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December 19, 2017

Celebrity chef’s debt pushes historic Belfast building into foreclosure

Celebrity vegan chef Matthew Kenney, of MK Cuisine Global, failed to keep up on his payments for one of downtown Belfast’s most prominent buildings, prompting a recent foreclosure judgment.

The Bangor Daily News reported that Kenney signed a deal to purchase the historic 121 Main St. building in 2013 and had a culinary school there called PlantLab. Kenney, a Searsport native, accrued $47,356 in overdue payments, plus debts to state, federal and local governments.

“Despite his affection and connections to Maine, Matthew has no current plans to open a business in Maine,” a spokeswoman for MK Cuisine Global told the BDN by email.

Kenney has operated restaurants and culinary schools across the U.S. and internationally.

The building dates back to the 1840s. As part of the foreclosure process, an auction of the property is scheduled for Jan. 8.

Kenney’s other business dealings elsewhere in Belfast have included a restaurant called The Gothic, which closed in 2016, and a restaurant called Arata, which closed after one summer season.

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