Five years ago, I left the restaurant world behind, trading chef's knives for veterinary instruments as I started a new career as a veterinary assistant. Two years ago, I launched Twisted Roots as a side venture, and this past May, I took the leap to leave veterinary medicine and focus on my catering and meal delivery business full-time. People often ask me why I made this winding journey back to food. The answer came into perfect focus this past week, as I sat by a campfire on the banks of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, cocktail in hand, watching the sun paint the canyon walls in shades of gold and amber.

For the first time in years, I wasn't missing a family gathering because of a Saturday night dinner rush. I wasn't spending a holiday weekend prepping for someone else's vision. Instead, I was here—present— sharing this incredible week-long rafting adventure with my partner, creating memories that no restaurant schedule would have ever allowed. But this trip gave me more than just the gift of time. It reminded me why I fell in love with cooking in the first place.

Simple Ingredients, Extraordinary Results

On our second night, working with nothing more than a camp stove, a single pan, and ingredients that had traveled down the river with us for days, I prepared what became my favorite meal of the entire trip: a simple peach and burrata salad alongside perfectly grilled steak. No fancy equipment. No extensive prep lists. Just quality ingredients treated with respect and simplicity. As I watched an osprey dive into the river mere yards from our camp, emerging triumphant with a silver fish in its talons, it struck me how both the bird and I were doing exactly what we were meant to do—but the osprey wasn't overthinking it. That meal, eaten while bighorn sheep watched us curiously from the canyon rim above, was more satisfying than countless elaborate dishes I'd plated in restaurant kitchens. It reminded me that the best food doesn't come from complexity—it comes from understanding your ingredients and letting them shine.

The Freedom to Say Yes

Back home in my Twisted Roots kitchen, this philosophy shapes everything I do. When I'm preparing weekly meal deliveries for busy parents who just want something wholesome and delicious after a long day, I think about that riverside steak—how simple preparations with quality ingredients can create something truly special. When I'm catering a gallery opening or volunteer appreciation dinner for 50 people, I remember that the goal isn't to impress with complexity, but to bring people together around food that nourishes both body and spirit.

But perhaps most importantly, Twisted Roots has given me the freedom to say yes to life. Yes to that family birthday party I would have missed working a restaurant weekend. Yes to spending Christmas morning with loved ones instead of prepping for a holiday brunch service. Yes to disappearing into the wilderness for a week with nothing but a raft, a paddle, and the promise of adventure around each bend in the river.

The view down river from our last campsite in the impassable canyon

The restaurant world taught me technique, efficiency, and how to perform under pressure. But it was the Middle Fork of the Salmon River that reminded me why those skills matter—not to build someone else's dream, but to create a life and business that allows for both excellent food and excellent living.

Serving What Matters

Whether I'm delivering meals to an elderly client who doesn't feel like cooking anymore, catering an intimate birthday celebration, or preparing for a 200-person wedding, I carry the lessons of that riverside dinner with me. Quality ingredients, simple preparations, and the understanding that food is about so much more than sustenance—it's about creating space for connection, celebration, and the kind of presence that lets you notice an osprey's perfect dive or the quiet dignity of sheep silhouetted against an endless sky.

That's why I started Twisted Roots. Not just to be my own boss, but to build a business that serves what matters most: exceptional food, meaningful connections, and a life with room for both hard work and wild rivers.

Ready to experience the Twisted Roots difference? Whether you need weekly meal delivery to simplify your busy schedule or catering for your next special event, we'd love to bring our passion for quality ingredients and simple, delicious preparations to your table. Contact us at twistedrootsidaho@gmail.com to learn more.

The Why

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