Meet A.j. Forget | Nomadic Chef, Writer, & Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with A.j. Forget and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi A.J., how do you think about risk?
My personal mantra is to always follow the path of most resistance. For me, risk and struggle are the greatest signposts that you are headed in the right direction. When you start to relax into the comfortable career, when you start to settle down, you’re actually slowly giving up on your dreams, trading them in for something a little bit easier. Not that there’s anything wrong with settling down, but your dreams do not live in the same place as comfort.

I used to be a lot less ambitious. When I finished college, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I had a degree in environmental science, which I got almost accidentally, because I was taking science courses in every discipline out of pure curiosity. It was the height of the recession, so work was hard to find, but I eventually landed a summer job out in Oregon watching birds. While I was there, I laid eyes on a wildfire for the first time. I pulled over on the side of the highway after work to watch a fire just creep through the grass on a hillside, and I was so enchanted by this amazing natural force that, up to that point, simply didn’t exist in my mind, having grown up in swampy Southeastern Virginia. The next day I was on the hunt for wildland firefighting jobs, and by the next week I had one lined up. I could’ve continued in the same direction I was heading, but I strongly believe that when you really feel the pull to explore something in life, you have to take that risk and plunge in headfirst.

Writing was the same way for me. I worked in wildland fire for most of my twenties, but on the eve of my thirtieth birthday, I started to feel that it was no longer serving me like it used to. I absolutely loved that career, traveling to some of the most beautiful places on the planet, working hard with a tight-knit crew, and engaging daily with that same incredible natural force that so stunned me when I first laid eyes on it on that Oregon roadside. But, after six years, I was settled into it. I certainly still had plenty of room to grow in that career, but I began to feel the tug to return to my childhood dreams: writing and photography. So, I let that job go and plunged into another huge risk, in a way that some would consider foolish. I decided to spend all the money I’d saved from my years of fighting wildfires chasing the next big dream, of becoming a writer.

It was close to seven years ago now that I made that decision, and it has taken me that long to build a new career in such a different field. But I can say with absolute certainty that it was the right choice. In that time, because of those decisions and risks, I have created a life that perfectly suits me. Because I was willing to upend a promising career, I found this new path of most resistance, and it has led me exactly where I’ve always wanted to go. I met the love of my life and with her built a life of constant travel and adventure in our tiny cabin on wheels. I built a career around writing, cooking, and photography, publishing my first book in 2022 (my second will arrive in 2025), and working with major brands as a writer, photographer, and recipe developer.

For me, taking risks is paramount in accomplishing your goals. Nothing that you really want is going to come easily. There is always fear, always risk, in chasing your dreams. You will not find those things on the easy path. If you have the courage, choose the path of most resistance. That’s the only way to what you really want.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My first two books are both cookbooks for campers, vanlifers, RV captains, sailboat dwellers, skoolie folks, and anyone who wants to cook really incredible food with only a two-burner stove. I have taken our culinary experiences from international travel and translated them for the tiny kitchens and limited equipment that you find in a typical home on wheels. The recipes are all simple enough to fit on a single page, but the food is not your typical one-pot camping fare. They are diverse and exciting recipes which bring international flavors to wherever you are currently calling home. There’s not much better, in my eyes, than sharing a big platter of sushi on a desert cliff or savoring steak bearnaise as the moon rises over an alpine lake. Those are memories that live in your heart forever.

Starting a career in the arts is never easy, and there have certainly been a lot of challenges along the way. For me, it has all been about sticking to the plan, creating and sharing things that I am excited about. I cook the food that I want to eat, I shoot photos that I think are beautiful, and I write to explore ideas and share moments which are powerful to me. You can spend an unlimited amount of time trying to figure out what your audience might want and cater to them, but art is about passion. If you want to have longevity in your work, it needs to be what you want to create. You have to listen to your heart and stick to exploring the things which excite you. The audience will follow.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
An ideal trip for us would mean heading up into the mountains and winding our way down a forest road until we found a completely uninhabited area. Ideally, someplace forested with a good view and a bit of water. We’d spend the week working and relaxing, enjoying Colorado’s stunning wilderness, be it the views of snow-capped peaks or the occasional icy dip in an alpine lake. Dinners would include some wild ingredients, maybe mushrooms, berries, or wild greens, foraged from near camp. Our life is best when we’re out on our own, working on the things which really matter to us, and savoring the beauty, peace, and stillness that still exists in the wild.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The nomadic community has been such a supportive and amazing part of our journey. When we hit the road back in 2020, we had no idea who or what we would find out there. Our plan was mostly just to spend as much time as possible out in nature and see all of the wild beauty that this country has to offer. But what we found was so much more than that. The other nomads we have met along the way have been some of the kindest, most genuine folks we’ve ever met, other people who are out there listening to their hearts and chasing their dreams. We are so, so grateful for all of the friends we’ve made on the road.

Website: https://thebuslifekitchen.com

Instagram: @the.buslife.kitchen

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/the.buslife.kitchen/