MATTHEW KENNEY
EXECUTIVE CHEF | Co-Founder
Matthew Kenney is the world’s leading raw food chef, the writer of several best-selling cookbooks, a culinary educator, and an entrepreneur specializing in the plant-based lifestyle. He graduated from the French Culinary Institute and, after working in upscale New York City kitchens, opened a number of his own highly regarded restaurants in New York and along the East Coast. He has earned several awards, including being named one of America’s Best New Chefs by Food and Wine Magazine and was twice nominated as a Rising Star Chef in America by the James Beard Foundation. Kenney has appeared on numerous food and talk shows, and regularly lectures on the subject of food and health, including a highly watched TEDx Talk in 2011.
Having grown up on the coast of Maine and being an avid outdoorsman, Kenney’s success lies within his innate understanding of seasonal and local ingredients, his classical training and extensive travel background. His application of contemporary methods and techniques along with a firm commitment to innovative recipes and food aesthetics is leading the raw food industry to the mainstream.
In 2009, Kenney founded the world’s first classically structured raw food culinary academy. Matthew Kenney Academy has graduated students from over 30 countries. Along with operating his namesake Academy and Restaurant Brand, he is involved in raw food and plant-based projects around the world, and travels extensively to forward his mission to show others that food can be delicious and vibrant, while still healthful.
MICHEL FRANCOEUR
CREATIVE DIRECTOR | Co-Founder
With a background in graphic design and thanks to highly successful modeling and acting careers, Michel started traveling the world at a very young age. Living between Europe and the US, Michel worked with top photographers and designers like Ralph Lauren, Mario Testino and Zack Snider among many others. Always with an entrepreneurial vision, he opened a take-out sushi concept with multiple locations in Montreal called Sushi-Shop, which established the high-end sushi take-out trend in Canada.
Michel has a great interest in living a healthy lifestyle. He spent time in India, becoming a follower of the whole food plant-based diet and learning more about the benefits of higher frequency foods, like juicing and raw food. Michel decided to embark on a new journey and start an exciting chapter in his life by becoming a raw vegan food chef from “The Living Light Institute” in Northern California. With a desire to further explore his craft and enhance his curriculum, he attended Matthew Kenney Culinary in Los Angeles where he met Matthew Kenney.
Michel and Matthew share a similar vision and passion about food, ultimately partnering in our fast casual take-out brand MAKE OUT, which emphasizes on the quality of the ingredients in order to create the best tasting vegan foods that are both nutritious and healthy. Michel now lives in Los Angeles where he continuous to follow his entertainment career and is in charge of the creative operations and development of MAKE OUT.
ANTONY BESSO
BUSINESSMAN / ENTREPRENEUR | Co-Founder
Antony is a founding partner in MAKE OUT and, along with Matthew and Michel, shares a vision for bringing healthy and delicious plant-based food to people who are constantly on the run. A Canadian by birth, Antony also had the privilege of living in France for 14 years prior to arriving in California in 2011.
Antony's life's work and passion has been to work closely with individuals and businesses in order to help them reach their full potential. He has successfully run and co-founded international businesses, ranging from start-ups to established operations, services to high tech segments, growth stories to turnarounds. He was an original investor, previous Group President, and Chief Operating Officer for Mirion Technologies, the world leader in protecting individuals from radiation exposure - which was sold to Charterhouse private equity in December 2014. With a strong background in strategy and operational execution, Antony co-founded Advention Business Partners with former Bain and Monitor consultants, and established the firm as a leading independent consulting company with operations in Paris, London, New York, Munich, and Shanghai. Prior to co-creating Advention, Antony held a series of senior management positions in Europe’s largest energy and infrastructure company ALSTOM, initially as Vice President of Corporate Development and eventually as Managing Director of the Motors and Generators Business, restoring the business to profitability.
In line with his focus on health and wellness, Antony is the co-owner of Paddle Board Bliss, a leader in stand up paddling and paddle yoga, and recently named as one of the Top 10 paddle board companies in the US by Stand Up Paddle magazine. Antony is also a yoga instructor and an avid tennis player and former instructor. He holds an MBA with a concentration in Environmental Management from Dalhousie University, and a Bachelor of Arts Honors degree from Queen’s University. Lastly and most importantly, he is father to two boys, Nick and Charlie, whom he considers the greatest gifts of all.