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

Hi Todd, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ve been cooking professionally for about 30 years. Many of those years were spent running restaurant kitchens and managing large scale event catering teams. The hours and weeks were long, it required a lot of sacrifice with not much return. My thought process when starting Nopal was to create a job for myself where I could spend my time cooking, which is really what I love to do, and less time managing. I wanted a job with a manageable schedule and financial security. I was fortunate to meet a private chef business coach who guided me through the process of creating my own brand and style of service. That guidance, along with amazing support from my family and friends, landed me here.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Cooking is more or less the only job I’ve ever had, and it’s definitely never been easy. I did a culinary internship during my last year of high school with a really amazing chef. I learned a lot during that time. After I graduated, I immediately moved from Cleveland, Ohio to Flagstaff, Arizona, excited to work in any kitchen I could find. I spent the next 15 years living there, working in and opening some of the city’s most beloved kitchens including The Black Bean, Macy’s, Bigfoot BBQ and Diablo Burger to name a few. I owned my own kitchen there from 2003 until 2008.
I left Flagstaff for Seattle in 2013 and spent time as Sous Chef of Local 360 and as Executive Chef of Re:public. Those years pushed me past the point of burnout, and I eventually reached my breaking point. After a tumultuous last 6 months in Seattle, I packed up everything and went to work on a sod farm in south Mississippi. I spent the next 3 years driving a tractor, mowing lots of grass and teaching myself traditional Welsh spoon carving. I had no intention of ever coming back to cooking professionally, but when the farm I was working on sold, I came back to Arizona, this time to the valley. A return to the kitchen was inevitable, but this time around, I moved into catering. I spent almost 5 years working for M Culinary Concepts, managing back of house operations for some pretty large-scale events. That work made me realize that I much preferred cooking for smaller gatherings in more intimate settings. I started privately contracting dinner parties and events in the spring of 2023, working with some smaller event companies here in Phoenix. In 2024 I decided it was time to do my own thing entirely. I worked with a fantastic business coach that helped me build Nopal Private Chef Services. Now my focus is providing custom, in-home meal prep for my clients. I still service small dinner parties and pop ups, along with teaching bespoke cooking classes and demos, however my main focus is meal prep. It took a lot of work to get here, but it feels awesome to work for myself, have a manageable schedule and be able to cook amazing food for my clients every day.

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.
Arizona is such an amazing state. We’d have to take some day trips for sure. I love to hike and be outside, so a climb up Humphrey’s Peak in Flagstaff would be essential. We would end up at Mother Road Brewery after that. A drive through Sedona with an early morning dip in Beaver Creek is always a favorite. An afternoon at Page Springs Cellars is also a must. Once we get back to the valley we are hiking at Seven Springs, having beers at AZ Wilderness, pizza at Trevor’s and eating and shopping at H Mart. A visit to Boyce Thompson Arboretum would have to make the last as well. Hopefully we’d finish with a show at the Van Buren.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to give a shout-out to my business coach, Chef Tiffany Thomas. Her knowledge, guidance and positive energy were instrumental in building a solid foundation for my business.

Website: https://www.nopalchef.com

Instagram: @cheftoddgriffith

Linkedin: Todd Griffith

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