Cooking up a career shift: How Noah Stucki fulfilled dreams of becoming professional chef
Story by Deacon Tuttle | Design by Maddy Larson | Photos by Dylan Hanson
How often do you eat boxed mac 'n' cheese or burritos as a college student? There’s no shame in it at all-- in fact it's incredibly on-brand and expected for those chasing their degree, immersed in university life. But do you ever find yourself craving a meal that’s completely fulfilling, or even feel a pull to start exploring cooking more seriously? Or, if you simply are interested in reading a story of a culinary dreamer, then you’re in for a treat.
From Hobby to Hustle
Noah Stucki, head chef of Freehand Cellars in Yakima, understands the student struggle, even within his profession. “I'm a chef. I get home sometimes at 1 a.m. or whatever on a busy night, and it's so much easier for me to do instant ramen than it is for me to cook for myself.”
Even as someone who is in charge of a whole kitchen, Stucki might gravitate toward food that is enjoyable and time-efficient. The list is as long as the grocery list you dread buying the items for. Stucki says “definitely don't feel bad about that, but develop your base of recipes.”
When a hobby becomes your profession, people may be prone to think of that as a nuisance, rather than a celebration. That was not the case for Stucki. It was through fun and late-night shenanigans that Stucki first developed an eye for cooking.
“I would cook us dinner at 1 a.m. or in high school. It's something I like to do, and I fell into it as a way to pay for college,” Stucki says.
At the time, being a sous chef was a means to an end while he was traversing the landscape of dental school in Utah at Brigham Young University. While Stucki was working at various restaurants, the opportunities to pursue cooking and palate development became more clear.
Stucki believes his career moved forward due to joining the CWU wine program. The commitment to chasing his passion was the last step to bring him where he is today. Though Stucki says it wasn’t the plan, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a thoughtful decision to ultimately follow through with.
“The move from studying a science-based field to wanting to do cooking as my passion project, it was very intentional,” Stucki says.
For over half a year, Stucki has acted as the head chef for Freehand Cellars in Yakima. With his hand-crafted personal taste, he is altering the menu, which is an ongoing process. Free Hand Cellars has been established for nearly 4 years, and Stucki has been steadily and deliberately revamping every dish.
The time it has taken has been hard fought, according to Stucki, but well worth it to enhance his new position as the head chef. “We've made some good progress, but it's a lot slower than I expected,” Stucki shares. “I imagine that the second half of the menu is actually going to take longer than the first half of the menu to switch over. Just because [we’re] implementing complex dishes. We have to be able to make the changes, get comfortable and set with where we are.”
Working with the Seasons
As seasons change, Stucki is always keeping his ear to the ground and seeking current themes in tune with his surroundings. At this time, seared shrimp with pickled plums based in an onion cream sauce is a seasonal offering. Additionally, Stucki prides his dedication to continually providing fresh sourdough bread, which includes house bruschetta.
Stucki constantly adapts the garnishes and complementary fruits or vegetables as he seeks cohesion and innovation. For the seared shrimp, Stucki says,”Those are seasonal on tops, so that fruit will change once plums are out, which they're on their way out now. We'll probably do apples, or we might even switch to some sort of vegetable pickle.”
The key to Stucki’s success lies in his preparation and ability to reinvent the established wheel. He also utilizes the resources around him, such as local marketplaces. When developing new recipes, Stucki shares his main considerations: “What's in season? Then trying to apply techniques that I've learned to make it taste good, so I'm really not developing a recipe [from] start to finish in my head. I have to work through it as I see what's available to me.”
Another change in Stucki’s work experience is the customer engagement that comes with being a head chef. Because Stucki is in charge of a closed kitchen, he is learning to balance running the location while also building rapport with customers.
“I get less customer interaction than I'm used to, because normally I can chat with people while working, which is always fun. But being the chef, my goal again is educating, so my staff can always take over for me if there's a break in service and I want to go out and make sure people are doing well.”
According to Stucki, a lap or two among guests, even in the midst of a chaotic weekend, is essential to building a relationship with customers and club members. Stucki describes himself as an open book and extends that to those who dine at Freehand Cellars for any question under the sun.
The Home Cook
If you’re not convinced that being a chef is your career path, that’s okay– here are more ways to enjoy the culinary arts than just cooking. Stucki shares that he is a fan of the often heightened interpretation of the kitchen environment in modern film and television, and that some of the comedic stereotypes do hit home, such as “The Bear” or “The Menu.” As Stucki says, “It was funny to see chefs have their get-back on snooty customers”
On the other hand, if you want to engage in more cooking, Stucki loves to give advice on the subject starting from a beginner's lens.
“For home cooks, people who want to eat better, want to know what they're doing in the kitchen, my number one recommendation is to just start with one recipe, right?” Stucki suggests. “After you nail the taste to your liking, continue to add a new one each subsequent week until you’ve built a solid selection, around five in total.”
Stucki, like his mentors before him, wants others to know that cooking is a learned tool. “It's something everybody has to do,” Stucki says. “It takes so much time, and there's definitely a shame culture associated around a lot of food.”
Whether or not you continue to make quick and delicious meals like mac ‘n’ cheese or are as inspired as Stucki was to pursue a career in the culinary arts, it is a process and everyone’s own journey. As Stucki states, “It's do what you need to do. And then when you have the time, do the best you can. Not everybody can dedicate their lives to cooking. I'm fortunate that way.”