After graduating from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor of science in business administration, Chef Matt Bolus chose instead to pursue his love of cooking. Bolus attended Le Cordon Bleu in London where he received the Grand Diplôme in 2003.
Before moving to Nashville, Chef Bolus worked as a butcher and fishmonger at the James Beard award-winning FIG in Charleston, SC, and at sous chef stations at The Ocean Room at The Sanctuary Hotel in Kiawah Island, SC, and Little Star in Knoxville, TN. He has extensive experience working in kitchens overseas, including stints at Blagden’s Fish Monger and Allen’s Butcher Shop, both in London.
As executive chef of The 404 Kitchen in Nashville, TN, Bolus relishes his role. From the pressures of the kitchen to budgeting, forecasting and pricing, every aspect of the job leave him fulfilled and excited. Bolus takes a hands-on approach to his cuisine, insisting upon seeing, smelling and tasting every ingredient that comes through the door. This enthusiasm has led to great success in his culinary career, from FIG in Charleston, to the kitchens of Flyte and Watermark in Nashville, and now to The 404 Kitchen. In addition to the 2014 James Beard nomination for Best New Restaurant, The 404 Kitchen has been named Best Restaurant in Nashville by Eater Nashville, the writer’s choice Best Restaurant in Nashville Scene, one of the 25 Best Restaurants in Thrillist and The Tennessean, and one of the Best Whiskey Bars in America by Travel + Leisure.

When he is away from the restaurant, Bolus treasures time spent with his wife Kelly, his beautiful daughter Delaney Gray, and their two dogs and a cat. He loves cooking, reading, gardening and, most of all, spending time with family