Chef, Storyteller & Hunter
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She honors the effort it takes to bring a meal from harvest to the plate, and that respect is evident in every meal she prepares. She has a deep rooted appreciation for bringing people together, to gather, and to eat good food.
As an avid outdoors person and nature enthusiast she practices the concept of taking things in their natural state and making them enjoyable. Tori is passionate about telling authentic stories through food. She believes whole heartedly in the power of influence through food, art and the human connection. Having attended the Louisiana Culinary Institute, Tori has spent the last twenty years in the restaurant and hospitality industry telling those stories.
|Q&A|
Q: What is your profession? Did you always know this is what you would end up doing or was it something you “stumbled into”?
A: Chef. With a heavy focus on wild game, field to table, grown, and foraged foods. This concept is at the heart of every meal I prepare. I want to be as close as possible to the food I’m preparing. Big fan of getting my own food.
I’ve always loved to cook and share food with people but I didn’t always know I’d end up a chef. And now that I’m here I can’t imagine doing anything else. As for the wild game part - nothing feels better than the hunt to table process shared with folks.
Q: Favorite movie?
A: the big Chill
Q: Favorite book ?
A: Wild by Cheryl Strayed.
Q: Most inspiring quote, piece of art, saying, or advice that has impacted the way you live today?
A: “Nobody cares, work harder” - Cam Hanes
Q: When you’re not working, what are you doing for fun?
A:When I’m not working you can find me in the woods, on the water, cooking something or working out.
Q: Coolest place you’ve ever traveled?
A: Big fan of hiking Colorado mountains and anything way out in the ocean, usually out of Florida. . . places that remind me of how small I am.
Q: Bucket list destination you haven’t been yet?
A: Destination Elk. I’m dying to harvest an elk somewhere.
Q: You’re stranded on a deserted island - who is coming with you and why?
A: Rowdy Rogers, There ain’t a thing he can’t fix, mend, or build. He can also get around pretty good without a map, I feel like that’s a lost art. I reckon if I can handle our food preparation and such he’d have us covered in other areas.
Q: You get to have drinks with anyone (dead or alive) - who are you calling?
A: I’d like to have a drink with my grandfather. He passed away when I was still in culinary school, and before I became a hunter. He was a big deer hunter and angler. I’d ask him to tell me hunting and fishing stories. I always feel connected to him when I’m out hunting or fishing. I know he’d be proud of who I’ve become.
Q: What advice would you give an 18-year-old that wants to do what you do?
A: Seek out mentorship, put yourself in the way of opportunities. Work smart - if you’ve learned what you need to learn, move on, you are not a tree. If you say you’ll do it, DO IT. Understand that some of what you do may not pay off immediately but will in the long run - learn to tell the difference.
Q: Any guilty pleasures?
A: Good tequila & mezcal.
Q: Favorite wild meat/fish to eat? (i.e. venison, dove, quail, king fish, redfish, etc.) And in what kind of meal do you prepare it/eat it?
A: Elk. While I haven’t harvested my own I’ve been gifted elk yearly for a while now and stand firm on my belief that it’s superior. I like to keep it simple- salt and sear either in cast iron or on the grill, with some butter to top it off. Fresh redfish on the half shell is also hard to beat. Seasoned with a blackening seasoning, citrus and butter.
Q: What’s your favorite element of Turtebox? (battery life, durability, waterproofness, sound, togetherness, elevating experiences)
A: Turtlebox is the full package. Quality through and through. The sound quality, it’s unmatched in the world of outdoor speakers. I’m also a huge fan of the fact that it’s waterproof.
Q: How do you use your Turtlebox?
A: Turtlebox is always on when I’m cooking, lake days, fishing, at camp, and it ain’t bad for getting a coyote to come in close.