A Lil Bit About Me

Growing up in Middle Tennessee I learned everything I know about cooking from my family. My first taste of life in the kitchen was working for my mother, Wendy, as she started a catering company named Heavenly Creations! The entire house bonded at her weekend events as we all pitched in to bring her vision to life. That was a huge pillar of my childhood, but it was in the Fall of 2016 in Mobile, Alabama where I decided to take food more seriously. For undergrad I attended The University of South Alabama. Where I convinced myself that delivering home-cooked meals to students for extra cash was a great idea. During this time I was also a college athlete trying to get a degree in international business. Hoops was great, and getting a formal education was a privilege – but nothing made me happier than seeing my friends light up every Sunday from something I cooked JUST for them! What can I say? I was hooked.

During this time, my friends and locals gifted me a moniker… The Shirtless Chef!! I liked the name! For a while at least… Performing cooking demos on the news, hosting local charity events, and publishing culinary content online – sometimes with a shirt, sometimes without ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But nearing graduation, I honestly just wanted something more fresh and professional. It was these steps that led to the beginning stages of Chef Dev! This resulted in me moving to New York City in 2019 to intern at Alex Guarnaschelli’s Butter Midtown and in the test kitchens at the Food Network. That next spring I joined as a line cook at Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster Harlem and subsequently Sarah Gavigan’s Otaku Ramen. Looking back at it, I was really trying to stay afloat and cooking saved me. I found myself in New York City with a knife and a notebook. I didn’t know it at the time, but that year contained a handful of choices and relationships that went on to shape my life and career.

The ensuing pandemic quickly shut all of those doors and forced me to move back home to Nashville, TN in 2020. Almost NO restaurants were hiring at the time, so what better opportunity to start a custom meal delivery service?? After 12 months of hustle, Chef Dev had become my full-time job! Bookings began rolling in and before I could even think about it, I was confidently marketing myself as “Nashville’s favorite private chef”. Now, I have the privilege of regularly serving some of Nashville’s most awesome people – including tourists, athletes, and business professionals. I take pride in each and every opportunity to make someone’s special occasion a notch above the rest; and in my opinion, we do a damn good job!

Look, if all this seems like a lot… you’re right! But honestly, I wouldn’t want it any other way. I’m able to make an honest living by taking care of people and I’m in love with the process. So to make this story even crazier… What if I told you that we’re just getting started? 😉

 - Chef Dev

Soooo, What Do You Do?