About The Vet Chef
Our mission is to establish a brand of food trucks and restaurants owned, operated, and managed by Veterans and their family members.
Chef Gourlie’s Story
When Kyle was medically retired in 2008 due to a traumatic brain injury that he sustained while deployed, he was left wondering what to do next. Cooking Mexican dishes was something Kyle became passionate about when his father-in-law began teaching him various Mexican recipes. However, it wasn’t until he began speaking on various panels that he saw his true purpose.
While Chef Gourlie was speaking to civilian employers about reintegrating active duty service members back into the civilian workforce, he saw a significant need for employment opportunities for Veterans and their families. He wanted to create employment opportunities where veterans could feel understood and part of something bigger. Through their employment opportunities, mentoring, and support, The Vet Chef hopes to help assist Veteran staff and their family members to overcome obstacles and challenges they continue to face.
and great flavor.”
- Chef Gourlie
Paul Welling's Story
Chef Paul Welling retired from the US Navy in 2009 after 20 years of active service. Having always loved eating and sharing food with his shipmates he perused a degree in culinary arts. During his studies at The Art Institute of Seattle he became a PADI Instructor and started teaching others to scuba dive.
His love of food and missing some aspects of his military career led him to a job posting on Craigslist for The Vet Chef. That reunited him with class mate Chef Kyle Gourlie. Chef Paul took a part time job with Sur La Table teaching cooking classes and left The Vet Chef for a brief time. During the Covid-19 Pandemic Chef Paul realized that he didn’t need a kitchen to teach in and started to talk to Chef Gourie about starting their own cooking classes under The Vet Chef. Chef Paul returned to work full time on The Vet Chef and is excited for what the future holds.
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Our Journey To Helping Veterans Acclimate Into The Community
