ANDY MYERS

Owner, Culinary Director

Andrew (Andy) Myers is the co-owner and co-executive chef of Decade Restaurant in Louisville, KY. Growing up in Madisonville, KY, Andy's family loved to entertain, and he learned from an early age the joy of creating an atmosphere and helping people to enjoy themselves.

Andy started his journey into hospitality when he moved to Louisville in 1999. After years of balancing his interests in music and food in both Louisville and Cincinnati, Andy moved to Lexington in 2006 to attend Sullivan University's Culinary Arts program. Andy worked in some of Lexington's top kitchens, including as a sous chef at Dupree Catering, the chef de cuisine at Heirloom (Midway, KY), and the executive chef at Bellini's.

In 2010, Andy and his wife relocated back to Louisville, where Andy furthered his culinary career. In 2011, Andy took a position as the executive chef of Anchorage Cafe. He then took a job with Louisville Brewing Company, where he remained for eight years - during this time he served as the executive chef of Holy Grale, as well as the executive chef for the opening of gralehaus from 2014 to 2020. In 2021, as Holy Grale experienced occasional closures due to COVID-19, Andy took a position as the executive chef of Decca, and remained there until the restaurant closed in 2022.

For Andy, the restaurant industry is his tribe. He loves being a part of a team that's creating an atmosphere and electricity. Andy is also a passionate music enthusiast, recording engineer, and musician. When he's not in the kitchen, he can be found in his recording studio - End of an Ear recording - or performing with friends and fellow band members.

CHAD SHEFFIELD

Owner

Chad Sheffield is the Co-Owner of Decade Restaurant in Louisville, KY. A local native, Chad began working in restaurants at 16, including a job at Bristol Bar & Grille where he had the opportunity to work with a master sommelier. Chad graduated from the University of Louisville with a degree in theater and literature, and in 2003 founded and operated Latent Muse Productions - a community theater company in Louisville.

In 2005, Chad moved to San Francisco, where he worked for five years at the beloved restaurant Coco500 - run by Loretta Keller (one of the city's most prominent chefs) and Louisville-native Clay Reynolds (who would go on to become Chad's partner at Decca). Loretta and Clay inspired Chad not only through education but also artistically, and how an independent restaurant could function and operate as a family. While at Coco500, Chad continued to study and perform in theatrical productions, but his focus began to shift as he fell in love with food, wine, and fine dining service etiquette - working at Coco500 was an experience that would change the course of his life. Chad decided to further his wine knowledge, and in 2015 became a Level 1 Sommelier.

In 2010, Chad moved back to Louisville to create and oversee the two-year renovation of Decca, which opened in 2012. As founding partner, Chad also served as the general manager, property manager, and music booker for the first four years of opening. He briefly left the restaurant and moved to North Carolina while his partner completed a residency at UNC, but returned again to Decca in 2020 as Co-Owner, where he oversaw operations until the restaurant closed in 2022.

Chad has a sincere passion for hospitality and taking care of people - including fine-dining service etiquette, running the floor, anticipating needs of guests, wine, and more. While he feels these skills are innately part of his nature, he's also had extensive training to develop these interests and passions. His experience in networking and building successful restaurants shines through to this opening at Decade, and something critical that he brings to the project as a Co-Owner.

Chad's goal with Decade (as it was with Decca) is to create a community gathering space that encompasses his love of food, wine, art, and music. A healthy social ecosystem - which includes guest hospitality, employee care, and attention to detail - is vital to a thriving community. Chad hopes that people will come into Decade and be inspired.

MATT JOHNSON

Executive Chef, Owner

Matt Johnson is the co-owner and co-executive chef of Decade Restaurant in Louisville, KY. Born and raised in Louisville, Matt started his career in cooking right out of high school, when he got a job at the Kentucky International Convention Center as a banquet cook - serving anywhere between two and 7,000 people. Matt continued on to The Galt House, where he worked in every one of the hotel's kitchens, including The Flagship.

In 2006, Matt began his tenure as a line cook at Proof on Main under executive chef Michael Paley. He briefly went back to The Galt House to serve as sous chef of Rivue Restaurant, before returning to Proof on Main a year later in 2011. Matt quickly became sous chef and worked for eight years under chefs Levon Wallace, Mike Wajda, and Jonathan Searle.

In 2021, Matt was introduced to Andy Myers - the executive chef of Decca - and decided to join the team at Decca as chef de cuisine, where he remained until the restaurant closed in 2022. Matt did a brief stint as chef de cuisine at Bar Vetti until work began on his own restaurant, Decade.

Matt's favorite part about the restaurant industry is teaching young talent - which makes him feel optimistic about the future - and taking care of people, both staff and guests. In his free time, Matt can be found tinkering in his woodshop on his family farm in Corydon, Indiana.