and eating at Vietnamese restaurants.”
Derek Warren
Do you have a mentor?
“Chef Kevin Dunn was my mentor in culinary school. He taught me to pull the most out of each kitchen I’ve worked in, along with a deeper drive and passion for the craftsmanship of cooking. He was also instrumental in connecting me with incredibly passionate and hard working chefs across the country.”
What was your first job in “the industry”?
“Arnies Cottage at The Ravines golf course in Saugatuck, MI. I was an entry level dishwasher and fry-cook just cutting my teeth in the industry while still in high school.”
What are your top 5 must have ingredients in your home kitchen?
“Salt, pepper, neutral flavor oil (I.e. olive, avocado, etc), lemon, and garlic.”
What is your idea of a perfect bite?
“The bite that is able to transport you back into a deeply held memory. Whether it’s a memory from childhood or an experience with a loved one. The bite that triggers a visceral response like that is simply perfect.”