Today we’re excited to be connecting with David Mau again. If you haven’t already, we suggest you check out our prior conversation with them here.
David, always such a pleasure connecting with you and thank you for sharing your stories, insights and inspiring messages with our community. We’re looking forward to getting the download and what you have been up to since our last interview, but first can you briefly introduce yourself to folks who might have missed the prior conversation.
Right now I’m focusing on the Private Chef realm working Baja Sur, SoCal and Sonoma County. It’s a pretty dynamic way to make a living for sure but affords a lot of adventure. Been very fortunate to work with a ton of amazing Chefs and the the crew in Baja has been a particular source of culinary inspiration. My journey has been different than a lot of my contemporaries. If you can believe it I actually have a Film Degree and did visual effects starting out interning on Titanic. There’s been a lot of writing, photography and front of house experience as a bar manager for the legendary Memphis Cafe in Costa Mesa. Plus a quarter century working the High Sierra near Yosemite during the summer cooking for cowboys and hikers alike. I’m a bit different but right now stand out as on of the highest rated Private Chefs across a couple agencies/platforms globally. A lot of planets aligned for me to be doing this right now and to be perfectly honest it’s been quite a ride. I’m lucky to be alive.
Great, so let’s jump into an update on what you have been up to since we last spoke. What can you share with us?
Last time I jumped in with Voyage was January of 2020 and nobody in The Biz knew what was about hit them. At that time I was between Chef gigs and working for a purveyor. Shortly after that Covid hit and every assumption we had about the restaurant industry was about to be cast asunder. I literally watched the machine collapse from the inside and it’s hard to explain the sense of chaos and panic that was going on. I offered to get cut, didn’t have mouths to feed and if anyone had to go it might as well be me.
So that May of 2020 I packed my gear, drove up and over Kaiser Pass and into the John Muir Wilderness – little did I know how that summer would change my life. It was stressful there in its own ways but overall it was a far cry from the claustrophobia and creepiness of the big city. I got my ass kicked and came up with some amazing dishes, knife hand was on point too. But that summer was when i decided to take the big leap and venture off into the wild as a full time Private Chef. There’s no manual for this and i made a lot of it up as I went along, it’s been an amazing journey. Most of all I was able to build a career around a lifestyle and not the other way around. There’s a ton of awesome adventure in the way I do this and that’s an investment in headspace that can’t really be quantified.
Alright, so let’s do something a bit more fast-paced and lighthearted. We call this our lightning round and we’ll ask you a few quick questions.
- Favorite Movie: Night Of The Hunter
- Favorite Book: True Grit by Charles Portis
- Favorite TV Show: Band Of Brothers
- Favorite Band or Artist: Right now Toots And The Maytals
- Sweet or Savory: Both actually
- Mountains or Beach: Once again, both
- Favorite Sport (to watch): Surfing
- Favorite Sport (to play): Surfing
- Did you play sports growing up (if so which ones): I was pretty scrawny and uncoordinated. No sports for me.
- As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up: Photographer
- French Fries or Onion Rings: Both again
- Chuck Rhodes or Bobby Axelrod: Who are they?
- Favorite Cartoon growing up: Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes stuff
- Favorite Childhood movie: Sound Of Music
- Favorite Breakfast Food: Homemade Cowboy Hashbrowns
What are you most excited about in the coming year?
I’m really looking forward to some amazing collaborations in addition to my actual job. I will be doing Orange Homegrown soon as well as a bit some podcasting here in the OC. I’m also planning a long trip to cook in Baja along with a slew of events in Sonoma County and on the Russian River. Also going to (hopefully) be getting a ton of surfing, hiking and paddle boarding in along the way with awesome folks, there are many of opportunities. The big project on my list is to really take a hard look at what I do and how I do it, it’s a very dynamic time in the Chef realm with a lot of chances for growth and a few spots that could have pitfalls. Bring it on 2025!
Image Credits
David C Mau
