Matthew Merril
Matthew Merril is a Junior in the Nolan School of Hotel Administration, pursuing a Food and Beverage management concentration. Hailing from Great Falls, Virginia, Matthew grew up in the D.C. metropolitan area his whole life, opening perspectives to some of the country's best fine dining, hotels, and experiential hospitality. Matthew knew he was interested in hospitality before he knew what that word meant. From seeing the smile on someone's face during a home-cooked meal to crafting luxury dining experiences in the dorms, Nolan's tagline of "Life is Service" was one that resonated deeply.
Having now served 3 different departments in the conference, including Culinary (HEC 98), Food and Beverage (HEC 99), and now Design, Matthew feels fortunate to tie in his overarching view of the conference in his current work. With a wide range of HEC experience, Matthew can confidently say that the experiential learning through HEC has been the highlight of his Cornell experience.
Outside of HEC, Matthew is a food content creator on social media with a following of 3 million across platforms, making educational food content geared towards Gen-Z. Through this passion, Matthew published a cookbook in March of 2022, and continues to work with brands to create unique marketing materials. At Cornell, Matthew is the vice president of The Men of Last Call, Cornell's premiere all-male acapella group, a staff writer for Crème de Cornell, the on-campus food magazine, a mentor for the Hotel School Mentorship Program, and a member of the Dean's Student Advisory Board for the Nolan School. Moving forward, Matthew is interested in where luxury hospitality, multimedia, and design intersect in the ever-changing landscape of hospitality.