The Woodstock Inn & Resort has hired Matthew McClure as its new executive chef, effective Sept 1. McClure is an award-winning chef who most recently served as executive chef at The Hive, a restaurant inside the 21c Museum Hotel in Bentonville, AR.
In his new position, McClure will oversee all culinary operations within the Woodstock resort, including the five restaurants — the Red Rooster, Richardson’s Tavern, Fairway Grill, Perley’s Pourhouse and the Red Barns at Kelly Way Gardens — as well as in-room dining, the employee cafeteria, and corporate, social and wedding events. While providing oversight to both front- and back-of-the-house operations, he will lead the resort chefs and the entire culinary brigade.
McClure will also work closely with master gardener Benjamin Pauly and the Kelly Way Gardens team to build seasonal menus for the resort’s restaurants. Kelly Way Gardens is a Vermont certified organic garden and farm-to-table program that provides the Woodstock Inn & Resort with an on-site holistic food supply.
“We’re delighted to welcome Chef McClure back to Vermont to lead our culinary team,” said Courtney Lowe, president of the Woodstock Inn & Resort. “He brings an ideal skillset with proven leadership qualities, as seen through his many awards and accolades as well as his instructing experience.”
McClure graduated from the New England Culinary Institute in Essex Junction with an associate of occupational studies degree in culinary arts. He is the recipient of numerous culinary awards, including the James Beard Foundation Best Chef “South” semifinalist in 2014-19 and 2022, and was named the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame Proprietor of the Year in 2021.