There are moments in all of our lives when we make decisions that change the course of our personal histories forever. We often don’t realize it until later, when we can look back and ponder what compelled us to ever do such a crazy thing.

My decision to become a chef was one of those moments. Few choices in my life were as big; it ranks up there with asking my wife to marry me one wintry night standing under the holiday lights on the Harbor Steps in Seattle, or the day I got it into my adventurous 21 year old head that Eugene, Oregon would be my new home, even though I knew next to nothing about the city and had not a friend or relative to lean within a hundred miles.

Usually, these types of decisions take lots of thought and require weighing possible outcomes, before committing to something with our whole heart. For me, choosing a cooking career was no different.

I started slow and unsteady with many doubts swirling around me, but I stuck with it through several hard years – often unsure I had chosen wisely – until I finally left the restaurant world and realized how miserable I was away from a kitchen.

That’s when it hit me full force: this is not a job – it’s who I am, it’s my passion, fiery and fierce inside me, and I can’t live a happy life without cooking!

When I started at Market of Choice, I was absolutely thrilled to be cooking again! The smile on my face and the fun I had with my coworkers and customers was infectious. Within a few years, I reached my current position, my dream job, teaching others, employees and customers alike, the joys and the passion of making really good food.

I’m telling you all of this, because I often have people ask me if they should make the same choice to become a chef, which path would make the most sense for them, will they enjoy it, etc. and the answers aren’t simple ones. I can only show them my wonder and awe for it and hope that is enough to light a spark in them, so that one day that spark may have an opportunity to grow and burn bright in them.

That’s what carries me: the knowledge that what I am doing has magic and merit. The simple act of mixing humble ingredients with a lot of care and love is incredibly powerful, in that it can bring bright moments to our lives when we need then most.

I am so blessed to be part of this, at this moment, surrounded by others who feel the same way. Some people consider our loyalty to local produce, cheeses, beers and wines, as a “movement” or a “foodie trend,” but to us, here at Market of Choice, great food is the norm and the rest of the world is just catching up.

I deeply believe that our collective future depends on those hard-working people, famers and vendors, who I meet at our stores every day, bringing us the best fruits of their labor. So here’s to you, the dairy farmers, the salty fisherman, the beekeepers, the forest mushroom hunters, the cheese makers, the shepherds, the brewers, the vintners, and all you dirty-kneed farmers. Cheers!

It’s our job to make you shine. And as a chef, I am humbled and honored to do so.

Would I recommend this path for others? Well, I could have done many things differently, but the simple answer is yes. The world is always in need of good cooks!