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By Marty Siederer LC‘77
While growing up in South Jersey, Matthew Cortland SAS’11 was and still is a self-described “fantasy fiction geek.” He’s combined that passion with his Rutgers education and interest in technology to create a unique food and beverage experience, “The Cauldron,” where visitors can wave a working magic wand and create cocktails that look like concoctions invented in a chemistry lab or magician’s shop.
Cortland grew up in Marlton, NJ, and decided to attend Rutgers because of “the quality of the school’s programs, the diversity of the university, and the people with whom I would be learning. I attended the Honors Program Accepted Students Day and that was helpful in my decision to choose Rutgers over other universities. It was the diversity of students that I met which solidified my decision to attend over other places.”
Cortland moved to the New Brunswick-Piscataway campus in 2007 and was a founding member of Theta Delta Chi International Fraternity and an RA with Residence Life in Brett and Clothier Halls. While a member and president of the fraternity, he co-founded the Bros UniteD (BUD) program, a collaboration with Autism Speaks and Theta Delta Chi that paired mentors from the fraternity and local teens with autism to participate in weekly activities like rock climbing, ice skating, and a Rutgers basketball game. Cortland was recognized for his community service efforts with the presentation of the Livingston Alumni Association’s Riki Jacobs Pride Award in 2011. When Cortland graduated from the School of Arts and Sciences in 2011, he was recruited by Teach for America to teach at Miami Northwest Senior High School in Liberty City, FL.
“My first job after Rutgers as a teacher with Teach for America was also my most important; it was foundational in my professional trajectory and allowed me to work with some terrific students while learning from high-performing, like-minded professionals to help our students learn and achieve their goals,” recalled Cortland.“We were working together as an entire school to achieve results. I taught reading fundamentals to struggling readers and at the same time completed a M.S.Ed. in Education and Social Change from the University of Miami so that I could understand how to become a better teacher and better affect change within the United States’ system of education. The experience also increased my understanding of how to build technology tools to aid in learning.”
Cortland’s long-term plan was to pair his passion for education and learning with his interest in designing technology. Cortland was one of 18 recipients – and the first-ever Rutgers graduate – of a Henry Luce Fellowship, a nationally competitive program launched by the Henry Luce Foundation in 1974 to enhance the understanding of the Asian culture among future leaders in American society. Cortland used the Fellowship to live in Taipei, Taiwan, study traditional Mandarin Chinese, and work at ASUSTeK Computer Inc. in a job that combined technology and public relations/marketing.
After his Luce Fellowship ended, Cortland was one of 12 people – and again the first-ever Rutgers graduate – to receive a Mitchell Scholarship, named to honor former United States Senator George Mitchell’s key contributions to the Northern Ireland peace process. The Mitchell program introduces and connects future American leaders to Ireland and fosters intellectual achievement, leadership, and a commitment to community and public service. While completing a M.Sc. in Creative Digital Media and App Design at The Dublin Institute of Technology for his Mitchell year, Cortland also joined PageFair, a Dublin-based ad tech startup as their Head of Communications and Product Design. In 2017, after a strong few years, the startup began to take a turn, and Cortland and most of the company was unexpectedly made redundant.
“I was thrown for a loop,” Cortland recalled.“ I had about $3,000 in the bank and was running out of money to afford a place to live. I went on social welfare in Ireland as a stop-gap to figuring out my next steps.”
In the meantime, Cortland had invented a working magic wand and launched a Kickstarter campaign to build “The Cauldron” as the world’s first technology-infused “wizard pub” in London to make magic real. After being made redundant from his job, Cortland decided to move to London to see his idea through completion.He reached out to his parents, who connected him with family friends in London (including a Rutgers alumna) who offered him a place to stay as he got on his feet.
After Cortland moved to London, he went searching for a co-founder with a complementary skill set. That search led to London Cocktail Week, where Cortland met his now co-founder David Duckworth, a molecular cocktail designer and flare bartender with a background in drinks-based immersive experiences and hospitality operations. Still lacking the funds to design and build a pub, and sign a long-term lease, the duo recruited university students who were looking for internships in prop and set design. Together they hand-soldered the embedded technology for the pub and disassembled wooden pallets to build the furniture for a pop-up business in London.
Fortunately, the establishment was a hit from day one. Cortland and Duckworth then hired engineers, prop makers, and set designers and created a magic wand that would customize each patron’s experience to the pub. That one pub has now grown into The Cauldron Company, a group of more than 12 companies that operates The Cauldron venues globally and employs over 150 people.
In 2019, The Cauldron was cited by Business Insider as the “#1 Bar to Visit in London” and Buzzfeed’s “#1 Reason To Stop Everything and Get to London.” Cortland and Duckworth were named to the #29 and #30 spots in Business Insider’s 2019 “100 coolest people in food and drink.”
Cortland chose Philadelphia as the second USA location for The Cauldron because of a desire to be close to his South Jersey and Rutgers roots, and the city’s growing restaurant scene. The Philadelphia location has so far been a success, with plans to open another location in Chicago and franchise other locations in 2023.
Cortland cites the mentorship and life guidance he received from Rutgers with shaping his career path. “My long-term research and thesis advisors, Dr. Jenny Mandelbaum and Dr. Barry Qualls helped me navigate challenges both at Rutgers and also in my personal life. Through their guidance, I tried to make values-based decisions. I don’t know what my Rutgers experience would have been like without their mentorship and friendship. The ongoing support from Dr. Art Casciato of the Department of Distinguished Fellowships and Grants, who supported me in applying for the Luce, Mitchell, and several other fellowships. These three people have made an immeasurable impact in my life and are three of the best that Rutgers University has to offer.
“My entire career has been built on the educational experience that I received at Rutgers, and the Honors Program was a big part of that. It was a school within the larger University where I could cut through red tape and get things done. I had competent and caring deans, professors, and employees looking out for me, and a community of friends who are still very much a part of my life. Viva Brett Hall!”
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