Meet Aaron Shockley | Chef & Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aaron Shockley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aaron, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My dream has always been to work for myself – but it took many years of soul searching to figure out the how and why behind that.

When my wife Meagan and I had our first born son in February of 2020, everything changed for our family. At the time, we were both working full time jobs and scraping by paycheck to paycheck like so many others in our country. We had spent the last few years daydreaming about having a food truck but never having the time to give it our all, and that was about to change.

Two weeks after our son, Jettson, was born, we found ourselves in the midst of a new obstacle – COVID-19. My job called and told me to stay home for what ended up being 4 months – meanwhile Meagan was on paternity leave and we found ourselves with more than enough time to not only love on our new little boy, but to dive into what eventually turned into The Rolling Fork.

The idea of making our own money was very exciting. I was already working as a chef, but instead of filling my pockets, I was filling someone else’s. I was also experiencing very limited creative freedom and was even more excited to let myself loose and have fun with food again.

Meagan has always been a very creative person, but was longing to find a way to open those floodgates of creativity and put them to use. She discovered an absolute love and natural talent with baking & decorating. This has since turned into hundreds of beautiful custom desserts and wedding cakes.

It was a pretty terrifying endeavor, but our motivation to provide for our new found family always paved a path forward. It wasn’t always easy, and still isn’t, but it has been 100% worth it!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am so proud to be a COVID-19 success story. In a world where so many negative things have happened, to be able to come out on top is a huge deal for us.

I couldn’t be more proud of our team. My wife, Meagan – our pastry chef – and my brother Jobe – our sous chef – have showed that blood really is thicker than water. Without my family, this wouldn’t be possible. Being family, we’ve obviously had our ups and downs, but it wouldn’t have been so much fun without that!

Another challenge for us is living in New Castle CO – a very small “bedroom” town outside of Glenwood Springs. We know just about everyone and everyone seems to know us. We have to live and breathe our brand 24/7 – which is easy most of the time when your slogan is “Get Forked!” It honestly feels like being a “mini” celebrity sometimes. It can be exhausting!

Even though we live in a small town, we all want the world to hear our message: BE KIND. Spend that extra time to make someone smile. We can all make this world a much better place.

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.
This is a tough one – We live about three hours from Denver so my answer is going to be much different than you’re used to!

First, I would take my friend on a 4WD trip up on the flattops near Buford CO. Endless trails, lakes and beautiful wildflower fields. Fishing in Meadow Lake, cruising on Coffee Pot road and keeping an eye out for wildlife.

We’d spend sometime in downtown Glenwood Springs eating at a few of my favorite restaurants, making my friend try some weird food they’ve never had before and enjoying some craft beer & cocktails.

My absolute favorite spot in Colorado right now (this seems to change every year or so) is the town of Ouray. Absolutely beautiful scenery, multiple waterfalls, rooftop bars, amazing restaurants and 360 Mountain View’s. It really is the “little Switzerland” of Colorado.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to both sets of Parents: Kim, Gary, Patti, and Hunter. Without all of your support – this wouldn’t have been possible. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being so supportive and loving!

Website: Www.TheRollingFork.com

Instagram: Thedarksideofthefork

Facebook: @RollingForkTruck