Meet Ryan Van Voorhis | Nude Dude Food – Cofounder and Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan Van Voorhis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I grew up in Central Illinois in a small town called Peoria. It was a decent place to grow up, but I moved to Chicago for grad school and everything changed! The culture, the people, the nightlife, but most impactful for me was the food! I was raised in a typical Midwest home so meat and potatoes were a staple. Don’t get me wrong, I still love meat and potatoes, but living and working in Chicago opened my eyes to so many different cuisines. I spent a lot of my free time walking the farmer’s markets, and exploring different neighborhoods all which offered their own small businesses and unique food offerings. These new food experiences awoken my tastebuds and motivated me to get creative in my own kitchen. What started with buying random ingredients from the store or market, coming home experimenting in my home kitchen eventually led to cooking backyard bbq’s and pop up dinner parties with my longtime friend and now business partner! We both had an immense passion for cooking and interacting with people. These passions naturally merged into hosting dinner parties out of our apartment, entertaining guests not only with multi course meals but also educating our guests on healthy eating habits and shopping locally for ingredients, which in turn minimized our carbon footprint and supported our local farmers. In addition to entertaining dinner guests, I personally was driven to educate them on health eating habits due to my own experience with Crohn’s Disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that I’ve suffered from since age 14.
My personal journey with Crohn’s Disease as well as my passion for cooking and entertaining eventually led to forming a private chef business called Nude Dude Food!
Nude as in healthy meals, cooked with seasonal ingredients and minimal modifications to leave the guests “eating well, and feeling sexy!” The goal was providing a unique dining experience, which left diners with no GI issues that often one would experience after dining out eating a heavy meal. Five years in, and Nude Dude Food has travelled from coast to coast for dinner guests.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My personal journey as a social worker and a Crohn’s patient has motivated me to make a complete career change in my mid 30’s, to something I will dedicate the rest of my life to building. Providing healthy meals in a fun and educational environment breaks down those barriers that you often see in restaurants. Being a private chef allows me to be both front of house and back of house, something most in the industry don’t want to do, you’re either one or the other!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The best places to visit in any city are the little known mom and pop shops that are always busy with people from the neighborhood. Shopping local and supporting your community is #1. My favorite Chinese is in Chinatown, favorite Indian is in the local Indian community, so do your research, think outside the box and try the local spots.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for my support system, which includes my family and close friends, my GI doctors, surgeons, nurses and other Crohnies who are there for me when times are tough.

Website: Www.nudedudefood.com

Instagram: @nudedudefood