Matt Hyland

He may have founded one of the most successful pizza joints in the country, but Matt Hyland’s introduction to the restaurant world was as an information science grad, working part-time in a fine dining establishment and wondering if a culinary career might be his true calling. In classic New York City fashion, fate stepped in on the subway: noticing his chef whites, a stranger asked Matt if he was in culinary school. “I said no and he gave me his card,” Matt says. “It turned out he was a recruiter for ICE. I really took that as a sign and enrolled just a few days later.”

After externing at Public and working various positions in the culinary world—from garde manger to pastry to The Breslin’s opening administrative team—Matt had the chance to help open Sottocasa, a pizza restaurant in his neighborhood. Within the first few weeks, Matt knew pizza was his calling, and after a year training to make pizza, he and his then-wife went on to create their own neighborhood pizza mecca, EMILY, in January 2014. 

As chef-owner, Matt was able to exercise full creative control, and his inimitable pies and exuberant love for his craft has garnered attention from even the world’s most discerning pizza (and burger) lovers. Among the widespread acclaim, Eater ran a dedicated piece titled "Emily and Emmy Squared Are Two of NYC's Most Exciting PIzzerias." When Saveur ranked Brooklyn as their #1 food destination for 2014, EMILY was chosen as the borough’s must-try poster child. Hyland is largely credited with introducing Detroit-style Pizza to NYC, but the burger at EMILY garnered its own rabid following, being called "The Best Burger I ever Ate" on Business Insider and "The 17 best burgers in NYC right now" as recently as 2024 by Time Out with Eater calling it "a destination burger."

Since opening in 2014 the Hylands have expanded their pizza empire to almost unfathomable heights. After an initial expansion into Manhattan for EMILY, the couple began working with investors for greater reach. Since then, Emmy Squared has opened locations in California, Virginia, Nevada, Connecticut, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC., with multiple outposts in many states. 

Beyond Emily and Emmy Squared, Hyland opened the short-lived Violet, a Rhode Island-style pizza and pasta restaurant, in Brooklyn in 2019.  He decided not to re-open after the pandemic and instead relocated to Austin, TX with his now-wife (and fellow noteable ICE alum) Simone Tong to open Zoe Tong and Si Baby-Q.