the moxy team
MATT LOUIS • chef owner
Matt Louis, a James Beard Best Chef: Northeast Semifinalist (2015–2018) and three-time Food & Wine nominee for People’s Best New Chef, is the chef-owner of Moxy in Portsmouth, NH. A native of New Hampshire and a protégé of Chef Thomas Keller, Matt trained at The French Laundry and was part of the opening team at Per Se in New York City.
Returning home to New Hampshire, Matt partnered with restaurateur Jay McSharry to open two acclaimed restaurants: Moxy and The Franklin Oyster House. Though The Franklin has since closed, it was celebrated for its focus on fresh, locally sourced seafood—especially oysters from Portsmouth’s own Great Bay.
At Moxy, Matt continues to create Modern American Tapas with a focus on regional ingredients and a nod to New England culinary traditions. His inventive, community-driven approach has earned recognition from The James Beard Foundation, Food & Wine, New York Magazine, The Boston Globe, Yankee Magazine, WCVB Chronicle, WMUR, The Portsmouth Herald, and more.
When he’s not in the kitchen, Matt can often be found weeding the restaurants’ farm plots or mucking for oysters in Great Bay.