FatMattSnacks
For the 206th week of "7 QUESTION SUNDAY" we shine the spotlight on another influential individual from the PNW. FatMattSnacks is a fun foodie account combining comedy and tasty bites!
4EVRGRN: Hey, FMS! Tell us a little about yourselves.
FMS: Hey guys, I’m so excited to be a part of this series! My name is Matt Schindler and I have been a local to the Northwest my whole life. I was born a raised in Bremerton and love it. I have 2 boys who are grown and thriving in life and I’m super proud of both of them. I have been married to my girl (who is a badass) for eleven years and I’m very thankful for the life we have. We love checking out new restaurants, vacationing to new cities to see the cuisine they offer, and we love watching new shows and movies! My wife and i both have close families so we spend time with all of them and enjoy hosting parties and dinners as much as we can. I was in a band for almost 20 years named Rewind. We played some really fun shows with some talented bands like Sir Mix A Lot, Ludacris, MXPX, E40 and Rehab. We were very close to being a national act, but that business is super hard and after so many years of playing shows we called it. I had a lot of fun doing it and made some of my best friends but now I focus on my new venture, Fatmattsnacks! I just want to make people laugh and since we go eat at all the great places in the Northwest it’s easy to document it and put it out for people to use as a guide of where to go. I also started a clothing line that I am still working on called Seattle Clothing Company that has an Instagram page. I have the designs and everything ready to go but i have been more focused on Fatmattsnacks lately because I enjoy it so much. I just got done writing a screenplay and I’m working on some comedy sketches for my group of buddies to make some videos for YOUTUBE so be on the lookout and hopefully we can make you smile!!
4EG: How did you come up with the concept to combine comedy and food?
FMS: My whole life I have been kind of a silly goose. I love to laugh and make people giggle as much as I can. I never understand people who are really serious, they actually make me laugh. I have also always loved good food. I wasn’t really a big social media guy until I realized how many comedians were on Instagram and then I found all the food pages! I noticed that everybody doing food videos were kind of the same without any flare. It was natural for me to start making my videos because we always go out to eat anyways so why not document our experience. As I started learning how to edit, I wasn’t happy with just a lame boring food video and I started playing with ways to make them funny. Once I realized I could put a voiceover on the edit I finally felt like I had something that was different that people would like. It works, and sometimes I crack myself up while I’m making them. I really enjoy making my FatMattSnacks videos. It also gives me a good reason to take my wife on lots of date nights!
4EG: Why is food such a great way to share cultures and create community?
FMS: I learned early in my life that the dinner table is one of the most crucial parts of American culture. Mom would cook a delicious dinner and we’d all sit at the table with no phones or T.V., just the food and conversation. At least 2 or 3 times a week during dinner, my dad would completely lose it and start laughing uncontrollably (usually over a fart joke). My mom would get a little irritated and all of us kids would try our hardest not to crack a smile. My dad’s laugh is like the dog Muttley in that cartoon, his laugh would slowly build. Either my brother or I would eventually start laughing, then my sister and eventually my mom could not contain it any longer and she would be laughing so hard it was like a domino effect. We shed so many tears at that table, tears of joy and laughter. So, I made it a point to try and always have dinner at the table with my kids because that’s how you get to understand how your kid’s days went also your spouse. When I got married, I got to see how different cultures cook and the way they use food in their community. My mother-in-law is Chamorro so she doesn’t do anything small. She cooks to make sure everyone is fat and happy! I’m lucky because I love that type of food, so she has taught me some cool tricks with different ingredients! I notice I am happiest when I am eating with people, sharing stories and different types of food. There is nothing like going to a great restaurant with people you care about and showing them something new and scrumptious. One of my dreams is to see different countries food cultures like Thailand, Italy, and The Philippines.
4EG: What makes the PNW foodie scene unique?
FMS: The last 10 years I have noticed a big boom in the culinary arts around the PNW. I believe social media has a big part of it. People like me who grew up loving going out but only had a few options to choose from, we wanted more. Also, movies like Chef that showed people that you can be successful opening your own food truck or small restaurant selling your families unbelievable recipes while making an honest living. At first it was coffee shops that kind of started popping up, then breweries and now it’s a wide range of every type of cuisine. I love it. The Northwest’s foodie scene is unique because for one, there are a lot of great Chefs that are willing to put it all on the line and open up some great spots. Also, there are so many great influencers putting these great places to eat right in front of us on our phones! For a while it was yelp and I still use yelp sometimes but if I’m looking for a new place in Tacoma to go eat at, I’ll go to @253eater or @foodieoftacoma on Instagram. For Seattle I will check out @seattle.food.diva or @seattlefoodieadventure on Instagram. There are too many great food pages to mention them all! The cool thing about all these people is that we are a community. I have reached out to some of these influencers before for help when I was starting out and there is no ego just all love. Another huge part of it is that we have such great ingredients that are local and fresh, and people around here enjoy the freshness. Like the Oysters from Port Gamble…Oh my lord they are the best in the world. The Dungeness crab, wow.
4EG: Let’s get you in some trouble, what’s the best meal in the PNW?
FMS: This is hard because there are so many great places and meals but a few months back we went to this Oyster Farm up in Lilliwaup Washington called the Hama Hama Oyster Saloon. I didn’t realize they had a restaurant sitting on the water that is like 4-star dining and I’ve got to say, it was up there with the best food I’ve ever had. We started with the smoked oyster Caesar salad then the Chipotle bourbon butter roasted oysters, Hama Hama manila clams steamed with white wine butter and garlic, Dungeness crab clusters, Tillamook sourdough grilled cheese, smoked salmon, oysters on the half shell and finished it off with a warm delicious chocolate fudge brownie. This meal was incredible and if you are talking about the northwest, then this is a big part of what we have to offer in the upper left. The second place I will mention is a restaurant in the capitol hill area of Seattle called Altura. This meal was insanely good. It is a chef’s choice meal that consists of a 13-course meal. It is like being at a play or a show watching the chefs work their magic being in sync with each other like a coordinated team. They knew exactly what to do at every moment. This is a 3.5-hour experience that I will never forget and the quality of ingredients they use is all farm to table fresh and local. I was so impressed and cannot wait to go back. If you want to impress somebody that has everything, take them here because you won’t get it anywhere else.
4EG: Favorite funny story that has to do with food.
FMS: One time my wife and I took a road trip to Portland when Raising Canes opened up because everybody told me how good it was, and we had to see for ourselves. We order our meal “The Box Combo extra crispy, no coleslaw extra toast with extra sauce”. We sit down and we are waiting for our food and across from us is this guy just loving his food and wolfing it down like a champ. All of a sudden, he starts choking and not like a little cough, he was full on dying in front of us. Just when I started to go over and see if I could help, some guy gets behind him and starts giving him the Heimlich maneuver. He squeezed him once, twice, then BOOM the third time he spits out a huge chunk of chicken that was lodged in his throat. He didn’t even say thank you, he just sat back down and took a drink of his delicious fountain drink. My wife and I were looking at each other like damn, what did we just watch? Within seconds he starts eating his Canes again like nothing happened!! We could not believe it and that is when I realized that Canes must be amazing. We got our food a few minutes later and we were in heaven. The crispiness, the sauce, the toast on the side that I made a mini sandwich out of was all so good. We decided that if we choked like he did, we’d finish our meal as well.
4EG: What is something anyone who visits the PNW needs to try?
FMS: I have a lot of family from Boston and when they come out to visit, they always ask this question! There are a few things I believe are important to show people. #1. if you can find them, the infamous Hood Canal shrimp. They are hard to come by, but they are the most delectable, sweet little treat but oh my goodness they are heaven. #2 is fresh Dungeness crab. There is nothing like a delicious Crab boil with fresh crab, manila clams, mussels, some shrimp, corn on the cob and sausage. Or fresh crab cakes. #3 is good smoked salmon. We have the best salmon in the world so that’s easy. #4 would be a local coffee shop. We have the best coffee shops and sometimes I forget until I go to San Diego and realize how lucky we are because they don’t have a very good coffee culture in CA. A couple of notable mentions would be our clam chowder from either Ivar’s or Skippers. I would tell them to check out a local brewery and try some IPA’s and one of my favorite burger joints that is a Northwest staple is Dicks Drive in, one of the best little burgers ever! Also, we have an amazing Boba and Pho scene.
4EG: What are some of your favorite tasty bites in the Northwest?
FMS: Well, this is my favorite topic! Besides movies! I think I have to break this down a little bit because there are too many amazing places to only say 1 place! Let’s start with breakfast. The one that pops in my headfirst is a breakfast sandwich from a place called Egghole a little spot about 10 minutes from SeaTac airport. It’s a luscious sandwich that has pork sausage, local cage free, runny eggs, American cheese and honey mustard aioli served on a beautifully toasted brioche bun that is soft like a pillow. This thing will melt in your mouth. Order with the skinny fries and fresh squeezed OJ. Pure happiness. I’m sure there are a ton of amazing breakfast spots but my sweet treat that will knock your socks off is the perfectly cooked German Pancake at the Oak Table in Silverdale WA. It is light as a feather yet perfectly filling. The flavors are crazy. Let’s talk about lunch. There is a Caribbean sandwich shop over in Ballard called Un Bien that is out of this world. The use this Giuseppe baguette that is made by Macrina Bakery and then on every sandwich they slather this aioli garlic mayo, fresh cilantro, pickled jalapenos, crisp romaine and caramelized onions on it before you even pick what sandwich you want. The #1 is probably their most popular which is the Caribbean roast. One of my favorites is Palomilla steak add shrimp. Oh, my goodness it is mouthwatering. Another great lunch is Sourdough Willies in Kingston WA. They have a 120-year-old starter dough that is crazy good. I love the Napoletana style cup and char. It is the perfect pizza. The crust is crispy, the sauce is not to sweet, not to salty, the cheese is grade A and the pepperoni crisps up perfectly and puts this amazing grease into the mix that makes it like butter. For dinner one of my all-time favorite spots is the Pink Door in the alley at Pike place market. Everything is made fresh to order. The Arancini balls they make will blow you away and so will the Rigatoni and Mama’s Meatballs. WOW. Lastly for dinner I always love good Asian food. In Seattle especially we have so many great places to get handmade dumplings, fresh dim sum and such great Asian cuisine. Even great Chinese food in the international district.
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