Interview with Founder of Outdoor Eats: Exploring Alternative Culinary Careers

I come from a big food-loving family, and both my grandparents and parents enjoyed cooking. Everyone was in the kitchen, and that’s where the action was. If I wasn’t in the kitchen, I felt like I was missing out. I helped chop vegetables and just absorbed everything I could.

Eventually, I started out like most people, working as a prep chef and dishwasher at a restaurant just to see if I liked the cooking side of things, and I did! From there, I worked my way up to sous chef and line cook. I went on to study hospitality management at Michigan State University and then attended culinary school at the CIA in Napa Valley. It wasn’t fancy at the start—just good home-cooked food—but I learned a lot through my family, and later through my formal education.

Now my focus is on teaching people how to eat well while hiking, backpacking, and enjoying the outdoors. For the past five years, I’ve been running Outdoor Eats, traveling across the U.S. and teaching outdoor cooking workshops.

You know, culinary school can be really beneficial for some people. It’s expensive, and it does take time. I did learn a lot at the Culinary Institute of America, but as I’ve gotten older and been in more roles, I’d say hands-on experience is the real winner. And not just sticking to one job for years, but having different experiences in different kitchens and cuisines, learning from different chefs and leaders. If you can combine both—education and hands-on experience—that’s ideal. But if time and budget are tight, I’d say get a job, work hard, and absorb as much as you can.

These days, there are so many resources available—from cookbooks to YouTube videos to TV chefs. I remember watching Food Network and PBS as a kid, learning things like how to pan-sear a chicken breast or how to decorate a cheesecake. It was inspiring!

Once you get a position, the key is to absorb as much as you can. Be dependable, show up for your shifts, and be someone the team can rely on.

That’s one thing I’ve noticed: as a leader, it’s really hard to get your team to show up consistently. So just being there and doing your part is huge.

I wish I had known earlier about the many other paths within the culinary world. I thought the only option was being a chef in a kitchen, but there are so many other roles like research chefs, food scientists, culinary consultants, and even working with outdoor brands.

I didn’t learn about those until halfway through college, so it was still early on, but it would’ve been nice to know there were other ways to stay creative with food without necessarily owning a restaurant.

That’s not to say being a chef is bad—if you love working in a restaurant and leading a team, that’s awesome! But it’s good to know that there are many different paths in the industry.

I think most chefs tend to have creative minds, so they’re not as linear as engineers or accountants. There were definitely things along the way that were frustrating to learn. But when talking to an accountant or any specialist, it’s crucial to know what to ask and follow up on their work.

Another challenge for me was design, like creating cookbooks, social media posts, or video editing. There’s a learning curve to mastering those platforms, and sometimes it feels like you’re hitting brick walls. But those roadblocks are just part of the process. There’s always a way through, and if you keep pushing or ask for help, you get there. I feel way more confident in accounting, design, and marketing now than I did at the start, but there are still days when it’s really frustrating.

As a leader, you need to cultivate a good, supportive work environment. Kitchen and restaurant work is tough, but you can make it more enjoyable by creating a positive space. It really comes down to the employee—do they want to be there?

But at the end of the day, you need people on the line and showing up. If they don’t, you have to be strict about your policies.

Let them know, “I’ve got a job for you, and it’s going to be great as long as you show up. If not, I’ll find someone else.” Sometimes it’s that simple.

I always check references, especially from previous chefs, to see how they worked in that space. I’m not too concerned about multiple positions on a resume—it’s more about the person.

In the interview, I try to get a sense of how they’ll communicate with me and with the rest of the team. Communication is key, so I pay close attention to how they answer questions and present themselves.

Well, I took a different path than a lot of chefs. After culinary school, I realized I didn’t want to open my own restaurant. It’s a tough life, working long hours in the kitchen. So I pivoted into being a research chef, working in a test kitchen with food scientists, developing new food products. That gave me a break from the high-pressure restaurant environment.

I also worked as a culinary director for a restaurant group in Seattle, and later, I trained teams for Starbucks Reserve. The key to avoiding burnout is realizing that the traditional kitchen path isn’t the only option. You can stay in the food industry in many ways—consulting, culinary training, product development—and still have a fulfilling career without the tough schedules.