Students may have seen his products while shopping in the aisles of Whole Foods, Harris Teeter’s or their local grocery store. On Thursday, November 14, Blair students had the opportunity to connect with alum Matt Gallira ’08, founder of Big Mozz, a premium mozzarella stick brand. Mr. Gallira spoke about his journey since leaving Blair, rowing at Dartmouth college and becoming a successful entrepreneur in the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods space. The event marked the second Alumni Roundtable event this year, a series that gives students a unique, firsthand look at a variety of alumni careers. The session immediately followed Blair’s traditional formal-style dinner and included discussion as well as a lively Q&A. 

“We made the first premium mozzarella stick and it was not what I thought I would leave Blair to do,” admitted an energetic Mr. Gallira, who quickly dove into a recap of his professional career since leaving Blair.

After Blair, Mr. Gallira attended Dartmouth College, where he rowed for four years but “got burnt out in three.” In college, he dedicated most of his time to athletics, but he found that lifestyle came with its drawbacks, such as not making as many friends he thought he’d make. “I assumed I would make a lot more friends when going to college, but it was hard as a dedicated rower. There were no formal dinners like at Blair, but what saved me was joining a fraternity. It was not a typical fraternity, but it was a wholesome way for me to bond with a good group of buddies.”

It was at that fraternity where Mr. Gallira found something he was passionate about—cooking for his housemates. 

“I was the house manager of my fraternity and every Friday, we’d all allocate a bit of funds to feed all 75 guys in the house. I began buying ingredients and cooking for all of the guys. Cooking didn’t seem like work because I enjoyed the hospitality aspect of feeding people.”

That realization, that Mr. Gallira could spend a whole day cooking for people, stuck with him as life unfolded. In college, he met his future wife, whose career eventually led them to relocate. “I moved with my wife, whose job took her to New York, and started my company six weeks later with no money. Looking back now, even though I had little money, I was extremely resourceful and energetic to start.” 

That resourcefulness and energy led him to begin cooking, within a licensed volunteer fire department kitchen, and selling his homemade tomato sauce. Two years after gaining more traction by selling his product at local farmers’ markets, Mr. Gallira eventually came up with the idea to sell mozzarella sticks and Big Mozz. 

Throughout the event, curious students interjected to ask questions about entrepreneurship and general life advice. One of Mr. Gallira’s biggest pieces of advice was to “find a way to be entrepreneurial in anything that you do. Doesn’t mean you have to be the owner of a company but even if you work in a big job, think of ways you can take ownership of a project or idea and be invaluable with your ‘super power.’” 

Additional Alumni Roundtables are scheduled throughout the school year, offering more opportunities for students to engage with Blair graduates. The next Roundtable will take place on January 16, followed by another on April 10. These events will continue to provide students with insights into a wide range of careers and professional paths, fostering meaningful connections between current students and Blair’s accomplished alumni network.