It’s hard to believe it has been almost fifteen years since I came back home.
After graduating from Charleston Catholic, I had the same urge that so many young people from West Virginia have to get out and explore the world, but no matter where my travels took me – from Hyde Park to Napa Valley to Asheville to the Gulf Coast – deep down I always knew that someday I would end up back here.
Home…where I belong.
Those years away taught me a lot of things, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Obviously, I learned a lot of technical skills in culinary school in New York and California, but being able to see what world class hospitality looked and felt like was even more of an eye opener. The more I saw and the more I learned, the more I wanted to come home.
Deep down I just wanted to bring some of my experiences and knowledge back home to help make a difference here.
I’ve probably learned more about myself and my beliefs since coming back than I did in all those years traveling around the country. What really stands out to me is the abundance of natural resources we have at our fingertips to make this place a world class destination.
Obviously, I’m not talking about natural resources in the way that we usually think of here in West Virginia. As a grandson of a coal miner, I appreciate what our coal and gas industries have meant to the state. I’m talking about different natural resources — home grown delicacies like ramps and mushrooms and fresh vegetables to locally sourced meats through projects like Appalachian Abattoir to the incredibly talented PEOPLE we call neighbors.
We are sitting on a tourism industry that is on the verge of exploding.
One of my core beliefs – and if you’ve spent any time around me at all, you’ve probably heard me use this expression – is that a rising tide carries all boats. That’s why you’ll see me spending as much time promoting other West Virginia businesses as I do my own. We can all rise together, and I’m here to help do my part.
As a kind of “prodigal son”, I’ve seen our state and a decent part of the world. I know where we have been, where we are, and where I think we can go. I’m excited to play my part in that journey.
