The road to where I am now wasn't always a straight path. As a fly fishing guide, I have told my chef world story a million times in the boat during a fish lull. I often accredit my professional cooking career to some of the attributes that I possess today. Preparation and organization, sense of urgency, work ethic, teamwork and resilience to curveballs being just a few. One small regret (not large enough to have me remedy it) is that I never ran my own kitchen. I believe there was a time when I had what it took to make it in that world, but I saw some things that didn't appeal along the way. Salary (or lack thereof) Schedule (lack of time off to do the things that I enjoy) and Lifestyle (working in the evening when the rest of the world is bathing in the afterglow of their workday)

Eventually, I ended up in front of house bartending and serving. I knew my cooking career was over when I was making two to three times as much money as I was sweating in the back cooking and I had a much shorter workweek. I only worked for two businesses as a Bartender/server. Both were family-owned and operated restaurants. It was the perfect avenue to segway into guiding fly fishermen. I practiced my customer service, I still got to buzz around and be busy and I also started to accumulate a friend/client base, some of which I still am friends with and guide today.

I've had several clients ask. "My (son, daughter, nephew, niece, etc.) is thinking about pursuing a career as a chef and I know that you used to do that. do you have any advice for them ??" My reply was usually "Don't do it" This LINK may do a better job of describing what you're really in for. (read the text don't watch the video) I have no regrets of following the path I chose and I still love to cook. The scale and the venue have changed, but I am forever grateful to the chefs, cooks, dishwashers, servers and managers whom I worked with and learned from over the years.