Who are we?

I have been surrounded by food my entire life. Maybe that is why I am chubby... who knows? But my culinary career began at the age of twenty, when I walked into a restaurant and begged the chef for a job in the kitchen. Oddly enough this was the very same restaurant where my parents met (my father a cook, and my mother a server). After moving through the ranks at several restaurants, I knew that cooking was my passion as well as my career. So I enrolled in culinary school in my home town of St. Helena, CA. Volumes could be written about how great of an experience it was, but I will leave it at this; it was life changing. My education offered me the opportunity to stage at restaurants such as Redd, Ubuntu, Terra, and The French Laundry. From there I moved around the country cooking, and while I was furthering my skills and moving up the ranks, I met a girl. Beth came into my life, and the rest is history. Now we have a 10 month old son, Jaxson, and have settled in Eugene.

What is the plan?

The plan is to take a 1971 VW bus, and make it into a food truck. The bus already has some food service equipment in it, but needs a new range, ventilation system, and refrigeration unit. The bus currently belongs to a local woman, who has been sweet enough to hold on to the bus while we get funded rather than sell it (which she could have easily done in Eugene), so thank you Glenda! With some elbow grease and a bit of luck, GastroNomad will be up and running in December.

The food

GastroNomad will be an ever evolving menu of deliciousness. The focus will be on portable street food; primarily sandwiches and other such easy to eat foods. But the menu will change based on seasonality, availability and quality. The Banh Mi will be a regular item, as well as pork belly and brioche buns. Tomato and mozzarella sandwiches in summer, Brie and caramelized onion "grilled cheese" for the holidays. The Idea is to serve only the BEST ingredients and let mother nature determine the menu.