Matthew Ward ’99 brings decades of professional culinary experience to his role as executive chef of residential dining at the University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton, TX, where he has worked since 2017. Chef Ward started his tenure at UNT as chef general manager of Mean Greens Café, the nation’s first and only 100% plant-based university dining hall. Mean Greens Café is also home to a hydroponic freight farm, Mean Green Acres, that provides leafy greens and herbs to various outlets across campus. Thanks to his leadership, Mean Greens Café has maintained an A+ rating from PETA2’s Vegan Report Card for the past several years, gained numerous accolades, and also received praise from industry publications and food blogs. Before joining the UNT Dining Services team, Chef Ward worked in various fine dining establishments throughout the country including the River Café (Brooklyn, NY), Bouchon Bistro (Yountville, CA) and The French Room at the Adolphus Hotel (Dallas, TX). Matthew is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Class of ’99. Chef Ward is also co-chair of the Executive Chef’s Committee for the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative (Denton, TX).