ABOUT Chef RYAN
Hey, I am a personal chef based in Portland. Outside of the chef world, I am super passionate about playing guitar and have been since I was 12. I absolutely love any kind of live music! Especially metal, 80s hairbands, and hard rock.
I love cats and have three. I’m originally from Wisconsin and love my Packers. I’ve also lived in Texas, Maine, New Jersey, Oregon, and now Vancouver, Washington. I plan on staying here because my wife makes me — and I love it here 🙂 With that said, I am passionate about seeing as much of the world as I can.
I love human interactions — there are so many cool, unique, fun people in the world that I have the pleasure of interacting with. Just one of the many reasons I love this line of work – YOU!
Education
I received a Culinary Arts Certification in 2006 from Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, WI and trained under Chef Jeffrey Lorenz. I pursued education in Italian, Asian, Mexican, Indian, braised meats, and smoked BBQ, and have created thousands of recipes.
After learning I’m quite gluten-sensitive, I trained myself in Gluten Free cuisine. I have mastered Whole30, SIBO, Paleo and vegan recipes along with various other dietary concerns such as kosher. I believe that our health begins with what we eat. Because of this, the foods I make are delicious, healthy, and thoughtfully created for you.
Career Highlights
I participated in the creation and grand opening of two Italian restaurants in Wisconsin in 2006 and 2007. When I moved to Austin, TX in 2009, I began a personal chef business. There, I opened a food truck in 2011 and had the honor of serving Zoey Deschanel my original bratwurst recipe. For the summer of 2012, I cooked for the Dutch Ambassador, family, and other bureaucrats in their home in Maine.
Back in Austin in 2013, I catered a 300-person vegan BBQ for Russell Simmons of Def Jam Records, as well as a 75-person plated dining experience for him and other record executives and hip hop moguls. That year, I also catered the opening of the movie, Chef, for Jon Favreau and cast. I began a meal delivery service in 2013 in Austin. In 2015, I opened up a gluten free paleo meal delivery business in Portland.
In 2020, I resumed personal chef and catering work, and fell in love with my career all over again. I also co-authored a book that year! Thanksgiving 2021 and 2023, I had the privilege of volunteering at Po’Shines for their annual Thanksgiving meal where we fed about 1,000 houseless community members. Throughout my career, it’s been so fun to be a part of numerous birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings (including cooking for my own!)