Jean-Philippe Matheussen
Upland
Born and raised by a single mother in Montreal, Canada, JP taught himself to cook at an early age, preparing meals for himself and his older brother while their mother worked a full time job and simultaneously put herself through night school to achieve her diploma. JP loved to experiment in the kitchen, and through... READ MORE
Born and raised by a single mother in Montreal, Canada, JP taught himself to cook at an early age, preparing meals for himself and his older brother while their mother worked a full time job and simultaneously put herself through night school to achieve her diploma. JP loved to experiment in the kitchen, and through trial and error, he came up with a technique to create the perfect golden crust on grilled cheese (microwave to pan sear!)––which he later discovered was an introduction to inversion cooking.
For college, Chef JP attended Quebec’s Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management. Upon graduation in 2010, he began his professional culinary career cooking at several well-known bistro-style restaurants in Montreal, including Les Trois Petits Bouchon and M sur Masson. In 2012, he took his culinary skills to the big screen, serving as a contestant on Canada’s culinary competition show, Les Chefs!
With a diverse range of cooking experiences under his belt, Chef JP moved overseas to serve as the Executive Chef for the General Delegate of Quebec in Paris. In 2017, he won the prestigious Relais & Châteaux Chefs Scholarship, granting him the opportunity to train at some of the most renowned restaurants across the globe. He first staged at two-star Michelin restaurant Kong Hans Kaelder in Copenhagen, then with The Yannick Alléno Group at Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris, and finally at Dan Barber’s Blue Hill Stone Barns in New York, where he worked his way up to Sous Chef.
In 2021, he moved to New York City, working as a Sous Chef at the now vegan threeMichelin Eleven Madison Park, where he learned how to finesse the flavors out of vegetables at the highest level. Most recently, he took the helm of Wolfgang Puck’s CUT at the Four Seasons Downtown as Executive Chef.
In 2024, Chef JP joined STARR Restaurant Group as Executive Chef of beloved brasserie Upland, where he’s thrilled to bring his passion for working with seasonal produce and creating comforting, rustic-yet-elegant dishes to the restaurant’s California-inspired menu.
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