I began my career at Captain D's in October 2006, starting out as the fish cook—a common entry point for many new employees. I immediately found joy in the work, especially in the routine of cooking: mixing batter, dunking fillets of pollock into cold batter, and carefully dropping them into hot beef tallow grease. I enjoyed pressing the fish down to collect the batter droppings, known as cracklings, from the pot. When the timer rang, I would retrieve the fillets and walk over to the 'wheel,' where plates were assembled. There, I would place my 'gold bars'—fried fish—into a pan beneath a heat lamp, where they were quickly plated and served. It was a fun and satisfying experience. I tended to be quiet, kept to myself, and mostly followed instructions. My father worked for corporate, which made my coworkers somewhat cautious around me.

The franchise where I worked operated with excellence, and this was evident in our performance—we were recognized as one of the best-run Captain D's locations in the company. Within a year, I advanced into management and continued working there while attending Middle Tennessee State University. This routine defined my life through 2012. By the time I left Captain D's, I had risen to the position of Assistant Manager, third in command. During my tenure, I received around a dozen awards in recognition of my contributions.

After MTSU, I decided to pursue something different and joined the Miller/Coors distributor in Nashville. While I learned a great deal about beer and alcohol sales, what I found most compelling was the opportunity to visit the new restaurants emerging during Nashville's boom in the 2010s. I realized how much I missed being in the restaurant environment. One memorable experience was making a wine delivery to Sean Brock's restaurant, HUSK, where I was deeply impressed by the aromas and atmosphere of a top chef's kitchen. It was during this period that I recognized my desire to return to the restaurant industry.

In August 2016, I launched Silver Spoon. Initially, my plan was to focus on barbecue, so I had a large, towable smoker built. Once it arrived, I started advertising to attract clients. Our first client, however, requested something other than barbecue. When asked if I could prepare other dishes, I confidently said "Yes, I love to cook pasta. I can cook almost anything". Cooking has always brought me joy. For me, cooking for others is like performing a magic trick—the best part is seeing their smiles.

We hosted a tasting for that first potential client at our home. I made Fettucine Alfredo, Red Sauce Penne and Grilled Italian Chicken. She loved it! So our first wedding catering job featured pasta. Cooking pasta on a barbecue trailer was a fun challenge. The smoker was equipped with a stove burner on the back, a grill, and a barrel reverse flow smoker on the side. I prepared fettuccine alfredo on the stove, used the barrel smoker as a heating well (by placing ten chaffing dish flame warmers on the bottom rack and storing cooked food in aluminum pans on the top rack), and grilled Italian chicken on the grill, delivering it fresh to the serving line.

I continued working for the beer distributor while catering events on weekends whenever possible. In those early days, we typically managed only three or four events each year.

When I decided to pursue catering full-time, I quickly realized that it required more than just owning a smoker on a trailer. Recognizing this, I made the difficult choice to put Silver Spoon on hold. My desire to step away from the beer industry and return to the restaurant world was stronger than ever.    

While waiting for the right opportunity in the restaurant industry, I took a position at Yoplait. This role allowed me to gain insight into the manufacturing side of our food supply. Although the experience was valuable, I soon realized that manufacturing was not the right fit for me.

As luck would have it, I reconnected with Captain D's franchisee owner. A chance run-in at a grocery store led to an offer to return to Captain D's, where the franchise had expanded significantly since I left nearly five years earlier. I was brought on board with the goal of training to become a General Manager, as a new store was being built nearby and the current GM was set to transfer there.

I rejoined Captain D's in February of 2017 and was promoted to General Manager by November of that year. Together with my team, we achieved great success, improving the restaurant's performance year after year. My dedication was recognized, as I earned the distinction of GM of the Year for three consecutive years.

In 2021, I was promoted to Area Manager, overseeing the operations of three restaurants. During this period, I continued to cater with Silver Spoon occasionally, limiting events to about twice a year. However, when the pandemic struck in 2020, Silver Spoon ceased operations until the spring of 2022.

After a year and a half in the role of Area Manager, I began to feel the urge to venture out on my own and build upon my solid foundation of restaurant experience. Although the promotion provided new responsibilities, it also distanced me from the kitchen, which I had always loved. Managing restaurant finances and helping my team grow and succeed brought me joy, but I also discovered the more challenging aspects of the industry, particularly in managing people.

The further I moved from direct kitchen work, the more I missed cooking. My days shifted from preparing fish pots and hushpuppy batter to working at a laptop and conducting personal counseling meetings. On tough days, I found comfort in cooking at home, often transforming a simple Tuesday night dinner into a meal fit for a special occasion. I would bring leftovers to work for my team to enjoy, and they frequently asked if I had ever considered opening my own restaurant. My response was always, "Maybe one day."

That "one day" finally arrived in June of 2023 when I decided to go out on my own in the restaurant business.