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Chef Matt Rapposelli Offers Readers a ‘Taste of the Hocking Hills’

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Although the diverse and lively culinary scene of the region attracted Chef Matt Rapposelli to the area after he graduated from culinary school in New England, the other feature of the area that brought the chef here was the gorgeous scenery. Rapposelli worked for years for the National Park Service in Washington State, a position he was passionate about that he only left because of the insecurity inherent to the job; taking off to culinary school to immerse himself in another one of his passions: food. He found his passions uniting in the rolling hills of Southeast Ohio.

Rapposelli has been a fixture in the Southeast Ohio food scene since 1982, well known for crafting artfully constructed destination dining experiences, such as his well-loved and dearly missed Big Chimney Baking Company, the scenic Lake Hope Lodge, and the Inn and Spa at Cedar Falls. He also worked with Chef Hubert Seifert at Spagio in Columbus, with Jeff ruby at the Waterfront in Cincinnati, and as the Executive Chef at Ohio University.

Rapposelli has just released his first cookbook, A Taste of the Hocking Hills, which has been published by Ohio University Press. The cookbook is divided into seasons, reflecting on the unique and highly seasonal nature of the scenery that surrounds the culinary work that Rapposelli does.

WOUB’s Emily Votaw spoke with Rapposelli about his long and winding road to Southeast Ohio, his hopes for his cookbook, and the release events that are surrounding the book release.

Matt Rapposelli will be launching A Taste of the Hocking Hills with a series of cooking demonstration events. The first is on Sunday, July 29 at 2:30 p.m. at Lake Hope Lodge (27331 OH-278, McArthur, OH 45651), followed by another such demonstration on Monday, July 30 at Gramercy Books (2424 E Main St, Bexley, OH 43209), at 7 p.m., and with a final event on Saturday, August 4 at the Inn and Spa at Cedar Falls (21190 OH-374, Logan, OH 43138) starting at 12 p.m.