Get to Know LivegreensPDX & Meet the Chefs
LiveGreensPDX
LiveGreensPDX started as a one-chef kitchen for the people who love delicious but healthy and gluten-free food. Chef Ryan launched it with a clear mission: to serve fresh, thoughtful, gluten-free meals that make people feel good.
The name came naturally. LiveGreens is more than just serving you some meals…it’s about eating healthy and living happily. It’s a name that reflects what we cook, how we cook, and why it matters.
We offer in-home dining experiences, weekly meal prep, event catering, and Texas-style BBQ catering …all made from scratch and customized to your needs. You’ll find us serving homes and events across Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, WA.
Chef Ryan (Founder & Head Chef)
He also loves cats and has three of them. Originally from Wisconsin, he’s a Packers fan through and through. He’s lived in Texas, Maine, New Jersey, Oregon, and now Vancouver, Washington. He plans on staying put — partly because his wife says so, and partly because he loves it here. That said, he’s always hungry to see more of the world.
Chef Ryan is a personal chef based in Portland. Outside of the chef world, he’s passionate about playing guitar, a love he’s had since he was 12. He’s a big fan of live music, especially metal, 80s hair bands, and hard rock.
Ryan thrives on human connection. He believes there are so many cool, unique, fun people in the world …and cooking gives him the chance to meet them. That’s one of the many reasons he loves this work.
Education
Ryan received a Culinary Arts Certification in 2006 from Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, WI, and trained under Chef Jeffrey Lorenz. He pursued education in Italian, Asian, Mexican, Indian, braised meats, and smoked BBQ, and has created thousands of recipes.
After learning he was gluten-sensitive, he trained himself in gluten-free cuisine. He has mastered Whole30, SIBO, Paleo, and vegan recipes, along with various other dietary needs, such as kosher. He believes that health begins with what we eat. Because of this, the foods he makes are delicious, healthy, and thoughtfully created for every client.
Career Highlights
Ryan participated in the creation and grand opening of two Italian restaurants in Wisconsin in 2006 and 2007. When he moved to Austin, TX in 2009, he began a personal chef business. There, he opened a food truck in 2011 and had the honor of serving Zooey Deschanel his original bratwurst recipe.
In the summer of 2012, he cooked for the Dutch Ambassador, their family, and other bureaucrats at their home in Maine.
Back in Austin in 2013, he catered a 300-person vegan BBQ for Russell Simmons of Def Jam Records, as well as a 75-person plated dining experience for Simmons and other record executives and hip hop moguls. That year, he also catered the opening of the movie Chef for Jon Favreau and the cast.
He launched a meal delivery service in 2013 in Austin. In 2015, he opened a gluten-free paleo meal delivery business in Portland.
In 2020, he resumed personal chef and catering work and fell back in love with the job. He also co-authored a book that year. On Thanksgiving in both 2021 and 2023, he volunteered at Po’Shines, helping serve about 1,000 houseless community members.
Throughout his career, it’s been his joy to be a part of countless birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings … including his own.
Chef Angel
Chef Angel is a Portland-based personal chef with a heart for scratch cooking and soulful meals. Her passion for food began early, watching her father, a professional chef, cook for family and friends. Those kitchen memories shaped her cooking style: warm, real, and always made with care.
Before moving to Portland, she ran a small restaurant in Mexico. It’s where she learned how powerful food could be — not just for filling bellies, but for building connection. That experience still guides the way she cooks today.
Angel brings a thoughtful, balanced energy to LiveGreensPDX. She’s hands-on in the kitchen, focused on every detail, and always thinking a few steps ahead. From private dinners to prepping for events, she helps make sure every plate reflects the values the business was built on: respect, honesty, and flavor.
Her style leans into elevated comfort food, often inspired by her heritage and love for simple ingredients that shine. At LiveGreensPDX, she’s more than a second chef — she’s a vital part of the kitchen’s heartbeat.
