Field Roast Folks: Stephen Holtz

In the Field Roast kitchen, we have had a force of culinary wizardry revamping recipes, creating some new products and occasionally cooking us lunch! Chef Stephen Holtz has 35 years of cooking experience and is a friend of David's who worked with him at Common Meals (now FareStart), once as a Production Lead and then the programs first Chef/Instructor.

Stephen was born in Hartford, Connecticut (a fellow
"nutmegger" like David). He attended the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) after working 7 years in the industry. He's been cooking up a storm ever since; working in Vermont, Texas, Alaska, Seattle and San Francisco...he ran a smokehouse, managed production in a chocolate factory in Washington, and was a chef on a charter boat in the Caribbean. With all of this exposure to the culinary world, he prefers his foods spicy, full of flavor, and traditionally ethnic. "I love food, it is my creative medium and I love to feed people." Chef Holtz says.

He came to Field Roast after working for 12 years as a private chef and settling into a home with his wife on Vashon Island (a small island in the Puget Sound just off of Seattle).

Chef Holtz's work here at Field Roast has varied between product development, production maintenance and occasionally helping out in the kitchen with photo shoots and presentation assembly. His work has been greatly appreciated and now that he has decided to retreat to the island and move on from the bustle back and forth to our facility in Georgetown, he will be missed.

Thanks Steve for your big heart, generous spirit and good cooking!