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

Hi Travis, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
We had to find the right place to plant our roots. We had taken our initial leap of faith and moved cross country with two kids. Then again one year later. The confidence was present, and we already owned most of the equipment we needed. I had been moonlighting as a Private Chef while maintaining my role as an Executive Chef for nearly 5 years and hated doing anything else. Once the side hustle started producing more income, it was a no brainer. The work life balance has always been our top priority since starting a family.

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 artistic side comes out of necessity to evolve. As in any trait, there are objective fundamentals required to becoming successful. Some that take years to get really good at. The artistic side shines when I can push the limits of what I am comfortable achieving. The uncomfortable moments are where I find myself learning and changing to achieve new techniques. I am most excited to look back at the pictures after a dinner. I practice cooking a lot at home but do not stage any of my work for social media. So, it’s always most rewarding when I can share pictures of the actual dishes I am making in that moment for my clients. There are a lot of people to thank for where I am today. A select handful that have helped me most when I needed it. It’s very helpful to have a close group of friends & fellow chefs striving to achieve their goals as well. It takes a lot of grit, mistakes and perseverance to grow in this industry. I think it’s very important for people to know that I am always aiming to achieve a higher level of execution through trying new and exciting things. There is a very good chance they could receive in a one of a kind four coursed dinner that nobody will ever eat exactly the same again.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would definitely play a ton of golf. There are so many beautiful courses in the area. Downtown Scottsdale has a wonderful food & drink scene. Some of our favorites include sushi, Korean BBQ, lots of tacos and anything shareable. There are a few hikes I’ve been on including some with wild horses that have taken my breath away. The desert offers a different kind of beauty that has taken me by surprise.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Huge shoutout to Chef William Turner!! We established a great partnership shortly after arriving from Nashville. We have very similar backgrounds and instantly clicked. Hes been a wonderful ally for our growth.

Website: thetwistedtines.com (coming soon!)

Instagram: @the_twisted_tines

Other: cheftchrisman@gmail.com

Image Credits
@emmamanningphoto in Nashville!

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