Matt FX: Dubplate
Pop-Up, Brooklyn
The fried chicken sandwich is a hot topic. Who really does it best? Is it Popeyes, who came guns a blazin circa 2019 that started this whole war? Or is it our trusty old colonel at KFC, a staple for fried chicken since the dawn of age? We have a hot take - in our opinion, it’s just facts. Dubplate.NYC has the best chicken sandwich. Of. All. Time. Founded by Matt FX and his partner in life (and work) Kate Savage, they offer a unique spin on takeout, offering curated, home-cooked meals for delivery or pick-up. We sat down with Matt FX who made us his infamous beloved-by-the-Internet fried chicken sandwich and some. It’s safe to say we are believers. You can ONLY find them on Instagram at @dubplate.nyc - next drop is this Sunday May 16!
Full name, age where are you from?
My name is Matt FX, I'm 29 years old, and I'm from New York City.
What was growing up like for you and did you have family meals growing up?
I come from a biracial background - my mom is extremely Chinese and my dad is a born and raised New York Jew - and I owe a lot of my taste and palette to them, as well as growing up in NYC. They never really held back - apparently my mom hated the idea of feeding me jarred baby food and instead would just puree whatever it is they were having!
What meal most reminds you of your childhood?
I think either homemade fried rice, or takeout Chinese bbq from Chinatown - roast duck, roast pork, etc.
Tell us a bit about your venture. What is your role and how did you get into this industry?
My venture is called Dubplate NYC (@dubplate.nyc), and I started it with my girlfriend and partner Kate Savage. Although we call ourselves a 'small batch test kitchen', I like to joke around that we are essentially an underground fried chicken sandwich racket.
Essentially, twice a month we fry up a bunch of my signature fried chicken sandwiches out of Kate's kitchen, alongside a pair of other dishes - usually a seasonal sundae as well as a special that we're tinkering with. It started out just for friends and fam - a byproduct of pandemic boredom - but it's continued to grow and now we're sort of approaching a crossroads in regards to if and how we want to grow it from here!
How has the pandemic affected you?
We would have never tried something like this had it not been from the time afforded from sitting around in the earlier stages of the pandemic. The sandwich in particular is something I have been working on by myself for years now, but every other dish we've offered so far has been something that Kate and I have created together over the last year. It's weird to be slightly grateful towards such a horrific and catastrophic world event, but it really did give us the kick in the ass to try something new.
What do you think working in this industry during this time has taught you?
It's taught me to believe.
What's your fave item on your menu?
Obviously the sandwich is my favorite part of the menu - a wok fried chicken breast, triple-infused with my secret good Chinese spice blend, served on a toasted big Marty's sesame seed bun alongside a fermented Sichuan mayo and a bright, fresh slaw made with Napa, fennel, apple, and fresh herbs. Honestly don't know if there's anything else in my life I've ever worked on for this long.
That said, also really really love a couple of the specials we've put out - in particular the masalasagna as well as the Chengdu chile verde. The Masalasagna is a classic lasagna where we've sort of swapped out the bolognese for a masala curry, and the chengdu chile verde is a pretty by-the-books Mexican pork chile verde that gets infused with green Sichuan peppercorn and some other Chinese spices.
Once it is completely safe to eat out again and socialize, where is the first place you're going out to eat at and what are you ordering?
I've been out a few times recently actually - I think I've been to Fish Cheeks 3 times in the last month - though I suppose if there's something I've yet to go eat that I'm excited for, it'd probably be KBBQ or maybe a really nice sushi meal!
Anything exciting coming up for you?
We're excited to explore the idea of doing our first pop up at some point this summer, and we're excited to introduce a new special for our may dates this month (May 16th and 30th). I'm also personally excited to get back into DJing, something I've spent the last decade doing professionally. I've already played 3 gigs in the past 3 weeks and it feels so good to be back!
