If asked to pinpoint the experience that led him to fall in love with French cuisine, chef Matt Upchurch would name his internship with Roland Passot at La Folie in San Francisco. Upchurch’s time at La Folie, which he describes as one of the high points of his life, taught him how food should taste and look, as well as the importance of good service. It was this passion for excellence that Upchurch brought to his native city of High Point, North Carolina, where he owns and operates M. Stephen’s.

A graduate of the New England Culinary Institute, Upchurch moved to Stowe, Vermont, after graduation to take the position of chef de cuisine at the Trapp Family Lodge. He returned to North Carolina to open his own restaurant, Gazelle, in Asheville, and was the consulting chef for Southern Roots at the J. H. Adams Inn in 2001 before launching M. Stephen’s in 2002.

At his namesake restaurant (M. Stephen is the chef’s first initial and middle name), Upchurch seamlessly blends French technique with New American ingredients. It has proven to be a winning combination for critics like Susan Bishop of PRIL magazine, who raved about Upchurch’s “standout” roasted garlic–shrimp bisque as well as his lighthearted “Yes, Catfish” entrée, which features pan-sautéed, blackened catfish over rock shrimp and parmesan grits. “It should be called ‘Wow, Catfish!’” Bishop wrote, praising Upchurch for serving “some of the freshest, most well-spiced and succulent seafood you’ll have anywhere.”