Hello friends!! What an honor to continue returning to this magical land, one of the most important places in my life. This will be my… fifteenth return to Augusta! Five of my years I was a wee lad in Cedar Village, and now ten have been spent on staff in various roles.
The creativity and abundance available in our kitchen is something I do not take lightly; I believe food to be at the core of connection, community, and health (on many levels, let’s talk about it!).
A bit about me: I was born and raised in Chico, California. I grew up learning to cook and enjoy local foods from a young age, right in the heart of an agricultural hub. We spent summers biking through Bidwell Park, tent camping in Tahoe, exploring coastal towns, and enjoying State & National Parks throughout the West Coast. At age 12 I joined the local Boys & Girls Club where I had some of my first cooking lessons. I loved watching my family cook, as well as the chefs on TV, and quickly found myself taking to the kitchen on my own. My mom might arrive home from work with dinner nearly finished and a sink full of dishes (a fair trade in my young mind). Eventually I would find proper work with a local fine dining restaurant, rad food truck, and a still thriving almond milk company; juggling all three during a gap year after high school. During this period I also worked in childcare, volunteered with a local teen program, and enjoyed the bounties of our backyard garden.
Though culinary school was tempting, I chose to attend a liberal arts university in the Los Angeles area. Four years and many opportunities later, I made my way into the ‘real world.’ For a short time I joined an Augusta family in the Bay Area, assisting them with anything they might need, including cooking of course! I was honored by their generosity and friendship, later returning to Chico, resetting for what might come next: Portland, Oregon!
In PDX, I managed an amazing ice cream shop, assisted in a high-capacity kitchen, and became one of the Directors at a local grocery company. In this position I was able to hone in on my current skills; adjusting to the changing seasons, working as supervisor small teams, connecting with local farms and farmers, and adapting to the challenges of being an ‘essential company’ amid the pandemic world.
In the Spring of 2022, I again found myself in a place of transition, returning to the familiarity of Augusta with a new lens and new skills in order to walk along the other leadership staff. When summer ended I made my way east, relocating to The City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia! As a life-long west-coaster I was excited about the many things this change had to offer and have loved my time there. I now spend half my year in each location, soaking in the unique traits of each and learning more about what makes them so special. In the long term, I hope to continue in this work which connects my passion for youth/education and my many years in the food world. Perhaps I will be able to return to a program like that of the Boys & Girls Club, which started it all.
Be sure to drop by the kitchen and say ‘hello,’ I look forward to catching up, meeting new faces, and talking all about the best meals we’ve ever had. My top contenders are: Burmese food in San Francisco, a French meal in Omaha, fusion BBQ in Texas, or the many, many street tacos I’ve enjoyed throughout LA and Mexico. Happy eating!
“How we eat can change the world.” – Alice Waters | chef, author, activist, educator