Testimonials

MY PROMISE

I wear many hats, mostly because I have many passions and have build my career around them.

I promise to welcome each of you as you arrive, meeting you where you are, without judgment.

Whether you are an award winning chef or picking up a knife for the first time, my services are open to you.

I commit to working with you honestly, with integrity, passion, and respect.

SEE MY WORK

About Me

MY NAME IS Becky

I spent my childhood collecting ramps, gardening, hunting, and homesteading with my family in central West Virginia. I moved to Athens, OH for high school, graduated from Ohio University, then made my way to the Pacific Northwest to attend culinary school at the Art Institute of Portland. From there, I sought out internship opportunities to refine my butchery and culinary skills. These experiences took me to Cure, where I was taken under the wing of award-winning chef and salumist, Justin Severino. Later I ran the protein program at Bar Marco under Chef Jamilka Borges. After several years, I felt the pull to return home to Athens County and my family. I knew that I wanted to bring my abilities and passion for food home, and began working on a concept that I hoped would benefit my community. Before settling in to Athens, I did some traveling and took a cross-country bicycle ride - which gave me a lot of time to think - and the idea of Pork & Pickles was born.

Pork & Pickles was my first business, a butcher shop and pickle line without a storefront. I learned by trial and error and a lot of research how to open an LLC, navigate a whole lot of red tape, and bring my butchery skills to the people of Southeast Ohio, even tho everyone told me it wouldn’t work, and I was wasting my time and money.

Under the Pork & Pickle LLC I opened my first restaurant and grew my company to 10 employees in 2.5 years, and eventually sold that restaurant in 2020.

Pork & Pickles has morphed from a full-fledged product line and restaurant with 10+ employees to a brand that gives Becky the opportunity to engage with her community on many different levels; non-profit work, business consulting, freelance marketing, teaching, private chef work, and mentoring of younger cooks.

In 2019 The Athens Area Chamber of Commerce named me Athens Young Professional of the Year for my work with Pork & Pickles.

All the while Pork & Pickles was doing it’s thing I acted as the Executive Chef at Little Fish Brewing Company. I came on as a consultant to the company to assist them with opening their first kitchen, but ended up staying for nearly 5 years as their Executive Chef. This role awarded me the opportunity to work alongside the owners to design, build, and open a second location in Dayton, OH.

We opened that location in 2022, and in the winter of 2023 I was honored to receive a nomination for Semi-Finalist Best Chef Great Lakes by the esteemed James Beard Foundation.

I recently stepped away from my beloved role and handed the reigns of EC over to my longtime Sous Chefs Zach Morgan (Dayton location) and Jennifer Sartwell (Athens location).

I currently sit on the Community Food Initiatives Board, and is an avid supporter of many local organizations such as Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, the Athens Farmers Market, and The Good Cheer FoodBank on Whidbey Island, WA.

I now resides on the idyllic Whidbey Island outside of Seattle, Washington. I’m expanding my food foraging knowledge to include the Pacific Northwestern forests, the coast, and the sea.

While not at work you can find me trail running with my dogs (Pippy and Woody), cycling, gardening, cooking and eating with my husband, Chris, or spending time with my family and friends, and cat, Bernie.